{"id":131965,"date":"2025-09-10T04:52:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T04:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/131965\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T04:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T04:52:11","slug":"as-a-pt-in-my-50s-this-is-why-i-never-skip-squats-and-you-shouldnt-either","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/131965\/","title":{"rendered":"‘As a PT in my 50s, this is why I never skip squats \u2013 and you shouldn\u2019t either’"},"content":{"rendered":"

With more than two decades of lifting behind her, fitness guru Caroline Idiens<\/a> \u2013 known to her 6,500 monthly members and 2.3 million Instagram followers as Caroline’s Circuits<\/a> \u2013 has been at the forefront of reframing skeletal muscle as an ‘organ of longevity’.<\/p>\n

For the 53-year-old PT and her community of midlife women, compound exercises that recruit multiple muscle groups are non-negotiable. They\u2019re the fastest way to build reserves of this life-preserving strength. But one move, she says, stands above the rest.
<\/p>\n

‘I think squats<\/a> are the number-one compound exercise<\/a> from a longevity perspective,’ Caroline tells WH. ‘A lot of people would say deadlifts<\/a>, but if you\u2019re thinking about getting in and out of a chair when you\u2019re 80, it\u2019s squats.<\/p>\n

What to Read Next<\/p>\n

‘It makes sense when you think about independence and mobility,’ she continues, referring to the move’s targeting of major lower-body<\/a> muscles \u2013 boosting resilience, balance and bone density \u2013 and growing evidence<\/a> that quad<\/a> strength is a lifespan predictor. Consistent strength workouts<\/a> are partly why she believes she hasn’t been recommended HRT, which treats osteoporosis and menopause symptoms. <\/p>\n

Sign up<\/a> to the Women\u2019s Health newsletter and receive your free 7-day access to a 4-week training plan from Caroline Idiens, aka Caroline\u2019s Circuits.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"caroline<\/a><\/p>\n

Reassuringly, women are taking up ‘banking muscle’, or resistance training to store up power reserves that will future-proof later years, as early as their thirties. ‘What\u2019s exciting is that this conversation about preserving healthy skeletal muscle and building up your muscle as a kind of armour as you age is now being had by younger women.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Girls are catching on fast, too. \u2018My daughter play[s] hockey at school and they\u2019ll be doing strength and conditioning sessions before their matches \u2013 squats, planks<\/a>, press-ups<\/a>. They\u2019re 17 or 18 and all lifting weights.’ <\/p>\n

\"caroline<\/a>\"Headshot