Thread: Add Mass with Squats

Above all, squatting is the greatest exercise for body building and gaining weight. Many guys hate doing squats. There are numerous reasons behind this. Let's be real, squats can be tough to do, they are not an upper body workout, women don't typically care much regarding your legs, there's a lot of wrong information regarding them hurting your back or knees, etc. Certainly you can come up with a few more reasons to refrain from doing squats.

The fact is however squats which are done correctly are good for you! There really isn't any other exercise which gives the benefits that squats do. What many guys don't understand is that squatting causes our bodies to generate testosterone. This should naturally allow you to build more muscle which in turn makes it much simpler to burn fat. Your upper body is also utilized more than people realize when squatting. Not only are you working your core muscles to support the load on the bar but you also employ your back and arms. This is partially why they can be such a difficult exercise. When you increase the weight when you squat your upper body is going to be forced to adapt to support the weight and thus grow bigger and stronger.

In a nutshell if you aren't squatting you have to start. You need to follow proper form or you can get injured. I like to recommend beginning extremely light to work on technique as well as to start strengthening your stabilizer muscles then start adding weight very slowly but consistently. Start out by doing 5 sets of 5-6 reps. (once you have done 2 warm-up sets) Don't do too much to start with. Bear in mind bodybuilding is all about consistency which means you can't injure yourself or make yourself so sore that you simply can't workout for 2 weeks and expect results.

Proper form is definitely key particularly with an exercise like squats. If you feel knee pain or back pain chances are you aren't doing them correctly. Make certain that when you squat your feet are slightly wider than shoulder width. Point your toes out just a little bit. Look straight ahead. Keep the back straight. Squat right down to where your thighs are parallel to the floor (you could go somewhat deeper than this if you desire but go to parallel at the very least). Keep your knees behind the tips of your toes then push up.

Do not allow your ego to stop you from starting out light. It really is imperative that you get the support muscles ready prior to exposing them to heavy weights. Additionally you have to be sure your form is perfect before trying to go heavy. Always use safety bars and safety clips when performing squats. Find someone to spot you when you increase the weight.