If you are looking to trim your lower body, hips, calves, and thighs but don’t want to go to the gym then the wall sit is the simplest and easiest method you can do to achieve your goals. This exercise might seem simple enough but if this will be your first time doing it can be quite a challenge. This exercise is designed for everyone and will not give your back or knees any undue pressure.
The target here is 20 minutes per day but beginners can start low and work their way up to that goal. It is not only designed to strengthen your leg muscles, but it can also help trim off the fat on your legs and abdomen. In this article, we will be discussing the wall sit benefits as well as variations of it for those who wish to increase the challenge and boost results. Fitboot has lots of articles that can help you reach your body goals.
Wall Sit Benefits
- Improves Muscle Strength
This exercise focuses on developing leg strength and stability. Not only will help strengthen your leg muscles, but it can also improve your overall stamina. And as you know, our lower body is essential when it comes to building up our overall strength.
- Sharpens your Focus
Wall sits are simple enough but the longer you stay in this pose the harder it gets. Concentrating on maintaining proper pose helps sharpen your focus. The longer you are able to maintain this pose the sharper your focus gets.
- Improves Overall Stamina
As stated earlier, this exercise can help increase your stamina. Try timing your wall to sit daily. After a while, compare how long you were able to maintain this pose at the beginning and how long you can hold it after a couple of weeks or a month. Not only that, but you will also notice that it takes longer for you to tire out with any physical activity.
- Develops your Thigh Muscles
Your legs and thighs will be the ones that benefit most from this exercise. For those who are looking to trim their thighs into something leaner, stronger, and slenderer, the wall sit is the simplest exercise you can do in your own home.
- Improves your Flexibility
The wall sit takes its fundamentals from yoga. Yoga is all about developing a perfect flow and posture. The wall sit can improve posture as you press your back straight against the wall. As you get used to this posture, your body will begin to feel lighter and more flexible. The wall sit may not require much movement, but its benefits include better body mobility.
- Trains you to Concentrate Better
The wall sit requires you to maintain perfectly still and to focus on tightening your abs and moderating your breathing. As such, meditation is one of the key factors during this exercise. Keeping your mind free from clutter will help you maintain this pose longer. I, for one, managed to continuously break my record every session by meditating and working through the fatigue and pain.
- Improves your Stability
Since the entirety of your leg will take the brunt during this exercise, you can expect your balance to improve as time goes on. Lower your hips as far as you can to increase the challenge. You will also notice how light your feet will get and how much improvement your overall balance has become.
- Helps Relieve Stress
Try to include some relaxing music while doing this exercise. In fact, think of it as a form of meditation. Meditation that not only works your mind but also your lower body muscles. I have actually incorporated this exercise in the afternoon along with some relaxing soundtrack and scented humidifier. Nothing beats clearing your mind of stress while also strengthening your body in one go.
- Strengthens your Calves
You can tone your calves quickly if you do wall sits regularly. Stringer calves also mean that you can support heavier weight. In a month or so, expect your calves to feel like it was carved with granite. You will also notice that your legs are able to support more weight without straining too much.
- Trims your Abs
Wall sits require you to focus on your abs as well. You need to tighten your lower abdomen during wall sits which in turn helps burn fat in that area while also developing the muscles. Doing wall sits properly will yield results in a week or so. You will notice your abs starting to tighten. Remember to breathe in and out while doing wall sits and focus on maintaining a compact tummy throughout the exercise.
Proper Posture for Doing the Wall Sit
As with a lot of exercises, proper form and posture are essential to achieving optimum results. While the wall sit is simple, maintaining the pose for a prolonged period of time will take some practice. In order to make sure that you are doing this exercise correctly, remember to maintain a 90-degree angle in relation to your knees and hips.
Your back should be completely flat against the wall. You should also make sure that your soles and heels are flat on the surface of the ground. If you feel a pull around your quadriceps then that means you are doing the wall sit properly. Keep this up for as long as you can. Your goal should be 20 minutes per day but don’t force it right from the get-go.
To further explain how to properly perform this exercise, here is a quick step by step guide:
- Press your back against the wall.
- Your feet should be shoulder width apart and is 2 feet away from the wall.
- Slowly slide your back down, using the wall as support, until you reach a 90-degree angle with your hips and knees.
- Adjust your feet so that your ankles are right above the knees.
- Hold this position for about 20 seconds to a full minute. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat for at least three times.
If you feel confident enough, you can add another 5 seconds for each session if you feel you are getting stronger. Experiencing some pressure on your quad is normal, however, if you feel pain on your knees I advise you stop the exercise immediately. This is either due to bad form or something else. If pain on your knees persists, consult with your doctor at once.
Modifying the Wall Sit for Beginners
As simple as the wall sit appears, it is still considered an advanced exercise. If you are finding it difficult to do this exercise you can modify it to lend some support while not considerably diminishing the benefits and results. Here are some techniques you can use to make the wall sit slightly easier.
- Rather than aiming for a 90-degree angle between your hips and knees, start with a 45-degree angle instead. This lightens the weight your quads are supporting while still giving yourself a good workout.
- Lower the time required to hold this position. Ideally, you should do this exercise between 20 seconds to a full minute three times. But you can start at 5 seconds and slowly work your way up to a minute.
- The wall slide is a good alternative. It is often used in physical therapy when rehabbing an injury. It places less stress on your quads and knees making it a good jumping off point for beginners.
Variations of the Wall Sit
Using a Stability Ball – Using a stability wall can transform your standard wall sit into a hybrid wall sit and squat exercise. You place the stability ball between your back and the wall. Once secured, you slowly slide down into a 90-degree squatting position and then using your heels, push yourself back to a standing position.
Uni Wall Squat – If you want a little challenge you can try this wall sit variation. Basically, you will require a stability ball and set it up by placing it in between you and the wall. Take two dumbbells for each hand, raise one of your legs, and slowly lower your body down. Make sure both of your legs get an equal workout.
Wall Squat Lat Raise – Of course, wall sits doesn’t need to confine you to a lower body workout only. Next time you perform a wall sit, bring two dumbbells for each hand. Once you have made a 90-degree angle you should bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells to your sides at shoulder height. This is a good exercise for your shoulders and arms.
Conclusion
Wall sit exercise is a relatively simple exercise to perform but takes some time to master. Just remember to always maintain proper form. Some strain in the quad is okay but if you feel pain in your knees you should stop at once. This is an exercise that you can do at your home at any time you want. Try to incorporate it into your daily workout routine as it comes with several benefits not only for the body but also for the mind.
