When you do squats, you're supposed to feel the strain in your legs. If you're feeling pain in the lower back, you're probably doing it wrong.
You should feel it in the main muscles that straighten your legs, namely your butt (used to pull your upper leg backwards), and front part of your thighs (to pull your lower leg forwards). Those muscles are also known as glutes and quads.
You'll feel tension in your legs and buttocks. When you're doing squats, keep your back in a neutral position. Don't flatten the curve of your lower back, and don't arch your back in the other direction. Make sure that your knees stay centered over your feet on the way down.
After squats, it's normal to experience muscle soreness or fatigue primarily in the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. However, sharp or persistent pain in the knees, hips, or lower back may indicate improper form, overexertion, or underlying issues that require attention.
Squats are excellent for improving mobility, building muscle, and boosting metabolism, making them great for weight loss and reducing belly fat when combined with a healthy diet. Most people can perform squats, but those with knee or back issues should consult a professional first.
In a squat, you might feel your thighs on fire or your lower back pulling, when you know you're "supposed to" feel the bulk of the movement in your butt. This is pretty normal, because most of us have slight muscular imbalances in our bodies, like overworked quads (aka thigh muscles) and under-worked abdominal muscles.
Not feeling sore after a workout is actually a good thing.
Feeling ache-free following exercise typically means your body is already used to the workout you performed. “This adaptation can happen when the muscles are no longer being stressed in a way that causes damage,” Ranellone explains.
Squats are an effective way to strengthen your lower body. Besides working your core, squats also help target major muscle groups in the leg including the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. That said, not only do squats help shrink your thigh fat, but they also burn maximum calories and reduce the risk of injuries.
When discussing good squat depth, the standard measurement is getting the thighs below parallel or the hip crease past the knee joint.
Unfortunately though, squats have been known to cause unwanted low back soreness. While the squat will work the muscles of the lower back, if the low back becomes the most targeted region during the squat, chronic soreness and overuse injury can occur.
The day after squatting you should note that your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and adductors(the muscles of your groin/inner thigh) are all sore. Not just your quads. Major soreness in the quads from squatting (unless this is your goal) is a sign that your squat mechanics aren't what they could be.
“Your workout can still be effective if you're not sore afterward,” Battle says. “But in general, the next day, you want to feel like your muscles got worked.”
Belly fat poses significant health risks but can be tackled with indoor exercises like jumping rope, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, smart bikes, treadmills, and burpees. These activities can enhance cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and flexibility, while effectively burning calories and reducing belly fat.
"Squats mainly target the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, but if performed correctly, will also get the core firing up as it helps to promote lumbopelvic stability, says Winnie Yu, DPT, CSCS. Performing variations can help you target different muscle groups, Yu says.
Fitness experts say that squats give you a strong lower body, improve your flexibility, lubricate knee joints and increase the level of the good hormones in your body. All exercises tone your body but there are a few that have numerous other health benefits as well.
Squatting regularly does work. In addition, long limb lifters tend to not be as good of squatters as their short-limbed counterparts. Squatting every day on the regular gives the benefit of improving technique. Using pauses down in the hole not only strengthens the position but increases strength.
Unfortunately, what often happens is that improper squat technique forces muscles you're not necessarily supposed to be using to step in and take over — and not in a good way, says Long. That can lead to pain in your back as well as in other parts of your body and increase your risk of injury.