The regenerative power of bodyweight squats is no joke. When I injured my knee in BJJ due to a jump guard pull, I used them grease the groove style, 15-20 reps every 30 minutes, and I fixed my knee in weeks. I would feel better immediately after a set.
My experience is the same. I tore my lcl, popliteal, and a hamstrings tendon in bjj and then a few years after that I suffered a nasty injury where a large cactus needle deeply penetrated my knee. The cactus needle left my knee swollen and sore for several years, and the patella is still sensitive almost 10 years later. Heavy barbell squats would cause my knee to swell after every workout but high rep bw squats are probably the most useful tool for keep it feeling good and maintains my joint health. If I skip then, I get knee pain and stiffness. If I do them, my knee feels pretty solid!
@@oaksaint4458 haha oh dude it was rough! Probably the weirdest injury I’ve ever had and surprisingly persistent. Thanks for the great comment and the support!
I’ve had an acl operation- with a hamstring regrant. I think I’ll give this a go. Do you ever try the Indian wrestling style on your toes rather than flat footed?
@@ANDY71171 I did but they didn't click with me much. I tend to lose my balance once my quads start fatiguing. They're a nice variation but I prefer regular squats.
I'm 67 with a history of knee surgery. I couldn't do full squats but realized it didn't hurt getting out of bed in the morning. I started doing sort of a "box squat" on my bed in the morning and worked up to 4 sets of 25 with maybe 20 seconds between sets. WAY better than nothing!
had to stop doing deep, high rep, body weight squats. I kept getting thigh muscle injuries. Now I just do 1/4 squats., sprinkled with a few deep squats for flexibility.
I didn’t even know this, but due to no heavy equipment I had to resort to high reps. I was doing 30-50 reps of body weight squats, it legit cured my Knee problems.
I actually started doing this and I think my knees are getting better as well! The blood flow to the tendons/ligaments is great, helps strengthen them and nourish
@@IllIllIlIIlIllIllI super welcome advertising, i was actually seeking for this type of content because I can't like, rest on my knees (slav squatting) like just vibing. gonna visit now thanks
I have been known to do a good amount myself! Nonetheless, I am not trying to steal the limelight of this man. His education on the realm of squatting is very well designed. His words hold truth.
By my late 20’s/early 30’s my knees started going to shit from squatting heavy weights. A guy I worked out with a few times a month was in great shape, good size and muscle development. He was a doctor and never did any lift with more than 225lbs(2 plates as we’d say). Once he reached 225, he’d only increase reps. He’d bench 40 to 50 reps, squat 20-40, bentover rows around 20, and deadlifts around 40reps with this amount. Smaller muscle groups, he wouldn’t move up in weight until he could easily handle the weight easily at 15 reps. Changed my whole perspective on working out. I went from a lean 240, that would be out of breath walking up a steep hill, to a 210/215 ish lean guy that had decent size and very good muscle endurance. I didn’t quite follow his exact routine as I would still lift heavier sometimes, but overall it made a huge difference on my conditioning and energy levels...also was just more happy and enjoyed working out even more. Joints felt/still feel so much better and I’m now 46. Unless you want to be the next Mr. Olympia , body weight and lighter weight is a much better way to train.
Yeah funny how your approach to lifting changes when your body starts to show it's wear and tear. We can appreciate Ronnie putting up light weight but damn he ruined his body. Great story, I think I'll take that advice. 2 plates max, then just reps.
Periodization training is nice. I did 5x5 for a long time. Always was skinny so I wanted to get BIG naturally. I was eating over 4000 cals and day and lifting heavy. The "look" was cool for a minute but I hated how I felt. Now I eat less or cleaner and I m doing 8-12 rep range. 3 full body workouts too instead of bro splits I did ffoorrreevverrr lol. I have more rest and recovery now and I look forward to going to the gym. However I will switch to pyramid style reps soon and then back to 5x5. And keep cycling my training. Heavier reps help with testosterone production too if you can manage. Nice slow and controlled reps help avoid injury. I did join a boxing workout class to for cardio. Its INTENSE lol. Great stress reliever too. Im not a fan of cardio machines. Just throwing some ideas out there for people. The main thing an old person told me is "young man NEVER STOP". So as long as The Good Lord gives me the ability I won't. 😁 Train Hard and God Bless
I watched this video 10 weeks ago and it inspired me to start with simple body weight squats, after being _ridiculously_ sedentary for years (my iPhone says I’ve gone from moving just 1.5 miles/day 5 years ago to only 0.68 miles/day last year 🤦🏻♂️) I wasn’t even sure I could walk around the large block I live on without injury (lots of ankle sprains in my past). But something about this video, out of all the others I’ve seen everywhere, inspired me to set out to do _something_ at least - just a few slow and careful squats. It was hard and a little painful at first, and I didn’t go very deep and held onto a door frame for support. Yeah, I was that out of shape! All I wanted was to avoid injury and make a little progress. Each day I added a couple more reps while trying to perfect my form and go a little deeper. I figured that gently increasing things, as I felt comfortable, would be better than nothing. I’m now on day 75 of _daily_ squats. I’m in my late forties, and I am _totally_ amazed at how fast this has turned things around for me. I’ve gotten as high as a 100 squat day (spread throughout the day in sets of 10-30) though I more often do half that; my form is solid, and there’s no pain. My squat progress felt so good that, after only a week, I started walking every day (slowly at first, but now I go out and walk between 1 and 5 miles every day, rain or sun!). I then added some push-ups, and just started some gentle scapula retractions (not even rows yet), always seeking good form rather than performance. I even did a full day of skiing just _one month_ after starting squats, which would have been impossible without the squat training. I can’t express how cool it was to be on the mountain with my son for his first ski day, instead of sitting there watching. I realize this is probably not that interesting to most people, but I want to say to anyone who feels like getting more fit is impossibly hard: Just start with the tiniest thing, work on good form, and stick with it. It took me years to get into this mess, and it will take a long time to get out of it! A simple body weight squat is a good starting point. I love that I didn’t have to drive anywhere, change clothes, or put on shoes-just review proper squat form in my mind and start. That’s how easy it was to turn the tide. *This channel is awesome* and has all the right perspective. I’ve watched a little every day for inspiration. The very best part of taking it slow and perfecting my form is *no injuries* ! Thank you so much for wise and inspiring videos!
Quick update: Today is 150 straight days of daily squats. I’ve also continued walking and doing basic bodyweight push or pull exercises each day. Even on insanely busy days or very bad weather, I’m hitting all of these every day. I’ve lost some weight but more importantly I feel _so_ much better! Lots of other benefits, too, like fast recovery from “home-improvement exercise” like installing a new floor 😆 I’m so grateful for the inspiration of this video to _just start,_ and the inspiration from this channel and others to stick with it and work to maintain good form and steady efforts.
Thank you for sharing this. It is solidifying my will to never stop working out, even on my later years (I’m ~25yo today). Light workout is way better than no workout.
I’ve been working out like this my entire life. Iam 62 to now. I do each body part 100-125 reps. I discovered this method in my early 20s and loved it, because it kept me lean and muscular. I was a runner, so I didn’t like bulk muscle. My running friends and spectators at my many races had never seen a runner like me. Most runners are very thin, with no upper body muscle to talk about. They would always say you don’t look like a runner? I don’t run as much anymore, I’ve shifted over to bike riding. So between biking hours at a time and still lifting weights with many reps, people still can’t get over how young and athletic I look. I always tell them this. If you think your old no matter what your age is, you are!
@@Kboges Thank you! It’s nice to see someone younger, believing in this method. It definitely works! Iam prove of that. You will never regret it! Take care!
Thank you, this is great stuff. I trained for 5 years doing Professional Wrestling. Back when I was 26. We did 200- 300 Squats every practice. Now, I'm 46, and I'm a Personal Trainer.. I still do Squats. and I make all my clients do bodyweight Squats. They do make you mentally tough. Also, I feel like bodyweight Squats Make My Barbell Squats easier.
