The squat is one of the most effective compound exercises for building and toning the lower body. When performed correctly, they can strengthen most of the muscles in your lower body, including the thighs, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. They also work the abs and core too.
Generally speaking, squats are one of the most functional human movements, and are a fundamental aspect of smooth and painless mobility. And because of the particular muscles they target, squats can also improve balance and stability, and help us jump higher and run faster!
Yes, as an all-rounder squats are hard to beat. And for those who like variety, there’s no shortage of variations to shake up your workouts. But, ultimately, the squats you squat depend on your workout style and fitness goals. So to help you along, we’ve compiled a few our favourite squat types to give you an idea of the diversity and range of this classic exercise.
Bodyweight squats
Goblet squats
Sumo squats
Pulse squats
Squat jumps
Isometric squats
Eagle squat
Lateral squats
Squat walk
Frog squats
Bear crawl squats
Pistol squats
Squat tuck jump
Eccentric squats
Now push. . .
Don’t forget, the best exercise routines are all about balance. So once you’re lower body’s taken a beating from all those squats, why not even it out with these 9 push-up variations?
It’s well-known that diet and lifestyle can greatly contribute to our risk of becoming obese, but genetics also play a part. And some people who suffer from a genetic predisposition to obesity can find it much more difficult to ward off weight gain.
But there’s good news. According to a study by Wan-Yu Li and colleagues of National Taiwan University, there are certain exercises that are particularly effective at combating genetic effects that contribute towards obesity.
The study looked at 18,424 Han Chinese adults, aged 30-70, and examined the relationship between their genetics and self-reported exercise routines. The researchers focussed on five measures of obesity, which included BMI , body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio. What they concluded was that, according to the five measures, the following six exercises were particularly effective for managing obesity. . .
Jogging
Jogging is one of the most accessible type of exercise around, so it’s a great choice for people who are just starting out. It’s gentle and fun, and it offers lots of social opportunities if you’re willing to join a group (Jesmond Joggers are our local club).
There’s also a huge choice of apps you can download to get you going and keep you motivated along the way.
Yoga
Another form of exercise that can be very gentle if that’s what you’re looking for. According to Lin’s research, long yoga practises are a safe bet for helping to ward off weight gain.
Mountain climbing may be a little more specialised and demands higher motivation, financial commitment, and initial fitness levels, but it offers certain benefits that some of the other exercises on this list don’t.
Primarily, mountain climbing gets you out in the clean air and provides ample opportunity to immerse yourself in some beautiful landscapes. The perfect exercise for outdoor enthusiasts who love to travel!
Walking
There are many heath benefits to walking. One of them happens to be that it helps combat weight gain; specifically, according to Lin’s research, in those with a genetic predisposition to obesity.
For most people, factoring walking into their daily routine is arguably the easiest way to get active. Even for those with relatively little time to spare, there are plenty of opportunities throughout the day to squeeze in a few extra steps. Using stairs instead of elevators, walking to the corner shop, taking walking meetings — these are just a few examples.
Of course, going out on regular long walks is ideal, but simply adding a few extra steps here and there can go a long way in fighting weight gain.
Power walking
Similar to the above in most ways, aside from being more physically demanding. Power walking is probably best suited to those who are already keen walkers. But for all its heightened intensity, it may reap greater (and faster) rewards.
Dancing
According to the study, certain types of dancing are also excellent for impeding weight gain. But dancing is brilliant for lots of other reasons too. It can reduce stress, promote cardiovascular health, and improve balance. Not to mention how fun, rewarding, and generally enjoyable it is.
Exercise for health
On the whole, exercise can do wonders for our health. And there are lots of different exercises out there, each with its own specific set of benefits. To learn more about what’s good for what, why not take a look at the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training, weightlifting, and yin yoga.
Post-exercise recovery is almost as important as the exercise itself. When we train, we put our bodies through a lot of stress and strain, and without a proper post-workout recovery regime we run the risk of injuring ourselves.
Post-exercise recovery allows our muscles and tissues repair themselves properly. Not only that but it helps us train more effectively too, keeping our bodies strong, fresh, and energised.
In a nutshell, post-exercise recovery is essential to any fitness routine. And here are some tips on how to do it right. . .
Eat the right food
Food can have a huge impact on the quality and effectiveness of the post-exercise recovery process. After all, exercise drains the body of energy, and it’s essential to replace that energy so our muscles and tissues can repair quickly.
Choosing high-quality foods and consuming the right amount of calories are both essential elements of good recovery eating.
