The Southwest Voice

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Exercise comes in many forms. When done correctly, exercise is not only beneficial but crucial to a long and healthy life. When performed incorrectly, many exercises can lose their benefits and actually cause harm. Learning how to perform basic exercises may take a little time and effort, but is well worth it in the long run.

The squat is truly a great exercise. When performed properly it works muscles in the legs, buttocks, and core, as well as providing some cardiovascular benefits. When performed improperly it can be completely ineffective or, worse yet, cause knee damage or back pain.

In order to prepare the body for strength training of any type, a five to 10 minute warm-up should be performed. During normal daily activities the body directs its blood flow primarily to the gut to aid in digestion and normal bodily functions. As you begin to exercise and raise the heart rate, blood is redirected to the muscles to supply oxygen. It is important for muscles to have a good supply of blood to prevent injury. Taking a quick walk or dancing around to some music will do the trick.

Now, about the squat — it is just what it sounds like, a squat. All too often I see people attempting to squat, but they are really doing knee bends. Heels should stay on the floor at all times and your weight should be on them. It should be possible to slightly lift the toes at the bottom of the squat. If the heels come up then the knees are going in front of the toes and can lead to pain in the knees.

The work for a squat should come from the lower body — the upper body should only come as far forward as necessary for balance. Sitting slightly backwards and bending and straightening from the waist up is not a squat, that’s more like a standing abdominal crunch!

To practice a perfect squat stand about 1 foot in front of a chair. Then sit back to the point that the buttocks just barely touch the chair then stand back up. Repeat this movement until you are comfortable with the exercise. Then remove the chair and do the same thing.

Another inexpensive alternative to learning how to do a perfect squat is to purchase a big Resist-A-Ball. Place the ball between a wall and your lower back. With your weight pressing into the ball, lower into a squat, stop when your knees reach a 90 degree angle, then stand back up.

Learning to do a squat is worth your time and effort. It will lift the derrière and tighten the abs, it is cheap and quick and can be done anywhere. Squat you way to a better bod!