Learn how to safely load your thigh muscles and eliminate stress on your spine. This technique will allow you to build beautiful leg muscles. Dumbbell squats are used by athletes to target muscle groups and are essentially a formative exercise. When performing the movement, the same number of joints are involved as during classic squats, but it is much more difficult to progress the weight of the projectile. This is due to the fact that the dumbbells are not as comfortable to hold as the barbell.
In addition, most dumbbells have a weight limit of about 60 kilos. At some point, this will become a major obstacle to further progress. Another feature of the movement is significantly less participation in the work of the back extensors. First of all, squats with dumbbells are aimed at pumping the muscles of the legs.
We have already mentioned that this is a formative movement, and, therefore, it should be used by athletes with sufficient training experience. This exercise will allow you to build lagging muscles or those muscles that are difficult to work with other movements. Also, the absence of a large load on the spinal column can be attributed to significant advantages. Beginners should focus on the classic squat.
Dumbbell Squat Technique
Place the equipment on your sides with your feet shoulder-width apart. Arch your back slightly and flatten your shoulder blades. The gaze should always be directed forward. Keeping the existing deflection in the back, lower yourself down and grab the dumbbells.
Start moving up, but in the extreme position of the trajectory, do not fully straighten the knee joints. It is necessary to squat to the parallel of the thigh with the ground, while ensuring that the shoulder blades are brought together. When performing the movement, great attention should be paid to breathing technique. Inhale should be done during the negative phase, and exhale during the upward movement. If the dumbbells are hard to hold, then you should use the straps. However, you should always pay attention to the development of the muscles in the forearms, which will solve the problem of weak grip. Also, make sure that your heels are always firmly pressed to the ground.
It should be noted that you can change the technique of movement, which will allow you to shift the emphasis on different muscles. For example, sumo squats, known to many, are, in fact, one of the options for a classic exercise, but when they are performed, other muscles are involved in the work. You can do the same with dumbbell squats.
For example, with a narrow stance of the legs, the quadriceps are actively involved in the work. If you increase the distance between the legs, then other muscles will work more actively. Note that dumbbell squats do not put much stress on the joints, since sports equipment does not press on the spinal column, and you cannot use large weights. Of course, if you break the technique, then it is very possible to teach injury. For example, when moving downward, if you push your knee joints forward too much, then at a certain point they will not withstand and will be injured. As in all other exercises, here you need to do everything in accordance with the requirements of the technique, and not try to progress the weight as quickly as possible.
Only in this case will your training be effective and the progress will be noticeable. Otherwise, you will be wasting time and you can get injured frequently. Always pay special attention to the technique when mastering a new movement. Only after that, start to progress the load.
How to properly perform squats with dumbbells, see this video:
