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The
wall sit exercise isn’t a very common one in the fitness industry nowadays.
Yet, it has quite a few benefits that you can’t really get with other more
common exercises.
For
those of you which are not familiar with wall sits, this exercise is usually
performed at the end of your leg training. The main purpose of wall sits is to
really burn off the quads, glutes and hamstrings.
The
great thing about it is that you don’t need any type of gym equipment to
perform the exercise. All you need is a wall or any other solid vertical
surface for that matter, to lean against to. Here are a few benefits of the
wall sit and why you should consider incorporating this exercise in your leg
training routine.
The Benefits of Wall
Sits
Benefit #1: Works the
entire lower body
Even
though wall sit is a static / isometric exercise it is very much like a
compound exercise. Wall sits will work your entire lower body –
your glutes, your hamstrings and your quads. The main purpose of this exercise
is not to increase muscle mass, but to increase endurance. You will
notice that you will be able to hold a wall sit for longer and longer periods
of time once you become more advanced.
There
are not many lower body isometric exercises which activates all the upper leg
muscles, so wall sits are unique from this point of view.
Benefit #2: Burns out
more calories
Similarly
to other exercises which focus on increasing muscle endurance, wall sits will
start to feel like you are doing cardio once you hold the position for longer
periods of time. After about 15 seconds of holding a wall sit you will notice
your heart rate going up and your breath getting faster and faster.
A
higher heart rate will result in more calories burned in a
given time frame. This will also boost a little bit your metabolic rate (for
short periods of time) and it will work your cardiovascular system. So, you can
look at wall sits as a non-traditional cardio training if you would like.
Benefit #3: Increases
endurance
As
mentioned before, wall sit is not an exercise which will improve strength that
much, unless you are totally new to training. But wall sits will definitely
improve muscle endurance, by activating the slow twitching fibers (or Type I
fibers) inside your muscles. These type of muscle fibers are responsible with
endurance, rather than strength (which falls under the responsibility of Type
II fibers – or fast twitching fibers).
So, if
you are a marathon runner or an athlete who runs a lot (such as a basketball
player or football player) you will probably benefit a lot from wall sits.
Benefit #4: There are
a lot of variations
Just in
case you get bored with the standard wall sit there are a handful of variations
of this exercise that will push
your
body to new limits. Here are a couple of examples.
1. One Leg Wall Sit
Once
you are in the standard wall sit position, put your feet very close together.
You knees should be touching or be really close one to another. Next, take one
leg at a time and extend it out. At this point only one leg will do all the
work which will make the exercise much intense.
Benefit #5:
Alternative to squats
If you
can’t squat for whatever reason, wall sits are a great alternative which will
work out pretty much the same body parts as a squat. Even so, wall sits
shouldn’t be considered a squat replacement if you are weight training.
Benefit #6: Great for
skiers
If you
are new to skiing, you probably don’t know that wall sits are the number one exercise
performed by all skiers, beginners or advance before hitting the downhill
slopes after a long pre-season. The reason for this is that wall sits emulated
really accurately the skiing position and works the same muscles we are using
when sliding down the slope.
Apart
from the fact that you will gain better endurance which will help you stay in
the skiing position for longer periods of time, wall sits will also strengthen
your knee cap which will be under a lot of stress when sliding down on bumpy
slopes.
Benefit #7: Can be
done anywhere
Probably
one of the most important advantages of wall sits is that you can do them
anywhere, at any time and without any auxiliary equipment needed. This is a
huge benefit if you don’t have the time to actually go to a gym and workout.
Benefit #8: Are fun to
do
For
some reason, a lot of people simply enjoy doing wall sits. There are literally
thousands of wall sit contests and challenges done online, some involving all
the family members from 7 years old to grandparents.
How To Do Wall Sits
Correctly
Getting the hang of wall
sits is really easy and the exercise itself seems pretty straight forward, but
even so there a couple of things to watch out for. Ideally you want to get into
a full perfect squat position while leaning the wall.
Here’s how to do it the
right way.
First,
your feet should come out from the wall a little bit so that your knees don’t
track over your toes. Next, while leaning back on the wall, slide
down and adjust your feet position as needed to keep the toes in front
of the knees.
There should
be a nice 90 degree bend between the lower part of your leg
and the upper part.
Hand
placement can be on the wall or on your thighs – whatever is more comfortable
for you. Placing the hands on your thighs will make the exercise less difficult
so that’s recommended if you are a beginner.
Your
back should be straight, leaning on the wall, your head should be in a neutral
position and you should be looking forward. That’s how you get into a perfect
wall sit position. You know you are doing it right if you feel your body
weight on your heels, not on your toes, and your quads and
hamstrings are starting to burn after 15 to 20 seconds.
Another
really important thing to remember is that once you
fatigue you should push up, slide against the wall and stand. Don’t
come down to the ground. It would cause a lot of damage to your knees if
you would slide down to the wall toward the ground.
If you
can’t get up from the wall sit, place your hands against the wall and help
yourself.
Over to you
I
challenge you to start adding a couple of sets of wall sits at the end of each
leg training day. In case you are not training your legs at all, just do wall
sits each day for a few minutes. Write down your wall sit hold time on a piece
of paper and review your progress after 4 weeks. You will be amazed by the
results.
Lastly
but not least, please bear in mind that wall sits should not be considered a
full leg workout, but instead it should complement a leg workout routine and
should be performed in combination with other leg exercises such as lunges or
squats.
Author:
Brian Ward is the content editor at Kick-Ass
Home Gym, a website providing helpful articles that inspire you to stay fit and
healthy at home – on your own time, in your own space. As busy people, we know
health is important. A great morning workout can change an entire day for the
better, and at the same time getting sick can throw off a whole week. So it’s
important to take care of our bodies even if you don’t really have that much
time to spare.
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