Is there a risk of overuse injury doing 200+ reps everyday? I've the discipline to do it, but scared of doing something everyday that might cause overuse injury.
@@pyarepiyush yes. Everything carries a risk, so it's all about mitigating the risks. You can mitigate the risk of overuse injury by slowly building up in volume, varying the exercise, and taking easy days to allow for additional recovery.
How do you interface barbell squats with bodyweight squats? I'm 57 and pretty much don't enjoy going to the gym and doing traditional resistance training including barbell squats and deadlift but the ongoing benefits are undeniable and in my opinion anyone who says that just doing bodyweight exercises is just as effective is wrong. I do enjoy biking and hiking though and have a tail with some serious elevated pushes on it that I use for HIT. My present plan is to barbell squat and deadlift every other week and on alternating weeks double up the trail time and incorporate some bodyweight movements outdoor , including body squats and upper body.
@@pyarepiyush Your body adapts and actually changes shape. Tendons and joint surfaces thicken....over time. It's a bit like wearing new running shoes. Walk around in them first. Start at ten reps and add 1 rep every day until you reach the desired number. Also, I would wedge your heals up until you get to the first 50 to stop your back flexing excessively. In my opinion, there is no such thing as over use. There is just malpractice. i.e. incorporate good technique, nutrition, recovery and sleep. Also, be never afraid of just having a week off. Obsession is not mental toughness. But this is just my opinion. I did my first ten today, It was awful.
Gives me the warm and fuzzies seeing all these brothers acheiving great things and feeling great with callisthenics. Like warriors of old... indestructible!! 💪🦁
Man I love your videos. The fact that you did 25 extra just to account for miscounting is genuinely so beautiful and inspiring. You’re a man dedicated to something truly amazing.
REALLY??? HAVE YOU NO COMMON SENSE??? THIS JOKER IS FULL OF BS AND GALACTICALLY STUPID; AND YOU ARE IMPRESSED WITH HIS IDIOTIC ADVICE. DARWIN AWARDS FOR BOTH OF YOU
Been advocating this for years myself. The two most important movements one should do everyday is squatting and hanging (not necessarily a 'dead' hang). This represents a comprehensive, full body 'workout' that benefits almost all of one's joints and muscle groups as you've mentioned. Thanks for the vid.
@@brittanymillner You know, from a pull up bar or something. I actually use those rubber straps you see in gyms, wrapped around a bar. A 'dead hang' is with your feet off the ground while an assisted hang is having your feet touching, which I prefer.
@@graves2927 Work your way up to dead hangs homie, and then beyond to one arm assisted and one arm dead hangs. Perfectly safe, helped me avoid shoulder surgery on both shoulders.
I’m 45, 6-1, 185. Decent base level of fitness. Carpenter/physical work and bjj with varied exercise for training I started a BW squat routine in December aiming for 150 squats per day usually 3 sets of 50. I felt I could do more but really wanted to be safe as I blew my left hamstring a year ago doing deadlifts while only lifting a light warmup set. Anyhow on January first I made a goal of 300 per day 3x100 mostly. I noticed the gain in strength - that solid, planted feeling just walking around the job site within 2 weeks. By mid month I could do 1 of a 300 rep set. Last week I managed a 400 set and the next day a 500 Here we are in week 3 and I’m feeling strong but definitely tight despite maintaining a stretch routine. I’ve dialed it back a bit to be safe doing 3 sets of 100 with about a 30 sec rest in between. Definite gains in musculature and strength. Cold shower immediately after. Sorry for the long post but just relaying what one might expect taking on a 500 rep challenge as an over 40 aged person. Also cool to know by this time I’ve completed 6900 squats this month.
it is an unnatural movement, is it not? to do high reps squats (high reps, more than 200, 300....) .... just imagine, in nature why would a human do that? so I believe, if you climb up a hill or a mountain, walking, jogging, running.... well, that's a natural approach to high repetition squat... but there, you don't have only some muscles involved, but all of them in a balanced aerobic way.... more than that, the support muscles and the time to re-lubricate the joints.... So I believe, doing so high repetitions squats could elevate one small misbalance you could have while doing a squat (muscle inbalance, bad form, bad day to do so....) . . . . . and elevate it from just 100 or 200 that wouldn't otherway be a problem because its not too much erosion of the joints... that into a 300-500 that could potentially cause a very big joint wear..... (compound little by little wear....) This is a question I have..... I am not a doctor.
@@MarcoPolux Mike Tyson used to do more than 1000 sit ups a day, whats wrong with him now??? We are taught never to stand up right when doing squats, the tension must always remain in the muscles not the joints. With good nutrition and rest, what could possibly go wrong?
@@moseskr6503 good point, but then, Mike Tyson is not a common human, that's warrior's perfection, I have much admiration for him. Also, when did he do that? while being maybe still in his 20's, at that age everyones is immortal (as my uncle used to tell me when I did crazy stunts) I believe a small inbalance, taking it to an extreeme can become a great one, or at least, wear and tear..... Even with great muscle tone and strenght, a squat will deliver super strong forces to the knee joint, just because of the mecahnics. the "lever" function (just 28 pounds of force applied to the correct place in the knee will break it, no matter if its Tyson's knee) Nevertheless, I will keep doing my squats and everyone should do too, to keep strong. Just listen to your body and give it time to rest.
@@IvanDjuric300 ...I recommend doing just enough air squats to warm up for weighted squats. You should be fresh when you are loading weight on your back. Then go crazy with air squats afterward. If your core fails with air squats, it would not be catastrophic.
I'm 79 and don't workout consistently. I found your channel by accident and glad I did. You give simple but informed and practical advice. Thanks, Tony
I just found your channel and it's great Im 62, and do nothing but bodyweight exercises and I love it, and so do my tendons and joints, I subscribed to your channel too! I like how you keep your routine simple and the basics, thank you for a great channel.
36 months ago I shattered my hip shattered my pelvis broke right shoulder broke 10 ribs severe hypothermia bruised lungs bruised femer. My rehab has been squats push ups and pullups. I am almost fully recovered minus all the metal. I am 55 years old Train like someone half my age, been very dark road challenge yourself people might save your own ass. You wouldn't believe my whole story. Stay fit and ready for anything. Thanks for motivation I am gonna do several hundred squats they are awesome
Fell outta tree stand alone in the woods with my phone in my truck 75 yards away. Layed there a while came to terms with many things. I then mustered enough strength and will power to crawl to my truck and get in it. Took several hours still not sure how I did, God gave me strength of course. It's been pure hell I didn't sleep for 2 years due to pain. I workout with therapy ever day blood flow and circulation heals all. I could go on forever about the experience all I can say is never doubt yourself or say I can't. Good luck in life my friend
I have applied this same mentality but with some ballet plies. Plies in the first position and the second position are an incredibly good exercise for strengthening, adding definition, and increasing the overall mobility of the legs. And as you are turning your feet out it helps to improve total body alignment and the engaging of the core and lower back for maintaining balance. When I do them I will typically do sets of 32, 10 times, with a 30 second break between each 32 set. The turnout that one finds in these positions helps to engage the glutes, other connective tissues, and supporting muscles. Not saying it's the perfect way to approach this kind of exercise but it has worked for me and I have seen incredible results.
I took ballet classes in college and plies alone will destroy your calves and quads. By the end of school my legs were enormous to the point I could hardly find pants that fit
Try not locking out and resting at the top, (immediately drop to the next rep) it allows you to hit failure with even bodyweight. if you pause at the top even for a half a second, the blood will flow in/out the leg and your slow twitch fibres will just keep going endlessly
You are absolutely right! The occlusion from constant tension is murder on the quads. However, I like to do a mix of both. For these really high rep sets, I approach them slower for more total work, kind of like a long run vs a sprint. Different kinds of training.
