Online Reporter
Fitness Correspondent
Squats are often hailed as one of the most effective exercises for building strength, enhancing flexibility, and improving overall fitness.
Squats are a versatile and effective exercise that can be adapted for any fitness level or age. By consistently incorporating squats into your routine, you can enjoy stronger muscles, better balance, and improved overall health, no matter your age.
Dr Edward Laskowski, a specialist in sports medicine and rehabilitation says, that squats are a great indicator of athleticism and they can ‘help boost your performance in a variety of sports’.
The strength-building exercise focuses on working the leg muscles, with the focus being on the quadriceps and hamstrings.
Squatting is a foundational movement you make daily without even thinking about it. For example, when you bend down to pick up something or sit on the toilet, you are doing a squat.
There are several reasons to add squats to your workouts. Squats can help you move better in daily life and improve your performance in sports.
But how many squats should you be able to do at different stages of life?
Let’s break it down by age and gender, and explore the benefits of this simple yet powerful exercise.
Squat goals by age and gender
Ages 20-30:
Men: 40-50 bodyweight squats
Women: 30-40 bodyweight squats
In your 20s and 30s, your body is at its peak performance. This is the ideal time to build endurance and strength. Men typically have more muscle mass, allowing them to perform a greater number of squats.
Ages 40-50:
Men: 30-40 bodyweight squats
Women: 20-30 bodyweight squats
As you enter your 40s, maintaining muscle mass and joint health becomes crucial. While the numbers may dip slightly compared to your younger years, staying consistent with squats can help counteract age-related muscle loss.
Ages 50-60:
Men: 20-30 bodyweight squats
Women: 15-25 bodyweight squats
In this age range, mobility and flexibility take precedence. Squats can help maintain leg strength, which is essential for daily activities and preventing falls.
Ages 60-70:
Men: 15-25 bodyweight squats
Women: 10-20 bodyweight squats
By the time you reach your 60s and beyond, the focus should be on maintaining mobility and balance. Performing squats regularly can improve quality of life and independence.
Benefits of squats
Strength building: Squats engage major muscle groups, including the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core.
Improved mobility: They enhance flexibility in the hips and ankles, crucial for daily movements.
Better posture: Strengthening your core through squats helps support the spine and improve posture.
Bone health: Weight-bearing exercises like squats stimulate bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Increased metabolism: Engaging large muscle groups boosts calorie burn and metabolic rate.
Squats improve your posture, balance, and mobility
Strong leg and core muscles are crucial for proper posture and balance. Your posture refers to how you hold your body upright, both while moving and remaining still.
Good posture promotes a healthy musculoskeletal system. It can help prevent back pain, improve breathing and digestion, and enhance balance. And having good balance reduces your risk of falls and other injuries, making your everyday activities easier to perform.
Mobility refers to the ability of your joints to move through a full range of motion.
Practicing squats may improve range of motion in your hip, knee, and ankle joints. Maintaining mobility increases synovial fluid, which lubricates your joints, and helps reduce your risk of injury in daily activities and sports.
How to perform a proper squat
Start position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Keep your chest lifted and your gaze forward.
Lowering phase: Push your hips back as if sitting into a chair, bending your knees and keeping your weight on your heels. Ensure your knees track over your toes without collapsing inward.
Depth: lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as far as your flexibility allows.
Rising phase: Press through your heels to return to a standing position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
For beginners, aim for three sets of 10-15 squats, gradually increasing reps as your strength improves. To add a challenge, consider holding light weights or progressing to single-leg squats.
