Squats are one of the best exercises for building muscle, losing fat or getting in shape as they work almost every muscle in your body. They help maintain flexibility and balance, prevent injuries, and improve performance.

Why should you do squats? It’s a popular question that people ask when they start getting into fitness. We’ve all heard that squats are great for you, but why do them? 

Squats are one of the best exercises if you’re trying to build muscle, lose fat or just want to get in shape. Squats work almost every single muscle in your body. If you’re looking to build muscle, your legs and back can pack on a good chunk of muscle from squatting. And if you’re looking to burn fat, you want to do exercises that engage as much of your body as possible and squats does that. Just as a reminder, by squats I mean barbell squats which you should do with a free bar. Smith machine squats doesn’t count as squats, and I recommend you to stay far away from the smith machine as much as possible. 

What makes squat such a great exercise? 
Build muscle and keep you healthy 

Squats primarily help build your leg muscles including your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Besides, they also create an anabolic environment which promotes muscle growth in your entire body because you’re using almost every muscle in your body to squat the weight. This increase in muscle mass will help you improve your upper and lower body strength. Moreover, squats build your muscles and these muscles participate in the regulation of glucose and metabolism, helping you protect against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.   

Burn fat 

One of the most efficient and effective ways to burn fat is to gain muscle. For every kilo of additional muscle you gain, your body can burn an additional 100-150 calories a day. Squats work almost every muscle in your body and as full-body workout they help you lose fat.  

Maintain mobility, balance and prevent injuries 

Most athletic injuries happen due to weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments and connective tissues. Strong legs are crucial for staying mobile as you get older. Squats increase leg strength and help strengthen your ligaments and tendons. Additionally, they work your core and stabilizing muscles which will help you maintain balance and improve mobility. They help prevent injury by improving your flexibility by improving the range of motion in your ankles and hips.  

Boost sports performance 

Mainstream sports such as football, basketball and rugby require athletes to display incredible jumping ability and power that requires thigh, hip and glute strength. Squats greatly contribute to each of these, and can thus improve your performance in the playing field. 

Page Break Myths about squatting 

Bending your knees and lowering your body would start getting a lot easier if you can get over some of the myths about squatting.  

Squats are bad for your knees  

This is one of the biggest reasons people stay away from squats. If you do them properly and hit proper depth, squats are probably the best exercise you could do. for the reasons mentioned above. However, doing squats while in bad form and performing half-reps and partial squats without hitting depth are bad for your knees and do not give you any positive benefits. 

Knees shouldn’t go past your toes  

If you think about any functional scenario, the knees pass the toes all the time – when you go up and down a flight of stairs or when you sit in a chair. It’s natural for the knees to go a few inches past your toes. So as long as your form is correct, there is no harm in letting your knees go past your toes. 

Your feet should be shoulder width apart 

Everyone has different body and bone structures and because of that people will have different stances. But for the majority of people it will be a stance that is shoulder width apart. That however doesn’t mean you have to use that stance. If you feel uncomfortable with it, just find a stance that you are comfortable with and feel strongest when squatting.  

Women’s Day Special – Squat Competition 

Every year, to celebrate Women’s Day, Jasmine Fitness Club & Spa in association with Ideashop Nepal is organizing the 3rd Interclub Women squat competition. Director Niroj Lama started this competition to promote a positive healthy lifestyle and empower women. Lama said that the objective of the event is to break the stereotype in Nepali culture that women cannot and should not lift. He hopes to highlight the importance of lifting, especially for women, in fitness through this competition.  

This will be the 3rd instalment of the competition and it includes two categories: under 60 kg and over 60 kg. The preliminary judging is scheduled for March 6, 2018 and the selected candidates will compete the next day, on March 7, 2018. So what are you waiting for ladies? You still have plenty of time to prepare for the competition. It’s not simply about winning or losing. It is more about competing with yourself and showing others what you’re made up of. And hopefully in the process you will inspire some women to initiate their own fitness journey.