The squat is an important exercise for your entire body and has some nice benefits. Below I give six reasons why you should not skip this exercise in the gym.

It is a functional movement

Actually you use the squat movement, knee bending, with a lot of daily activities. For example if you lift a weight off the floor and when you sit down and get up. If you learn to squat, you will see that daily activities are easier because you have more muscle power and are more accustomed to the movement.

Squats are good for the whole body

You will probably think that squats are only good for your legs. But that does not stop there. The nice thing about the squat is that your upper body also benefits from such a complex movement. You also train your core . This ensures that you stay upright and your spine can be in a neutral position .

Squatting is good for your muscles and tendons

Because of the squat your muscles and tendons can become more stressful and become stronger [1] . By choosing the right tax, you reduce the chance of injuries in other sports. This is especially important for athletes who exercise a lot and make rotational movements where there is a lot of pressure on the knees. For football players, for example, it is important to have strong ankle ligaments and sufficient knee stability. Squats can help with this, among other things.

Make sure you do not overload the muscles and tendons. Choosing a correct training load is essential . Overload is in fact lurking.

Provide more mobility in the hip and ankle joints

The squat provides more mobility for the hip and ankle joints. Note that you do not drop further than your body allows with a correct technique. You want to prevent your lower back from contracting at all times. Always keep a neutral lower back during the entire movement.

Note: a deep squat is not for everyone. It requires a harmonious cooperation of your joints and muscles. It is important that the feet remain firmly on the ground, while the hips move down between the legs. The spine to lower back maintains its natural arch as much as possible and must be stable under load. The upper body must be blocked during the exercise and function as support for the spine. Tilt the pelvis a bit further and hold the dumbbell firmly on the trapezius with your arms, ie your monkshap muscle.

All these instructions require the necessary focus and precision and a good deep squat is not possible for everyone. Some people have such a physique that it is not possible to perform a good or complete squat. The hip and ankle mobility can be limited, making half a squat sometimes not even possible. Do you want to know more about this subject and what you can do about it? Then read this article about deeper squats .

You burn more fat because of more muscle mass

Do you want a lower fat percentage ? Squats can help you with this! For every kilo of muscle mass that you develop through squats, you burn 20-30 extra calories per day. That does not seem like much at first. But on a yearly basis it really counts!

It’s cool

Squat becomes really nice after a while if you make progression in terms of technique, movement and weight. Over time, it becomes really nice to sink down with a rod in your neck and come up again. So simple, but so effective.