Though achieving an optimal balance can be difficult, it’s important to maintain an awareness of what we put into our bodies. Note enough protein can result in loss of muscle mass, and too few carbs can leave us feeling fatigued. So balance and moderation are key.
Hydrate
Our bodies lose a lot of fluid when we exercise, so hydration is essential for effective post-workout recovery.
One tip is to weigh yourself before and after exercise, and then drink 3 cups of water for every pound of body weight lost.
Rest
Relaxation is one of the most effective ways to recover after a workout. By factoring in constructive rest periods, your body can repair and replenish naturally.
It’s also a good idea to incorporate full rest days into your weekly exercise regime, because rest is an integral part of building fitness.
Stretch
Stretching before and after each workout is an excellent way to facilitate muscle recovery. Stretching helps to reduce lactic acid and improve circulation, and has the added benefit of making you more flexible. (See here for tips on how to stretch like a pro.)
Go for a massage
In case you need an excuse, massage therapy can help post-workout recovery by relieving muscle tension and ridding the body of toxins.
Also due to the relaxing nature of a massage, it can help to de-stress and calm the mind, encouraging psychological as well as physical recovery.
Listen to your body
Last but not least, just do what feels right for you. Possibly the most under-utilised recovery technique is simply listening to your body. When you feel over-worked or strained, take a rest. If you wake up the morning after an intense workout feeling sore and tired, take a day off.
Pushing our bodies too hard, and making them work when they want to rest, will only set us back. And if we want our fitness goals to be sustainable in the long term, we have to work with, and listen to, our bodies.
“LIIT is the new HIIT.” So say endless articles and blog posts on the merits of Low-Intensity Interval Training compared with its highly exerting sibling. But what exactly is LIIT, and what are its benefits?
In a nutshell, LIIT does away with high-impact exercises, greatly reducing your risk of injury. There’s no jumping, bouncing, or limb-thumping. The idea, instead, is to engage in slow, controlled movements, which many people believe to be just as effective as those offered by fast-paced workouts.
LIIT incorporates elements of bodyweight workouts, like Pilates, whilst also putting weights and resistance bands to use. The overall aim being to bring your body to a satisfying burn without burning it out.
HIIT and LIIT: what’s the difference?
You may not have come across LIIT before, but chances are you’ll be fairly familiar with HIIT. And whilst there aren’t many differences between the two, the things that do separate them are quite significant.
Basically, HIIT sessions are shorter and more intense, and generally consist of more exerting exercises mixed in with shorter rest periods. LIIT, on the other hand, lasts a little longer, and incorporates more drawn-out rest periods and more sustainable exercises.
Though minute-for-minute HIIT sessions burn more calories, it’s believed that overall the average HIIT and LIIT workouts will burn around the same amount. So you don’t need to feel like your losing out by turning down the intensity level.
Less intense = more mindful
One advantage of LIIT, at least according to its advocates, is that it offers a more mindful approach to fitness.
It’s hard to deny that these days many of us live incredibly fast-paced, high-stress lives. And though exercise in general can provide a fantastic antidote to this, many fitness regimes still contain stress-inducing elements, whether physical or mental.
It seems almost as if the increasing pace of the modern world has gradually seeped into our gyms and parks. And our high-intensity workouts can sometimes fail to provide us with the psychological and emotional disconnect we really need.
LIIT, however, could be the perfect middle-ground. With Low-Intensity Interval Training, we’re forced to slow down and move at a physical pace that’s completely at odds with our daily habits.
Not only that, but going at a slower physical pace could have a positive effect on our state of mind. If we lift a weight in slow-motion, for example, we’re much more likely to focus on the actual movement of our arms. With this focus comes concentration, and concentration is, essentially, the foundation of mindfulness.
So by creating space, and allowing ourselves the time to move in a more considered and careful manner, we may pave the way to slow down our thoughts and create greater peace of mind.
Who’s it good for and what are the benefits?
As you might imagine, LIIT is suited to pretty much anyone. You certainly don’t need to be in peak physical shape to have a go. In fact, it may be even more beneficial for those who rarely exercise due to its gentler nature.
Much like HIIT, LIIT is believed to be great for burning fat and calories, boosting mental wellbeing, and reducing stress. It’s also seen as a way to improve mobility, flexibility, and cardio resistance.
Though we’ve compared the two, neither LIIT or HIIT are, in the end, superior forms of exercise in comparison to the other. Which one is best for you will all depend on your goals and current level of fitness.
Generally speaking, walking is great wherever you roam. But it turns out that the quality of your walking environment might actually have an impact on the type and extent of the health benefits you obtain.