You're the first person I've seen covering this topic. I usually do stuff like 500 bodyweight calf raises in a set and then try to get reps past that, and this applies the same logic, just transfers it on to a more useful movement. Thanks for this man
Yes! i've been doing bodyweight squats and its been so helpful i was only really doing it for bodybuilding purposes and then i noticed new mobility and strength its been amazing
Hi, since you mention bodybuilding, I’m wondering how this sits alongside doing low rep barbell squats, which I currently do. What are your views and does this build mass as well as endurance?
@@TStyle1979 It definitely builds muscular endurance and pretty quickly too, it definently can result in muscle growth if u do enough reps, its helped my legs grow a lot its really good for quad development i only really have a home gym and high rep BW squats have given me more gains than low rep front squats.
I started re training myself post pandemic with weights a few months back and it feels great. But just 3 sets of 20 squats killed me. 525 I'm coming for you!
What's impressive is that you didn't adjust your feet or shake off the tension. I did 500 squats, 10 sets x 50, and I had to shake off the tension here and there. Great job my man.
Started doing bodyweight squats couple of weeks ago. 5 sets, 22 reps / set today and increasing reps per set by 1 every workout; 3 times a week or every other day. Going for 50 per set. To say my quads are on fire at the end of the workout is an understatement. Walking down the stairs becomes challenging for an hour or two after workout:)
I tried this and did 220 reps in one set and you were not joking when you said it works on mental toughness and conditioning because every rep was a struggle. I play triple a basketball so I do a lot of conditioning but finishing the squats with the speed I was going had to have been one of the most tiering things I have ever done! I can confidently say I have never felt so good after a set then I did after doing these squats. I will definitely be trying it again tommorow! 😀
#4 Mental Tenacity: Excellent point! I’m glad you covered this, great to ponder this idea in general. #3 Increase in work capacity: good to know! I’m hoping to hike more in the spring and I’m glad to hear high rep squats should help with conditioning over the winter. I’m learning a lot from your channel, thank you. 🎉
I got up to 260 bw reps in one go after going up 5 reps per time every few days. I then started using my son's 75lb kettlebell whilst standing on 6 x 6inch timber blocks to enable me to go really low down. I am up to 55 reps now. What a life changing workout it is every single time especially on the cardio and conditioning side. I'm not stopping any time soon... 66 years of age.
When I was in middle school / high school I played baseball and was the primary catcher. It was not uncommon to catch two full games in a day and we would play 3-4 times a week during the summer. I never lifted in high school but had the best quad/glute/calves you could ask for. It also greatly increased my vertical and was able to high jump 6' 3" as a 5' 9" junior as well as dunk a basketball. So, I can attest to 100s or 1000s per week, heel to butt, body weight squats being a great leg exercise.
This is the type of anecdote I find very very interesting! I've heard several of these; people doing high rep BW squats with great results. I also have trained a few people who got the best leg growth in their lives when they started adding in hard daily bike rides, despite being strong weight room squatters. Also interesting to note that high rep BW squats were commonly used by old time strong men and physical culturists before weighted variations became popular. Thanks for this.
@@Kboges I’ll add an anecdote for you. I did basic weight lifting in high school (a one-hour daily class) for about a year and saw some modest gains. Then the next summer I rode a bicycle across most of the US (covered about 2200 miles in 7 weeks). Because I had been taught in class that hypertrophy requires heavy weight, low reps, followed by a rest day, I expected I wouldn’t gain muscle on my trek. But wow was I wrong! My quads *exploded* in just a few weeks. After 7 weeks of wrangling that bike up and down mountains and across plains, I had big, rippling quads. I still believe that growth far outpaced what I would have gotten from weighted squats over 7 weeks. The experience really shook up how I thought about gaining muscle. I’ll add that, years later, watching my kids do gymnastics training on a competitive team brought these lessons back to mind. My girls and boys have both gained loads of muscle, and even more functional strength, from bodyweight exercises, many of which are repeated daily.
Mike Tyson used to do 2000 body weight squats per day as just part of his boxing workouts! Throughout the day, not all at one time. Nobody ever tougher than that dude!
I'm 76 and this past summer I did 2000 reps... in multiple sets of 500. Still have chicken legs and there wasn't any delayed onset muscle soreness. I suppose for some people it is a good workout, but for me, it was just boring.
My Calisthenics leg day has seemed an ordeal for some time. Although I enjoyed it, I didn't feel I was gaining much from it tbh. So, I have once again taken your advice and started this properly today. I set a timer for 20 minutes for just bodyweight squats. I managed to get 400 before the time ran out. I will respond to high volume better, but time will tell. And like you say it's a mental test which I also enjoy in a sick way lol. Sometimes removing complications is the best way. I can barely walk, my legs are written off, I haven't felt like this EVER! hahaha
Really glad I stumbled upon your channel man. Been working 84 hours a week and had come to terms that I can’t workout at all for this crazy overtime run but this is definitely something I can do
I started BW squats recently, I can do 2 sets of 15 in the morning and 2 sets of 15 or n the evening. I feel like my legs are getting stronger! I’ll build up as much as I can in the coming months and years 😊
@@FightTheMonopoly my squats progressed well and it helped me do daily tasks even more easier, I still do them but also recently purchased some weight plates and used dumbbells for squats to try and add muscle to my squidward legs, but have recently stopped due to developing planter fasciitis (possibly from being too heavy and standing for extended periods of time, but am now training chest delts, biceps and stretching too. I would say body weight squats is fantastic to keep your body healthy so you don’t deteriorate as you age and stay strong and active, a must in any daily activity regime! Thanks for the interest! 😊
@@ReggieMisFit thank you, I need the motivation, I’ve been poorly with a cough/cold that I haven’t been able to shake for over a month. Have been training though throughout, just not as hard. Stay strong and healthy 👍🏻
amazing bro..... your videos are gold....!!! i just binge watched your whole channel and man!!!! you have inspired me to workout..... thanks for making fitness simple and easy for us....!!!
00:07 High rep bodyweight squats provide multiple benefits 00:40 Enduring intense pain and grinding through hard stuff is important for training and everyday life. 01:04 Start with daily high rep bodyweight squats for 10 reps to improve range of motion and technique 01:30 Perform high rep bodyweight squats for daily conditioning. 01:58 High rep bodyweight squats provide a challenging workout. 02:19 Body weight squats challenge mental toughness and discipline. 02:48 High rep bodyweight squats are attainable for anyone with practice. 03:08 Gradually increase body weight squats to improve over time
@@NicolasNMI Don't stretch your psoas. It's gonna be tempting to find stretches because they make you feel better temporarily. Start with bodyweight knee raises - one at a time. Then find a way to attach weight to your foot and keep doing your knee raises. Your psoas aren't injured - they're weak. Bodyweight squats aren't going to cure this because you're pushing down with your feet - you need to be lifting up with your feet against resistance, which most people don't take the time to do.
@@Kboges I've been doing 3 sets of 50 as per your recommendation for about 6 months now, feeling great and ready to increase the reps Before I increase those significantly, can you think of any drawbacks to doing "too many" squats in the context of doing "too few" posterior chain exercises? For example, in addition to my weighted barbell squats x2 per week, I'm doing my physiologic hygiene squats on the other 5 days. In contrast I'm deadlifting only 2 times per week, with back/leg extensions 2 other days. Is there a risk of "imbalance" between anterior and posterior chains, or is this idea silly?
Just worked up to a set of 200 last week after about 4 months of consistent training. Thanks for all the videos and explanations; I-and I assume many others-may not have had the switch in mentality from quantity-primary to quality-primary focus on movements. My mobility, strength, and endurance have all increased in a way I didn't think I was capable of achieving, so thanks for helping to open that door.
