The Squat (revisited)

Dave Tate once said "Do you want to know the best exercise, ever? Give me twenty bucks... The squat. No, you can't have your $#%^ing money back." Dave Tate is the founder of Elite FTS, a former professional competitive powerlifter, and an incredibly strong individual. There is virtually nothing in your body that isn't involved in a proper, full depth squat. Someone I know, knowing that I was a trainer, asked me what my best abs exercise was. This is one of the most common questions among people who don't understand strength training. I told him that heavy squatting is some of the best core training you can get. After a few seconds of awkward silence and skeptical looks from him, I pointed out that stabilizing 315lbs on your back while you perform a squat doesn't happen in abscence of your abdominal muscles, and that all of the situps in the world aren't going to give you an ounce of the strength and durability that the squat will. A properly performed squat requires: mobility in your upper and lower spine; hamstring, groin, knee and general hip flexibility; the ability to stabilize and synchronize your entire body through a controlled, powerful movement, and simply makes you more badass than people who don't.

-James