Whether squats are good for you or not has been a topic of controversy for many years. Workout myths add more to it. Still, there are studies claiming the benefits of squats and how they can help strengthen the muscles of your lower body.
The good thing is that squats are not only for professionals and athletes. You can also do this exercise at home. Plus, the number of variations in this exercise is another reason for the increased benefits of squats for the body.
Do you want to know more about the benefits of squats and how they can help strengthen the body?
Let’s get into the details.
Strengthens the core muscles
One of the best benefits of squats is their ability to strengthen the core muscles.
With strong core muscles, your daily movements like standing, sitting, and moving become a lot easier.
Although squats are beneficial for the lower body and might not be considered the best for strengthening the core, they activate the midsection muscles, which help support the spine and make movements easier.
A study was conducted to compare muscle activation between plank and back squats. It concluded that back squats are better for activating the back muscles.
Makes joints stronger
One thing about the bones is that you need to keep them moving to keep them functioning.
For this, squats can be beneficial.
As squats target the leg muscles, you can expect stronger knees and joints. It’s because movement strengthens the tendons, ligaments, and bones around the muscles.
However, people already suffering from bone-related health issues should consult a doctor.
Improves flexibility
Apart from stretching exercises, squats are a great exercise to improve flexibility in your muscles.
As the leg muscles move and stretch, it helps improve flexibility. Stretching is actually important to keep your muscles moving. As mentioned before, squats also make daily activities like sitting and standing much easier.
So, we can say that squats can help slow the process of muscles becoming less elastic with age. With increased flexibility, you can do everyday tasks more easily.
Improved posture and balance
Squats also target the inner thigh muscles and glutes.
With this, they help shape the legs and hips.
This leads to a better physique and posture.
With better strength and stronger leg muscles, squats also help you maintain balance, preventing the risk of falling. Thus, better posture and mobility can be achieved by squats.
Still, you need to remember that other exercises like stretching should be considered while trying to build better posture and mobility. Only relying on squats isn’t the best option.
Reduced risk of injury
Although injury cannot be completely prevented while working out, you can use some tips to prevent workout injuries.
In most cases, doctors recommend squats to people suffering from knee instability.
If you also suffer from such issues, you can consult your doctor.
Apart from this, performing squats regularly can also help build better bone and knee strength, which might reduce the risk of developing a knee injury.
However, this applies to performing squats the right way. A few studies suggest that performing squats the wrong way might lead to problems over time.
May help relieve pain
While most muscles need rest to recover properly, performing exercise and stretching muscles can also help relieve pain in some conditions.
As squats help stretch the muscles, they can maintain flexibility. In fact, squatting may stretch and mobilize the muscles that feel pain-prone due to your sedentary lifestyle.
According to a study, participants felt a decrease in their pain in the shoulders, lower back, and middle back after performing some exercises, which also included squats.
Helps burn calories
The primary goal of squats is to build power and strength.
However, the benefits of squats also go toward burning calories because it helps build lean muscle mass. Thus, you burn more calories as you lose weight and build muscles.
This is because squats work on the major body muscles. It also requires more energy to perform, which burns calories more quickly.
Compound exercises like squats target more than one muscle group, and they help in healthy weight loss.
Can be done anywhere
The best thing about squats is that you can do this exercise everywhere.
Do you have gym anxiety and can’t exercise in front of others?
Does the fear of doing it wrong make you step back?
The thing is, squats come with many variations. So, there is no generally right way of doing this exercise. These variations are for targeting different body muscles.
Also, squats are a simple exercise, so you can do them anywhere. For busy people who don’t have enough time, you can also perform this exercise for a few minutes at home.
Take-away message
The benefits of squats go beyond just providing power and energy. This exercise is beneficial in strengthening bones and muscles, improving posture, and helping in weight loss.
So, an effective workout routine should include this exercise.
Although squats are good for making the lower body stronger, you should consult a doctor if you already suffer from injuries or knee problems.
