7 Reasons Why You Should Be Doing Squats Every Day

It may come as a surprise, doing squats is a great exercise to strengthen our knees, as well as our abdomen, back, legs and hips.

Reviewed and approved by the pedagogue in physical education and nutritionist Elisa Morales Lupayante.

Written by Lorena González

Last update: 26 May, 2022

When it comes to exercise there are a number of routines that have more benefits than you think, and one of them is squats.

They have many positive effects on the body, which will help us achieve a better figure.

As we know, squats are one of the basic exercises that can be found in all types of strength training.

They work directly on our thighs, hips, and glutes, and strengthen our leg and hip bones, as well as the ligaments and tendons in these two areas.

In addition, squats are one of three movements that make up the power lift and are excellent for the development and toning of the legs. For some, this is their main exercise.

These are squats’ main advantages and ways to do them.

1. Your strength will increase

Something as simple as squatting will strengthen certain areas such as the buttocks, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

In addition, this exercise will also help improve your hip strength, which is essential to becoming more agile.

Squatting also stimulates the hormones that are in charge of keeping your muscles in perfect condition, as well as strengthening the whole body. If you add weights, you will increase all these benefits.

2. Squats tone your legs and buttocks

This simple movement is an excellent way to quickly build muscle, and so will help you tone areas of your body.

3. Improved mobility

Something as simple as doing squats will greatly improve your agility and mobility.

This exercise is a great way to increase the range of motion in your hips and ankles, which will help reduce pain in the lower back and knees.

Squats do all this without aggravating your joints. So it’s a suitable exercise for nearly everyone.

4. Squats stabilize your body

An exercise as simple as doing squats with weights enables you to challenge your core and, in turn, stabilize your whole body through the entire range of motion.

The transverse and straight muscles that make up the abdomen are subjected to pressure at all times when you do squats, which will help obtain a flatter and more toned stomach.

Just having stronger muscles will help prevent future injuries.

5. Useful for your back

Whether you do them with or without weights, you will see that you use your upper back in this type of exercise, which will help stabilize the body through movement.

This strengthens the muscles responsible for having good posture, and so will gradually correct your posture almost automatically.

6. Squats with one leg

There’s a variation of the squats that you do with only one leg.

• To do this variation of squats you’ll have to place all your weight on your right foot, while you lift your left leg up from the floor and bend your left knee.
• Then you have to extend your hands out in front of you and keep them at shoulder height.
• You’ll then have to bend your right knee, lower yourself until your right knee is parallel to the floor.
• Keep your chest up, push with your right toe and return to an upright position.
• Do three sets of 15 reps and you’ll notice the difference.

7. Squats with weights

• To do this type of squat you can grab a medicine ball or some weights and place it or them in front of your chest.
• Push your shoulder blades together and raise your chest.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees. Move your hips back until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Then get up to return to your original position and do three sets of 10 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between each set.
• You will notice the difference in your body and feel much stronger after doing this simple exercise.