I Did 50 Squats Every Morning for 2 Weeks — The Results Shocked Me

Most people have a lagging muscle group. Irrespective of how hard you train it, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Even a veteran personal trainer like me, who has spent almost two decades in the trenches, is not immune to this conundrum. Thanks to my muscle imbalances, I have been called all sorts of names — chicken legs, light bulb, top-heavy tyrant.

I reckoned that I needed to increase my overall lower body training volume without overlooking the other muscle groups.

This is how the 50 bodyweight squats each morning for two weeks challenge was born.

In this article, I’ll share how this 14-day experiment impacted my lower body strength, endurance, and aesthetics. I’ll also peel back the curtain on how you can adopt this challenge according to your unique lifestyle. We have a lot to unpack, so sit tight and read on.

Practical Tips and Modifications For Best Squat Results

To get the most out of this 14-day 50 daily squat challenge, you must know how to perform this exercise perfectly. So, here it is:

1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Raise your hands in front of your body so they are parallel to the floor.
3. Keeping your chest proud, slowly descend toward the floor by flexing your knees, hips, and ankles.
4. Go as low as your mobility allows.
5. Perform a triple extension to return to the starting position.

Variations For Different Experience Levels

People with varying experience levels can scale the squats according to their unique needs:

• Beginners: Newbies or people with injuries can limit their ROM until they get comfortable with the movement mechanics of this exercise.
• Deep squats: Experts recommend using a deep squat (maximum knee flexion) to make the most of this exercise.
• Jump squats: Plyometric exercises are perfect for people looking to build explosive lower body strength. This can improve your overall functionality and athletic performance.

If you’re looking to follow this program for the long-term, I encourage you to constantly switch between different squat variations to keep your workouts interesting and prevent hitting a plateau.

You must also learn to listen to your body. Discontinue the workout if something feels unnatural or if you are experiencing sharp pain.

The 14-Day Squat Challenge: Daily Log

Here is a day-by-day breakdown of my experience:

Day 1-7: Getting in the Zone

I started the workout with a five-minute warm-up routine comprising dynamic stretches like leg swings and hip circles to warm up the lower body and ensure a full range of motion (ROM).

To be honest, I felt a mix of anticipation and dread on the very first day of this 50 squats a day challenge. I broke the 50 reps into three sets of 20, 15, and 15 reps to make it feel less intimidating. Most people never start a fitness challenge because the initial goal feels unachievable.

I prioritized a picture-perfect form with my feet placed shoulder-width apart, chest proud, and descended until my hamstrings touched my calves. Research shows that maximum knee flexion increases quad, glute, and hamstring engagement during squats (1). On the other hand, half-assing your reps limits muscle activation and subsequent gains.

I woke up with significant muscle soreness in my quads and glutes on the second day. My mind played games on me, convincing me to skip the second workout. I wasn’t going to fall for this.

The squats became less of a chore and more of a routine as I found a rhythm towards the end of the first phase. My breathing became more controlled, and I felt a slight increase in core engagement, significantly boosting my confidence.

Switching Gears

I aimed to complete the 50 reps in two equal sets in the final two days of the first week.

Plus, I employed slow eccentrics, which involves spending 3-5 seconds on the lowering phase to increase the time under tension (TUT), maximizing target muscle fiber activation. (2)

Nonetheless, the 50 squats took less time, and I performed them with greater ease.

The mental slug was almost gone by Day Five as I woke up feeling energized, and the squats felt effortless. My heart rate elevated, providing a good cardiovascular boost, and I also noticed a subtle improvement in my posture and energy levels. The mid-afternoon energy slumps were now completely gone.

Since this was only a two-week challenge, I decided to do these 50 squats daily to get the best bang for my training buck.

I like to reflect on my improvement at the end of each week, and it was no different this time. Besides improved energy levels, my legs felt stronger, and my mental clarity and core stability improved significantly.

Day 8-10: Plateau & Mental Fortitude

I won’t lie; the routine began to feel a little monotonous at the beginning of the second week, and my strength and endurance gains hit a ceiling.

The squats felt a little too easy, and I considered increasing the number of reps but decided to stick to the original plan. Instead, I prioritized a deep mind-muscle connection and slow eccentrics to magnify the quad and glute engagement. It didn’t end here. I pushed myself to complete the 50 bodyweight squats unbroken.

This provided a new challenge that proved to be enough to break through the plateau.

At this point, the mental challenge became more significant than the physical one. I had to constantly remind myself of the long-term benefits of doing 50 squats every day to ensure I completed this experiment successfully.

Day 11-14: Habit Formation & Finishing Strong

The final phase of a new challenge always fires me up and pushes me to give my best.

I started seeing a noticeable improvement in my leg definition around the 12th day. My quads and glutes appeared slightly more toned, and my core felt stronger.

