It was until recently that I started attempting squats. I wasn’t unaware of their effectiveness in strength training or anything, but I was fairly content with building the habit of doing pull ups consistently, as well as floor presses if I was in the mood for them.
But squats are such powerful exercises that I recommend everyone does, at least at some point in the future. Doing just 5-10 will leave your legs feeling like jelly, as well as working out the rest of your body too.
Squats are most commonly done with barbells however, and as I’ve written about before, I’m more of a dumbbells kinda guy. Sure, barbells may allow you to lift more weight (spurring more muscle growth) but they’re big, bulky, and don’t allow you to train by yourself (at least not safely).
This is why I’ve been squatting with dumbbells, and I thought I’d share a few tips as to how to go about this as effectively as possible.
- Squat with nothing at first. It’s important to get the form of the squat correct before adding any weight to the equation. If you’re squatting lots of weight but with poor form then you’re being ineffective and risking injury. Look at videos like this one to see the form of squatting – it’s essentially looking forward, legs shoulder width apart, and then bending your knees as low as they can go.
- Slow down. Squatting is not a race! The faster you go for the more difficult it will be to maintain proper form. Eventually you can adopt more explosive movements, but at first stick with getting the movement itself imprinted in your mind.
- Focus on a point in front of you. When standing straight, just before the squat, identify a single point (like a spot of dirt on the wall, or an object sitting on a table) and hold your focus as you’re going through the squatting motion. This helps maintain a consistent posture and prevents you from moving too fast.
- Lift with one dumbbell. I begun squatting with two dumbbells at first, but for a beginner this is not the smartest way to get started. The weight is rarely the problem, it’s the fact that holding a dumbbell in either hand can make it difficult to balance, even if you’re holding them both in front of you. Start with a single dumbbell when doing squats and hold it in front of you (with both hands) to make it easier to maintain proper form.
- Do it last. No matter who you are, squatting will knock you around. It’s better to do it at the end of your training routine as to not make yourself too worn out to complete all your other exercises. That said, make sure you do them! Squats, while pain-inducing, leave you feeling brilliant.
