Most of you know by this point that I am a big advocate of heavy lifting. Besides being the most efficient way to build strength, it also has a few other benefits. First, more strength usually results in bigger muscles. Second, lifting heavy enables people to lift for less sets and reps, thus less time spent in the gym. And lastly, lifting heavy gives a bit of respect to the smaller guy in the gym. People admire the person who can lift considerably heavier weight compared to their own bodyweight. Appreciation for strength is what encourages us to continue!
Now, this brings me to squatting heavy. The squat is usually performed on leg day. Leg day is arguably the most hated day of the week for many (haha). Although some people enjoy it, many people hate is so much that they simply skip it! As your Health Cop, I am not going to lie, I have fallen into this boat a time or two! Too often I would skip leg day… until I stumbled upon this article: Why Squatting Is So Important (plus Tips on How to Do It Right) – By Mark Sisson. In agreement with many other articles, Mark highlights reasons why people should never skip a heavy squat session. *Side note* – even if a person has never squatted with serious weight before, I would encourage anyone to read this article because it will blow your mind! The squat does so much for our health!
I will highlight my favorite reasons to squat:
Squatting uses many muscles – this is not obvious to a beginner. When a person puts weight on their shoulders and squats, it seems as if they are only working leg muscles. This is simply not true! The squat is an essential exercise because it engages almost all the muscles in the body. The core (abs, back, and even chest) activate while squatting to help stabilize the weight throughout the entire movement. This is a prime example of a compound movement – lifting which requires more than one muscle. These are the best exercises because they indirectly build multiple muscles. Talk about efficiency!
Squatting helps endurance athletes – this is more than just squatting! Many people believe heavy lifting results in a big bulky body. This is also not true. I lift heavy because I enjoy a lean muscular body with complete range of motion in all my joints. Endurance athletes can only better from heavy training because it will build muscle without making them “large”. In addition, the stabilizer muscles build a strong core which helps in nearly all endurance sports. Adding strength in these areas will directly increase endurance, speed, and power! If you enjoy endurance sports, introduce heavy weight training into your regimen to improve your overall capabilities.
Range of motion over heavy load – this not a reason to squat, rather a very important tip. I keep saying weight, weight, weight, and more weight. However, be sure you can handle the load through the entire range of motion first. Similarly to how swimmers swim to the other side of the pool and back, lifters need to go all the way down and all the way back up. Stopping short is never recommended because it can cause injury and stunt growth. Please make sure to use correct form and full range of motion before increasing the load!
Overall, the squat is a superb exercise. It has even more benefits than mentioned above. Again, check out the article by Mark!
Do you enjoy squatting or working out the leg muscles? Let me know below! If leg day is something you dread, together we can build routines that will be something to look forward to! Now, get to the gym and squat!
Yours truly,
Health Cop
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