Why Barbell Squats Might Be The Most Important Exercise You Can Do (Weekly Workouts)

Barbell squats are the most important exercise for developing overall strength and fitness. There is no other exercise that compares with them for gaining strength and making you a physically better functioning human being.

If you’re not doing squats, then you’re missing out on an exercise that can have a tremendous impact on your future fitness goals.

I’ve been doing barbell squats for about 3 months. That’s a pretty big deal for me. Bursitis had caused a lack of range of motion in my shoulders which prevented me from getting my arms far enough back to grab the bar. Fortunately, three months ago my shoulders had healed enough for me to finally get underneath the bar.

It’s also a big deal for me because my legs have always been weak and skinny. Weak legs are something I fear, and so should you.

Remember if you are over 30 years old, you will continue to lose muscle mass every year. This is called sarcopenia. Even if your legs are strong now, they will grow weaker year by year unless you do something to counter it.

I witnessed the danger of this at an event I attended last week.

Will You Be Able To Manage The Stairs When You’re 65

Last week Barbara, the kids, and I went to an Eric Burdon and the Animals concert. You remember the Animals. They were one of the iconic rock groups of the 60s. They popularized songs like “The House of the Rising Sun”, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”, and “It’s My Life”.

No, I didn’t drag my kids to the concert. LOL. They’re really into classic rock, thank goodness! Surprisingly, they were the youngest ones at the concert. Most of the people there were at least 60 years old or older.

Okay, I get that. The Animals’ first hit was in 1964. If you were 20 and an Animals fan in 1964, you’d be 72 today. They have an older fan base. But, really, why anyone would rather see Justin Bieber over Eric Burdon is beyond me.

While seated in the 4th row in the balcony, I noticed many seniors having difficulty managing the steps. The venue is a historic theater, and, apparently, when it was built, they didn’t see the need for a railing.

This meant that there was nothing for people to hold on to as they climbed the steps. They had to rely solely on leg power and balance. Considering the age of the crowd and the steps, this was a perfect storm waiting to happen.

And it happened. One lady fell right next to me. I helped her up, and thankfully she was unhurt.

Then I saw another lady coming up the stairs, wobbling pretty badly. I got up to help her just in time for her to plop into the seat in front of me. She thanked me and added with an embarrassed smile, “I guess I’m not doing too good.” I don’t think she was more than 65 years old.

Later her husband went to get some refreshments, and upon his return, he also had difficulty navigating the stairs because of his poor balance.

The men’s bathroom was down a narrow flight of stairs. I saw several more men having difficulty managing these stairs as well. Thankfully, there was a sturdy railing for them to hold on to.

The unsteadiness of the seniors I witnessed at the concert doesn’t seem to be an isolated event. Americans have a problem with falling.

An Epidemic of Falls

Falling has become a major problem for Americans. Consider these statistics from the CDC.

• Each year 25% of people 65 and older suffer a fall.
• Falling once doubles their chances of falling again.
• Each year, 2.8 million older people 65 or older are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.
• Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.
• More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling, usually by falling sideways.

Falls for the elderly seem to cause a further deterioration in health. CDC data states that 27,000 falls in the U.S. each year have fatal consequences.

One of the prescriptions healthcare professionals recommend for the prevention of falls unsurprisingly are exercises that make your legs stronger and improve your balance.

Of course, one of the best exercises to do that is squats. Check out the videos below.

Why wait, though, to start strengthening your legs when it may be too late? The best way to prevent falls and prevent instability as you age is to start strengthening your legs and hips now by doing barbell squats.

Barbell squats, however, do much more than simply make your legs stronger.

How Barbell Squats Can Give You A Better Life

Barbell squats are one of four functional barbell exercises I do. By functional, I mean they duplicate a foundational human movement. Barbell squats, therefore, duplicate squatting.  Squatting is a basic movement that humans have been performing since creation.

By incrementally loading a barbell with weight and properly squatting, you can get better at squatting. Okay, this may not seem that important at first glance, but consider the following.

How many times a day do you get out of a chair or up from a toilet? A stronger squat makes you more efficient at doing these mundane movements.

Barbell squats are the only exercise that directly strengthens your posterior chain muscles. These are the hamstrings, the glutes, and the adductors (groin muscles).

