Squatting is arguably the best muscle building exercise out there. We've decided to compose a list of the benefits of squats that you might (or might not) already know. There are over 100 benefits of exercise in general. You might also be interested in the benefits of push ups or pull ups as well.
Facts about squats
1. Squats work the entire leg muscles
Squats are good for growing the quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes generally. They also work the ankles, abs, oblique muscles and lower back. Yes, they will help to improve calve muscle size.
2. Squats increase human growth hormone
Squatting regularly will increase your body's production of Human Growth Hormone, a hormone that speeds up muscle recovery and aids muscle growth. See here the muscle building hormones that get stimulated through strength training.
3. Squats also increase natural testosterone levels (and production)
The body responds to squatting exercises by producing more testosterone, the hormone which (among other things) determines muscle size. There are other natural ways to boost testosterone too.
4. Squats give you a good-looking, sexy bum
Squats make your bum look more aesthetic and more attractive to the opposite sex. This is true for males AND females. Guys can get a perfect jock-bum, while girls can use squats to add tone and shape.
5. Squats increase your endurance
The more you squat, the easier the rest of the exercises that you do at the gym will be, no matter what you goals are. This is because squats are so intense. Doing these high-intensity movements will increase your intensity tolerance and therefore increase the amount of physical pressure that you can take in one go.
6. Squats increase blood circulation and oxygen usage
The more you squat, the better your body will be at performing other physical tasks. Since squats are so intense, your body learns to get better at using oxygen and other nutrients in your blood to recuperate. This raises your immune system, metabolic rate and natural energy levels.
7. A squat burns fat at a faster rate than running
Squatting continuously for the same time as jogging, for example, will burn fat faster whilst still increasing muscle mass. Squats take a lot of energy to do (but take a lot less time and space). Here are the calories that different sports burn per hour, on average.
8. Performing semi-squats decrease mobility over time
Like with any exercise, use the full range of motion. Squats are no exception. Doing half-rep squats could negatively impact the general mobility of your muscles and joints over time as you train to work within lesser motions.
9. Doing squats properly actually improves your knee health
Doing squats regularly without overdoing it to injury will actually build your knee/ankle joints and their surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons over time. Squats are used in some rehabilitation courses to help people rebuild knee and ankle strength. It is important to always use full range of motion and correct form.
10. Squats are good for digestion and help keep you regular
Can't produce squat in the bathroom? Try producing squats at the gym!
11. Squats help to build and maintain muscular balance and posture
The better you can hold your squat, the better your body can hold itself throughout the day. Squatting teaches you to keep your back straight and is great for programming your body to keep the right, healthiest posture without effort.
12. Squats strengthen your core
The better your core strength, the stronger your other lifts will be. A lot of physical power is generated from your core. Note that it is important to still do additional core strengthening work outside of squat exercises.
13. Squats will make you jump higher
The strengthening of the leg muscles used during the squat means that you will have more power accessible for jumping and power exercises.
14. Squats can help your run
Since squats help your leg muscles so much, they can add power to your sprint and offer joint protection for long-distance runners, too.
15. Get mentally used to intensity
If you can squat with heavy weights almost to failure for a few reps regularly, you won't have a problem with added intensity in your other exercises. Since squats are one of the most intensive exercises, once you've got this one down it will be a lot easier to deal with other physical challenges during training.
16. You can squat easily
Squats, push-ups, planks and pull-ups make a great almost-full-body-workout when you can't get to the gym and don't have any equipment with you. Luckily, this means that you can get bigger and stronger no matter where you are!
17. Squatting undoes all of the negative muscle-moves that we do daily
Nothing like some good squats to counteract all the bad postures we put ourselves through in daily activities like sitting, working on the computer and driving.
18. Squatting can help eliminate back pain
This is because it undoes negative posture moves like in the point above, and because it helps strengthen the lower back muscles.
Can you think of any other reasons why squats are so great? Do you know of any other interesting facts about squats? Let us know below.
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Yes, I agree to your post. Especially to eliminate back pain. Squatting is one of the mobility system workouts that we need to include in our daily routine of exercise.
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