Fitness is often defined along the lines of “the quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task.”
So how fit do you need to be?
To live a “civilized” or sedentary life…not very!
You really don’t need ANY fitness to sit on your butt all day like so many people do.
Yet problems arise from that.
And that’s why fitness exists as a thing these days as opposed to centuries ago. Long ago, people didn’t workout, they simply worked.
But just because sedentary is the norm doesn’t make it something you have to choose.
For years now I’ve talked about “natural human movements.”
What are some things that your human body should be able to do at any time?
(I’m not making a moral judgment here…just a simple statement of fact of what a well-running human body, aka machine, aka organism, ought to be capable of for healthy living and movement.)
While I have a long list, a rock bottom squat is one of those. Ideally, not only should you be able to squat all the way down so that your thighs rest on your calves, but you should be able to rest in this position.
It can be great here to let the low back round and just hang out. Low back rounding, I know, is blasphemy according to what some trainers teach, but they’re looking at it from the wrong viewpoint. Again, my aim here is natural human movement. And it is natural to be able to rest like this.
As fitness is largely a case of use it or lose it, many people have lost it. But the good news is that it can be regained.
And once you have it…you want to actually use it. Not just in workouts too, but to incorporate it into your everyday life.
Personally, here is how I use the rock bottom squat beyond my workouts:
* As a rest or break from sitting, standing, walking. It feels good after a long flight for instance.
* Sometimes I’ll hang out in this position while reading a book or watching TV.
* I use it a lot to play with my daughter and have for a longer time used it when playing with other children like my nieces and nephew.
* For foraging food in the wild, a hobby of mine that takes movement out into nature. As plants tend to be low to the ground, squatting and being able to move in that position is pretty much necessary to the task.
* For going to the bathroom. No…not in a hole in the ground. I use a Squatty Potty to help with this, but this position is good for everything going on here.
There’s likely more, but that hits the broad strokes.
This is why regaining a full range of motion in the bodyweight squat is goal number one of The Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Squats and Pistols. It’s the foundation for a reason.
Depending on where you’re starting out, it may take you months to get there. But that time is going to pass anyway. It’s your choice of whether you use it to move better or not.