The British Army now trains Squats, do you?

                      

If I had to choose just one weight training exercise that builds overall lean muscle mass and increases strength, it would have to be squats.

But it's important to learn how to squat correctly.

Having good form and technique is crucial to get the maximum benefit and to avoid injury. It's not a difficult exercise to perform, and I recommend it to anybody.

Originally, I had planned to make a list of "10 reasons why you should squat", but I ended up expanding the list as I went on.

Some of these I have researched and some are from my experience of squatting over the years.

People still have a misconception about squatting and think they are meant only for pro athletes and bodybuilders.

That's not true; squatting is suitable for anybody, both male and female, who are interested in building lean muscle and burning fat as well as improving their health.

Why Every Woman Should Squat

It is especially great for the ladies that want a great set of legs and a sexy butt. Think Jen Selter, Instagram Sensation.

Jen Selter has inspired thousands of women around the world to get a bigger butt.

If you don't know who Jen Selter is, you can do a Google search to get more information about her.

If you are on Instagram, you may have seen her photos.

It's quite possible that Jen Selter had a huge influence on a lot of girls wanting to follow in her footsteps to getting the body of their dreams. Who knows... ?

Okay, back to what I was saying before...

When you think about it, everybody, whether they realize it or not, we all have to sit down, stand up and pick something up off the floor.

We never think about making these movements. Our bodies have been programmed to do these things ever since we were kids.

It just feels natural.

Squats, when done properly, is the best compound exercise for building mass as well as increasing size and strength in the body.

Before I get into the 20 reasons why you should squat, I'd like to share my squatting story...

I remember when I first took up squatting in the gym. I used to squat with bad form for months without realizing what I was doing wrong.

And one day, while I was holding a 100 kg bar cross my shoulder, I lost my balance, and the weight came down on top of me.

Lucky enough, two guys rushed over and were able to grab the bar in time. This was all a result of bad form and not setting myself up to do them properly.

Not only did I have bad form, when I squatted, I didn't go all the way down, afterall, it's the deep squat that activates your glutes and hamstring muscles to it's full potential.

I still see guys at the gym, with bad form and usually point out the mistakes they make and the correct way to do them. Usually appreciate my guidance.

So guys, save yourself the time of causing an injury. Trying to impress your gym buddy, isn't worth it, unless you both know what you're doing.

For extra safety, you can even do your squats on a smith machine. So if you are a beginner, then I suggest squatting on a smith machine until you get used to doing them properly.

Squatting on A Smith Machine

Most good gyms have a smith machine, where the bar is connected within steel rails, for added safety.

This will prepare you for when you're ready to do them on a squat rack.

I think one of the main reasons why some people avoid doing squats is because they are afraid of risking the chance of getting injured.

But if you know how to do them correctly, not only will it increase muscle mass in your lower body, but it will do them same for your upper body.

It doesn't matter whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or increase strength, squatting will help you achieve each of these goals as long as you stay consistent and aim to lift heavy often.

I wouldn't recommend doing squats more than twice a week. Like any weight lifting exercise you do, your muscles need time to grow. So recover is essential.

If you keep exercising the same muscles every day, you're not giving them time to recover and could do some damage if your not careful.

If you're a skinny guy and you want to build muscle, a good start would be to do five sets of five, at your body weight. Once you can get to a stage where you can lift your own body weight, you can gradually increase the weight as you get comfortable lifting heavier.

It's a big achievement when you know you can lift more than your own body weight. That's how you know you are getting stronger each week.

When you can lift heavier weight each week, you will feel inspired so that you look forward to your next squat session.

Here are the 20 reason's you should squat

1. Increase Size And Strength In Your Entire Body

When you squat, you will also build muscle in your hamstrings, quads and calves. Due to the high amount of HGH released, you will also build size and strength in the rest of your body.

The reason this happens is because when you perform a squat the correct way, your body is forced to naturally increase its own anabolic hormones that will cause other muscle groups to get bigger quicker the next time you train them.

2. Improves Circulation In The Body

Squat exercises get the blood pumping in your entire body and improves your health all round.

3. Increase Testosterone & Growth Hormones

Exercises such as squats and dead-lifts release essential growth hormones that contribute to muscle growth and strength gain in the entire body.

4. Increase Core Strength

Squats hit your entire core muscles from every angle, so it gives you every reason to do them if you want killer abs.

5. Improve Flexibility

Because the deeper you squat, the more flexible you become. Squatting will also increase hip flexibility. A lot of people carry a lot of stress in their hips because they have bad posture so they feel the need to sit down more often.

6. Great For Burning Fat

Most of the muscle you gain from squatting heavy will come from your lower body, and the more muscle that you gain the more fat you will burn.

7. Squats Strengthen Joints

Once you know how to perform squats correctly, not only will it prevent injury, but it will also strengthen your joints too. When you squat down, with all that weight on the bar, you are engaging your ankle, knee and hip joints at the same time.

8. It's Functional For Completing Daily Tasks

What I mean by this is that It makes your daily tasks easier, like if you are carrying groceries' home or lifting or moving furniture in your house. So it makes your body safer during real world activities.

