Squats work the quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings and other leg muscles, increasing bulk and helping the body burn calories. You can increase muscle size and speed up weight loss with a high volume of squats. Other options include adding resistance or incorporating squats into interval training. Intense squat workouts cause knee or back pain in some people. Learn proper form from a fitness professional, and get your physician's approval before beginning squats.
Volume of Squats to Burn Calories
The calories you burn doing squats vary with a number of factors, including your weight and the length and intensity of your workout. According to the calculator from the What's Cooking America website, squats burn on average 0.096 calories per minute per pound of body weight. This means a 150-pound person burns 14.4 calories per minute doing squats. At that rate, performing squats at a pace of two seconds per squat for two minutes burns 28.8 calories. It takes 10 minutes and 300 squats to burn 144 calories.
Losing Weight with Squats
You need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound. At a rate of 14.4 calories per minute, a 150-pound individual needs to do squats for more than four hours to lose one pound. The American Council on Exercise suggests combining exercise with a reduction in calories for faster weight loss. It recommends eating smaller portions at meals and eating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Don't skip breakfast, and spread meals and snacks over the whole day to encourage weight loss.
Increasing Muscle Size
Although muscle strength increases rapidly with squats, muscle mass increases more slowly and requires adding protein to your diet. If you are not satisfied with the muscle size you get from basic or body-weight squats, get larger muscles by adding resistance from dumbbells or barbells. Higher weight with fewer repetitions will increase muscle bulk more. To build size, the American Council on Exercise recommends three to six sets of six to 12 repetitions, with from 30 to 90 seconds rest between sets.
Interval Training
Combining squats with other exercises in interval training helps you exercise longer to build muscle and burn more calories. ACE reports that the average volunteer doing a boot camp workout with squats burned 9.8 calories per minute, using up almost 400 calories in one 40-minute session. For example, the U.S. Army calisthenics program for recruits combines squats with lunges, jumps, rows, push-ups, pull-ups and other exercises. Military.com suggests combining an aerobic exercises such as jumping jacks with squats and other lower body calisthenics for a high-calorie burn.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Drop and Give Me 20!
- What's Cooking America?: What About Exercise?
- American Council on Exericse: Trimming Off the Fat
- ShapeFit.com: Squats Are the King of All Exercise
- American Council on Exercise: Is it Better To Do More Reps With Lighter Weights?
- Army Study Guide: Calisthenics
- Military.com: Burn More Calories
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