What are the benefits of squats?
Sep 12, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Introduction
In general, as a common full-body strength training exercise, squats offer multiple benefits, primarily including enhancing lower body strength, improving core stability, promoting proper posture, boosting metabolic rate, and increasing joint flexibility. When performing squats, it is important to maintain correct form, avoiding common mistakes such as inward knee collapse or rounding the back, in order to prevent joint injuries.
Generally speaking, as a common full-body strength training exercise, squats offer multiple benefits, including enhancing lower limb strength, improving core stability, correcting body posture, promoting metabolism, and increasing joint flexibility. A detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Enhance Lower Limb Strength: Squats primarily target the quadriceps at the front of the thighs, the hamstrings at the back, and the gluteal muscles. Regular practice can enhance the strength and endurance of lower limb muscles, making daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and carrying heavy objects easier and more efficient.
2. Improve Core Stability: During squats, the core muscles of the abdomen and lower back must continuously engage to maintain body balance and prevent trunk swaying. Long-term practice can enhance the contraction ability and coordination of core muscles, thereby improving overall body stability.
3. Improve Body Posture: Modern people often develop poor posture, such as chest-in and hunchback, and anterior pelvic tilt due to prolonged sitting. Squats can stretch and strengthen the lower back and gluteal muscles, adjust pelvic positioning, help the spine return to its natural physiological curvature, and improve standing and sitting posture.
4. Promote Metabolism: Squats are a moderate-to-high intensity strength training exercise that effectively stimulate the major muscle groups of the lower limbs. Increased muscle mass raises the body's basal metabolic rate, allowing more calories to be burned even at rest, which helps control weight and reduce fat accumulation.
5. Increase Joint Flexibility: During squats, the knee, hip, and ankle joints perform full-range flexion and extension movements. Long-term practice can improve the range of motion of these joints, increase the elasticity of surrounding ligaments and tendons, and relieve joint stiffness.
When performing squats, it's important to maintain proper posture and avoid incorrect movements such as inward knee collapse or hunching forward, which can cause joint injuries. Beginners can start with bodyweight squats and gradually increase the difficulty. Individuals with a history of knee injuries should adjust the range of motion to ensure exercises are performed within their physical tolerance.
