Most Effective Exercises – Squats
Experts say there is no magic to exercise You get out of it what you put in. That doesn’t mean you have to work out for hours each day. It just means you need to work smart.
That said, experts agree that not all exercises are created equal. Some are simply more efficient than others, whether they target multiple muscle groups, are suitable for a wide variety of fitness levels, or help you burn calories more effectively.
So what are the best exercises? We posed this question to four fitness experts and compiled a list of their favourites.
Squats
Strengthtraining is essential, the experts say. “The more muscular fitness you have,” says Cotton, “the greater the capacity you have to burn calories.”
And our experts tended to favour strength-training exercises that target multiple muscle groups. Squats, which work the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals, are an excellent example.
“They give you the best bang for the buck because they use the most muscle groups at once,” says Oldsmar, Fla., trainer David Petersen.
Form is key, though, warns Petersen.
“What makes an exercise functional is how you perform the exercise,” he says. “If you have bad technique, it’s no longer functional.”
For perfect form, keep feet shoulder-width apart and back straight. Bend knees and lower your rear, says Cotton: “The knee should remain over the ankle as much as possible.”
“Think of how you sit down in a chair, only the chair’s not there,” suggests Gotlin.
Physical therapist Adam Rufa, of Cicero, N.Y., says practising with a real chair can help.
“Start by working on getting in and out of a real chair properly,” he says. Once you’ve mastered that, try just tapping the chair with your bottom, then coming back up. Then do the same motion without the chair.
Gotlin sees lots of patients with knee pain, and says quadriceps weakness is the cause much of the time. If you feel pain going down stairs, he says, strengthening your quads with squats may very well help.
Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
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