TONE AND BURN FAT OFF YOUR THIGHS WITH THE BODYWEIGHT SQUAT

Our thighs are hands down the bulkiest parts of our anatomy, meaning a lot of your muscle and fat (unfortunately!) are situated there. If you have hard muscular and well-toned thighs, you can stop reading now; this article is not for you! However if you are pissed off at how your thighs wobble, shake and dimple then I have got just the thing for you.

The bodyweight squat is a wonderful exercise and anybody can do it, male or female it doesn't matter, it will work well for anybody who wants to burn fat and lose weight off their thighs or build some muscle. Ladies, if you want to burn off that unsightly cellulite off your thighs then this is for you, I highly recommend this exercise because it needs no special equipment, it is not time consuming and the movements are so basic, anybody can master them. All you have to do is go down and come up, its that simple! You can burn up to 100 calories a day in a single 10 minute squatting session and that includes the rest breaks!

To get the most out of any exercise routine I will always advise that you break it down into 4 sets with a minimum of 20 squats per session if you are new to it, rest for 2 minutes between each set. If you do it right, you will be done in 15 minutes maximum. With any exercise, progression is the key, the more reps you do, the stronger you get and the more fat you will burn!

 Always set a target for yourself, it will help you improve. For example, if you are totally new to squatting, the table below could be a rough guide:

WEEK	REPS	TIME PER SET	SETS	REST TIME BETWEEN SETS	TOTAL TIME TAKEN
1&2	20	1 MIN	4	1 MIN	7 MINS
3&4	30	1MIN 30 SEC	4	1 MIN 30 SECS	10 MINS 30 SEC
5&6	40	2 MINS	4	2 MINS	14 MINS

The table above is a rough guide for 6 weeks’ worth of squatting exercise.  Remember we all progress differently some will get stronger faster, while it might take others a little longer to see improvements it far burning and strength gains. The key is to be consistent.

Here are a few more tips to help you squat properly:

1.       SIT BACK WHEN SQUATTING:

Although squatting is a basic body movement, we can do it wrong without knowing it. When squatting,  move with your hips first not your knees, instead of just folding your knees, push back and go down with your hips and bum first, like you are sitting down on an imaginary chair, this will help protect your knees from excessive strain, trust me with this if you are close to 40 years old!

2.       PROPER STANCE IS KEY:

If you can squat al least parallel it means your stance is too narrow, i.e. your feet are too close together. This will limit your range of movement and results, make sure your feet are at least shoulder width apart and that you toes are pointed slightly outwards to the left and right respectively, not straight ahead, this will give you more balance.

3.       DEEP BREATHS:

Squatting is not only a great muscle building exercise; it will also task your cardiovascular system. Learn to take deep breaths when squatting; it helps sustain your strength and stamina. A good method is to inhale on the way down and exhale on your way up.

4.       KEEP YOUR HEAD NEUTRAL:

A common mistake people make when squatting is to look towards the ceiling, keeping a neutral head position is better for your spine. The best way to maintain a neutral head position is to keep your eyes focused on the floor ahead of you, pick a spot 3 or 4 feet ahead of you on the floor as your focal point while working out.

Thanks and do have a lovely weekend!!