The squat is a simple exercise that does not require many preparations to be performed, just keep your legs apart, stretch your arms in front of your body and squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Although it is often considered just an exercise to strengthen the leg, the squat works other muscles than those of the leg and, thus, promotes the strengthening of the abdominal and back muscles, for example.
The squat, although simple, is important to be done under the guidance and care of a physical education professional so that the movement can be corrected, if necessary, and so that there is less risk of injury.
How to do squats
To do the squats correctly without harming your spine and achieve the full benefit that this exercise can provide is recommended:
- Keep your feet slightly apart and always well supported on the floor; Stretch your arms in front of your body; Keep your back straight and avoid compensating with your hips, as is common; Inhale before starting the squat and release air as you descend; Descend enough to keep your thighs parallel to the floor.
A good tip to check if the squat is being performed correctly is to observe yourself in a mirror. The ideal is to do the exercise sideways to the mirror. When the exercise is being done correctly, you should feel the abdominal and thigh muscles working. It is also possible to increase the efficiency of the squat by performing variations of the same exercise, working more muscles. Learn about other squat exercises.
Despite being an exercise that should be introduced in the training routine, the squat must be done carefully to avoid injuries. Therefore, in the case of a person who is beginning to perform exercises, it is recommended to squat on the wall against a pilates ball, so it is possible to have greater perception of movement. In addition, you can train by sitting and getting up from a bench, because that way you can also see how the movement should be performed.
For beginners, the recommendation is to do 15 squats correctly, being indicated on the first day to perform 3 sets of 5 squats with an interval of 1 minute between sets. As the exercise is practiced, the number of squats can be increased progressively, according to the person's capacity. It is recommended that squats are done 3 times a week and on alternate days so that the muscles can rest.
Also know 3 exercises to increase your butt at home.
Squat Benefits
The squat is a complete exercise because it involves several muscles, including the abdominal, back, thigh and gluteus muscles. Thus, the main benefits of squats are:
- Strengthening of the abdominal and back muscles; Strengthening and hypertrophy of the thighs and glutes; Improvement of physical conditioning; Decreased risk of injuries; Help in weight loss.
In addition, squats improve body contour and help maintain good posture and can be practiced in any environment.
