Squatting is a natural movement that has significant benefits for our health and well being. If you have children, you will notice that they can pull off a perfect squat without even trying. They may squat to pick up a toy or some other objects you prefer they not touch, but they have the perfect form.
Squats are an excellent fitness movement because it mimics a natural rhythm. You add weights for resistance, and now we have a powerful exercise that engages your entire body while adding to your strength. While squats seem to be a workout movement made in heaven, some are concerned about the impact squats have on your body in the long term.
So, is it bad to do squats everyday?
The short answer is no, you can safely squat everyday, but it depends on the weight you are lifting and how your body feels.
Powerlifters do not squat everyday, since it takes time for their leg and back muscles to recover from lifting close to their one rep maximum. However, if you are doing weights which allow you to perform 10-20 repetitions each set, then squatting everyday would be completely safe.
Concerns About Doing Squats Every Day
For people that love to reap the benefits of squats, doing squats every day is a no-brainer, but is it bad to do squats every day? The impact of squats on your lower back, knees, spine, and hips may be harmful. It is possible that this may cause due to improper form.
When you engage in a squat and your form is not proper, it will cause damage to the lower back and knees. This is because you are putting weight on the wrong parts of the body. Also, if you’re new to doing squats, it’s perfectly reasonable to get some soreness even with proper form.
If you are serious about lifting, which I assume you are since you are reading an article about squatting everyday :), then consider investing in a weightlifting belt.
Get a 4-inch, softer multipurpose belt if you are just starting to lift. If you are squatting and deadlifting heavy, get a 6-inch stiff powerlifting belt. Read our belt buyer's guide for more info.
The Benefits of Squats
There are several advantages of doing squats rather it is every day or on a frequent basis. Some of these advantages include:
- Burning fat: Besides, as a functional movement that makes day to day activities easier, doing squats helps burn calories. Performing squats help build muscle. Doing squats not only strengthens your leg muscles but creates a condition conducive to muscle development. The more muscle you have, the more efficient your body is at burning calories.
- Maintain mobility and support balance: Squats increase leg strength which is essential for movement. They also engage the core muscles which are key to maintaining balance. Squats are one of the most functional exercises around. When performing functional exercises, your body is mimicking the movements of the day to day tasks. Squats in particular also help build muscle which further helps make functional movements more efficient. Squats are one of the most functional exercises around. When performing functional exercises, your body is mimicking the movements of the day to day tasks. Squats in particular also help build muscle which further helps make functional movements more efficient.
- Toning: Squats involve some muscles in your body. Squats help tone not only your legs but your abs, and rest of your body. Engaging your body during squats also helps boost metabolism.
- Injury prevention: Because squats help strengthen stabilizer muscles, connective tissues and ligaments squats also help prevent injury. They also promote flexibility which furthers the injury prevention benefits of squats. In addition to these advantages, squats also improve colon health and boost overall workout performance. With results such as these, is it bad to do squats every day?
Tips To Maximize Workouts With Squats
The cons of performing squats daily, are remedied by making sure you’re performing squats correctly. You can easily make doing squats every day safe and beneficial to your body. Below are a few tips to help maximize your squat routine.
It’s important that you warm your body up before performing squats or doing any rigorous workout. Warming up prepares your muscles for the exercise and prevents injury. A good exercise to try before doing squats is jumping rope.
If you enjoy adding weights to your squats, you want to make sure you’re not descending too quickly. You want to sit into the squat slowly to ensure proper form. The form is everything when performing squats.
Pay attention to your knees. Make sure they are not turning inward. Your knees should line up ankles and hips. You also should ensure your toes are turned out. This will help prevent damage to the knees and body.
You may want to invest in a pair of knee sleeves or wraps (depending on how heavy you lift). Read our buyers guide for more info.
Some people who do squats regularly have the bad habit of leaning too far forward. This action puts a lot of weight on the back especially when weights are added. Most of the weight should be on the heels, not your torso or back areas.
Don’t be lazy to do squats. It’s important that you drop down low enough to get the full impact of the squat. The deeper the squat is, the more support provides to keep proper form. This also makes the squat more useful.
So...Is it Bad To Do Squats Every Day?
Whereas, there are certainly reasons that doing squats every day could be a bad thing. It seems that most of this are driven by lack of warming up and improper form. Is it bad to do squats every day?
No, it is not bad to do squats every day, but it is bad to do squats with poor form every day. Improper form is where the injury and damage to the lower back and knees result.
If you love to do squats or plan to increase the frequency of squats, be sure to check your form carefully, and you will reap all the benefits associated with this impactful workout.
If you liked this article, we have plenty of posts related to squats including:
A guide on - Hack Squats Vs Normal Squats – Which should you be doing in 2018?
And also - The benefits of Front Squats vs Back Squats, and how to do them correctly
Have fun squatting and remember to give your body the necessary time to recover.
