Fitness experts say that squats are one of the most effective exercises for improving athletic performance. It is relatively easy for most people to perform because it does not require any equipment. A squat can be described as a compound, full-body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads, hamstrings, and strengthening the bones, ligaments, and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. According to Medical News Today, people can perform squats in various ways, each of which has different benefits. However, a traditional squat involves the following steps like, standing with the feet shoulder-width apart and the toes pointing slightly outward. The arms should be straight out in front. “Bend the knees to push the hips backward, keeping the back straight and the torso upright. The movement is similar to sitting back in a chair. Once the knees reach a 90-degree angle or lower, push back up through the feet to straighten the legs.” Aniket Ukey, a fitness consultant and yoga instructor in Kigali, says there are different types of squats such as, box squats, squat jumps, and lateral squats. The right choice of squat depends on their current level of ability and training goals. Lateral squats, he says, mainly target your gluteus medius—(the part of your behind that makes side-to-side movements possible and quads and inner thighs. The fitness expert adds that box squats involve squatting until your behind taps a box or bench or chair placed behind you. He notes that a squat jump is an exercise that combines a squat and a vertical jump. It mainly targets the muscles of your legs and allows you to gain muscle tone. Benefits Research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience reports that squats and leg exercises, in general, are essential to proper brain and nervous system functioning. Ukey explains that squats help build muscle, and improve joint health and joint strength. This is because squatting involves the hips, knees, and ankles at the same time. He adds that squats also support your cardiac muscles and recover your lung capacity, mostly when you start adding weights, but also advance the flow of body fluids and assist in the elimination of wastes from the body, and improve the bowel movement. Ukey notes that squats upsurge the production of collagen (the most abundant protein in body), resulting in a strongly toned appearance. They also increase the cardiovascular rate and blood flow, where more nutrients are supplied to the skin cells of the face and body, which slows the signs of ageing. He also states that squats increase suppleness in the hips, thoracic spine, shoulders, knees, and ankles. Squats are also known to boost one’s sports performance as studies have linked squatting strength with athletic ability. This is why this exercise is part of virtually every professional athlete’s training programme. Regularly doing squats may also help reduce your risk of knee and ankle injury. This is because the move strengthens the tendons, bones, and ligaments around your leg muscles, and can particularly help take some of the load off your knees and ankles, according to a 2010 Strength and Conditioning Research journal article. However, injury prevention only applies if you do squats with proper form. A 2013 review published in Sports Medicine, found that shallow, improperly performed squats — without bending the knees fully to a 90-degree angle may lead to degeneration in the lumbar spine, the lower back and knees over time. Guidelines According to Urban Fitness Solutions, while doing squats, start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your feet parallel. Put your hands on your thighs, look up and lift your chest. Bend your knees, put weight on your heels, and slightly sit back. “Slide your hands down your thighs, so that your elbows reach your knees. Ensure your knees don’t go beyond your toes and keep your head and chest upright. Hold that position for three to five seconds. Rise back upwards, press through your heels, and straighten out your hips until you reach the starting position. Repeat this process 10 to 20 times. To start with, do this two to three times a week. However, the best way to learn squat correctly is to ask a personal trainer.”
