5 Reasons to Squat 5 Minutes/day

By Coach Spencer Rittmann PTA, CF-L2

The goal of holding a flat foot, deep squat position for 5 minutes per day is the single most bang for your buck way of improving your squat mobility. Scale back by holding onto an upright or placing plates underneath your heels. Start with 20-30 second holds… stand up and shake out the legs, then slowly over time build up to 1-2 minutes with the goal of 5 minutes straight. 

Break it up into 5 separate 1 minute holds throughout the day if you’re crunched for time. 

You can either do a “passive" squat where you are resting in the bottom position or you can make it “active” by staying at parallel and squeezing your hips and glutes.

Apply yourself daily for the next month and see the results of squatting everyday. 

Stronger tendons, lengthening short overactive muscles, and strengthening overstretched underutilized muscles will lead to a more resilient body. Movement is medicine and motion is lotion. 

Much of daily life, such as driving a car, texting on phones, and working on computers is spent in a rounded shoulder forward head position that has negative effects over time. Simply reversing this posture opens up your airways and enhances overall appearance.

Working on your deep squat mobility will have a profound translation to setting PRs in your snatch and clean & jerk. 

There is nothing that will make you feel more present in the moment than your quads and legs burning and shaking. There is not much else to think about besides the burn. This is a great time to feel present in your body, connect to your breath, and meditate. 

Squatting consistently will provide you with spinal decompression, core strength, joint health, blood circulation, and flexibility that makes everyday activities like bending, lifting, and walking more effortless.