Squatting: Your 1st Priority

Why your lower body is the most important part of your exercise routine.

When many people think of exercise, they think of either running or bodybuilding-specifically upper body muscles. But the muscles that we use most everyday are our legs, buttocks, back, and abdominals. These muscles stabilize our bodies and help us do most of what we want to do every day. Having strong lower body will make your upper body stronger and more injury-free. So if you have to choose, start with lower body exercises when planning your routine.

And the king of the lower body exercises is the squat.



What kinds of squats?

On one end of the spectrum is the Bodyweight Squat. On the other end are the Pistol (the best squatting move) and the Front Squat (a weighted squat that activates your whole body). Other awesome squatting exercises are the Jump Squat (for explosive power), the Split Squat, and the Bulgarian Split Squat.

How to Squat

Here I will list only the directions for the Bodyweight Squat. This is very important because it serves as a base for all the other types. It creates a baseline for muscle development and doing it right helps with flexibility.

Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with your toes turned slightly outward. Reach back with your butt and drop down into a squatting move (your butt should end up between and behind your knees. Your goal should be for the crease of your hip to drop below your knee. Be careful keep your knees behind your toes to guard against knee injury. You want your speed to be 1 second down/1 second back up (for starters).

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Squatting Challenges

Master the Pistol-10 reps on each leg
Do a weighted Pistol-35 lbs or even 72 lbs
Do 60 Bodyweight Squats in a minute.