Do Squat and Get in Shape!

If you don't like doing squats chances are you will hate bootcamp. If this is true for you then my advice is to give this exercise another chance. The squat is the most basic and effective resistance training exercise. If you had to choose only one resistance training exercise for the rest of your life the squat should be the one you choose. Squats target the muscles of the inner thigh and buttocks making it a very popular exercise for ladies. This article provides an overview of this exercise and how it is incorporated into bootcamp training.

The reason the squat is so important is that it involves using the largest muscles in the body. Primary stress is placed on the gluteus maximums, quadriceps, and adductors muscles (inner thigh). Secondary stress is placed on the calves, hamstrings, lower back, and abdominals.

While performing the squat it is critical to never allow your knees to jet out past your toes. If this is a problem for you as it is for many beginners it is best to practice this exercise using only bodyweight until your technique is perfected. Allowing your knees to jet out past your toes places unnecessary stress on the knee joint and in time will cause injury.

If you are new to this exercise try perfecting your technique using a chair or park bench. Sit down on the bench and then try to stand up again without using your arms. Try to stick your but out as much as possible without losing balance and focus on driving your heals into the ground. In fact, most of your bodyweight should be distributed through your heals rather then the ball of your foot and toes. If you have a tendency to distribute your bodyweight on your toes then chances are you also tend to jet your knees out past your toes.

During any given bootcamp session you are likely to perform literally hundreds of squats. This might sound like an excessive use of this exercise but when broken into various bootcamp activities it really isn't.

The most common activity used in my bootcamp involving squats doubles as a fitness assessment and endurance drill. In this activity participants try to perform the maximum amount of squats they can within a set amount of time (usually 1 to 3 minutes). This activity can also easily be adapted for participants who feel they need more of a challenge by giving them the option of using dumbbells. This number is later recorded and repeated in the future to test progress. The amount of repetitions each participant can do varies greatly and depends on fitness level. Most participants should be able to do about 30 to 60 repetitions within a minute without compromising technique. This number of course will greatly decline into the second and third minute.

The next activity I like to use in my bootcamp is the squat hold. The squat hold is an isometric exercise in which participants squat down and hold this position for a for a set amount of time or maximum time. It is important for participants to squat deep enough in order for this exercise to be effective. The best way for participants to measure depth is squat down until the top of their highs is parallel to the ground. This activity can be used for assessment purposes or as a regular bootcamp activity. The best way to use it as an assessment is for participants to do this activity prior to most of their leg training and test for maximum time. To incorporate the squat hold as a regular bootcamp activity it is best to wait until participants have already done a considerable amount of leg work as it is an excellent activity to finish off the legs.

The squat hold is traditionally done using a wall. If a wall isn't available this activity can be done using a sumo stance as it is much easier to maintain balance without leaning forward. Many female participants actually prefer the sumo squat as it places greater stress on the inner thigh.

Another way to incorporate squats into bootcamp training is to stagger numerous sets throughout the workout before and after other activities. For this activity I will usually pick a certain amount of squats that I want the class to complete within their one hour session. If I have a group of new members I might start out with a relatively low number of bodyweight squats (100 to 200) and break this number into sets of 10 to 20 repetitions. Participants that are more advanced are welcome to use their dumbbells to add resistance or they can perform a few extra repetitions each set. The focus of this activity is to burn calories rather then stress the muscles. Each week the total number of reps is increased. Sometimes additional sets are added and other times more reps are added to each set.

when it comes to the squat there is literally no end to the volume of activities and ways in which it can be adapted to accommodate virtually any fitness goal. The importance and effectiveness of this exercise should not be overlooked. The squat is an integral part of bootcamp training for these reasons. If your goal is to tone and shape your buttocks and the inner thighs then doing squat is exactly what is required. No other resistance training exercise has the potential to elevate your fitness compared to the squat.

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