Squats are one of the most complete exercises of all. They can be done with or without weight and have many benefits. For example, they help to maintain our physical posture in a suitable position, preventing the shoulders from falling forward and our back from bending.
These problems occur when people have a sedentary lifestyle, so you should put this exercise into practice.
If you want to know more about this exercise and the benefits it brings, discover 10 powerful reasons to do squats .
10 reasons to do squats
1. Improve body posture
The muscles that support our spine can develop better if you put enough weight on your back so that the erector muscles are naturally strengthened.
Many of the people go to the gym and do many exercises with presses (legs) and machines, thinking that these exercises will help us to improve the wrong posture of our body, but it is not like that.
Squats, in addition to increasing our muscle mass, also help us to obtain a better body posture.
2. They generate growth hormone (HGH)
When people begin to lift more weight in squats, our large muscles exert tremendous effort. These muscles are damaged and must later be repaired. As a result, our pituitary glands release natural human growth hormones (HGH) so that we can repair them.
HGH not only helps heal muscles, but also stimulates bone strength, fat loss, increases energy, stabilizes mood, and supports cell reproduction and regeneration.
If you want to get it naturally without resorting to supplements, squatting is your best option.
3. They help you lose fat
Cardio exercises are the most recommended to burn fat; even up to 2 hours after completing the training; however, when you squat you can burn fat for the next 18 hours or more after finishing a workout.
This is because strength training creates what is known as excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). This term is used for the time our metabolism rises after exercise.
If you want to build or maintain muscle while losing weight , squats are the most recommended exercise.
4. Increase the level of collagen
Squats increase collagen production ; therefore, they slow down the symptoms of aging, helping us to obtain a more toned physical appearance.
Collagen's main function is to maintain healthy tendons, skin, and cartilage, providing integrity and elasticity to our infrastructure, while reducing wrinkles and fine lines.
Apart from helping you to be younger, it will also help you to be in a better physical state, which will help you feel more active and improve your mood.
5. They prevent osteoporosis
Squats improve bone density in our hips and spine, making our bones stronger and stiffer.
There are no warning signs before a first bone break. Many people think that they shouldn't worry about bone health until they are 40 years old; therefore, it is necessary to promote bone health at any age, especially if you are a very active person. And for this, nothing better than doing squats frequently.
6. Improve certain health problems
For those who do not know much about the subject, the bones are held together by the ligaments, and the ligaments in turn join the muscles to the bones. So unless we have strong muscles to hold our bones in place, ligaments can move and cause pain later.
Squat exercises are best for this problem as they allow the body to develop the muscle and ligament strength necessary to eliminate that pain.
Many people go to the chiropractor if they have these kinds of problems. What the chiropractor does is return the bones to their place; but as time passes, the pain returns. This is because the person has not created the infrastructure to keep the bones in the natural place where they belong.
The best way to solve this problem is to load the body symmetrically; that is, in the squat position. In addition, it will give more strength to the back and improve the health of the spine
7. Strengthen the knees
Squats help build the vastus medialis muscle and quadriceps, which help stabilize and protect the knee .
People believe that by doing squats, the knees can be affected. This is true if you do them wrong, but if you do them correctly, squatting is a great way to protect and support your knees.
8. Help eliminate chronic pain
The strength of our rhomboids and the erector spinae muscles must match the strength of our pectorals so that they are pain free.
Weight lifting has become an exercise to sculpt our body rather than balance our muscles. In short, people prefer to work the most striking muscles, to make them look bigger and stronger, instead of working those that do the work of keeping our physical infrastructure in the correct position.
If you want to achieve the latter, squats will be essential in your routine.
9. They help increase flexibility
Squats increase flexibility in the hips , thoracic spine, shoulders, knees, and ankles.
Squatting will help you require less energy to move through a greater range of motion, which will reduce your overall risk of injury and increase your physical performance.
conclusion
Squats are a very complete exercise: they help you gain strength, muscle mass and also help you improve your physical position and strengthen your bones.
This exercise loaded with benefits that will make you be a more active and independent person, helping you not to immerse yourself in a sedentary lifestyle.
References
- Ricky, L. The 10 Most Important Reasons To Squat. For Breaking Muscle [Reviewed May 2019].