These muscles are responsible for producing what is called hip drive. To understand hip drive, think of a football lineman who explodes out of his stance when the ball is snapped. This is what is involved in getting out of a chair or off a toilet.

No, squats probably won’t turn you into an NFL all-pro left tackle. But they will make you more efficient at getting out of a chair or off a toilet. One day you’ll be thankful for that.

A stronger posterior chain muscle group will also increase your ability to jump, pull, push, and will improve any movement involving your lower body. When you correctly perform a barbell squat, the muscles you strengthen will also improve your mobility and balance.

Remember, having stronger and more efficient muscles translates into a stronger and more efficient you. And the converse is also true. Weaker and less efficient muscles mean a weaker and less efficient you.

Five More Benefits of Barbell Squats

The Benefits of barbell squats are not limited to what they can do for your lower body. They also do the following:

1. Build Muscle In Other Parts Of Your Body

Research has shown that resistance training, especially barbell squats, can trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body. These hormones promote muscle growth in all areas of your body. See here and here.

2. Squats Build Your Core

Your core muscles are the obliques, rectus abdominis, and latissimus. When you squat properly, these muscles are also being worked.

Which person do you think has the stronger core? One who can squat 50 pounds or the person who can squat 200 pounds?

3. Squats Strengthen Bones

It’s no secret that strength training can produce stronger bones. This study showed that squats specifically can increase bone density in postmenopausal women.

4. Squats Burn Fat

After strenuous activity, the body experiences what is called “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” or EPOC.

During this “afterburn” state, the body burns calories in the form of fat. Studies have shown that heavy resistance training which includes squats can burn fat for up to 16 – 24 hours after a lifting session.

This is considerably longer than for aerobic activities like cycling or running. See here.

Since squats work more muscles and with heavier weights, they will produce a greater EROC effect than all other lifts. That means squats will help you burn fat long after you end your workout.

5. Squats May Keep Your Brain From Aging

There is evidence that strong legs correlate to a reduced risk of dementia. The best exercise for legs, of course, is barbell squats.

There you have it. The best exercise for overall fitness is the barbell squat. To see how to perform a barbell squat, see here. If you don’t have the ability to do barbell squats, you can still squat. See here.

Do you do squats? Share your experiences with us in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

10 Ways I Protect My Back So I Can Barbell Train At 61 Years Old

How To Start Strength Training Over 40

One Scientifically Proven Way To Reverse Aging

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Weekly Workouts

John’s Workout

Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180.0#

Sunday
Cardio: 25 min. treadmill 3.5 mph

Monday
Barbell Bench Press      Dumbell Rows
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)      20.0# 1 x 8
65.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)      30.0# 1 x 15 x 3
85.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
100.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
125.0# 1 x 5
142.5# 1 x 3
160.0# 1 x 6

No Cardio

Tuesday
Barbell Back Squats
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
75.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
95.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
127.5# 1 x 5 x 3

No Cardio

Wednesday

No Workout

Cardio: 30 min. treadmill 3.5 mph

Thursday
Over Head Dumbbell Press      Narrow Grip Bench Press
20.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)                   45.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
30.0# 1 x 12 x 3                                90.0# 1 x 8 x 3

Cardio: 25 min. treadmill 3.5 mph

Friday

No workout

Cardio: 33 min. outside walk

Saturday

Deadlift
100.0# 1 x 5
145.0# 1 x 5
195.0# 1 x 2
247.5# 1 x 5

Cardio: 33 min. outside walk

Barbara’s Workout
(Barbara missed some days with a cold)

Sunday – No workout                                                                     

Monday –  No workout

Tuesday –  No workout

Wednesday –  No workout

Thursday

Barbell Back Squats
45.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
60.0# 1 x 5 x 3

Barbell Bench Press
45.0# 1 x 3 (warm up)
65.0# 1 x 3 x 3

Friday 

No workout

Cardio: 33 min. walk

Saturday

Over Head Dumbbell Press
10.0# 1 x 8 (warm up)
15.0# 1 x 8 x 3

Deadlift
65.0# 1 x 5 (warm up)
85.0# 1 x 2 (warm up)
107.5# 1 x 5

Cardio: 33 min. outside walk

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