Squats

by Toluwani Oyesola February 10, 2021

In a simple term, a squat is an exercise which involves crouching down and sitting on the heels.

There are two significant types of squats known as Air Squats and Regular Squats.

Air squats (Body Squats) are performed using only personal body weight while, Regular Squats can be performed with the help of additional weights.

Types of regular squats includes;

Low bar squat: This squat is performed with the help of a barbell which is placed on the lower trapezius muscles, It is known as a hip dominant movement.

High bar squat: This squat is carried out with the aid of a barbell which is placed on the upper trapezius muscles, it is known as knee dominant movement that places more emphasis on the quads.

Pin squat: This particular squat posture can either be a bottom-end or top-end squat depending on how the movement is set up. The pin squat is co-ordinated by the pins in squat rack which hook the bar and is then moved back up by an individual into standing position. It is known as a generally more physically demanding type of squat.

Pause squats:It is known as a bottom-end squat in which a pause is observed for 1-3 seconds after reaching full squat position. Although this type of squat can be performed with either high bar or low bar posture, For better quad activation in this position, it is best done with the high bar posture.

Front squats:This squat is carried out the with the help of a barbell placed in the front rack position, in the front part of the shoulder. This position also encourages the maintenance of an upright torso. It is known as a knee-dominant movement that places more emphasis on the quads.

Wide-stance squats:This Squat is carried out the help of a barbell and with the further apart than the normal squat width. it is known as a hip-dominant movement that places more emphasis on the glutes.

Other type of squats are Back squats, Overhead Squats, Curtsy Squats, Split Squats, Goblet Squats,

Muscles Activated During Squats

The muscles that are activated when people squat are:

Quadriceps (Knee Extensors): The quads are a group of four muscles namely: Rectus Femoris (also acts as an Hip Flexor), Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medialis and Vastus Intermedius.

Glutes (Hip): The glutes are made up of three muscles known as Gluteus maximus (Hip Extensor, Hip Abductor, and Lateral rotator), Gluteus Medius(Hip Abductor and Medial rotator) and Gluteus Minimus (Hip Abductor and Medial rotator).

Hamstrings (Hip Extensors and Knee Flexors): The hamstrings is a group of three muscles namely: Biceps Femoris, Semi-tendonosus, and Semi-membranosus.

Adductor Magnus (Hip Adductor): This is the largest muscle among the adductors.

Erectors (Upper Body): These are muscles that run along the superficial (outward) part of the spine namely: erector spinae.

Abdominals and Obliques (Upper Body): These muscles are found directly under the pectoralis major namely: rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis.

Upper Back and Latissimus Dorsi (Upper Body)

Calves (Knee Flexors): These is made up of the Gastrocnemius (Ankle Plantar Flexor) , Soleus (Ankle Plantar Flexor), and Achilles tendon (This is not a muscle).

Muscles activated in the various types of squats

Low-bar squat: The main muscles involved in low bar squats are the Glutes, Hamstrings, Adductor magnus and the spinal erectors. however, the quads, other knee related muscles and the ankle flexors also contribute to this type of squat.

High-bar squat: The main muscles involved in High bar squats are the Quads, Calves, Hamstrings. However, the Hip related muscles also contribute to this type of squat.

Pin Squat: The main muscles involved in this type of squat depends on where the pins are placed. If the barbell hits the pins at a point higher than parallel position the muscles activated are the Glutes and other Hip flexion muscles while if the barbell hits the pins at a point at or lower than parallel position the muscles activated are the Quads and also other Knee flexors.

Pulse Squat: The main muscles involved in pulse squats are the Quads, Calves, Hamstrings and the muscles related to the upper body with additional effort from the Hip related muscles.

Front Squat: The main muscles involved in this particular type of squats are the quads. however due to nature of this posture it requires huge contribution from the muscles of the Knee, ankles and wrist to maintain stability and also some effort from the hip related muscles.

Wide Stance Squat: The main muscles activated during this type of squats are the glutes and other hip related muscles with additional support from the knee and ankle related muscles.

How To Perform Squats

The posture to maintain while performing squats depends on the type of squat been carried out. However, a general baseline is air squat. Below is how to perform air squats.

Step 1: Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart/hip width apart and your toes pointed straight ahead. *Keep your chest up.

Step 2: Bend downwards with your hips moving down and backwards and your knees moving forward.

Step 3: The hips should descend lower than the knees with the thighs being parallel or almost parallel to the floor.

Step 4: When returning to standing position, drive up through the heels, using the glutes.

* In addition to this, the lumbar curve should be maintained, the knees should not be beyond the toes, and the heels should remain flat on the floor at all times.

For other squats like the wide stance squat, the feet should be wider than shoulder width apart.

Benefits of Squatting

1. It strengthens the core; Having a strong core helps to make movements such as bending, turning and standing much more easy to carry out. It also helps to improve the balance and posture of the body, and eases the pain in the lower back.

2. It reduces the risk of injury: Squatting helps to strengthen the tendons, ligaments, and bones which may overall help to reduce the risk of injury.

3. It helps to burn calories: Due to the fact that squat is an high-intensity, compound movement, it also has the tendency to help burn calories.

4. It helps strengthen the muscles in the lower body: The lower body houses some of the largest and most powerful muscle of the entire body. The muscle in the lower body have been found to help in the performance of almost every movement made such as standing, walking, and sitting. Since squatting is carried out majorly by the muscles of the lower body, it overall helps to strengthen these muscles which results in better performance of the muscles in everyday movements.

5. It helps boost athletic ability and strength: Doing jumping squats helps to improve a person strength and speed which can help improve the athletic performance.

6. It can be done anywhere: One major benefits of squats is that it can be performed without any equipment (bodyweight squat) and it does not require large amount of space.

Consequences of Squatting Wrong

1. It can cause strain to the joints.

2. It can lead to knee injuries.

3. It can lead to low back injuries.

4. It can cause ankle injuries.

5. It can lead to neck injuries.

In conclusion, squats are a very beneficial exercise routine and a must add for every individual. However, when starting out make sure to master the technique of a basic squat before progressing to start experimenting the different variations of squats.