9. Reduce The Risk Of Getting Injured

Squatting is a safe exercise; once they are done correctly it will reduce the risk of injury. Because as you expand the depth of each squat, you will increase strength in your quad muscles that will also enable you do perform other compound exercises with ease.

10. Become A Better Athlete

It doesn't matter what sport you do; you need to be squatting. It's essential to have a strong lower body, whether you're doing swimming, playing tennis or basketball. You should squatting.

11. Increase Vertical Jump

Squats are great for increasing your rate of force development that is important if you want to be able to jump high. I found barbell jump squats a great way to increase vertical jump.

12. Improved Workout Efficiency

I'm a strong believer that squats improve strength, stability and efficiency when it comes to doing other weighted exercises such as bench press, deadlifts and even pull-ups. I find that it gives you that extra edge over that's crucial when you're trying to squeeze out one last repetition, when you've reached failure.

13. Develop A Great Set Of Legs And Butt

It makes no difference whether you are male or female. Squats will give you a great set of legs and butt. So ladies, If you want to activate those butt muscles, do deep squats with a wide stance so that it gives your butt a better workout. Your friends will want to do what exercise you did, while the lads will be drooling over you.

14. Get Killer Calves

For those of you who are ashamed of having skinny legs, like I once had. When you squat heavy, it will gradually build muscle in your calves. No more chicken legs.

15. Squats Are Cheap

All it takes is a barbell or a set pair of dumbbells. You don't have to buy them brand new either.

16. Increase Sprint Times

According to research, studies show that sprinters can increase their sprint times by a significant degree as a result of squatting.

17. Improve Athletic Performance

Not only will you gain size and strength in your legs, squats will also increase your performance capacity to run faster and jump higher.

18. There Are More Than One Variation Of Squats

Not just the traditional bodybuilders squats where you place a barbell over your shoulders. You can do dumbbell squats, kettlebell squats, wall squats, plie squat and barbell front squats. There are lots more ways to squat.

19. You Can Squat Just About Anywhere You Like

You don't have to be in the gym to squat, and you don't even need gym equipment. You can do them at home, at work or the beach.

If you do a Google search for "Squat without equipment, I'm sure you will find lots of variations. Try doing 100 bodyweight squats, and I'm sure you will feel the effects from it. Even 50 is good enough.

20. Squats Are A Universal Compound Exercise

Other than dead-lifts, squats are a mainstream exercise that uses more muscles in the body.

Now It's Your Turn

Now that you have read all the reasons why you should squat, it's time to add squats to your next workout. It doesn't matter whether you're a pro bodybuilder or a beginner, you can start squatting and will notice almost immediate results as long as you stick with it.

Want more workout tips? Get my complete workout program and diet plan right here. This 12 week training program offers you a 4 days per week workout program that is designed to build lean muscle and burn unwanted body fat at the same time.

It includes, printable workout logs, meal plans, abs workouts and more!

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British Army Press Ups, how do a thousand!

                     

Push-ups, or press-ups as they are commonly referred to as in England, are a great exercise / workout which can be performed virtually anywhere. Whilst most people think that push-ups solely work the arms, they in fact are more of a whole body workout. The arms are intensely worked with the tricep, bicep and shoulder muscles all in action during the push-up motion. Performing the push-up movement also works the abdominal, back and leg muscles.

There are numerous styles of press-up which can be used to add variety to a workout and to target specific muscles groups. These include 'Diamond Grip', 'Wide Grip', 'Narrow Grip', 'One Armed', 'Clapping', 'Elevated' and 'Dive Bomber' push-ups to name but a few. The fact that all these push-up exercises can be completed with very little or no equipment, and with only a small amount of space required means that they perfect 'anytime' workout.

For 'The One Thousand Push-up Challenge' we will concentrate on standard press-ups. Whilst a standard push-up may vary in some people's interpretation, for this challenge they should be performed as follows:-

1) Lie, chest to the ground, with your hands level to your shoulders and slightly out to the side. Palms are flat to the floor and feet together and parallel.

2) Looking forward push upwards off the floor. The palms of your hands must remain in the same position and your body should remain virtually straight, keeping your legs straight and toes tucked under your feet.

3) As your arms straighten, exhale and pause briefly.

4) Return to start position by slowly lowering your body towards the floor. Keep the palms of your hands fixed in the same position and your body straight with feet together. Your chest should briefly touch the floor before pushing upwards again.

5) Repeat the above movement in a fluent and continuous movement.

Now that we are all clear on how a standard push up should be performed, let's move on to the challenge. The aim of the challenge is to complete one thousand press-ups as quickly as possible. This is an extreme challenge which will test your strength, stamina and mental resolve. The best way to approach the challenge is by splitting the 1000 push-ups into manageable sets with a rest period in between. It will probably take you a number of weeks to build up to the 1000 press-ups, even with long rest periods. Once you achieve this landmark your aim should be to reduce your rest period time and / or increase the number of repetitions in each set. An example of how this could be achieved is shown below:

Week 1: 50 sets x 20 repetitions / Rest period per set = 4 minutes

Week 2: 50 sets x 20 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 3 minutes

Week 3: 40 sets x 25 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 3 minutes

Week 4: 40 sets x 25 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 2 1/2 minutes

Week 5: 40 sets x 25 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 2 minutes

Week 6: 33 sets x 30 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 2 minutes

Week 7: 33 sets x 30 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 1 minute

Week 8: 25 sets x 40 repetitions / Rest Period per set = 1 minute.

