There is no doubt that squats are one of the most effective exercises to build up the muscles in your legs. What you may not know is that they also build up strength throughout your entire body. Squats succeed in working all of the largest muscles in your body – your hamstrings, glutes, and quads.

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Squats also release testosterone which aids the development of muscle tissue. In essence, doing a squat will build muscle to help you to lift more weight when you are doing a bench press, as well as help you to do more pull ups. Plus, it’s the most effective way to build strength in the lower half of your body and build your physique.

Protection From Injuries 

Squats sometimes get a bad rap for causing knee injuries, but this reputation is really undeserved. Generally injuries blamed on squats come from doing them improperly or by further worsening an existing injury. As with any strenuous exercise, you should consult your physician before beginning any new exercise routine.

For those who do not have existing injuries, squats can help to prevent them from happening in the first place. When done properly, squats strengthen the weak muscle groups, leading to more stability and preventing a lot of the injuries that could occur. As a matter of fact, a lot of rehabilitation programs use squats to help people recover from knee injuries and various other leg injuries.

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Get Into Position

One of the first techniques you should learn is the traditional squat or bodybuilding squat. Proper form is important to avoid injury and to get the maximum benefit from your exercise.

Bar Placement

Place the bar high on your back while holding your shoulder blades back to help support the bar.

Arms

You can either keep your wrists rigid or flex them back power-lifter style, depending on your comfort and personal flexibility. It is important that you keep your elbows under your wrists to prevent the rotation of your shoulders. If this happens, you could impinge your rotator cuff, which would in turn likely pinch a nerve.

Hips and Back

You should keep your back curved inward slightly (rather than rounded) by tipping the top of your pelvis forward and your tailbone slightly back. Be careful not to exaggerate this movement though. You’re shooting for as neutral a back as possible. 

Head

Keep your head forward and in line with your torso to keep your spine aligned and avoid injury. Don’t look up or down.

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Performing the Squat

To start, move downward as if you were going to sit in a chair. Do not allow your knees to extend past your toes. This particular exercise can place some stress on your knee joint, and the farther your knees go forward, the more stress you put on them. Sit back a bit, transferring your weight to your heels rather than your toes and putting the tension in your quads rather than your knees. You may consider using knee wraps for squats (I really like these wraps) if you feel the stress on your knees is too much.

Go down as far as you can while keeping your knees in line. Do not lean excessively, or you will place extra stress on your lower back which can lead to injury. It is ideal to keep your back perfectly vertical, but expect to have some angle at first.

In order to execute this movement correctly, you need balance and flexibility. You can try placing your heels on blocks and purchasing squat shoes to help. Even though this will improve your balance, it does take away a bit of your flexibility. The better option is to focus on improving your ankle flexibility through stretching.

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You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to focus some of your workout routine on squats. We could all benefit from a stronger pair of legs! Next time you hit the gym, try a few reps and watch your lower half get stronger in no time.

Kelly is the founder of RegularityFitness, where she and associates blog about the best fitness exercises, weight loss methods, diet, muscle building. That will help you get a good shape and healthy. RegularityFitness concentrated on the benefits of exercise and provides effective training methods to achieve it. She has three years of experience fitness and that is the biggest passion in life.