Have you tried the viral shrimp squat challenge yet? This unique exercise is not easy, as it involves a special kind of squat where you use just one leg. It is known for targeting several key muscle groups, helping to improve balance, stability, and mobility. It’s great for recovering from lower body injuries and making your body stronger and more flexible.
To learn more about this interesting challenge, we spoke to fitness expert Prateek Sudhir Kumar, founder at Fit Cru. He explains, “The shrimp squat challenge is when people try to do a certain number of shrimp squats in a set time to see how strong and fit they are.” By using your own body weight in this exercise, you can build up strength in your legs.
It is excellent for making your legs stronger and helping them move better. Additionally, it can get your body ready for other more challenging exercises like deadlifts. Once you get to appoint where you can easily do a number of shrimp squats, you might want to try other squat variations such as Bulgarian split squats, dumbbell squats, or goblet squats.
Benefits of performing shrimp squats
When you do a shrimp squat, Kumar elaborates, it’s like doing a fancy version of a regular squat. “It makes your legs stronger, especially your front thigh muscles (quadriceps), bottom muscles (glutes), and back thigh muscles (hamstrings). It also helps you balance better and keeps your legs steady,” he says.
Shrimp squats can also be utilised effectively in physical therapy settings to aid in the rehabilitation of lower-body injuries or improve functional movement. In therapy, Kumar informs that people use shrimp squats to help their legs get better after they’ve been injured. “It helps them move better and makes their legs stronger without hurting them more,” he admits.
Advanced variations or modifications that can be incorporated to further challenge strength and mobility
“If you’re really good at regular shrimp squats, you can make them harder!” he insists. Try using weights or something heavy while you do them, or try your best to maintain balance and stand on one leg instead of two. “You can also jump while doing them or try different heights to squat down to,” Kumar suggests.
Shrimp squats can also be utilised effectively in physical therapy settings to aid in the rehabilitation of lower-body injuries (Source: Instagram/Serena Chen)
How does incorporating shrimp squats benefit athletes or individuals aiming to enhance their strength-training performance?
Doing shrimp squats with other leg exercises makes athletes and people who like sports get better at running, jumping, and lifting weights, according to Kumar. It makes their legs strong and helps them move quicker and better.
What should a person improve upon in terms of fitness if they fail the shrimp squat challenge?
Kumar recommends that if you can’t do the shrimp squat challenge very well, it means you might need to work on making your legs stronger and steadier. “You can do exercises such as normal squats, lunges, and leg curls to make your leg muscles stronger, and stretch to make them more flexible. Then, with practice, you’ll get better at shrimp squats!” Kumar endorses.
https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/fitness/shrimp-squat-challenge-strength-leg-muscles-mobility-9271558/