I’ve reached the 3k rep range. It was amazing for pushing myself to the next level. Definitely not the best for size, but more for the endurance, and the mental toughness.
Make sure to vary your squat position. No species, including our ancestors, ever just stands up and down for 10 minutes until their legs are on fire. Wide leg, narrow leg, one leg, static holds, etc. variation will allow you to get stronger and more mobile without having to do unnatural numbers of reps.
It's a great point! I highly recommend varying your style to build well rounded fitness and mobility. As for an unnatural amount of reps...Well how do you define natural? I wouldn't consider myself existing outside of nature, plus people have been hiking, running, climbing etc. forever, often at very high volumes. Some traditional people' who live in mountainous areas are known for incredible fitness and tens of thousands of steps a day up mountains (flexion/extension cycles of the legs...kind of like a squat but with more load, since it is one leg). Also, the idea of selecting a movement patterns to use as a tool to drive conditioning is not as much of a modern invention as people think. This stuff goes all the way back to antiquity. For instance, traditional Indian wrestlers are known to squat thousands of reps a day as a way to build conditioning. This has been documented across time and space; from Persian wrestlers, to Russians, and Sumo wrestlers... humans use movement to develop adaptations that they want to develop, and high rep squatting is one of the more intuitive and universal ways to do it. it's literally found all over the world across lots of different traditions that have a need for developing conditioning, whether for war, sport, survival etc. As for the squat itself, people have been squatting forever. A study on Hadza found that on average they spend 3+ hours a day in the bottom of the squat, so the movement itself is about as natural as it gets. But to your point, I don't think it's "necessary". Just an option that delvers a lot in terms of bang for your buck. Excellent points and great addition to the comment section, Justin.
When I was in my 30/35 I’ve been doing a 750 set once a week and my goal was 1000. Very stressful and painful, mentally. Then I broke a knee freestyle windsurfing but I think my body did it on purpose because in need of some rest. Now I’m 56 and I’m going on with a single 200 bodyweight squat set once a week. I still practice windsurf, kitesurf, SUP surf, surfskate and Yoga. Cheers from Italy
Ciao Daniele! Sorry for you injury. 750 once per week is incredible, brother! How long did you do this for? What other positive benefits do you experience?
daamn man, 500 squats set is a damn hard thing . I was having 25 a set till now , but now i guess i gotta get that level like yours ..... Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
4x25 of BWS and 4x25 alternating BW lunges have my legs on fire and. Working up to 500 is ridiculous unless you’re tying to covert that to being the best at doing 500 reps of anything. Performance, power, endurance gains will be minimal. If 100-200 reps is not lighting the fire it’s time to add some weight. Who has time for 500? I have other shit to do. Quality & Consistency over quantity.
I always overlooked body weight squats but because of your videos I started doing them again. It actually make sense when you think how we use our legs in real life.
We walk more than we squat. We don't squat because we use chairs. Squatting is a work posture, not a high rep exercise. Watch Bushmen working around a fire. That's what squatting is for, not for high rep exercise.
@@1unsung971 If you had done any physical labor, you would have known that a lot of squating, kneeling, and bending were involved. High rep, low-intensity squats. No need to watch the bushman, watch a carpenter.
@@MR-yp7mu I have done a lot of physical labour. Don't make assumptions; it makes you appear stupid, which you clearly are not. Carpentry is a much more recent activity than the life style of hunter gatherers. You could study anthropology.
This is great stuff and totally agree with you, works like a charm. Especially for endurance. Only thing I worry about is joint and cartilage overuse and less regeneration with aging. I try to not overuse anything since I've been exercising for 28 years now. Swimming is my current go to for endurance. I love videos like this!
@@HerePiggyPiggy hahahahahaha, I bet you thought that was so clever! I started heavy lifting at 12, if I did 500 squat sets my knees would've been shot by 22 and after your 30s you don't even make new cartilage. So go drink your milk and prove to the world how "smart" and "strong" you are.
@@TheLifepure12 probably. Also switching up movements since its very high rep. This channel has a great video on the pros and cons of high intensity training and some great pointers that I totally agree help avoid any overuse injuries.
Freaking machine 💪🏼 I was doing 150 bw squats before my leg workouts and 60-70 is the most I've done in a set lol and I was resting couple of seconds shaking my quads and stuff you're simply a machine 👏🏼
In my late 50's, thru my early 60's, I worked up to 200 - 250 Hindu squats a day in sets of 25, then 50, 75, 100, and eventually - 125. I stopped for a few years after an ankle injury - and have just recently re-started, at 69. The muscle memory is still there, but it is rough! I'm back at doing 50 in 5/10's - thanks for the encouragement!
My center of gravity is such that my form suffers when doing "naked" squats, even when putting my arms out in full extension. Now I use a light kettlebell (16kg) held in goblet squat position and that simple counter balance fixed all my problems. Maybe, not "body weight" but perfect form with butt-to-calf range makes this effective.
Super slow squats are good to mix in with your regiment. Holding in the down position, thighs parallel to the floor, for ten seconds or more. One rep in total taking 30 sec to a minute, but so tough! Activating different muscle fibers.
My physical therapist taught me "wall sits", basically what you describe except back to the wall so you don't fall over, and just hold a sitting position. Ouch.
Interestingly, I can say this legitimately works. And it's something I practice personally... Some months ramping the volume upwards of 10,000 repetitions per month. Other months we focus on deep squat holds. Great video.
You can check out "the great ikram" doing 2000 squats in under an hour if you like this and are into bodyweight squats. He is doing sets of 100. He is probably a few inches shorter and with less body weight but a beast nontheless. High rep bodyweight movements are really unappreciated. Great job !
Just awesome! 525 is a lot but if you image that for a 10k run you would need between 10.000 and 12.500 steps and every step is like a little squat - though with a very limited range of motion of course - it doesn´t seem so much any longer ... I recently did 300 squats in a row and and it was tough but it didn´t kill me. I worked through it slowly, pace is everything! thank you very much for your videos, this is pure gold and very inspiring to me! also it seems as if you lived in paradise :)
100%! I think a pretty good comparison is cycling or stair climbing. 500 isn’t too much once you get conditioned to it! Squats are a great exercise and accessible pretty much anywhere.
Can definitely confirm the hiking bit. I live in the Appalachians and hike regularly. Nothing has improved my hiking stamina more than high rep squats and deep knee bends (Which I found on your channel. Thanks for that). They've had more carryover than burpees, skipping rope, sprints, etc.
Yeah I have found the same. My hiking and mountain biking, specifically, have benefited so much from these. Also the horse stance has helped a lot too.
A few years ago, I thought doing a lot of body squats was bullshit as for as losing weight. Then I tried it and lost 30 lbs so fast that people thought it was sick. I was doing 100 a day.
In my mid 20s I used to do 500 b4 work as part of my martial arts program , I used to stomp around like robo cop ! Now at 41 I'm getting back into fitness and I think the effects of the exercise has helped through the last 15 yrs of no fitness, due to kids , shifts , living 30 miles from my old job , crouches and horse stance are the base of real power ! Try it do it
@@jimbob5b200 ah right you literally meant crouches. Awesome, I might adopt that too as it’s technically very accurate. I like it. Hindu squats? Or regular?
@@kamalahmed5057 sorry I dont know the difference but holding your arms in different subtle positions does make a difference, or circular or straight paths up and down , all good fun ! / hard work !
Just ran across your site. Awesome!! I been on a diet of high rep push ups,pull ups and bodyweight squats for the last 10 years and feel awesome at the age of 59. Do you incorporate/dedicate any time for specific core training? lately I have been adding plank variations to my routine.
Alex! So good to hear this. High rep basics make for a powerful practice. Yes, I do add some core work in after my main exercises. I like plank variations, hanging leg raises, and occasionally L sits.
