One of the top exercises that you should do when you want to get ripped and build more muscle is the squat. You can target almost every muscle in the body with a heavy barbell squat and it also stimulates growth and hormone production. Over time, you will gain overall strength and also see an improvement in size when you incorporate squats in your daily exercise routine. They are referred to as the ‘king of exercises’ not just because of the physical benefits, but because of the hormonal response too.
Studies have shown that squats are helpful for releasing HGH and testosterone in the body that are needed for muscle growth in the whole body, not just the legs. They are also one of the most functional exercises, but if you are making some common squat mistakes, you will only waste your time. What mistakes should you avoid? Let’s take a look.
Not going low enough
Too many people squat above parallel, which reduces the size and strength that you will build in your legs. This is because it hurts your knees and also limits your range of motion because you have to reach parallel for the weight to shift to your hips. As opposed to partial squats, deep ones can increase the quad strength and size. You need to keep your core braced and your thighs need to be parallel to the ground.
Letting your knees collapse inwards
When you squat, you should never allow your knees to collapse inwards because it will put them under stress and also damage your ligaments. Your knees and toes should be in the same direction. If they drift together, it is recommended that you use a mini-band around them to force your legs to withstand the resistance and activate the right muscles for keeping your knees aligned.
Lifting the heels
There are times when people lift their heels when they descend. Doing so increases the difficulty because the weight is shifted forward and it also stresses your knees. You need to drive through the heels. It is best to curl your toes upward when you squat because this will force the body to use the heels. You should also do more ankle mobility exercises because rising heels often indicate tight ankles.
Using the same variation
Rather than doing just on type of squat, you should do dozens of variations to avoid plateaus and to target different types of muscles. For instance, you can switch to goblet squats from back squats for a couple of weeks for strengthening your quads, improving your core and reducing the stress on your lower back.
Avoiding the safety bars
Do not forget to use the safety bars when you squat in a power rack. Make sure they are not too high because you do not want to slam the barbell on the safety bars. This allows you to exit by setting the barbell on the safety bars when you get fatigued. The appropriate height is where the barbell would be when you are at the bottom of the squat.
