Burpee
From stand squat down placing the hands on the floor. Kick the legs behind extending the body to a supported plank. Keep the glutes and abdominals engaged. Immediately jump the feet back towards the hands and jump to stand. For those starting out a regression to this exercise is from stand squat down placing the hands on the floor. Step each foot back individually to a supported plank (if needed both knees can be placed on the floor to a half plank position). Then step forward, one foot at a time and come to stand.
Another regression for those starting out with this exercise is to start with a chair placed against a wall to make sure it is stable and place the hands on the seat of the chair. Once more confident with this exercise then progress towards the floor with the hands.
This exercise works multiple muscles, engages the core and increases the heart rate. Doing this exercise in intervals will certainly increase your strength and kick start your metabolism.
The advanced version of this exercise is to take your body all the way to lay on the floor before standing up again and to make it more intense you can add free weights to this exercise.
Air Squat
To do an air squat: Keep your feet at shoulder width apart and pointed straight ahead. When squatting, your hips will move down and back. Your lumbar curve should be maintained, and your heels should stay flat on the floor the entire time. In air squats, your hips will descend lower than your knees. To prevent any extra loading in the knees you can elevate your heels. The elevation only needs to be 20-50mm.
The squat serves as both a strength-training exercise and a movement that mimics real-world activities. The air squat uses only body weight for resistance.
When it comes to how many squats you should do in a day, there’s no magic number — it really depends on your individual goals. If you’re new to doing squats, aim for 3 sets of 8-15 reps. Practicing a few days a week is a great place to start.
Squats aren’t bad for your knees. In fact, when done properly, they are really beneficial for knee health. If you’re new to squatting or have previously had an injury, it’s always a good idea to have an qualified professional to check your technique.
A good technical squat means we bend at the knee and avoid hinging forward at the hip as this loads the lumbar area of our back.