Body Weight Squats

Get started with Squats!

Squats are considered to be the “King of Exercises” and for good reason. You never want to get to a point where you can’t raise or lower your own body weight under your own power.

We’ve all seen older or overweight people who needed to rock back and forth in order to gain momentum so that they could stand up from a seated position.

We also have to look at hip health. Using your hips to sit down, stand up, walk and perform other simple physical tasks is something we can’t take for granted, particularly as we get older. It would not be wise to ignore the development of healthy and properly functioning hips.

Regularly incorporating Squats into your exercise program is essential in order to ensure healthy well-being and longevity. 

Even if you have bad knees, there are adjustments that you can make in order to work your way up to eventually doing squats with additional weight, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands etc…

One of the keys to doing a proper squat is to initiate the movement by leading with your butt by shifting your butt back and sitting on your heels. Too often people start the motion with their knees, which is the recipe for knee pain and frustration. 

1.  Stand with your feet significantly wider than hip-distance apart (about three to four feet), turn your toes out 45 degrees. You can hold your arms out straight, or place your hands on your hips. This is your starting position.

2.  Inhale before you begin then, lower yourself down by bending your knees and dropping your butt and hips down and slightly back.

3.  Keep your abs tight, back straight and do not let your knees move past your toes when lowering. 

4.  Once your thighs are parallel to the floor, exhale out of your mouth, drive through your heels and squeeze your butt as you return to the starting position.