To challenge myself further, I added a two-second pause in the fully lengthened position to load my quads and glutes. This helped increase the time under tension and maximize muscle fiber activation.

I completed this 14-day challenge by doing an additional 10 slow-tempo squats to set a new bodyweight squat PR of 60 reps.

Physical Transformations: What I Noticed

Let’s now talk about the results because this is why we take on such demanding challenges:

Strength & Endurance Gains

Since this was a bodyweight training program that involved doing 50 squats daily, I didn’t have any strength standards to match or PRs to beat. However, I saw noticeable improvement in my lower body strength, as climbing a flight of stairs became a little less taxing at the end of the 14 days.

The lower body is the foundation of our physique, and stronger quads and hamstrings can improve your overall functionality.

I also witnessed a boost in my work capacity and endurance as compound movements like lunges and deadlifts became less daunting.

Muscle Tone

This program was not about getting huge overnight. The goal here was to maximize target muscle stimulation to ignite new muscle tissue growth, and I was very happy with the results I got.

After the two weeks, I caught a glimpse of my legs in the mirror and did a double-take. This was proof enough that my physique aesthetics had improved.

My quad definition improved, and the lines and separation are much clearer now. On the other hand, my glutes are rounder and firmer.

Posture and Balance

An improvement in my posture turned out to be one of the biggest unexpected benefits of this 14-day challenge. I noticed I wasn’t slouching at my desk anymore, and my spine felt straighter and my shoulders squared.

This is because squats don’t just hit your legs; they engage your core, abs, and lower back. That daily activation retrained my body to hold itself upright. Plus, this helped improve my balance, too. I could stand on one leg without wobbling. I am not flexing, but I can now tie my shoe while standing on one leg.

Energy Levels

Training first thing in the morning helped boost my energy levels, and this spike lasted throughout the day. These 50 squats jolted my system awake, pumping blood and oxygen where I needed it most.

Research shows that exercise boosts mitochondrial function, meaning your cells churn out energy throughout the day. The first workout of the day fired me up, and the main workout in the afternoon topped up my energy levels. (3)

For me, this translated into less coffee and more work output.

Measurement Tracking: The Tape Doesn’t Lie

I am a numbers guy, so I grabbed the tape measure to track the proof. On the first day of this challenge, my quads clocked in at 22 inches and my glutes at 38 inches. Two short weeks later, my quads had jumped to 22.5 inches, and the quads hit 38.75 inches.

While these gains might look modest, you must remember that this was a 14-day body weight challenge, and these improvements are very impressive by that standard.

Setting the Stage: Why 50 Squats?

Squats are a compound movement that biases the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core simultaneously. The multi-joint exercise demands a significant amount of energy and burns a higher amount of calories compared to isolation lifts. It doesn’t end here; this exercise leads to a phenomenon called excess post-exercise energy consumption (EPOC), helping burn calories hours after finishing your workout.

But why did I choose to do 50 squats?

In my opinion, 50 is a sweet spot. It’s enough to challenge your muscles, but the volume isn’t so high that it impacts your performance in other activities throughout the day.

Since I was doing this challenge while sticking to my regular workout routine, I decided to perform these 50 squats first thing in the morning after going to the washroom. I usually train at around 11 to 12 AM, so I decided to do these 50 bodyweight squats at around 6 AM. This would allow my body enough time to recover before my main workout, ensuring optimal performance.

Conclusion

Two weeks is a relatively short period, and I had no idea what I could expect from this 50 squat experiment. However, I was stoked to learn that I gained a modest half-inch in my quads and three-quarters of an inch in my glutes in just 14 days using nothing more than bodyweight squats.

Unlike me, you don’t have to start with 50 squats on the very first day. Start small, say 10 reps on Day One, and slowly increase the training volume as you get more comfortable. Remember, consistency, dedication, and discipline are key for achieving your goals with this 14-day challenge.

If you have any questions about doing 50 squats every morning or need help implementing it into your own routine, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Krishnan C, Allen EJ, Williams GN. Effect of knee position on quadriceps muscle force steadiness and activation strategies. Muscle Nerve. 2011 Apr;43(4):563-73. doi: 10.1002/mus.21981. PMID: 21404288; PMCID: PMC3077092.
2. Azevedo PHSM, Oliveira MGD, Schoenfeld BJ. Effect of different eccentric tempos on hypertrophy and strength of the lower limbs. Biol Sport. 2022 Mar;39(2):443-449. doi: 10.5114/biolsport.2022.105335. Epub 2021 Jun 1. PMID: 35309524; PMCID: PMC8919893.
3. Porter C, Reidy PT, Bhattarai N, Sidossis LS, Rasmussen BB. Resistance Exercise Training Alters Mitochondrial Function in Human Skeletal Muscle. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015 Sep;47(9):1922-31. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000605. PMID: 25539479; PMCID: PMC4478283.

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