Squats are one of the best exercises you can do to build strength and muscle in your lower body. But if you’re not doing them correctly, you could be putting yourself at risk for injury or not seeing the results you want. In this article, we’ll give you five tips for a better squat so you can get the most out of this powerful exercise.
1 Perfect Your Form
The first and most important tip for a better squat is to perfect your form. This means ensuring that your knees are tracking over your toes, your back is straight, and your hips are hinging correctly. To get started, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward. Then, push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering your body down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure you’re keeping your weight in your heels and your chest up. If you’re having trouble with your form, consider working with a personal trainer or coach to help you perfect it.
2 Strengthen Your Glutes
The glutes are one of the most important muscles used in the squat. To improve your squat, you need to make sure your glutes are strong and activated. One way to do this is to incorporate exercises like glute bridges, hip thrusts, and lunges into your routine. You can also try doing squats with a resistance band around your thighs to activate your glutes even more.
3 Focus on Your Breathing
Breathing is an important part of any exercise, but it’s especially important during squats. Take a deep breath in before you squat down and hold it as you lower your body. Then, exhale as you stand back up. This technique, known as the Valsalva maneuver, can help you maintain stability and lift heavier weights.
4 Use a Full Range of Motion
To get the most out of your squats, you need to use a full range of motion. This means lowering your body down until your thighs are parallel to the ground or even lower. Using a full range of motion helps to activate more muscles and improve your overall strength and mobility.
5 Don’t Forget to Stretch
Finally, it’s important to stretch after your squat workout to help prevent injury and improve your recovery time. Focus on stretching your hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves. You can also try foam rolling to help release tension and improve blood flow to your muscles.
In conclusion, if you want to improve your squat, you need to focus on perfecting your form, strengthening your glutes, breathing properly, using a full range of motion, and stretching after your workout. By incorporating these tips into your routine, you’ll be well on your way to squatting with proper form and seeing the results you want.