Glad to hear Alex. Same age and story here. I started training to continue playing sports (all the balls and boards 🤙) and maintain my agility and coordination. I start with 45 degs, then 90 degs, and finish with deep (toddler) squats to touch the floor each rep. At my age, longevity is my goal. In addition to other good tips, maybe also try some boxing or MMA training for the core. Has worked well for me and my program. Let's keep going!
Due to scoliosis being an issue. Bilateral loaded exercises for lowerbody always gave me back issues and imbalances development and I had always discounted the prisoner squats, cause hey, it's just bodyweight right? NOPE, added in 5 sets of prisoner squats to form failure and boy did that kill.
Yes I'm glad I found your channel. I'm built just like you and do not like heavy weights. I'm 42 and am mindful of saving my joints. Most other channels are just workouts for stiff bulked out meat heads. Great info very practical
Squats are the most important movement in calisthenics. However, I don’t get much increase in value out of doing more than 25 reps in a set. I grab dumbbells and add up to 110 pounds on my shoulders. My dumbbells balance nicely on my shoulders. I like to keep reps at 12-15.
Hey Jake! I appreciate you sharing your experience! Weighting the reps definitely provides an additional level of intensity and is incredibly productive. I totally get where you are coming from. Personally, I really enjoy training super high reps with legs. Just an anecdote... but I have noticed really good overall conditioning benefits from high rep squats. The first was after running stairs. I had a stair workout that used to absolutely kick my butt and fry my legs. I didn't do it for about 6 months and just did high rep squats and when I revisited the stair workout, I was shocked that it was ever challenging to begin with. My legs felt incredibly durable and fatigue resistant. The other situation was running a 1.5 mile vo2max test during school, when I hadn't been doing any running, but just LOADS of high rep squat sets, and this was enough to maintain a respectable amount of running endurance. That all being said, high rep leg training works really well for my specific goals, but I totally recommend weighting them (I do them with a weight vest too) for people that want more strength adaptations and don't want to explore other options, like sissy squats or pistols. No doubt weighting them is much more time efficient as well.
@@Kboges ...Similar experience here. If I squat a lot, I maintain decent fitness in all other athletic activities I do (running, skateboarding, snowboarding, rope jumping, and even swimming). And yes, I add weight partially because I am NOT motivated to do weird movements like pistol squats and sissy squats. There is just something about normal squats that is easy to make a habit after the form is right. Also, my legs are naturally toothpicks, and squats are my only exercise for adding some beef down there. The added weight helps my legs look and feel more substantial.
Squats are the most important movement period. 25's not enough. You need to be doing 500+ at 3 mns. or less per 100, and you'll see benefits in everything.
I do squats and pushups all day long not just for the exercise but to keep my blood flowing (and precent heart from decaying lol) while working at a desk for long hours. What amazed me the most was how much it positively changed my physique. I don't care what some of those high-tech sports trainers says....simply doing tons of bodyweight movements works. and p.s. I now must do a set of 525 just because lol
A few weeks ago I did 250 in one set, and the soreness lasted around 8 days(of normal weight training), and I have to say that I never felt more connected to my quads than after that one set, it's like my mind found out there are some muscles it could use, and with that gigantic soreness, I still got some rep PRs for the prescribed weight. I will definitely find a way to include high rep bodyweight work for both lower and upper body in my training because I find it helps a lot with mobility issues and day to day tasks(i.e: I feel lighter on my feet, move better, can pick things up easier).
I don’t know what is it about you but you inspire me to actually apply your advices into practice. I just followed your advice and did full body squats throughout your video (I was listening as you’re speaking so I lost the count.) At some point I just want kept going (even thought your legs are burning) because I knew if I did stop - that was it. Lol. Bottom line - your educational and inspiring videos help me in my fitness journey. Thank you. God bless and keep up the good work.
Writing this the day after I beat my old record of 570 high rep bodyweight squats. I ended up getting 2420, four and 1/4 times the old record (NB. I don't train legs seriously only do cycling to get to the park and a lil high rep squats around once per weak starting around 2-3months before). Had some more in me but decided to save some energy to pedal about 2 miles home. Thing is I only set out to get to 650 after not even wanting to go as it was cold and I had sub optimal sleep but still deciding to push forward and show up to a competition I initiated, but after winning the competition against some track guys who went to 300 and 400 respectively I decided to push it. I listened to David Goggin's advice about thinking about the next step not the big number which is basically chunking willpower and ended up with this record that I'm honestly extremely proud of. It took me around 2 hrs 25 mins. And around 1000 it felt like a switch came on and I couldn't stop pushing and it felt easier. Honestly i think most of us are holding ourselves back with the stories we tell ourselves about our capabilities. Its a mental game.
Quick questions: - Every day?? :-) - How low should you go? - What counts as “good technique”? - How fast do you squat? I find if I go slower then I can connect to the glutes more, otherwise I just seem to somehow swing through them and put a lot of stress on my knees and the ligaments around them. Great motivation, thank you very much!
You can work up to doing them daily. It fits some exercise schemes. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re doing serious muscle building (weighed squats). But for anyone else, it’s like climbing a lot of stairs-completely fine to do daily. I’ve been doing daily squats (but not 525!) for several months now and it feels normal.
Thank youbfor the inspiration and recommendations. Do you ever rais your arms out in front at 90° ? That is part of the nitric oxide dump/workout. I love it PEACE
Spent several months doing 100push, 100sq, 100leg raises , 10pull every hour 10-12 times a day 5xweekly. In the army I'd do 10push variations x100, 10sq variations x100, 10core and back variations x100 daily after work so 5xweekly. Those were both very high reps and frequency. Now I do 7calisthenic x100 daily (pull-up, push up,sq,leg raise,crunch, windmill,dips) 6xweekly + 2free weight day(bench,sq,ohp,deadlift) 2kettlebell day (7movements x100)and 2machine circuit days(press,pull down,leg extension,bent row, fly) Week and a half left in current cycle. Then a well deserved break but even recovery weeks still have calisthenics. High volume is the way to go always new challenges. Sorry for long post, but great video.
Impressive!!! Have you ever suffered any injury, or soreness, in the piriformis, after doing this volume so regularly? I imagine, good form is essential, especially when doing high reps
Just started this today. I am a 40 year old martial artist and was looking for something low impact to hit my cardio that was harder than walking but easier than jump rope. Did 140 reps in 5 sets with 30 seconds rest between sets. Feels good and about on par with the cardio effect of 3 minute jump rope sets.
I started noticing that my inner thighs were getting pretty beefy with high-volume squats, to the point they started rubbing together when I walk, giving blisters unless I wear tight underwear. Overall not pleasant for me, so I switched to a version that targets primarily the bottom of the quads where they join the knee. I just perform squats while standing on toes (the whole forefoot) without letting the heel hit the ground (which activates the glutes and inner thigh muscles more). Also, I keep the range of motion on the bottom 3/4 of the movement, that is, from a quarter squat down to full squat (knees will come over the toes when you squat on your toes, that's OK), and then back to the quarter squat. There is never a release of tension because we are standing all the way where there is no longer tension on the quads. Keep the tight range and tension, then go for time (1 minute or more), not reps. Trust me, you will be tested and this variation gives a great stretch to the quads from the bottom insertion, the place where they are usually weaker. If anyone is gonna try this variation, please use your own judgement. This variation puts greater stress on the ligaments on and above the knee. Make sure you have a baseline level of knee health, (through normal squats) before attempting.
You did 525 squats in less then 6 minutes? I started the program with 5 sets of 10 push-ups, 10 assisted pull-ups and 15 squats for each set. I picked 5 sets as I have 5 breaks at work. Week one complete. Thanks for the videos.
