Today's post is one I've wanted to do since I started blogging. It's what I believe is the secret to getting into the best possible shape you can be in. One exercise will make you faster, stronger, leaner, more muscular, more toned, more fit than anything else. I credit this one exercise as being the secret to my breaking through barriers in running, lifting and cardiovsacular conditioning. This one exercise works almost every muscle in your body from your neck down to your feet.
By now, you either know what I'm talking about or you're wondering what this magnificent wonder exercise is. Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The magic exercise is squats. The squat is a fantastic exercise. As soon as you rack the weight, you're working all of the muscles from your hips to your armpits to help you stabilize the weight. You're working your back and shoulder muscles to create a nice firm stable shelf for the weight to sit on. However, it's when you engage the weight... that's where the magic REALLY begins.
When you squat down, you're keeping you're chest upright and you're engaging that core all the way down to help keep that weight nice and stable. You're holding you're breath as you go down to keep that nice firm beautiful core. That motion right there is better than any ab exercise you can do and it's not only getting your abs, but its getting the entire core region, chest, abs, butt, lower back and upper back. Most of all, you're pushing that butt out because it's about to get really good. You see the trip down, that's only half of the magic. The best part is next.
So, you've engaged the weight, and you've pushed your ass out and brought the weight down. So, what's next? Well, put the kiddies to bed and, for those of you with more delicate sensibilities you may want to stop reading, because it's time to fuck. I'm not using that word lightly. You're not making love here. This is not the time to love and caress. It's time to jam it in as hard as you can. I'm not kidding. That butt you pushed out to come down, you're going to take it and slam it as hard as you can forward. Drive through your heels and pushing up and forward with your ass, your core, your upper body as hard as you possibly can. Tell me that same motion doesn't bring back some dirty memories.
Seriously though, this is called hip drive and it's the same motion you use when you have hard sex. This is exactly what you want. Unfortunately, it's not going to make you any better in the bedroom. However, squats and hip drive do a multitude of things for your strength, endurance and power. Hip drive is going to make you more explosive and more powerful. This is where we have to separate the benefits between the boys and the girls.
First, guys, we're stupid. A friend of mine was bragging to me about how strong he was getting and how he had just benched 225 for the first time. I told him, "That's great. How much do you squat?" His answer, as is typical of most meatheads, "Ummm... yeah... I don't really work my legs." If you're one of these guys you're killing your gains. Working your legs releases hormones that are going to help your body grow. Working squats in particular are going to strengthen your core which is where all the strength and stability in your body comes from. The stronger and more stabile your core is, the more weight you can lift. The more weight you can lift, the stronger your body is going to be.
For the girls, I always hear the same thing when I talk about this. I don't want to squat because I don't want my legs to be big and bulky. My answer to that, go watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh5w8_U0Lj0 Go ahead. I'll wait. Ok. Are you back? Good! That's Erin Stern. She's a fitness model champion. Does she have big bulky legs? Is she squatting some pretty serious weight? Building muscle mass is hard as hell. To gain muscle mass you need to eat ungodly amounts of good calories and protein. You're not going to get big bulky legs by squatting with real weight. What you will get? A sleek sexy core, strong sculpted legs and a magnificent ass of steel.
So, now that we're all back together, how does that help everything else? I'm glad you asked. The stronger your core is, the stronger the architecture is for your running. Exercises like squats are going to allow you to stand straighter and better support your frame while you run. Squats are going to make you faster because your legs will be stronger and you will be able to carry more weight for longer periods of time. You will have increased endurance from the outstanding cardio workout you get from doing squats. You'll jump higher, run faster and look better. DO YOUR SQUATS!
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