The Squat

[Off Road]

The recent article reminded me of something I wrote on another forum, so I thought I'd share it. I'm not much of a writer, but I do love squats

I think the main reasons people ignore the benefits of squats are because they brutally hard and very scary exercise.

That's a lot of weight to have balanced on your shoulders. It's pressing on your spine, trying to crush you, trying to throw you off balance, trying to force you to the ground, and that’s just standing there...you haven’t done anything yet.

Now we start. At first you have to let the bar have its way, you have to lower it towards the ground where it wants to go. This puts you at awkward positions and you have to keep it under control while it tries to crush you further to the ground. You know that if you don’t keep perfect form and balance that you will get injured. Nope, you’re still not low enough, keep squatting down.

Finally, you reach the bottom and you have to deny gravity, you have to stop its downward path. Sitting there in the hole is probably the scariest part, all scrunched up with a big weight on your back. Then, you have to fight with everything you have to return to the standing position where you feel safer. It wants to be on the ground, you want to be standing, who's going to win?

It takes will-power, strength, and skill to win the battle, but you are amazed at the human spirit and you have won, you are standing tall with the conquered barbell held like a trophy atop your shoulders. It still hurts, it's still trying to crush you, and your body is weakened and shaky...Okay, now for the second rep!

[Donkeypuncher]

I always believed that you could tell what kind of man someone is by how they squat. If you don't squat, you're simply not a man.

[MikeC]

Excellent post.

[bamazav]

Man I love the squat!

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by Donkeypuncher

I always believed that you could tell what kind of man someone is by how they squat. If you don't squat, you're simply not a man.

My wife can squat her bodyweight ATG. What does that make her?

I do, however, think that one must squat deep to truly attain his manhood. There's something about coming all the way from the bottom of a full squat to the top with some weight on your back that shows me you've got a little extra in your heart and your guts.