Warm up with:

• 800 M run
• 5 Turkish Get Ups (R/L)
• Max reps in 2 minutes for each: Burpees and Pullups

WOD:

4 rounds for time

• Run 400
• 50 air squats (or 15 loaded back squats at 85% of body weight)

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The Squat

Our bodies were born to squat. However, this movement has been neglected with the invention of chairs, sofas, benches, toliets, etc. We all intiate the squat movement to sit down however as soon as we hit the bottom of the chair/toliet/etc. our muscles relax and the furniture does all the work for us.

Along with this assistance we have also been told that "squatting is bad for our knees." There is no scientific evidence that supports this statement. There are movements that are bad for your knees and they are: (1) twisting under a load, (2) too much load, (3) landing unevenly from a jump, (4) impact to the knee, (5) squatting in a Smith Machine because it does not allow for proper shifts in weight. Taking your knee through a full range of motion with correct form and appropriate load will not hurt your knees.

So, why in the world should one squat?

1. It improves your strength. The primary movers in the squat are the hamstrings, gluteus maximus (butt muscles), and quadriceps. However, there a many secondary muscles that play a role in the motion. The muscles in your back keep your spine in the correct position. Your core muscles in your abdominal region also provide support. In all it is a full body exercise that will make you stronger all over.
2. It improves your balance. Folding under the load of your body and/or an exterior load and not falling over is important. Not only for athletes in their game but also for seniors who what quality of life. Being able to stand up and sit down with out holding on to something or running the risk of falling over is important to one's quality of life.
3. Improves your endurance and work capacity. Squatting helps improve our ability to tolerate work load. Endurance athletes who train squats will see an improvement in their endurance. In non-athletes it will make just simply walking around sight seeing easier to do.
4. Improves your functional mobility and active flexibility. This means that your range of motion will improve. The more you squat the deeper you can go the stronger you are the easier it will be to pick up a child, bags of groceries, manual labor, get up out of a chair, improve you overall mobility.

To be continued... Tomorrow, how to squat properly and how to fix bad form.