Most of us spend all day sitting. We sit at a desk at school or work for 8 hours. Sit in our car or on public transit during our commute. Eat our meals seated. And then flop down on the couch all night. But despite all the sitting we do; we spend almost no time sitting with our hip crease below the top of our knees. In fact, I would guess that most people in the Western world cannot get into a deep squat position. And even fewer people could comfortably sit in a deep squat for any length of time. Despite this, the benefits of the deep squat position are numerous. And this applies to pregnant women, not pregnant women and men, so keep reading.

Benefits of Deep Squats for Everyone

1. Deep Squatting Improves Digestive Health: This position allows the colon to fully straighten, and thus relax more. Full relaxation allows for the full release of your stool – and thus full emission of the toxins held within the stool. Also, sitting in this position for a few minutes on a daily basis will decrease your risk of hemorrhoids, and constipation.
2. Ankle Mobility: Using a full-depth bodyweight squat is one of the easiest ways to increase the range of motion at your ankles. In order to sit in the bottom of a squat with a vertical torso and feet flat on the floor, the ankles will have to significantly dorsiflex. Your ability to maintain an upright torso during is associated with ankle dorsiflexion. The more ankle mobility, the more upright you will stay. And the more upright you can stay when squatting, the higher the probability of success in high-bar back squats, front squats, and Olympic lifts.
3. Deep Hip Muscle Strength: Did you know there are 21 muscles that cross the hip joint? I would argue they don’t get the respect or attention they deserve. I invite you to try and hold a deep squat and see what happens… Often people will collapse through their posterior chain. The butt tucks under and the spine is bent into a semi-circle. In addition, you might lose the ability to support yourself. This all stems from weakness at the hips And really, the best way to address weaknesses is to be better at the movements that expose them. Which means spending time in a deep squat.
4. Full-Body Integration: Yep, this is one of those positions where the whole body is involved. Your feet create a base and your arches are activated. The calves are being stretched but are tensed. The quads and hamstrings are co-contracting to keep you from collapsing. The hips are creating tension that radiates up and down the body. The spinal erectors and anterior core are keeping the upper body erect. The mid-back pulls the shoulders into a broad position. And finally, the muscles of the neck are keeping the head neutral. Depending on how your body naturally organizes, you will feel varying levels of activation throughout the body. But without a doubt, the muscles from your feet to your head will be working.

Added benefits for Pregnant Ladies

If you are pregnant, not only you get the benefits listed above, but you might also want to know that the Deep Squat is the perfect exercise to strengthen the muscles which are active during the birth. This exercise also opens the pelvis, widens the birth canal and help strengthen your pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that act like a sling supporting the bladder, uterus, and other organs. As pregnancy progresses, these muscles can get weak, which can lead to urinary incontinence and other issues postpartum. Strong pelvic floor muscles may also help during delivery, so it’s important to keep them active during pregnancy.

Getting Started

Getting started with deep squat holds doesn’t take much. Simply drop down into a squat where your hip crease is lower than the tops of the knees and hang out.

You’ll probably want to start by holding onto something for support as you sort out your balance and ability to create tension throughout the body.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you begin:

• Point your toes as forward as possible
• Alternate between letting the back of your legs rest on your calves and actively holding your bodyweight in the bottom of the squat position
• Try to show the logo on your shirt to the wall in front of you
• Maintain as straight of a line as possible between the base of your spine and the back of your head to keep a neutral neck position
• Extend your hands straight in front of you to help with balance

Happy Squatting! and remember, if you shop on Amazon regularly, you can help me out by accessing the site using the small banner below!