Over the years, the muscles of our entire body begin to atrophy if we do not exercise. Squats are an exercise that many people hate, but they primarily strengthen the entire lower body at high intensity. The sedentary lifestyle makes us adopt bad postures, back pain appears and we spend many hours sitting in front of a computer. It is true that our day to day is very stressful and exhausting, but not so much in a physical way.
I would like to highlight some reasons why squats are essential in our training routine. You are ready?
correct body position
The muscles that hold our spine straight can be strengthened by adding enough weight to the back so that the erector muscles naturally strengthen. Many of those who go to the gym get fed up with doing presses and push-ups, thinking that they are the most appropriate exercises to improve body posture, but it is not true. These exercises increase muscle volume, but can favor muscle imbalance.
Boost growth hormone
In any exercise, the more (progressive) weight we take on, the muscles exert a small overexertion that causes damage that has to be repaired. This causes the pituitary glands to release human growth hormones to repair the muscles. In reality, these hormones not only "heal" muscle fibers, but they stimulate bone strength, increase energy, promote fat loss, control mood, etc.
There are people who synthetically consume growth hormones, but squats can be used to release them naturally.
Burn fat
There is an overvaluation with cardio exercises, since it has always been believed that they are perfect for burning fat. Actually, you only burn fat for up to two hours after completing the workouts. When we perform weight squats, we will increase the number of hours in which we activate the metabolism.
The bigger the muscles, the more calories we burn. Performing strength training routines with high repetitions creates excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which raises metabolism after training. If you want to build or maintain muscle while losing weight, squats are for you.
They fight aging
Squats promote collagen production, so more toned muscles are achieved. An added benefit is that by increasing our speed and blood flow, more nutrients are delivered to the skin cells and the typical signs of aging are reduced.
Although the "anti-aging" is what gets the most attention, the main function of collagen is to keep the tendons, skin and cartilage in good condition.
They work the bodily imbalances
Our body is a chain: bones are held together by ligaments, and ligaments attach muscles to bones. Unless you have strong muscles that can hold the bones in place, they will move and cause pain. Squats are a perfect symmetrical exercise, building enough muscle and ligament strength to eliminate pain.
Some people prefer to take medication or go to a chiropractor to crack their bones and temporarily relieve symptoms. But you know that after a few days, the pain returns. This is because you still don't create the necessary infrastructure to hold the bones in place naturally. Go for the squats!
They strengthen the knees
Squats increase the strength of the vastus medialis and quadriceps, which are responsible for stabilizing and protecting the knee. Stop buying the myth that squats are bad for your knees. In fact, they are ideal for protecting and strengthening them. If you have a chronic injury or degeneration in your knees, you have to assimilate that the pain will increase as the years go by. Unless you decide to strengthen the muscles that surround the joint.
As the months go by, you will notice that your knees are more stable and that doing squats will protect you from any future injury.
Increase flexibility
Squats increase flexibility in the hips, ribcage, shoulders, knees, and ankles. Flexible joints require less energy to move through a greater range of motion, thus reducing the risk of injury and increasing physical performance.