This video reminded me to start doing 100 squats a day again, everytime I stop some force in this universe is going to tell the TH-cam algorithm to put this in my reccommended
Dont waste your time doing very high reps..nothing beats heavy 3 sets of 5 with progressive overload.when you do bodyweight squats there is no fear.. a heavy barbell on your back will give you fear but if you can conquer it ..your mind is bulletproof..as for conditioning..i go outside and ride my bike through steep Road..when I get home my quads and glutes are exhausted..the weighted squat is the king of all leg exercises and nothing can match it
Yeah barbell squats are the single best way to build leg strength. However, there is always a tradeoff with any exercise modality. As you add more and more weight, your risk of injury increases. When I was back squatting, my conditioning SUCKED! Hiking, running, stair sprints, long backpacks, even swimming etc. were all horrendous compared to where they are now. Plus I had chronic low back pain and tingling in my left foot from a bulged disc. After getting good at BW squats, I couldn't believe how much more fatigue resistant I was, how much more durable and stable my legs felt. Sets of 5 barbell squats provide a completely different adaptation than high rep BW squats. One isn't better or worse, they are different. Pick the one that makes sense for you.
I just turned 88 and I have been doing body weight squats ever since my lower back flared up 45 years ago. No back issues and I can get in and out of my corvette and walk up stairs. That’s what exercise is all about, keeping our physical vehicle mobile.
Very interesting! 1) Will squats help when I have pain in the knee or it makes things worse? 2) Does squats train harmstrings? Can I use it as my only excersise for legs (except walking or running)?
1) It really depends. With injuries or joint pain, get it checked out by a doc or a sports PT before hammering out a bunch of squats 2) Not in the same way they train the quads. Hill sprints, bridges, hanging leg curls, will train the hamstrings pretty effectively.
1. Yes, they will make things worse. If you have bow legs, flat feet or conditions in your knee / hip joints such as damaged cartilage or bad patella tracking you'll just get more damage. Not everyone is built for high volume workouts - those tennis elbows and runner's knees don't grow on trees. 2. Hamstrings are used for stabilization in the exercise, but are not directly trained.
The regenerative power of bodyweight squats is no joke. When I injured my knee in BJJ due to a jump guard pull, I used them grease the groove style, 15-20 reps every 30 minutes, and I fixed my knee in weeks. I would feel better immediately after a set.
My experience is the same. I tore my lcl, popliteal, and a hamstrings tendon in bjj and then a few years after that I suffered a nasty injury where a large cactus needle deeply penetrated my knee. The cactus needle left my knee swollen and sore for several years, and the patella is still sensitive almost 10 years later. Heavy barbell squats would cause my knee to swell after every workout but high rep bw squats are probably the most useful tool for keep it feeling good and maintains my joint health. If I skip then, I get knee pain and stiffness. If I do them, my knee feels pretty solid!
@@Kboges reading about the cactus injury made me cringe internally haha. Thanks for the reply and for the content!
@@oaksaint4458 haha oh dude it was rough! Probably the weirdest injury I’ve ever had and surprisingly persistent.
Thanks for the great comment and the support!
I’ve had an acl operation- with a hamstring regrant. I think I’ll give this a go. Do you ever try the Indian wrestling style on your toes rather than flat footed?
@@ANDY71171 I did but they didn't click with me much. I tend to lose my balance once my quads start fatiguing. They're a nice variation but I prefer regular squats.
I'm 67 with a history of knee surgery. I couldn't do full squats but realized it didn't hurt getting out of bed in the morning. I started doing sort of a "box squat" on my bed in the morning and worked up to 4 sets of 25 with maybe 20 seconds between sets. WAY better than nothing!
As they say, needs must. It's great that you're putting in work and seeing results with pain management. Good work!
You are a credit to yourself sir, doing what you can and not giving up is the most important thing, hats off again
we love to see it, keep up the good work
had to stop doing deep, high rep, body weight squats. I kept getting thigh muscle injuries. Now I just do 1/4 squats., sprinkled with a few deep squats for flexibility.
@@alwayslookingatself Try the edge of the bed thing. It eliminates that high torque brake and change direction stress at the bottom of the squat.
I didn’t even know this, but due to no heavy equipment I had to resort to high reps. I was doing 30-50 reps of body weight squats, it legit cured my Knee problems.
same here
I actually started doing this and I think my knees are getting better as well! The blood flow to the tendons/ligaments is great, helps strengthen them and nourish
👍
@@IllIllIlIIlIllIllI thank you Sir . i will look
@@IllIllIlIIlIllIllI super welcome advertising, i was actually seeking for this type of content because I can't like, rest on my knees (slav squatting) like just vibing. gonna visit now thanks
The insane amount of dedication it takes to sit in one spot and do 525 reps of ANYTHING is amazing
Thanks, Monpekokero!
it's nice to break a plateau but I'm not sure if its doable for the average person on a weekly basis.
I once did 12000 reps of breathing in one single day. It was really exhausting so i slept afterwards.
youre going to have fun watch
I have been known to do a good amount myself! Nonetheless, I am not trying to steal the limelight of this man. His education on the realm of squatting is very well designed. His words hold truth.
By my late 20’s/early 30’s my knees started going to shit from squatting heavy weights. A guy I worked out with a few times a month was in great shape, good size and muscle development. He was a doctor and never did any lift with more than 225lbs(2 plates as we’d say). Once he reached 225, he’d only increase reps. He’d bench 40 to 50 reps, squat 20-40, bentover rows around 20, and deadlifts around 40reps with this amount. Smaller muscle groups, he wouldn’t move up in weight until he could easily handle the weight easily at 15 reps. Changed my whole perspective on working out. I went from a lean 240, that would be out of breath walking up a steep hill, to a 210/215 ish lean guy that had decent size and very good muscle endurance. I didn’t quite follow his exact routine as I would still lift heavier sometimes, but overall it made a huge difference on my conditioning and energy levels...also was just more happy and enjoyed working out even more. Joints felt/still feel so much better and I’m now 46. Unless you want to be the next Mr. Olympia , body weight and lighter weight is a much better way to train.
Yeah funny how your approach to lifting changes when your body starts to show it's wear and tear. We can appreciate Ronnie putting up light weight but damn he ruined his body.
Great story, I think I'll take that advice. 2 plates max, then just reps.
Cool story bro
Preach!
I read the whole story 👍
Periodization training is nice. I did 5x5 for a long time. Always was skinny so I wanted to get BIG naturally. I was eating over 4000 cals and day and lifting heavy. The "look" was cool for a minute but I hated how I felt. Now I eat less or cleaner and I m doing 8-12 rep range. 3 full body workouts too instead of bro splits I did ffoorrreevverrr lol. I have more rest and recovery now and I look forward to going to the gym.
However I will switch to pyramid style reps soon and then back to 5x5. And keep cycling my training. Heavier reps help with testosterone production too if you can manage. Nice slow and controlled reps help avoid injury.
I did join a boxing workout class to for cardio. Its INTENSE lol. Great stress reliever too. Im not a fan of cardio machines.
Just throwing some ideas out there for people. The main thing an old person told me is "young man NEVER STOP". So as long as The Good Lord gives me the ability I won't. 😁 Train Hard and God Bless
I watched this video 10 weeks ago and it inspired me to start with simple body weight squats, after being _ridiculously_ sedentary for years (my iPhone says I’ve gone from moving just 1.5 miles/day 5 years ago to only 0.68 miles/day last year 🤦🏻♂️) I wasn’t even sure I could walk around the large block I live on without injury (lots of ankle sprains in my past).
But something about this video, out of all the others I’ve seen everywhere, inspired me to set out to do _something_ at least - just a few slow and careful squats.
It was hard and a little painful at first, and I didn’t go very deep and held onto a door frame for support. Yeah, I was that out of shape! All I wanted was to avoid injury and make a little progress. Each day I added a couple more reps while trying to perfect my form and go a little deeper. I figured that gently increasing things, as I felt comfortable, would be better than nothing.
I’m now on day 75 of _daily_ squats.
