6 Reasons Why YOU (and you and you and you) Should Squat!!!

I love to squat; that's a fact. I also love to talk about squatting because I think that everyone--yep, everyone--should be squatting in one form or another for their greater health. While there may not be one single best exercise, the squat comes pretty close (even the NYTimes agrees) because it is a total-body exercise that can build both core-and-lower-body strength; develop lower-body speed and power, improve balance; reduce lower-extremity joint pain; increase bone density; and improve libido. What other exercise can do all of that?!

Everyone can benefit from including squats in their resistance training program, but not everyone should be squatting from the same position. Not everyone is going to be able to squat "ass to grass," nor should they. When it comes to squatting, much like any other exercise, you should follow the advice of the late, great Arthur Ashe: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

Anyone--and everyone!--can squat!

In addition to the reasons listed above, the squat is great because it is accessible to all and there are innumerable variations. This means that as long as you're creative, you'll never get bored with the squat!

Some squat modifications and progressions!

Beyond infinite progressions--and the fact that squatting just makes you a total badass--here are some of the other fantabulous benefits of squatting:

• Your Core Musculature Will Be Stronger: When most folks think of the core, they think of the abs. However, the core is actually comprised of your entire trunk, i.e. everything except your arms and your legs:

Source

You recruit your core to initiate nearly every movement, so having a strong core is key to moving well and pain-free. When you squat, you engage the core to stabilize your trunk through your available range of motion. Core engagement keeps your pelvis in a neutral position throughout the movement so that you don't dip into the lumbar spine, increasing the risk of low-back injury. In this strong, engaged position, your joints remain properly aligned, the ideal position from which to transfer and generate force. In other words, a strong core will increase your rate of force production in both static and dynamic positions so you'll feel stronger performing activities ranging from Olympic lifts to reaching for a can in the back of the pantry.

• You'll Get Faster: Squatting not only develops the core, but the entire lower body as well. As I noted above, squatting will improve your ability to use the ground to generate force for explosive movement, a necessary attribute to improve overall athleticism. Squatting dynamically builds the glutes, quads, and hamstrings, which translates into increased speed. Even if you're not an athlete who requires explosive speed for their sport, everyone can benefit from being able to move quicker. 

You KNOW Usain Bolt gets his squat on...

• You'll Experience Less Pain: Squatting develops and strengthens the muscles of your lumbar spine, hips, knees, and ankles. The stronger these muscles are and the more force they can withstand, the less likely you are to experience injury. In addition to injury prevention, incorporating squats into your program can help to diminish existing joint pain, as well. When executed with good form, squatting reinforces proper joint range of motion. When joints move--or don't move--as they are supposed to, pain is reduced. The joints of the body are designed to be either 'stable' or 'mobile,' and this pattern alternates as you move through the kinetic chain: cervical spine (stable), thoracic spine (mobile), lumbar spine (stable), hip (mobile), knee (stable), ankle (mobile). When you lack stability in a joint that is supposed to be stable, or mobility in a joint that is supposed to be mobile, you experience pain (or will eventually). Many people experience lower back pain because their complimentary joints--the hip and thoracic spine--lack mobility, forcing them to recruit the lumbar spine to complete various movements. When you squat properly, you improve your ability to extend the hip through its full range of motion which improves hip flexibility. A flexible, or mobile, hip complex supports a stable lumbar spine, as well as a stable knee. 

Wanna be as happy and pain-free as this lady?!
Then SQUAT!

• Your Bones Will Be Stronger and Less Prone to Breakage: Research shows that an exercise program that incorporates resistance training is effective for combating sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the name for the degenerative loss of muscle mass that occurs as you age. It is inevitable, but resistance training can help you hold onto muscle for as long as possible and slow the decline. By improving your bone density, you dramatically reduce the risk of bone breakage. A broken bone can severely diminish the quality of life for an older person, which is why resistance training is particularly important for elderly populations. In a way, resistance training is a life raft to help individuals remain as independent as possible as they age. Doctors should make it a habit to prescribe squatting to their patients instead of a megadose of calcium!

Or...maybe you should just squat!

• You'll Have Better Balance and Coordination: As I mentioned above, squatting strengthens the core musculature as well as the lower body. When you squat, you recruit the stabilizing muscles of the core to keep from toppling over. Therefore, the more you squat, the stronger your core and legs will be to help you maintain balance. The integration of the muscles and the brain when you squat strengthens the neural pathways and sharpens the messages sent from one to the other, helping to guard against slips, trips, and falls. 

And last, but certainly not least:

• You'll Be Better (In Bed): Research shows that squatting produces more HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone that similar resistance training exercises. Both of these hormones help stimulate libido in both men and women. Not only does squatting elicit the ideal hormonal response, but it strengthens the entire posterior chain, not to mention improves flexibility in the hips...I don't think that requires any further explanation :-)

Don't be this guy...SQUAT!

So there you have it! 6 reasons you and everyone you know should squat. So what're you waiting for?! "Squat" to it!!!!!