Why Are Squats So Darn Important?!

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“Why do I always hear I should be squatting more?”  “I don’t lift weights.” “I’ve never squatted a day in my life, why would I start now?” “What’s the big deal?!” Contrary to what most people think, you squat all day every day. No, not the squat you’re picturing with a barbell and weights crushing your soul. You squat getting in and out of your car or a seat. You squat picking up a lucky penny. Looking in the bottom cupboards, petting your dog, weeding, going to the bathroom, picking up a heavy item, etc, etc. The squat is a necessary movement we’ve done since we could walk. 

“See! I squat all day, every day. I don’t need to add MORE squats to my life!” You’re right, you do squat all day every day, but a lot of people squat terribly. All kinds of deficits come out when I ask people to show me their squats. Poor ankle or hip mobility, poor coordination/motor patterning, poor balance, etc. This means that if I am seeing one or more of these deficits with a single squat, you’re repeating the error over and over and over again throughout the day. 

I’ve said this in other articles, the body can deal quite well with an isolated aberration in movement, but when it is repeated constantly, the body starts to break down. 

The frequent nature of the squat means we also need to look at the squat endurance. You may be able to do one squat perfectly, but what happens when you do it repeatedly? Do you hold true to form or do you fall apart as you fatigue?

Squatting for a picture

Clearly, there are multiple things to evaluate when assessing the squat, but it’s almost always a simple fix. Proper squats benefit everyone, from pregnant women to people in their 80s, from office workers to athletes. I want you to squat because I want you to be able to live your life and do so without pain. Whatever it is you are doing!

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