When compiling a training program, it is important to consider many factors: a person’s physique, lifestyle, nutrition, level of training, as well as the purpose for which it was decided to take up the exercises. Regardless of whether the training goal is to lose weight, improve muscle relief, increase strength or improve coordination, any training program should include a series of basic exercises that lay the foundation for a person’s excellent physical shape, such as push-ups, pull-ups, lunges and squats. The benefits and possible harm of the latter will be considered by us in this article.
Squats allow you to train several muscle groups of the legs and back at the same time, improve coordination and, if performed correctly, help maintain the whole body in good shape, even if you perform squats without weight. For men, they will serve as a good basis for doing strength exercises with various shells, while for women, squats will help to maintain a slim and attractive figure. Squats are universal - they can be performed by both a novice athlete and an experienced bodybuilder. You can do them without a projectile, training only at the expense of your own body weight, or with various weights - belts, kettlebells, dumbbells or a barbell, which allows you to choose a load that suits each individually. If you look at squats from this position, the benefits of them are undeniable and obvious. However, mention should be made of the possible harm that this exercise may cause.
In the middle of the last century, the results of studies were announced, according to which squats were harmful. They were thought to cause
damage to the knee joints, stretching tendons, thereby leading to pain in the knees.
This sensation has led many trainers to completely exclude this exercise from training programs. However, more recent studies have shown that squats affect the condition of the
knee joints no more than the daily stresses carried by every healthy person. The only thing to consider is that squats are contraindicated for people who have previously injured their knees, or if they have this feeling associated with pain. For everyone else doing squats, the benefits will far exceed any possible harm. We are not talking about those who perform squats with a barbell - such exercises should be performed only with already trained back and
abdominal muscles and only under the supervision of an experienced instructor in the gym, it is even possible that with the use of additional equipment, such as bandages for squats. At home, such exercises should not be done in any case.
In short, the “correct” squats should be performed after a good warm-up, keeping the back straight, legs shoulder-width apart, and heels pressed to the floor. If you just started
to play sports, then squat so low that your hips become parallel to the floor, and not deeper. When doing the exercise, it’s important not how quickly and how much you will do squats, but how correctly you do them. If you adhere to these recommendations when doing squats, you will benefit. If you feel discomfort or pain in your back or knees, take a break for a few minutes. If pain occurs the next day, consult your doctor. The main thing is to take care of your health, and it will repay you the same!