No exercise has as great an influence as squats on the various body systems. They have a great impact on hormonal balance. And they’re one of the best exercises for promoting muscle growth, improving peak strength, reducing body fat, and optimizing flexibility. A person who becomes better at squats can jump higher, run faster. So if you practice sports in which sprint speed and jump strength are important, you will benefit all the more.
Since most of my clients come to me to build muscle mass or reduce body fat, squats are almost always part of the workout. If they are unable to do this exercise, we determine the reason by functional testing. Then, the first objective is to perform the squat properly.
Do not do things by halves, and therefore, do not do squats by halves!
The body is a complex system: each muscle has a specific task that it can only perform if the body is in balance. You can only bring your body into balance if you train your muscles and joints and work them through the full range of motion. Since more often than not we do not move in a balanced way on a daily basis, it is all the more important to perform full movement exercises during training. This helps prevent or remedy imbalances.
Perform squats correctly
The main factor in doing your squats optimally is the position of the elbows. The elbow has a decisive influence on the position of the thorax, which in turn influences the position of the spine. It is therefore necessary to constantly ensure that the elbow always remains under the dumbbell (see photo). This guarantees an optimal position of the rib cage and spine.
Do the squats correctly: elbow under the dumbbell.
If your mobility prevents you from placing your elbows well below the dumbbell, optimize those in the shoulder area with the broomstick stretch. Regularly perform this exercise with straight elbows 10 to 15 times, tightening the gap more and more as your mobility improves.
Constant variations to constantly progress
By constantly varying rep patterns, period patterns, and rhythmic patterns, this one exercise allows for progress in training over the weeks. As a trainer, if I had to choose just one exercise, it would definitely be squats (see my article Warum mit Krafttraining oft keine Fortschritte erzielt werden). For people who are advanced, it is recommended to train with weightlifting shoes. They improve stability, give more strength and thus make it possible to lift heavier weights, which again increases the intensity of the training and accelerates the progress.
