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Hindu squats are considered a bodyweight compound exercise that works your quadriceps, calves, glutes, hamstrings, abs, and shoulders. They can be done easily with little room and without needing any equipment. Some like to make them more challenging by wearing a weighted vest, which will add more resistance.
The difference between these and a regular squat is the arm swing backward and staying on your toes. This type of squat is mostly aerobic, which means that you can do this squat over a longer period of time and more of them than the ones where you use a weighted barbell.
Hindu Squats originated in ancient India and was used by Indian wrestlers as a basic exercise to help them gain endurance and strength.
Benefits
Increased flexibility
Gives you greater leg strength
Can help to injury-proof your knees
Perfect stress-buster so they help to improve relaxation
The ability to gain muscle mass and strength without weights
Strengthens your entire body if done correctly.
It can change the composition of your body to lower the percentage of body fat and help build lean muscle
Muscle endurance
Muscular balance
Performing The Exercise
When you first try to do Hindu Squats, it may seem a bit difficult but once you learn you will have no problem doing them and adding them to your exercise routine.
Stand straight up looking at a fixed spot on the wall.
Your feet should be at shoulder width.
Put your arms straight out in front.
Breathe deeply as you lower yourself.
Bring your arms behind you
When you get to the bottom, pause, and then bring your heels up
Stay on your toes
Push back up with high intensity, breathing out.
Muscles Worked
Glutes—when you are pushing yourself back up it works your glutes. Make sure that you squeeze as you are going back to a standing position as this will isolate them better.
Hamstrings—during the up and down part of the squat you are isolating the hamstring. When you pause at the bottom you are targeting them
Quadriceps—these are the muscles that you use as you push off the ground from your squat. When you pause at the bottom it allows you to target them more.
Abs—any movement your body makes relies on a strong core. This is especially true when you have to balance your body on your toes while you are sitting or standing.
Shoulders—you are activating your shoulder muscles when you swing your arms around to complete the movement.
Calves—you will feel the strain in your calves when you raise up on your toes.
Basic Beginner Program
Every day do 3 sets of 20-30 repetitions
Do them in a steady unhurried, continuous pace
When you finish your session of repetitions do a steady jog in place for a minute to help you recover gradually
When you are just starting to do these squats you should try to do 10 to 15 reps and slowly increase the number you can do.
Remember to always warm up prior to your work out. You do not want to jump straight into squatting after being sedentary all day.
Hindu Squats For Weight Loss
Hindu Squats will help with weight loss, as they are one of the best bodyweight exercises to burn belly fat. In order to lose fat fast, especially belly fat, you want to increase the intensity of your workout. You can do this by using interval training and resistance training.
After doing your sets of squats you should rest for at least five minutes and then do a steady walk of 30-40 minutes if you can to stimulate the fat-burning effect.
Because this is a compound exercise it works more than one muscle at a time. This will lead to an increase in muscle fiber recruitment. Muscle is metabolically active tissue so the more muscle you gain, the more calories you will expend. For example, for every pound of muscle that is added to the body, you will burn an additional 30 to 50 calories each day.
When you are trying to lose weight, workout intensity is a major factor. The harder you workout, the more calories you will burn overall. Weight loss boils down to calories in vs. calories out, so burning more calories is essential.
Modifications To Avoid Injury
Knee pain—you might suffer from knee pain which limits your squatting ability. To help with this, go slow when you first start out until you are comfortable doing the movement. You can also wear a knee brace.
Shoulder problems—this can be due to not having the full range of motion in your shoulders due to tightness or pain. If this is the problem then limit your arm swing when doing the move. Before you do the exercise make sure that you have warmed up and do as much movement as you can without pain
Lower back—lower back pain is an extremely common problem, but these squats can help with that. Chances are, your lower back hurts because your glutes and hamstrings are weak, to begin with. If the pain is too excruciating, only go as deep as you can on the squat.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, bodyweight leg exercises are few in number, so it’s difficult to spice up your workouts sometimes. Hindu squats are the solution to this problem. Compared to traditional bodyweight squats, you are burning more calories and working more muscle groups.
I definitely vouch for this exercise because it’s simple and can be performed almost anywhere. Not only are they great as a solo-exercise, but they can also be incorporated in a circuit training program. If you’re just starting to get into fitness, you cannot go wrong with this one.
As always, remember to be safe and listen to your body. By following the advice in this article, you will avoid injury and eventually strengthen your lower body.
