fitness
These 4 things happen when you practice squats every day
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Squats are true all-round talents among fitness exercises – our health benefits from them in many ways. This is what happens to your body when you do squats every day.
They belong to the so-called compound exercises – “compound” means “connection” in English – and make almost our entire body fit: squats activate several of the large muscle groups at the same time in one flowing movement. With squats you train your thighs, buttocks, core and even your back muscles. You are not only doing something for a firm butt, but also for your health. Regular practice of squats has these four effects.
What happens in the body when we do squats every day
1. Improved posture
As mentioned, squats also activate the abdominal and back muscles. If they are well trained, this will also help you to maintain a healthy, upright posture in the long term. However, it is very important that you do the squats correctly. That means: you keep your back straight, tense your abdominal muscles and pull your shoulders back and down. Your posture also benefits from regular squats. Incidentally, you can intensify this effect if you raise your arms above your head during the exercise. Here you should pay special attention to pulling your shoulders away from your ears.
2. Stronger bones
But squats are not only good for your muscles – you also strengthen your bones with the compound exercise. As we age, our bone density slowly decreases and the bones become more porous. In the worst case, this can lead to diseases such as osteoporosis. You can strengthen your bones with strength exercises like squats. One study even suggests that postmenopausal women who practice squats several times a week have higher bone density than those who do not.
3. Metabolism Boost
The quadriceps in the thigh is the largest muscle in the body. If you train it, you will burn a lot of calories in a short time and thus stimulate your metabolism. And even after the workout is complete, your muscles continue to work and burn energy. In order to lose weight and give your metabolism a boost, you should add squats more often to your training plan.
4. Reduced risk of injury
Squats activate the muscles and improve mobility and balance. All this is needed for a healthy, strong body. For example, squats train you to bend your knees in a back-friendly manner – you get your body used to adopting this healthy posture when lifting heavy objects, rather than drawing strength from your back and putting unnecessary strain on it. In the long term, this ensures that you have a lower risk of injuring yourself from incorrectly performed movement sequences or trained protective postures.
Sources used: healthline.com, eatthisnotthat.com, healthdigest.com