In other words, walking in nature could be better for your health than walking in urban areas. Which makes a regular stroll through the park the perfect accompaniment to a regular gym routine.
And if you need any convincing to strap on your walking boots, here’s why going for a walk in the park can make an excellent addition to your weekly exercise routine.
It could reduce stress
According to a study, people who regularly visit urban parks for an average of 20 minutes report a significant increase in life satisfaction afterwards.
The suspected cause of this happiness boost, according to Hon Yuen of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is a reduction in stress levels brought about by the park’s natural surroundings. Because we’re out in nature, we’re more likely to experience moments of quiet, calm, and tranquility.
Researchers at Kyoto University also found forest environments to be effective stress-reducers, especially for those experiencing chronic stress. The suggest that regular shinrin-yoku (also known as nature therapy) may help to “decrease the risk of psychosocial stress-related diseases”.
“Listening to birdsongs and observing animals in nature have shown to promote wellbeing, reduce stress, improve mood, and reduce attention fatigue. Natural aromas from wood and plants have calming effects and viewing nature reduces mental fatigue.”
Green spaces make healthy hearts
Although walking in general is considered to be a good exercise for the heart, walking through green spaces may provide even more positive effects. Take the Finnish study, for example, which concluded that urban forests or parks are more beneficial to heart health that urban city centres.
Or consider the Japanese researchers who found that a 2 hour walk in a forest park significantly lowered participants’ blood pressure. They also concluded that blood pressure was lower in participants who walked through the woods compared with participants who took a similar walk through a city environment.
Another Japanese study, comparing urbanites to nature-dwellers, revealed that, of the two groups, people who spent time in forests had lower blood pressure and heart rates.
And to quote the National Park Service once again, “[a] 30-minute visit to a park can improve heart health, circulation and lower cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure”.
May help combat depression
It turns out that, when it comes to walking walking, being out in nature may be the best way to reduce certain symptoms of depression. In particular rumination, which is the habit of overthinking and constantly revisiting negative thoughts.
Researchers from Stanford University conducted a study comparing ruminative thought patterns in both nature- and urban-walkers. As you might have guessed, the participants out in nature showed decreases in rumination. Interestingly, however, the city-walking group showed no improvement at all.
This may suggest that, although walking in any environment can reap similar physical health benefits, walking in nature may provide more of a positive psychological impact.
Strong shoulders make strong bodies. Not only do well-built shoulders look good, but they also form an integral part of a well-rounded exercise technique, helping to improve form and posture.
Stronger shoulders will also provide protection for your shoulder joints, helping to strengthen the muscles and reduce your risk of injury.
When it comes to building up the shoulders, we’re focussing on the deltoid muscles (commonly referred to as “delts”). These are made up of three sets of muscle fibres, or “heads”: anterior (front), lateral (middle), and posterior (rear).
Many people tend to place a lot of focus on the anterior deltoids when training, but for building greater stability and better posture it’s important to work the posterior deltoids too. With this in mind, we’ve tried to include a well-rounded selection so you can target all parts of the shoulder.
So let’s take a look at 5 great exercises for building and strengthening those shoulders!
Push press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep30avTSMB0
Good for: full body, explosiveness.
The push press develops upper-body strength, targets the abs, and conditions your rotator cuffs.
Strictly speaking this one gives more of a full-body workout. But it does allow you to handle more weight than most other shoulder exercises.
Dumbbell incline row
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI9UOVTFqy8
Good for: posterior deltoids, traps, back.
Side lateral raise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9LhHrHShs4
Good for: lateral and anterior deltoids.
For this one you just need a pair of light dumbbells and the ability to abduct your arms (move your arms up and away until they form a T-shape).
Side lateral raises specifically target the deltoid muscles, so they’re an excellent choice for isolated shoulder workouts.
Overhead squat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow58yHEl_Ls&t=16s
Good for: general shoulder strength and stability, core, mobility.
The overhead squat is an excellent mobility-training exercise, and can help to relieve tight pectorals and inflexible hips and knees. It’s also great for anyone with a weak core.
Standing overhead press (Military Press)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RlRDWO2jfg
Good for: general shoulder strength.
Simple but incredibly effective as a pure strength-building exercise. The standing overhead press is considered by many to be a foundational upper-body and core weight exercise.
Arnold Press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VZGReJoRAM
Good for: anterior deltoids.
A twist on the overhead press developed by none other than 7-time Mr. Olympia title holder himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Need we say more?
