Squats

Muscles used - Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus (Rectus Femoris, Biceps Femoris, Butt, Legs)

Squats Performed Properly

Basic squat instructions, easily performed at home.  Squats can also be performed with a weight bar across the shoulders.

• Position your feet flat on the floor, about shoulder width apart (toes slightly turned out)
• Keep the abdominals tight and the lower back straight and your head up.
• If you wish you can hold onto something to give you some support, i.e. a desk. 
• Slowly descend until the thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for a second, then push back up to the starting position
• Use a nice fluid motion and don’t bounce at the bottom.
• Maintain the body in an upright position and avoid leaning forward.
• Always inhale your breath on the way down, and exhale as you stand up.
• You can increase the workload by adding weights to your hands, such as a dumbbells

Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Squats

Make sure to keep your weight back so that your knees don't extend past your toes. 

For beginners, you can perform the exercise with dumbbells in each hand, or no weight at all. This also reduces the loading on the back.

To avoid back/spinal aches and problems, squats should be performed with a relatively straight back, the weight is borne directly over the spinal column, and torque as well as shearing force is minimized.