Are squats considered outdated?

Even the old gymnastics father Jahn knew very well that the "simple" squat is a universal exercise for the entire lower body. Unfortunately, many (young) people wrongly consider this "classic" exercise to be totally unfashionable and uncool. If squats are done correctly, they are a really optimal exercise that can be done spontaneously at any time and anywhere without any burdensome accessories, perhaps even in the office, and a wise boss has nothing against it.

How do you actually do squats correctly?

This may surprise the reader: the correct movement sequence for the squat is actually quite complex and therefore somewhat confusing for beginners. Once you have finally mastered the movements, you will train your core, leg and back muscles at the same time, and the mobility of your knees, hips and ankles will also be increased. So you start by standing upright with your legs roughly shoulder-width apart. We shift as much of our body weight as possible onto our heels so that we can still move our toes. We don't bend our legs, our knees and feet point in the same direction. Yes, we follow the traditional image and stretch our arms and hands forward, which also applies to the direction we look. Then we squat down, pushing the buttocks so far back that they are only a few centimetres above the ground. At this point, we have to push ourselves back up using a lot of force from the heels. We make sure that we tense the so-called back extensors, which almost creates a hollow back. We are not in a forward-leaning position. The main aim is to start the movement from a deep squat.

Typical errors

Beginners often assume that it is important to do as many repetitions as possible as quickly as possible. Many people are not aware of how important a moderate pace and a really clean technique are. Our knee joints in particular "crave" to get into this particularly deep "bend" every now and then, as every physiotherapist will confirm. For example, you should often get on your knees on a sports mat on the floor and also put your bottom back onto your heels as far as possible, just like we often did when playing as children. Anyone who only performs a squat up to a knee angle of around 90 degrees is subjecting their knee joint to significantly higher shear forces, which is not good in the long run. Sports physician Kurt Moosburger points out in this context that this angle range, which is critical for the knee, is "dynamically bridged" during deep squats.

And another tip

It can be helpful to do the squats about 10 to 15 cm in front of a wall, as this prevents the upper body from bending too far forward. A conveniently positioned chair or armchair is also sometimes useful if you want to support yourself in the lower position. We always make sure that the knees do not extend past the tips of the toes at any time.

What are the real benefits of squats?

The quadriceps are the "four-headed" thigh muscles that can be trained very well by squats. In addition, there are also the muscle groups of the back of the thighs, those of the buttocks, the lower back and the so-called hip flexors. So very different muscle groups are involved in squat training, just as we know from pull-ups or push-ups.

Variations and "outgrowths"

Weightlifters, for example, often do their squats with a barbell (on their shoulders). Some do their squats with a heavy backpack or they carry weights. Others are of the opinion that, for example, having their arms behind their head makes it more difficult. Pistol squats are particularly stressful for the knee joint when done on one leg only, with the other leg stretched out as straight as possible. Sumo squats are easier with the legs spread wide apart and the toes pointing outwards.

Master of his craft

The Briton Paddy Doyle holds the current squat record with 4,708 squats in one hour. His minute record is 44 squats, but with an additional weight of 30 kg. We think that the old-fashioned, classic squat is definitely the best and healthiest of all variations of this good exercise. But we humans generally tend to always want to improve on something good, sometimes unfortunately with bad consequences.