I’m in my late forties, and I am _totally_ amazed at how fast this has turned things around for me. I’ve gotten as high as a 100 squat day (spread throughout the day in sets of 10-30) though I more often do half that; my form is solid, and there’s no pain.
My squat progress felt so good that, after only a week, I started walking every day (slowly at first, but now I go out and walk between 1 and 5 miles every day, rain or sun!). I then added some push-ups, and just started some gentle scapula retractions (not even rows yet), always seeking good form rather than performance.
I even did a full day of skiing just _one month_ after starting squats, which would have been impossible without the squat training. I can’t express how cool it was to be on the mountain with my son for his first ski day, instead of sitting there watching.
I realize this is probably not that interesting to most people, but I want to say to anyone who feels like getting more fit is impossibly hard: Just start with the tiniest thing, work on good form, and stick with it. It took me years to get into this mess, and it will take a long time to get out of it! A simple body weight squat is a good starting point. I love that I didn’t have to drive anywhere, change clothes, or put on shoes-just review proper squat form in my mind and start. That’s how easy it was to turn the tide.
*This channel is awesome* and has all the right perspective. I’ve watched a little every day for inspiration. The very best part of taking it slow and perfecting my form is *no injuries* !
Thank you so much for wise and inspiring videos!
Keep going James, come back to this thread and report back from time to time, I'd love to read more about your journey.
Keep it up man !
Quick update: Today is 150 straight days of daily squats. I’ve also continued walking and doing basic bodyweight push or pull exercises each day. Even on insanely busy days or very bad weather, I’m hitting all of these every day. I’ve lost some weight but more importantly I feel _so_ much better!
Lots of other benefits, too, like fast recovery from “home-improvement exercise” like installing a new floor 😆
I’m so grateful for the inspiration of this video to _just start,_ and the inspiration from this channel and others to stick with it and work to maintain good form and steady efforts.
Thanks for sharing bro
Thank you for sharing this.
It is solidifying my will to never stop working out, even on my later years (I’m ~25yo today).
Light workout is way better than no workout.
Amazing! Great job.
I’ve been working out like this my entire life. Iam 62 to now. I do each body part 100-125 reps. I discovered this method in my early 20s and loved it, because it kept me lean and muscular. I was a runner, so I didn’t like bulk muscle. My running friends and spectators at my many races had never seen a runner like me. Most runners are very thin, with no upper body muscle to talk about. They would always say you don’t look like a runner? I don’t run as much anymore, I’ve shifted over to bike riding. So between biking hours at a time and still lifting weights with many reps, people still can’t get over how young and athletic I look. I always tell them this. If you think your old no matter what your age is, you are!
I love this! Awesome comment brother, and thank you for sharing your experience. I hope others are as inspired by it as me!
@@Kboges Thank you! It’s nice to see someone younger, believing in this method. It definitely works! Iam prove of that. You will never regret it! Take care!
How did accomplish that much in 20 mins. That's dope
Thank you, this is great stuff. I trained for 5 years doing Professional Wrestling. Back when I was 26. We did 200- 300 Squats every practice. Now, I'm 46, and I'm a Personal Trainer.. I still do Squats. and I make all my clients do bodyweight Squats. They do make you mentally tough. Also, I feel like bodyweight Squats Make My Barbell Squats easier.
Heck yeah! BW squats have a long tradition in wrestling cultures. So cool to hear this dude! Thank you for the great comment.
Is there a risk of overuse injury doing 200+ reps everyday? I've the discipline to do it, but scared of doing something everyday that might cause overuse injury.
@@pyarepiyush yes. Everything carries a risk, so it's all about mitigating the risks. You can mitigate the risk of overuse injury by slowly building up in volume, varying the exercise, and taking easy days to allow for additional recovery.
How do you interface barbell squats with bodyweight squats? I'm 57 and pretty much don't enjoy going to the gym and doing traditional resistance training including barbell squats and deadlift but the ongoing benefits are undeniable and in my opinion anyone who says that just doing bodyweight exercises is just as effective is wrong. I do enjoy biking and hiking though and have a tail with some serious elevated pushes on it that I use for HIT. My present plan is to barbell squat and deadlift every other week and on alternating weeks double up the trail time and incorporate some bodyweight movements outdoor , including body squats and upper body.
@@pyarepiyush Your body adapts and actually changes shape. Tendons and joint surfaces thicken....over time. It's a bit like wearing new running shoes. Walk around in them first. Start at ten reps and add 1 rep every day until you reach the desired number. Also, I would wedge your heals up until you get to the first 50 to stop your back flexing excessively. In my opinion, there is no such thing as over use. There is just malpractice. i.e. incorporate good technique, nutrition, recovery and sleep. Also, be never afraid of just having a week off. Obsession is not mental toughness. But this is just my opinion. I did my first ten today, It was awful.
Gives me the warm and fuzzies seeing all these brothers acheiving great things and feeling great with callisthenics. Like warriors of old... indestructible!! 💪🦁
Lachlan! Thanks for this, brother! I appreciate this comment a lot!
Man I love your videos. The fact that you did 25 extra just to account for miscounting is genuinely so beautiful and inspiring. You’re a man dedicated to something truly amazing.
Henry! That's some really kind feedback. Thank you so much, my friend!🙏
REALLY??? HAVE YOU NO COMMON SENSE??? THIS JOKER IS FULL OF BS AND GALACTICALLY STUPID; AND YOU ARE IMPRESSED WITH HIS IDIOTIC ADVICE. DARWIN AWARDS FOR BOTH OF YOU
Been advocating this for years myself. The two most important movements one should do everyday is squatting and hanging (not necessarily a 'dead' hang). This represents a comprehensive, full body 'workout' that benefits almost all of one's joints and muscle groups as you've mentioned. Thanks for the vid.
100% yes! Squat and hang are the two overall important positions. Full body Flexion and full body extension
What is hanging?
@@brittanymillner You know, from a pull up bar or something. I actually use those rubber straps you see in gyms, wrapped around a bar. A 'dead hang' is with your feet off the ground while an assisted hang is having your feet touching, which I prefer.
@@graves2927 Work your way up to dead hangs homie, and then beyond to one arm assisted and one arm dead hangs. Perfectly safe, helped me avoid shoulder surgery on both shoulders.
@@graves2927do pullups count or do you have to just hang?
I’m 45, 6-1, 185. Decent base level of fitness. Carpenter/physical work and bjj with varied exercise for training
I started a BW squat routine in December aiming for 150 squats per day usually 3 sets of 50. I felt I could do more but really wanted to be safe as I blew my left hamstring a year ago doing deadlifts while only lifting a light warmup set.
Anyhow on January first I made a goal of 300 per day 3x100 mostly.
I noticed the gain in strength - that solid, planted feeling just walking around the job site within 2 weeks.
By mid month I could do 1 of a 300 rep set.
Last week I managed a 400 set and the next day a 500
Here we are in week 3 and I’m feeling strong but definitely tight despite maintaining a stretch routine. I’ve dialed it back a bit to be safe doing 3 sets of 100 with about a 30 sec rest in between.
Definite gains in musculature and strength.
Cold shower immediately after.
Sorry for the long post but just relaying what one might expect taking on a 500 rep challenge as an over 40 aged person.
Also cool to know by this time I’ve completed 6900 squats this month.
it is an unnatural movement, is it not? to do high reps squats (high reps, more than 200, 300....)
.... just imagine, in nature why would a human do that? so I believe, if you climb up a hill or a mountain, walking, jogging, running.... well, that's a natural approach to high repetition squat... but there, you don't have only some muscles involved, but all of them in a balanced aerobic way.... more than that, the support muscles and the time to re-lubricate the joints....
So I believe, doing so high repetitions squats could elevate one small misbalance you could have while doing a squat (muscle inbalance, bad form, bad day to do so....) . . . . . and elevate it from just 100 or 200 that wouldn't otherway be a problem because its not too much erosion of the joints... that into a 300-500 that could potentially cause a very big joint wear..... (compound little by little wear....)
