December 23, 2016
Squats Benefits: Why Your Workout Needs Them
Squats are some of the most well-known exercises – for good reason. From the most hardcore bodybuilders to people who are just trying to live healthier lives overall, squats benefits can not only improve your health in general, but also how you work out and the form of your body. Today we're getting into four of the most undeniable squats benefits you can start bringing to your life.
1. They help grow your hamstrings and help you avoid injuries.
Hamstrings are some of the most important muscles, but they can get a little sidelined in favor of the more obvious aesthetic muscles on the upper half of the body. One of the best squats benefits is their ability to grow the hamstrings, some of the muscles in control of one's ability to run quickly. Hamstrings are involved in hip extension and knee flexion, the latter of which refers to the bending of the leg when walking and running. Injuries can happen when certain muscles, such as hamstrings, are weak, causing bodily imbalances. Perhaps even more important among squats benefits is their ability to remedy such imbalances and weaknesses; on a related point, weightlifters in particular can also use squats as a tool to determine where their form while lifting needs improvement.2. They help you achieve better core strength.
The strength of your core – meaning your entire torso – is another important component to your body's overall capabilities. Especially for weightlifters, the process of holding and lifting weights involves moving through more than one plane of motion. The body must work hard to maintain constant stability, thus subtly improving your core strength over time. This includes not just the abs but also your lower back, mid back, obliques, inner spinal stabilizers, and abdominal musculature.
3. They can help improve your mobility, jump, and joints.
Is there no end to squats benefits? You already know that squats require the body to move through more than one plane of motion, so it makes sense that when squats are executed with proper form, this naturally improves our ability to move efficiently in multiple positions and bring about an improved range of motion. Squats can improve your ability to jump due to their strengthening of your legs, which increases the ability to produce power. One study that was released in 2012 examined the vertical jump of 59 participants who were engaged in a ten-week program centered on three types of squats; they found that deep full squats actually improved vertical jump by expanding the jumper's ability to develop force. Joints also enjoy some squats benefits; since joints function best when in constant use, regular squatting strengthens them properly by consistently building the muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons involved in the exercise. If you are completing squats in proper form, your body will feel these benefits.4. They can help boost fat burn.
Last, but certainly not least, integral among squats benefits is their ability to help aid in fat burning. Squats strengthen numerous large muscle groups simultaneously, which requires a good deal of energy to correctly carry out. As such, the amount of calories burned during a squats workout is naturally more than the amount burned during a more static exercise. The other component to this is that since squats necessitate more effort than other exercises, the body is forced to work harder to repair itself afterwards, thus boosting overall energy expenditure.
Squatting is an ongoing challenge between you, gravity, and growth – it never stops, but you improve a little bit each and every time, all while building your overall strength. Squats benefits won't be felt in just one day, but with commitment and dedication, over time the improvements you will feel in your body will simply be undeniable. As always, make sure you never miss a fueling session for your squats by keeping all the nutrients you need everywhere you go in our original meal management bags!