Squats for Weight Loss - Do Squats Help You Lose Weight?

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Squats for Weight Loss – Introduction

Can you squat to lose weight?

The answer is an emphatic yes.

I remembered a frustrating time when looking through my 2014 fitness journal notes.

(You do have a journal, right? Don’t forget that Ed Coan, one of the greatest powerlifters of all time, sings the praises of keeping records as one of his keys to success.)

In any case, back then, I was on the weight-loss roller coaster again.

Despite having lost a considerable amount of weight, I got sloppy and gained back a good 30 pounds.

And I did not know how to stem the tide.

But looking through my notes, I saw that I got back on track with squats, which, together with additional changes, got me going on the right path.

So, if you want to lose weight, squats are a tremendous asset.

If you combine squats with real food, you are going to lose weight.

If you combine squats with junk food, forget about it.

You will build muscle, but still, look puffy.

The great benefits of squats are that they work your entire body.

Squats, along with deadlifts, are two of the best exercises to lose weight.

Breaking the 194-Pound barrier

I broke the 194-pound block, and I give squats (and deadlifts) the credit, besides an improved quality of fuel, aka food.

I noticed that every time I did a squat workout, I’d lose a pound or more!

It didn’t matter the type of squats, but just from a squat workout itself.

I started back at the beginning of November up near 210 pounds.

In fact, for the last six months, I just could not lose any weight.

I think the significant food factors included focusing on vegetables and fruits and having real food protein, like fish and lean poultry.

Also, unprocessed whole grains like quinoa, kasha, or oatmeal, as well as minimizing bread and flour-based products, other than sprouted grain bread.

What Does Squats Every Day Do For Your Body?

Why Do Squats Help You Lose Weight?

squats for weight loss Image Credit Hamish Darby Flickr — Image: Hamish Darby

Squats are a classic functional movement that you learned to do when you were a baby.

Maintaining your ability to squat is not only about losing weight and fitness.

It also helps you keep your mobility, which grows increasingly more important as you get up there in age.

The squat is a primal compound movement, and preserving and improving your capacity to squat will only improve your health and fitness at any stage of life.

It is no wonder then that NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) selected the overhead squat assessment as their goto evaluation of neuromuscular control, mobility, posture, and strength.

Squats is the most potent strength and conditioning exercise because it works most of your body’s muscle groups.

As a result, squats help you build a solid layer of muscle on your entire body.

Squat workout Today

I almost did not make it to the gym tonight.

But I felt that I wanted to push to be more consistent with squat workouts.

Have you had the same experience?

You squat for a few workouts, and then you miss one squat workout.

Next thing you know, you missed two squat workouts.

And before long, you have not done squats for a month.

Then, you have to restart your squat workouts from square one.

Why is it so easy to miss a squat workout?

The answer is because squats are so hard!

Squats are not dumbbell curls.

Free weight squats are not the same as leg presses on a machine.

Squats can be terrifying for anyone to do, especially if you have a knee injury or are over 50.

The good news is that squats can make your legs and knees so much healthier, no matter what your age.

But remember, you must respect the squat, which means that you must always use the best technique and training programming possible.

For example, never squat too much weight and always increase your squat weight gradually.

Bodyweight Squats – Technique

Squat Workout Template

Here is a template for a squat workout.

This squat workout will help you lose weight.

Just make sure to keep eating real food daily.

Warm Up Squat Sets

45-pound bar only – one set of five reps

65 pounds, the bar, and two ten pound plates – one set of four squats

85 pounds, add two more ten-pound plates – one set of three squats

115 pounds, add two more ten-pound plates – one set of two squats

Working Squat Sets

The previous squat sets were for warm-up only.

Those squats were not your working sets.

Always use the proper squat form and only use an amount of weight that you can handle.

Now is the time for your working set:

Load the barbell to 125 pounds, by adding two five-pound plates on either side
Do three sets of four to six repetitions.
You can rest for 3 to 5 minutes between each set.

Once you can do three sets of 6 squats with a weight, it is time to add weight.

As soon as you can squat 125 pounds for three sets of 6 squats, add weight.

Your next squat workout should be 130 pounds.
Start with three sets of 4 squats and work your way up from there.

Top 5 Fat Burning Exercises – Including Squats

Squats for Weight Loss – Final Thoughts

To sum up, do squats help you lose weight?

Absolutely!

Squats are a fantastic compound exercise which should be in your training program, whether you do:

Squats do wonders for strengthening your body’s muscles, but they also have potent fat-burning effects of changing your body dramatically.

Even if you only squat one or two times per week!

My testimonial is that squats helped me tremendously.

I lost a total of 100 pounds.

At my high, I was 275 pounds and took off 75 pounds in 6 months following this simple system.

I lost another 25 pounds over a year or so by eating better food.

Have you used squats to help you lose weight?

Please share your story.

Squats for Weight Loss and Body Transformation