The above is for illustration purposes and it is up to the individual how they attempt the 1000 press-up challenge. Should you feel faint, dizzy or unwell during this workout you must stop immediately.

Take the One Thousand Push-up Challenge today at the home of sport and fitness challenges.

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Bulletproof Veterans with CrossFit

                    

We've all been in that place where we feel like we're not making progress. Maybe you're just starting out and making changes to your diet and fitness routine is harder than expected. Maybe you're a veteran, with your routine locked in, but just aren't seeing the progress you want. In either case, many people get discouraged, and either give up, or end up injuring themselves. Neither is a great option. I'm of the opinion that moving, and being active will always be better than not. Here's a list of suggestions that I work through with my clients who become discouraged.

Define progress. Don't underestimate the importance of deciding what it is you want. The old adage of "if you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there" is perfect here. What kind of progress are you looking for, and how are you measuring it? Are you tracking your workouts in a notebook? Lots of CrossFit boxes are using Wodify, or another program like it to allow members to track their progress. Do you forget to enter your times and attendance? If you don't track what you've done, you'll never know how far you've come, and that leaves the door wide open for discouragement when you're feeling tired, or frustrated. Once you've decided what you want, come up with steps on how to get there. Come up with a plan, with short-term and long-term goals along the way.

Consider your stress bucket. I love the analogy of a stress bucket, which was first introduced to me by weightlifting coach Sean Waxman, owner of Waxman's Gym, and I think the analogy has so much relevance not only to coaching, but to life. We all have stress in our lives. Our diet, sleep, work/school and relationships are what I think of as the common fundamental stressors in our lives. If we're eating badly, not enough or too much, our stress bucket is a little more full. Same thing with sleep. Those two things are the basic blocks for physical well-being. Do you have extra going on at school/work, or are things tense at home? After all of that, we can consider what's going on at the gym, which also adds stress. "But, I go to the gym to relieve stress," you remind me. Many of us do, and it does help to relieve stress. That endorphin rush is a very real thing. However, as you work, you're tearing down muscles, and generally fatiguing your body which adds stress to your bucket. Add on top of that the emotional importance many of us apply to how our workout goes, and we're piling on more. Now, if your fundamental stressors are already taking up an inordinate amount of your bucket, it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for gym stress, and we start to overflow. Overflow means things stop going well, you stop making progress, or you injure yourself. I know from experience that sooner or later, you cannot continue to make progress in the gym if your stress bucket is over-full. It will catch up with you. And it means you need to address the other stressors before you can expect to make more progress. Sometimes, its as simple as dialing in your nutrition, or getting an hour more of sleep at night. Sometimes, it's being a little gentler with yourself until things, which may be completely beyond your control, settle down at home. I can't tell you how many times I've reminded women at all stages (particularly during pregnancy, post-pregnancy) that there are times and seasons, and sometimes the gym and optimal fitness simply cannot be a priority. Trust me, I've learned this the hard way!

Proceed carefully through pain. It is all too common, especially in CrossFit for clients to want to just "push through the pain." Now, I'm not talking about the "burn" or the natural fatigue we all feel when we're pushing ourselves to our limits. I'm talking about the pain that leads to or is the result of injury. I've had my share of injuries, and I've spent months going through recovery, and I can very honestly tell you that no workout is really worth an injury. Sometimes, you never see it coming. I had a friend who pulled his hamstring, just bending down to pick something up off the floor. It happens. I'm talking about shoulder pain, for example, that isn't going away, and isn't getting better, and may, in fact, be getting worse. Figure that out before you go all out on any movement. Let your body be your guide, and utilize your coaches. Many times they might know a thing or two, or they know someone who can help. Keep in mind that sometimes, you will need to invest in outside help, like a massage therapist, a chiropractor, or a physical therapist. Now, that doesn't mean that you need to turn into a vegetable until you've made a full recovery. Every exercise can be modified, whether you CrossFit, or do yoga or Zumba. Keep moving. Just be smart about it. Only you can gauge how much pain is too much, so it's up to you to listen. Remember, when it comes to injury, patience will be well-rewarded, and actually, your optimal health and fitness really require you to be patient, as difficult as that is to swallow.

Sometimes, if you've run smack into that wall, it's entirely appropriate to back off. Find another activity that you're more motivated to try, or that's more enjoyable right now. If you really feel the need to stick with what you've been doing, know that modifications may be necessary, and that's okay, Today, be kind to yourself. Love yourself a little more, and know that you are capable of really amazing things!

Elizabeth is a CrossFit Coach and athlete, a single mother of three, cook, and musician. Most of all, she loves to connect with people. You can find more of her thoughts on fitness, mothering, and finding balance between the two at Ginger Says, http://www.elizaspencer.com.

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