Squats: explanations and tips for the perfect technique!

1. The squat is one of the most important exercises you can perform at home or in the gym. You not only train a large part of your body, but you also work on your coordination, balance, flexibility and posture. A real all-rounder, so!

1. Unfortunately, there is not all good news. Squatting can be tricky at first. That's why there are many people who prefer to skip the squat. It's a shame, because you can make a lot of progress with it! In this blog we explain why squatting is important and we give you a basic technique.

2. Unfortunately, there is not all good news. Squatting can be tricky at first. That is why there are many people who prefer to skip the squat. It's a shame, because you can make a lot of progress with it! In this blog we explain why squatting is important and we give you a basic technique.

What is squatting?

1. Squatting (knee bending) is a leg exercise with countless variations. You not only train your leg muscles (hamstrings, glutes, calves and quadriceps), but also your abs. That is why the squat is known as a compound exercise, or an exercise in which you engage multiple muscle groups in one movement.

2. Squatting (knee bending) is a leg exercise with countless variations. You will not only train your leg muscles (hamstrings, glutes, calves and quadriceps), but also your abs. That is why the squat is known as a compound exercise, or an exercise in which you engage multiple muscle groups in one movement.

Basic squat technique

1. Below we provide basic instructions for the traditional self-weight squat. Are you doing a squat for the first time? Preferably let an instructor guide you in the gym to make sure you learn the exercise properly.

1. Make sure you have mastered the technique before adding resistance. If you do this exercise incorrectly, you run the risk of getting nasty injuries. Obviously, you prefer to avoid that.

Common mistakes squat

1. As mentioned, the squat can be quite difficult in the beginning. Below are some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Variations on the squat

1. You can vary the squat by changing the position of your feet. Consider, for example, the sumo squat, a variation in which you perform the exercise with a wide position of your legs to put more emphasis on the inside of your legs. With your feet closer together, you actually address the outside of your thighs more.

2. You can vary the squat by changing the position of your feet. Consider, for example, the sumo squat, a variation in which you perform the exercise with a wide position of your legs in order to put more emphasis on the inside of your legs. With your feet closer together, you address the outside of your thighs more.

1. You can also vary with the attributes. Think of a barbell, dumbells, kettlebells, power bags. By placing a weight on your shoulders or holding it in your hands, you increase the load on your leg muscles and you also target muscle groups in your upper body.

What are squats good for?

1. Well done squats have unparalleled benefits. The following seven benefits are why this exercise is such a classic among strength athletes!

2. Well executed squats have unparalleled benefits. The following seven benefits are the reason this exercise is such a classic among strength athletes!

1. The squat is a compound exercise, which means that you train several muscles at the same time. And there are indeed quite a few. For starters, you naturally engage your quadriceps, those large muscles in your thighs. In addition, your hamstrings and calves are also involved in this exercise.

1. In this way you can address all important muscles in your legs with one movement. An ideal main part of your leg day, in short. Moreover, you also train the glutes or buttocks with the squat. If you go for a well-formed buttocks, you cannot ignore this exercise.

1. But squats don't just do your leg muscles good; the rest of your body also benefits. The reason for that is very simple. Squats are a very intensive exercise in which your body is greatly challenged. For that reason they also increase the amount of testosterone and growth hormone you produce.

2. But squats don't just do your leg muscles good; the rest of your body also benefits. The reason for that is very simple. Squats are a very intensive exercise in which your body is greatly challenged. For that reason, they also increase the amount of testosterone and growth hormone you produce.

1. Both hormones are necessary to put your body in an anabolic state, so to make sure that you start building muscles. And that applies not only to your legs, but to all muscles in the body. The intensive nature of squats ensures that all your workouts will yield more results!

1. With squats you train perhaps the largest muscle group in your body: your legs. And that also has consequences for your metabolism! You can simply build more muscle tissue with squats than with any other exercise. And the more muscle mass your body contains, the more calories you will burn throughout the day.

1. The faster your metabolism works, the easier it becomes to build up a negative calorie balance. And that in turn means that your body has to get the energy from somewhere else, namely your fat reserves. Voilà ⠀ “it is that easy to lose weight!

1. The most common injuries are the result of underdeveloped tendons and ligaments. In other words, your body has not become evenly stronger. Your muscles may be able to cope with a certain movement, but it still pulls you. There are also many injuries caused by crazy rotational movements.

1. Stronger tendons and joints also help to prevent problems. With squats you can ensure that those auxiliary connections in your body develop strongly. In addition, this exercise increases your flexibility and flexibility, especially in the ankles and hips. That way you stay healthy in the gym!

1. Your core consists of stabilizing muscles around your entire torso. They are extremely important for your posture, for example, but also to prevent injuries. When you keep your back straight and concave during the squat, you also train the muscles of your core with it. You can also strengthen your torso with different variations of the squat.

1. The result of all this is that it is easier to maintain a good and healthy posture. This is also the reason that squats can be very suitable exercises for the elderly. Thus the risk of dangerous falls is greatly reduced.

1. Maybe you don't really care about a very muscular appearance and therefore never felt like hitting the gym. Understandable, but even in that case, the squat can still be hugely rewarding. This squat movement is also very useful in everyday life.

1. This is how you squat all day long when you sit down in chairs and get up again. This is easier and faster with strong leg muscles. Lifting heavy objects is also a lot easier to do when you are used to firm squats. In addition, you reduce the risk of knee injuries, especially as you get older.

1. A final advantage of the squat is that you are certainly not tied to one exercise. There can be a lot of variation based on this movement. The easiest variation is of course to add extra weight. By placing a barbell on your neck, you make the exercise a lot harder.

1. Also interesting is a sumo squat with your legs wide out, or even the squat on one leg (be careful!) By applying the exercise in several ways, you stimulate your muscles to adapt again and again. And that's how you get stronger!

1. In short: squatting is an exercise with countless benefits, and certainly not only for hardcore strength athletes! Do you have any tips for a flawlessly executed squat? We'd love to hear about it in a comment below!