Benefits of Squats for Men
Squats are an awesome and simple exercise that you can do in order to get a strong and toned body. It is not only effective for men but it is equally beneficial for women too.
There was a time when people used to say squatting will give you huge thighs, bums, and hips. But this concept has been refuted by modern science. Squatting does tone the leg muscles, but it also gives strength to the upper body along with improving flexibility of joints which helps in avoiding injuries.
So here we have listed some awesome benefits of squats for men which will help them stay fit throughout their lives:
1) Improves balance:
The balancing ability of your body increases if you keep on doing squats every day. This prevents you from falling or losing your balance. This is because you are required to keep the body straight while squatting for a long time which improves the strength of your thighs, legs, and hips.
2) Relieves stress:
Squatting also helps in reducing stress levels by giving relief to back pain. The strength gained by squats can be used to stand up after you take a prolonged sitting position for work. It contributes towards making your lower back muscles stronger which increases flexibility.
3) Strengthening bones:
To make our bones strong we need Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, etc., These minerals are acquired through food and supplements but it is more beneficial if they come naturally rather than taking supplements and medicine all the time. During squatting these minerals are pulled from the body and absorbed by the muscles which make bones stronger.
4) Increases flexibility:
Squatting helps you to be more flexible as your ankle, knee, and hip joints will gain strength due to regular squat exercises. This helps in preventing injuries during any physical activity such as walking, running, etc.,
5) Burns calories:
Now, this is one of the most important benefits of squats for men is that it burns a lot of calories. It has been found that doing just 10 squats will burn 100 – 150 calories depending on your weight and height. If done regularly it can help you stay fit and healthy for longer and can also help in losing weight.
6) Improves digestion:
Squatting is also beneficial for our digestive system as it helps in pushing out the wastes from our body which keeps us healthy and fit. It is often seen that those who squat or sit on the floor regularly suffer less from constipation as they eliminate their wastes more efficiently than those sitting on chairs. It is used as a laxative to treat different diseases such as piles, etc.,
7) Makes you feel better about yourself:
Finally one of the best benefits of squats for men is that it improves your self-confidence and makes you feel better about yourself and your body. Men who do squats regularly tend to look attractive and confident about themselves. They also gain an upper hand in society due to their attractive personality.
So, here we have listed the top 7 benefits of squats for men. Those who are not doing it regularly should start incorporating this exercise into their daily fitness regime and feel better about themselves and their bodies.
You can go on YouTube and Google and do some more research on how to perform this exercise but remember that you need to do it under proper guidance as wrong execution will give no results or even harm your body.
A good trainer is also a perfect guide for those first-timers who want to try out different exercises before they actually get into them. So if you still think squats don’t suit you then at least try the variations such as sumo squats, box squats, etc., But keep an eye on your trainer as he will guide you best on what to do and what not.
Disadvantages of squats for males:
1. It is the riskiest exercise for the knee.
2. You can not lift weights more than 90% of your one-rep max in squats with good form since it will cause injury due to pressure on the lower back and compression of discs in the lower spine.
3. Squats are bad for people who have hamstring problems or iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS).
4. People with weak core strength should avoid this exercise.
5. It requires flexible ankles, hips adductors, hamstrings, etc to squat safely without injury risk (since there are multiple joints involved when you do squats which creates a shearing force in each part)
6. Due to the long-range of motion in squats, you need also flexible shoulder girdle muscles which you need for almost all exercises in the gym.
7. Squats are not safe for people with lower extremity injuries, disc herniation, and spinal stenosis.
8. Squats can also cause patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).
9. It’s better to do less weight with more reps than doing heavyweight which may put too much pressure on joints due to long-range motion in squats
10. Those who have small hip muscles cannot do deep squats without a wider stance
11. You can not lift weights more than 90% of your one-rep max bcoz it will cause injury risk due to compression of discs in the lower spine
12. People with hamstring injuries should avoid this exercise as well
13- Squats can cause problems in the knees due to pressure on the lower back, and compression of discs in the lower spine.
14- Squats require a high level of flexibility in ankles, hips adductors, hamstrings, etc., thus this exercise is not much suitable for those who have a lack of muscle flexibility.
15- People with hamstring problems should avoid squats as well 16- It is better if you use front squat instead (with the barbell resting on shoulders) since it doesn’t put too much pressure on your lower spine
17- You should not do full squats rather do more reps rather than damaging your knee joints by doing heavyweight with a low or moderate number of reps
18- Do single-leg squats instead (one foot at a time) rather than destroying your knee joints
19- To reduce the pressure on the knees, you should do less weight with more reps rather than having fast repetitions.
20- I recommend that people who have problems with their hips or ankles avoid doing full squats bcoz it puts too much pressure on those joints
21- If you are overweight, avoiding full squats is better since it’s hard to perform it correctly for obese or fat people
22- Squats (if done badly) can put too much stress on your lower spine and lead to injury.
squats for guys before and after:
Types of squats:
-the narrow stance squat (feet closer than shoulder-width apart) is usually recommended for people with back pain because it shifts the emphasis away from hip muscles and to your gluteus. -If you’re familiar with the wide stance squat, imagine it as even wider; this version calls upon other leg muscles like your adductors (inner thigh muscle).
This may be an effective change to make to decrease knee stress or if you want to target a different group of muscles, but it’s not very comfortable due to the increased range of motion. -To do a sumo squat, take a wide stance with each foot turned out.
The resulting inward sweep of the legs targets multiple lower body muscles at once (including those adductors, glutes, and groin muscles). -For a front squat, hold onto the bar with your hands instead of putting it on your shoulders.
This makes the weight easier to balance but will require more from your torso muscles so you’ll likely be sore there after your first few workouts. -The hack squat is similar to a leg press because it involves moving your hips back and forth while seated in a machine.
This works the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. -A Bulgarian split squat can be done with or without weights and you can modify its range of motion. -You may want to start by standing about two feet behind a bench or step (depending on how high it is). Rest your rear foot on the bench as you lower yourself down to the ground so that only one leg is on it at a time.
-The split squat is another exercise you can do with dumbbells. -You may want to use lighter weights for this move because it’s done in a unilateral or one-sided manner, meaning your dominant side will do more work. -To test the weight of the dumbbells, stand on a scale.
If the scale doesn’t indicate your weight, assume that 50 percent of your combined dumbbell weight is sufficient.
For most people, this will be between five and 10 pounds. -This exercise can also be done with a barbell or kettlebell if you really want to challenge yourself.
You may decide to do this move with one foot in front of the other rather than side-by-side. -The posterior lunge is another unilateral leg exercise that targets multiple muscle groups at once.