The Squat
The Squat – A Top Muscle Building Exercise
To put it mildly, squats are the toughest, most demanding, and painful exercise for muscle building that you can perform and you better do them correctly.
It requires a large amount of discipline and willpower.
If you don’t believe me, just perform a set of squats to failure.
That said, a squat is THE best exercise for muscle building if you want to experience rapid growth. I used to do them regularly but knee injuries have caused me to stop but if you are serious about body building, you need to consider squats.
Due to their high level of difficulty, they force your body to release higher amounts of important anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone, packing on more size and strength to your lower body than any other exercise for muscle building.
Muscle size is added onto your entire upper body as well, thanks to the increased secretion of hormones. In other words, many exercisers ignore squats and think they are just used to build massive thighs. Wrong!
This exercise for muscle building also has a “spillover effect” that helps you to perform better in all your other exercises.
Squatting really works, period.
Unfortunately, there are several lifters who have not yet sought the many bonuses that come from heavy squatting.
Too many bodybuilders will come up with practically a mountain of excuses to steer clear of the squat rack.
There have been so many times I’ve heard things like “I heard they stunt your growth” or “It hurts my knees.”.
What’s my response to that?
Rubbish!
Exercise for muscle building is an absolute must if you’re in the gym with the goal of maximizing your total body muscle gains.
Proper Squatting Technique
Stay safe by doing your squats in a cage or power rack. This gives you the ability to set the height at which you clear the bar, not to mention the ability to drop the bar on those safety pins if you need to.
You should set the safety pins just below the depth you are squatting, and the J Hooks should be set at your nipple level.
Keep your head pulled back, your chest raised, and maintain a slight arch in your lower back at all times.
Keep your gaze straight ahead and not up or down, and ensure that you don’t lean too far forward.
Grasp the bar with both hands, maintaining the same width as in a bench press. Before clearing, put the bar evenly along your traps. The bar should rest on the lower part of your traps and on your rear delts.
It should almost seem like the bar will roll off your back.
Clear the bar and then take the necessary amount of steps backwards. Since the majority of squat injuries happen while backing up, you should only go as far back as you need to.
Your feet should be pointing out at a 45-degree angle, about shoulder width apart.
With a big, huge breath, squat down. Pretend that you’re trying to sit on a chair behind you, instead of lowering yourself straight down.
Watch your knees to be sure they stay in line with your feet, and remember, they should never bow in. Get those thighs parallel to the ground as you lower down!
As soon as you’ve reach this position, start returning to the original position. Don’t take a moment to catch your breath at the bottom portion. Straighten your back while driving your heels into the ground to return to the starting position as quickly as possible.
When you reach the upright position, take another deep breath and continue the exercise until you complete the required number of reps.
Treat squats with respect, and your muscle gains will amaze you.
Try to perform 2 sets of squats (5 to 7 reps each) once a week. Don’t take it easy with this exercise for muscle building; you should keep trying to increase the weights and/or reps. But again, if you have any knee problems, you may want to rethink squatting.
To learn about more about this highly effective, growth-producing exercise for muscle building, as well as other exercises that you can include in your routine, visit this Muscle Gaining website. Most trainees have no idea how to pick and choose the proper exercise for muscle building and they dramatically limit their gains as a result.
