WEIGHT LOSS EXERCISES

SQUATS

Information: weight loss exercises. This exercise is performed while standing erect with a bar placed on the upper back. The bar should be located on the trapezius muscle and not on the cervical spine. If the lifter feels that the location of the bar is uncomfortable, a rubber mat or a towel should be placed between the bar and the back.

The bar should be held against the body firmly by the hands. For safety reasons the squat exercise should be performed in a power rack which has bottom safety stops so that the bar can be rested upon these stops if the lift cannot be completed. The feet should be positioned slightly further apart than shoulder width with the toes facing forward.

The movement commences from an upright posture and the individual lowers the body, mainly by flexing the hips and, to a lesser extent, the legs, until a knee angle of approximately 120 degrees is achieved.

At this point the bar is raised by extending at the hip, knee and ankle joints to achieve an upright posture. It should be noted that the performance of heavily loaded deep full squats can stretch the cruciate ligaments of the knee joint making this joint unstable. Hence, a half squat movement is recommended.

Throughout the lift the shoulders are pulled back, the elbows rotated to a forward position, the head held up and the trunk, though angled slightly forward, should be relatively straight. In fact, the lower back should be curved slightly inwards i.e. hollowed out. Squats are very popular among athletes; however they are often performed incorrectly.

The most common problem involves leaning too far forward during the exercise, which greatly increases the stress placed on the lower back. Lifters must keep the trunk very rigid and basically upright throughout the lift. It is vitally important that the upper back remain rigid and lifters should be encouraged to look upwards, keep the shoulders back and rotate the elbows into a forward position.

The technique in the squat can be readily assessed by watching the individual from the side. The weight should be located almost directly above the hips and ankles throughout the lift. If lifters have a tendency to fall forward during the lift then the exercise should be performed on a Smith machine so that the bar remains in a vertical plane.

Squats can sometimes be difficult for many athletes in lower body dominated sports as their lower bodies are developed to a far greater extent than their upper bodies and thus the limitation to perform the squat is generally the ability of the upper body to stabilize the load on the back. This problem can also be reduced by using a Smith machine or by per forming the hack squat exercise.

The squat exercise strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteal muscle groups as well as the erector spinae muscles.

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS SHOPPING