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When building strength, compound movements should be at the base of any workout routine. These are movements that involve multiple muscles simultaneously. Not only is it more time-efficient (who wants to spend hours working the micro-muscles in their legs?), but it also closely mirrors everyday movement.
“I think a squat is possibly the best exercise because you’re using so many muscle groups,” says personal trainer Caroline Idiens, who regularly shares her workouts with her two million Instagram followers, and who spoke exclusively to woman&home.
“It’s something that’s really going to help you build strength over time, and it’s something you can do with no equipment, so you can be doing it while the kettle boils, while the bath runs,” she says.
“You’re using your legs, you’re using your core, you’re using your back, so it’s going to be a brilliant exercise,” she explains.
How to do a squat
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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, turning your feet slightly out.
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When you’re ready, sit down into a squat – as if you are sitting down on a chair behind you.
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Make sure your knees run parallel to your toes, without going over the top of them.
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At the bottom of the movement, your tights should be parallel to the floor, or as close as possible.
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From here, push up through your feet to return to standing.
If you find a bodyweight squat very easy (you’ll know it’s easy if you can do 12 repetitions of the squat for three sets without much trouble), then add weights. You can use dumbbells, a barbell if you’re in the gym, or kettlebells. You can also use resistance bands.
Adding resistance will make the exercise harder, forcing your muscles to work harder and grow over time to meet the new challenge. This is known as progressive overload.
What exercises should you do with a squat?
“Start with body weight, compound, functional movement,” says Caroline. Squats are perhaps the first exercise that comes to mind when we think of functional exercise. We use the same position to sit down and stand from a chair, climb stairs, and even to pick something up off the floor.
When it comes to the best exercises for longevity, it doesn’t get much better than this. But to add more to your routine, the PT suggests:
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Press up: You can do a full press-up or from your knees and graduate as you get stronger.
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Plank: While the plank is famously a core exercise, it also recruits muscles in the shoulders and upper back.
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Lunge: Another excellent lower-body movement, the lunge targets the glutes and the legs and hips.
Together, these work most of the major muscle groups in the body, and it’s all you need to get stronger – especially if you’re new to strength training.
“It’s not about reinventing yourself. It’s about finding very small but achievable, relatable habits you can stick to,” she told us.