Not just because it’s an awesome exercise, it’s also a very effective and efficient way for women to reach their fitness goals.

Starting from the bottom up, the squat recruits the calves, the hamstrings, the quadriceps, the glutes, the psoas, the abdominals, the spinal erectors, and the lats. Those are just the muscles we can see! If your goal is to burn fat, you need to turn on your muscles. Resistance training burns more calories than cardio and it increases your insulin sensitivity for a longer period after training. That means your muscles are hungrier for glucose and will use up the fat stored away in your body, which reduces the risk of obesity and metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes.

“But lifting weights makes me bulky” and “I don’t want to look like a man” are the cry of the uninitiated. Take a leap of faith (or better yet, do some research; you’re already ahead of the game if you’re reading this post!) and learn how to squat.

Squats will improve your posture, making you look long and lean; they will burn fat around your hips, thighs, butt, and stomach which will reveal toned and streamlined curves; and they will add shape and symmetry to your glutes. Squats will help you achieve an athletic and sexy physique.

Trust me, if women had a secret to instantly getting bulky and huge after a few sessions of weightlifting, don’t you think you would see women with giant biceps from carrying a purse around all day? Wouldn’t you see women with monster calves from wearing high heeled shoes?

Lift heavy. Building full body strength through squats will help you as your body matures and you go through different life stages. Whether you’re an athlete; dancing at the club and getting low; preparing for pregnancy; or fighting the effects of ageing (osteoporosis and sarcopenia are big things to watch out for); squats are a great way to maintain your body’s integrity as it changes.

If you still think it’s better for women to lift those 3 pound pink dumbbells, let me ask you this: what are some objects that you lift every now and again that weigh more than 3 pounds? Your bag full of books and a laptop; cute children; groceries; moving boxes and furniture; taking out the trash; all sorts of things that are necessary!

Have you ever watched a beach volleyball match? Those girls squat again and again and then squat some more!

Squat deeply, work a full range of motion, squeeze the bar tightly, and keep your chest up. Work on perfect form and you’ll notice that your back becomes straighter, your butt gets rounder, your ankles and hips open up, and your knees feel stronger. Perhaps more noticeably, you’ll perceive the difference in the way you feel about yourself, how your clothes fit, how you look in the mirror, and how you take on the world.

If you’re not able to get right under the bar and squat, you can practice without weight. Or better yet, learn some squat variations like front squats, split squats, Bulgarian split squats, goblet squats, overhead squats or lateral squats to help your increase your strength and range of motion until you can do back squats. You can also supplement your squat routine with exercises to strengthen the weak links that contribute to poor form until your body is ready to start performing the best exercise that women aren’t doing.