Reason #1: A Sexy Posterior
They say that an image makes 1000 words, so here is the first reason why all women should squat:
Reason #2: A Strong & Toned Body
Squats don’t work just your quads and glutes, but they also involve your hamstrings, your calves, your lower back and even your abs. They increase your testosterone level (in small quantities, of course) meaning that you will tone and develop your entire body. They will also improve your cardiovascular system preventing you from having a stroke, becoming obese or having other common health problems of our days.
Reason #3: You Will Burn More Fat
Just by simply performing this complex exercise with weights you will burn a good amount of calories, much more compared to other legs exercises such as the “legs extensions”. As we said earlier, squats help you develop overall muscle mass (don’t thing of a huge female bodybuilder but rather a fit & sexy girl) and muscles by definition burn more calories, even while at rest.
Reason #4: You Will Prevent Injuries
Squats not only strengthen your muscles, but also your joints and ligaments. They improve the balance and flexibility of your ankles, your knees, hips and back, thus reducing the risk of injuries.
Reason #5: Better Physical Shape and Performance
The squat is a functional exercise that will help you deal with the daily life challenges more easily. Besides this, it also improves physical shape and overall performance, helping you run faster and jump higher (in case you ever come across these challenges).
So there you go…five great reasons that we hope will convince you to include squats in all of your legs workouts!
About the Author: Craig Wilson is a Fitness enthusiast, Author and owner of Body-Buildin.com. You can visit his website for more interesting articles on various Fitness topics or you can Follow Him on Google Plus for useful tips and motivation.
If you train in a commercial gym, you've probably noticed most gym go-ers don't train their legs. You might be the only one using the Power Rack for Squats and maybe you've seen guys with a huge upper-body but toothpick legs.
Popular excuses: "I run for my legs", "My legs are too big already", "Squats hurt my knees", ... Whatever the story, not training your legs is the biggest training mistake you can make. Here are 5 reasons you should train them.
1. More Muscle. You can find studies showing that Squats & Deadlifts increase the release of Growth Hormone & Testosterone more than any other exercise. These are natural muscle building hormones.
2. Bigger Upper-body. Squats & Deadlifts work your whole body, not just your legs. Quick examples of how they stimulate upper-body growth too:
Your arms squeeze the bar hard during heavy Squats & Deadlifts.
Your abs work hard at stabilizing the weight during Squats.
Your chest muscles tense hard during heavy Deadlifts.
If you can't train your upper-body because of an injury, you can prevent muscle loss in your upper-body by doing heavy Squats & Deadlifts.
3. More Strength. Stronger legs and core muscles will increase your strength on upper-body lifts and thus help upper-body muscle development. Quick examples of how Squats & Deadlifts can cause strength gains on your other lifts:
Leg drive matters on the Bench Press. Stronger legs means more leg drive and a bigger bench, and thus bigger muscles.
Squats & Deadlifts strengthen your legs & lower back. These muscles help you stay strong during the Overhead Press.
4. Symmetry. I know I'm preaching all the time you shouldn't care about what other people think, but a big upper-body with toothpick legs looks ridiculous. And it shows a lack of ...
5. ... Mental Strength. Here's the real reason why people don't train their legs: it's physically & mentally hard. That's why doing Squats and Deadlifts will build your mental endurance & character like no other exercise.
Running Doesn't Count! Running, cycling or soccer will never work your legs like Squats & Deadlifts do. Include both exercises in your routine and you'll see how you'll get better at sports and how your upper-body will improve.