Image by chillintravelThe bodyweight squat has been used for centuries by Indian Wrestlers to improve their strength, flexibility, and lower body power. Perhaps this is why the movement has often been called the Hindu Squat. The actual name of the exercise that indian wrestlers used was the Uthak-Bethak, or simply “sitting and standing.”

• Just look at those two words for a second: Sitting and Standing. 80% of our daily activities are focused on sitting and standing, and yet the majority of people out there do not practice these two movements in tandem.
• I even heard of some guy who stopped squatting because he claimed that no one can do it right, so no one should do them.
• There are other substitutions.

Well, the guy I’m talking about actually stopped squatting with weights. I’m not sure if he’s heard of simply bodyweight squatting, because the movement itself is a great asset to any training program. In fact, out of my two training partners who also go to the gym a few days a week, I have the strongest legs. I developed this powerful lower body by performing 500 bodyweight squats per day.

• Now, I REALLY advise people against performing 500 bodyweight squats per day. That is not a number you want to go for on a daily basis.
• I know of a few websites out there that preach such ridiculously high numbers, but I for one am against such an abuse of a particular exercise.

Here is how to perform a bodyweight squat:

• Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, toes facing slightly out for balance.
• Make sure to keep your back straight and chest out throughout the entire movement.
• Bend your knees and follow with your hips as you slowly descend towards the ground.
• Go as far as you can. Pause, then reverse the movement.
• Repeat as desired.

Flat Footed or Heels Up?

Flat footed squats are where you keep your heals firmly on the floor while performing the squat. Heels up squats are where you raise your heels when you lower your body. These are the type of squats I was performing when I was doing the 500 rep workouts. Heels up squats put greater stress on your knees, and force your calves to work harder.

• Currently, I am suffering from some knee pain that I believe is due to the 500 rep workouts. I believe it was the sheer number of squats I was performing, plus a lack of decent recovery that cause the problem.
• But I’m sure another aspect of the problem was that I was lifting my heels up, placing undue stress on my knees.

What About a Video?

A already have a bodyweight squat video up on YouTube, but I found a better video than mine:

Workouts to Try

Here is a great squatting workout for you to try:

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes of:

Run 400 meters
50 Bodyweight Squats

I was able to perform 4 rounds in 20 minutes, can you beat that?

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