1. Hindu Squats for Flexible Strength
The Hindu squat is a full body exercise used for centuries by Indian wrestlers and strong men to develop muscle, coordination and cardiovascular endurance. Proponents of the squat point out its mobility, the gains in full body flexibility it allows and its relatively steep progress curve.
2. Squatting Hindu Style
The Hindu squat is simple but you should work into it slowly. For most people, the biggest hindrance is weakness in the lower back coupled with tightness in the hips. To loosen up, hold onto a stable object in front of you and squat down as deeply as you can as you try to keep your toes pointed forward. Once loose, perform the squat by standing with your arms out in front of you. As you squat, let your arms fall so your knuckles graze your lower back just as you dip into the squat. As you stand back up, swing your arms up and forward so they return to the starting position.
3. Bodyweight Workout to Reduce Bodyweight
As a full body bodyweight exercise, the Hindu squat is an excellent tool for toning and weight loss if used correctly. After you've become comfortable with the exercise, doing rapid sets of the squat will trigger something called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which burns fat at a rate nine times greater than that of regular exercise. To achieve this state, alternate sets of the Hindu squat with another exercise so that you take no breaks and keep the intensity level as high as possible.
4. Tabata Yourself to Fitness
The Tabata protocols are a breakthrough in fitness research, which show that doing eight rounds of high intensity exercise for twenty seconds followed by ten seconds of rest produces enormous gains in basically every measure of physical fitness. Hindu squats or "air squats" as some call them are a perfect exercise for the Tabata protocols since the squats can become rhythmic while challenging you every second of the workout.
5. Add Weight to Add Gains
Mastering Hindu squats is difficult enough that once you've gained it, you may feel like just continuing to do what you're doing. If you want to maintain progress, however, you need to add intensity. One of the best ways to do this is to hold very light dumbbells in your hands as you do the squats. The weights might seem light but after a few reps, the difference will be painfully obvious.
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