Hello again my friends-

Mario Hostios here- with a thought for the day for people like us who train with weights.

Squats? Lunges?

To quote Tony Stark- "Is it too much to ask for both?"

The answer is no.

Squats are a fundamental movement. Part en parcel of heeding the call of nature when camping in the great outdoors.

Y'know, like our ancestors did for thousands of years.

Squatting is natural, and in nature you will use it or lose it.

I bet there were senior citizens hundreds of years ago who could squat better than teenagers today. They had to, or poop their pants.

So yes, one should squat, and yet, one should not beat their knees & back to death to do it.

I'm much more cautious these days of pushing people to barbell squat with multiple 45 lb plates on the bar.

Rather I prefer to coach the goblet squat for higher reps and style point A good size dumbbell, but 15-20 reps. Beautiful reps.

Same thing with lunges. A fundamental movement, hiking is lunging. Minimal equipment is needed. A pair of dumbbells for 20 reps will build your legs & your lungs.

As an example- for a 150 lb person, a pair of 35 dumbbells, about half bodyweight- are a good load for goblet squats & lunges.

A home gym with adjustable dumbbells that add up to half your bodyweight is probably enough to build the legs you want.

For most people- I have found this is the way to squat and lunge- Build muscle, burn fat, & save your knees & back.

Before you put a barbell on your back, make sure you can walking lunge half your bodyweight for 10 reps per leg, & goblet squat the same weight for 20 reps.

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