Squat challenges are all the rage now, and while it certainly is an accomplishment to work your way up to 200, 500, or even 1,000 squats (yikes!), doing the same kind only works certain muscles. Here's a new challenge for you to try. It involves five different squat variations that you repeat and eventually work up to 200 reps in 30 days.
Here are instructions for the five different variations followed by a 30-day plan to get you all the way to 200. It's not advised to skip right to day 30 if you want to be able to walk the next day, so follow the plan and adjust it slightly according to your schedule and ability level. For a quick guide, here's a printable version of this Squat Challenge.
Number 1: Narrow Squat
- Stand with your feet touching. Hold your hands comfortably in front of your chest to help you stay balanced and bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply, bringing your thighs parallel with the floor if you can. Be sure to keep weight back in your heels.
- Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
- This counts as one rep.
Number 2: Narrow Squat With Back Kick
- Stand with your feet touching. Hold your hands comfortably in front of your chest or on your hips, and bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply so your thighs are parallel with the floor. Be sure to keep weight back in your heels.
- Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely, and lift the left leg behind you for a back kick. Lower the foot back to the floor in a narrow squat position.
- Do another squat, then straighten the leg, do a back kick with the right leg, and step the right foot back to meet the left.
- This counts as one rep.
Number 3: Basic Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart, feet parallel. Hold your hands out in front of you for balance. Bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply, bringing your thighs parallel with the floor if you can, keeping weight back in your heels.
- Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
- This counts as one rep.
Here's a video demonstrating the basic squat.
Number 4: Basic Squat With Side Leg Lift
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart, feet parallel. Hold your hands out in front of you for balance. Bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply so your thighs are parallel with the floor, keeping weight back in your heels.
- Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely, and lifting the left leg out to the side, squeezing the outer glute.
- As you step the foot back into shoulder-width distance position, squat down again. Then stand up and do a side leg lift on the right side. Lower the leg back to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
Number 5: Sumo Squat
- Stand with your feet wide, toes pointing out. Hold your hands comfortably in front of your chest to help you stay balanced and bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply so your thighs are parallel with the floor. Make sure to keep weight back in your heels
- Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
- This counts as one rep.
The Plan
Unlike other squat challenges, this involves five different variations to not only sculpt your legs and booty more effectively, but also to beat boredom and prevent overuse injuries. This plan incorporates rest days, so while you can hold off on squats that day, you can (and should) still do other workouts to target your nonsquatting muscles.
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