Squats - best compound movement to shift fat and get toned.

Ever wonder how to maximise your workouts at the gym and loose body fat and gain lean muscle mass? Compound exercises will help you achieve that goal.

The squat is one of the best exercises you can do to totally work your body - the agonist muscles (main) used in a squat are:- quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals, hip flexors, calf muscles.

Quadriceps
Vastus medius
Vastus intermedius
Vastus lateralis
Rectus femoris

Hamstrings
biceps femoris
semimembranosus
semitendinosus

Gluteals
Gluteus maximus
Gluteus medius
Gluteus minimus

Hip flexors
Iliopsoas (Iliacus and Psoas Major)
Rectus femoris - is a quadricep muscle which crosses the hip, enabling to flex the hip and also extend the knee

Calf
gastrocnemius
soleus


There are many different ways to work these muscles with squats. Smith machine, barbell, dumbbells.