Hindu squat
The Hindu squat, also called baithak or bethak, is a calisthenics exercise involving a dynamic squat with the knees over the toes. Along with the Hindu push-up, it originated in Indian wrestling and was adopted in martial arts and combat sports by figures such as Bruce Lee and Karl Gotch.
Technique
The user stands with his feet hip-width apart. He then bends his knees to squat down, lifting the heels and keeping his weight on the balls of his feet, while keeping the back straight. Afterwards, he pushes to rise back up to starting position, planting heels again and staightening the legs. Additionally, the arms can execute their own movement, being kept extended straight in front of the chest and brinding them down or back while squatting down, then swinging them back forward while rising.The technque works not only the legs' flexion-extension, but also balance, stamina and strength of ankles and feet. Compared to conventional squats, where the knee must not advance beyond the toes, Hindu squats put considerable pressure over the knee joint, making it not recommendable for users with knee injuries. Even users with healthy knees are advised to start with few repetitions in order to gain strength to prevent injuries. It is also possible to bend the knees mid way instead of deep down to reduce pressure.
History
The move is strongly associated with the Hindu push-up. Trainees in the wrestling style of pehlwan perform traditionally 1,000 squats and 100 push-ups everyday. One of the most famed wrestlers of the sport, The Great Gama, was known for performing 4,000 Hindu squats before having breakfast, followed by at least 2,000 push-ups later. Gama increased these numbers as he advanced in his career, and at 50 years old he was still able to reach 6,000 and 4,000 respectively. Bruce Lee adopted these movements for his own training regime.Bhagabati Ghosh, father to Indian bodybuilder Bishnu Charan Ghosh and yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, mixed rounds of dand, baithak and gada swings, along with hours of yogic breathing exercises of pranayama and mahamudra. Yogananda adopted part of this routine, along with the kettlebell designed by popular wrestler and bodybuilder Eugen Sandow.
Legendary wrestler Karl Gotch also used this move. He would perform 300 Hindu squats to warm up in his training sessions, and in an occasion he performed 9,001 of them throughout four hours and half as a personal challenge. Everybody who wished to become his trainee was demanded to do 500, along with 250 Hindu push-ups and three minutes of bridge. His apprentice Hiro Matsuda, known for training wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger, also regarded Hindu squats as vital to gain strength and explosivity and increase lung capacity. The final exam of his wrestling school required to perform 1,000 squats followed by 500 squats while jumping.