How to Do Squatting Properly

There are several reasons why squatting is a common resting position in various Asian countries. But, how do you get into this position without injuring yourself?

Squatting might look easy when you see someone who knows how to do it properly. But there are a number of things to take into consideration so that you don’t hurt yourself. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to do it almost without thinking about it, but it’s important to learn how to do it correctly.

How to do squatting properly: exercises

There are three phases involved in doing a squat, and each of them involves moving the body in a particular way so as to avoid injury.

Starting position

To begin with, spread your feet shoulder-width apart and stretch your arms out in front of you. Then lean forward, keeping your torso straight so that an angle forms at the hips.

Going down

This is the key part of the squat. Firstly, you need to make sure that you keep your back straight as you go down and the angle at the hips increases.

Secondly, you need to push your buttocks backward. You won’t be able to go down just by bending your knees. It’s crucial to keep your knees from going further forward than your toes to avoid injury.

Therefore, you need to descend whilst keeping the knees as still as possible. You can do this by pushing your buttocks backward and tilting your pelvis forward.

Finally, keep looking straight ahead. If you look at the ground, you’ll likely curve your back or your neck, risking an injury.

Squatting properly: going up

Keep all the previous advice in mind when you go back up again. Keep looking straight ahead and keep your back straight as you rise.

In turn, bring your arms towards your body. Gradually rotate your pelvis backward and increase the angle between your legs and torso until you return to the starting position.

Other points to keep in mind

There are some other factors to bear in mind when doing this exercise. For example, if you want to make it harder, you can add weights, such as dumbbells. However, don’t use too much weight unless you’ve already trained this way previously and know that you’re doing the exercise correctly.

One way of making sure that you’re squatting properly is to do it whilst pushing down on your heels. You should always have the soles of your feet on the ground and pointing forward.

Squatting as a lifestyle

In many parts of the world, people squat to perform various tasks. In countries such as India and other parts of Asia, it’s customary to squat down to rest, talk, or prepare food. This is done out of habit, and nobody sees it as something unusual.

In this case, they rest with their backs straight and their knees fully bent. In fact, this posture is better for you than sitting on a chair or on the couch as your back muscles will be slightly contracted and kept active. Sitting for long hours in an office chair, on the other hand, can do a lot of damage to your back.

Many people think that this resting posture would be very beneficial in the West too, especially with so many people currently suffering from back pain. Furthermore, it’s been observed that squatting helps intestinal transit because it’s a natural posture.

Squatting properly: strong legs and a healthy back

Regardless of why you do squatting, it’s a very healthy posture or exercise if you do it properly. According to a study published by Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, as an exercise, it helps to strengthen large muscle groups in the legs as well as the paravertebral muscles.

It’s important to point out that having strong legs is important at all ages, both to prevent injuries and to combat the natural deterioration that occurs over the years.

Finally, resting in this pose from time to time will be good for your back. Try to think about how you can incorporate it into your daily routine at home instead of just slouching on the couch. Of course, it goes without saying that you might want to think carefully if you’re overweight or have knee problems. Otherwise, this is definitely a lifestyle change that you might want to consider!