This is a question I have..... I am not a doctor.
Cold shower kills gains
@@slammed3763 ye that would surely constrict the blood flow and inhibit recovery
@@MarcoPolux Mike Tyson used to do more than 1000 sit ups a day, whats wrong with him now??? We are taught never to stand up right when doing squats, the tension must always remain in the muscles not the joints. With good nutrition and rest, what could possibly go wrong?
@@moseskr6503 good point, but then, Mike Tyson is not a common human, that's warrior's perfection, I have much admiration for him. Also, when did he do that? while being maybe still in his 20's, at that age everyones is immortal (as my uncle used to tell me when I did crazy stunts)
I believe a small inbalance, taking it to an extreeme can become a great one, or at least, wear and tear.....
Even with great muscle tone and strenght, a squat will deliver super strong forces to the knee joint, just because of the mecahnics. the "lever" function (just 28 pounds of force applied to the correct place in the knee will break it, no matter if its Tyson's knee)
Nevertheless, I will keep doing my squats and everyone should do too, to keep strong. Just listen to your body and give it time to rest.
Im gonna try this before my weighted squat training. U make alot of good points here. Great channel btw man. Keep it up.
Awesome Ivan! They make for a great finisher! They can result in a bunch of fatigue- giving you JELLO legs if you really push it.
@@Kboges yeh im gonna give it a good go. Ill start with a few sets of 50 each day.
@@IvanDjuric300 ...I recommend doing just enough air squats to warm up for weighted squats. You should be fresh when you are loading weight on your back. Then go crazy with air squats afterward. If your core fails with air squats, it would not be catastrophic.
@@jakemccoy check out his channel he squats everyday weighted
Please don't do these to fatigue before doing weighted squats. Hi reps of these can give you jelly legs and make it dangerous to get under any weight.
I'm 79 and don't workout consistently. I found your channel by accident and glad I did. You give simple but informed and practical advice. Thanks, Tony
Thanks for inspiring
I used to do 300 every day, in 10 sets of 30, no idea why I stopped.
Thanks for the reminder.
better be doin ur squats
@@Tyler_255 Better believe sir.
because it was stupid?
@@doyourownresearch7297 Why'd you think it's stupid?
Are you doing now?
I can totally see why your channel is going to blow up in the upcoming year. Excellent content, with zero bullshit. Kudos brother!
I just found your channel and it's great Im 62, and do nothing but bodyweight exercises and I love it, and so do my tendons and joints, I subscribed to your channel too! I like how you keep your routine simple and the basics, thank you for a great channel.
Thank you, Dean. I appreciate the kind feedback and the support. Much appreciated! Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions.
@@Kboges thank you, I will reach out to you for sure, thank you again.
140lbs x 10.
I am 62 too. I do 💯 per day every day. I do ,50 unbroken push-ups a set. 25 parallel-bar dips per set. Close-grip2medium-grip bench-press
36 months ago I shattered my hip shattered my pelvis broke right shoulder broke 10 ribs severe hypothermia bruised lungs bruised femer. My rehab has been squats push ups and pullups. I am almost fully recovered minus all the metal. I am 55 years old Train like someone half my age, been very dark road challenge yourself people might save your own ass. You wouldn't believe my whole story. Stay fit and ready for anything. Thanks for motivation I am gonna do several hundred squats they are awesome
what on earth happened to you???
@@CaneSugarCane he tried ziplining 300 meters without a harness
Fell outta tree stand alone in the woods with my phone in my truck 75 yards away. Layed there a while came to terms with many things. I then mustered enough strength and will power to crawl to my truck and get in it. Took several hours still not sure how I did, God gave me strength of course. It's been pure hell I didn't sleep for 2 years due to pain. I workout with therapy ever day blood flow and circulation heals all. I could go on forever about the experience all I can say is never doubt yourself or say I can't. Good luck in life my friend
@@OleSmokey do go on about the experience. Sounds fascinating!
@@OleSmokey what got you into the tree stand in the first place?
I have applied this same mentality but with some ballet plies. Plies in the first position and the second position are an incredibly good exercise for strengthening, adding definition, and increasing the overall mobility of the legs. And as you are turning your feet out it helps to improve total body alignment and the engaging of the core and lower back for maintaining balance. When I do them I will typically do sets of 32, 10 times, with a 30 second break between each 32 set. The turnout that one finds in these positions helps to engage the glutes, other connective tissues, and supporting muscles. Not saying it's the perfect way to approach this kind of exercise but it has worked for me and I have seen incredible results.
Thank you kindly
I took ballet classes in college and plies alone will destroy your calves and quads. By the end of school my legs were enormous to the point I could hardly find pants that fit
Genius!! I love this tip!
Plies??????
Try not locking out and resting at the top, (immediately drop to the next rep) it allows you to hit failure with even bodyweight. if you pause at the top even for a half a second, the blood will flow in/out the leg and your slow twitch fibres will just keep going endlessly
You are absolutely right! The occlusion from constant tension is murder on the quads. However, I like to do a mix of both. For these really high rep sets, I approach them slower for more total work, kind of like a long run vs a sprint. Different kinds of training.
Yes!!!! I call those three quarter squats. Keeping constant tension on the quads. Just touches my vastus.
this is a good tip as it keeps tension on the muscle at all times
dang, if it applies for squat then it also applies to other bodyweight exercises? e.g. pushups, pullup, rows, chinup
@@Kboges I personally flex the quads and glutes at the top . Good burn too
You're the first person I've seen covering this topic. I usually do stuff like 500 bodyweight calf raises in a set and then try to get reps past that, and this applies the same logic, just transfers it on to a more useful movement. Thanks for this man
Yes! i've been doing bodyweight squats and its been so helpful i was only really doing it for bodybuilding purposes and then i noticed new mobility and strength its been amazing
Hi, since you mention bodybuilding, I’m wondering how this sits alongside doing low rep barbell squats, which I currently do. What are your views and does this build mass as well as endurance?
@@TStyle1979 It definitely builds muscular endurance and pretty quickly too, it definently can result in muscle growth if u do enough reps, its helped my legs grow a lot its really good for quad development i only really have a home gym and high rep BW squats have given me more gains than low rep front squats.
@@saekx thanks man
Me here, in good shape, being proud of my 50 body squats a day. So much respect because that looks so intense.
50 is a GREAT achievement. It's not about the number, but the work you put in to get there!
I started re training myself post pandemic with weights a few months back and it feels great. But just 3 sets of 20 squats killed me. 525 I'm coming for you!
Get it, Coach Kathi! 💪
You got this !
Cmon coach easy work
@@Mint-cb2vc easy funny painful great all at the same time work! lol
@@awies.mp4 57 ain't got nothing on me! lol
Back in days, we did 200 squats just for warming up +running+jumping total of 20 min just to warm up for 1:30 hour or mui thay
Before attempting brutal martial arts/sports like that, I can understand.
What's impressive is that you didn't adjust your feet or shake off the tension. I did 500 squats, 10 sets x 50, and I had to shake off the tension here and there. Great job my man.
Thank you, brother!
It's on a loop 😆 j/k
Started doing bodyweight squats couple of weeks ago. 5 sets, 22 reps / set today and increasing reps per set by 1 every workout; 3 times a week or every other day. Going for 50 per set. To say my quads are on fire at the end of the workout is an understatement. Walking down the stairs becomes challenging for an hour or two after workout:)
Hi! I'd recommend adding 10 every two weeks. It's what I'm doing right now and it's working out great for me (5 squats a day to 80 a day pain free!)
I tried this and did 220 reps in one set and you were not joking when you said it works on mental toughness and conditioning because every rep was a struggle. I play triple a basketball so I do a lot of conditioning but finishing the squats with the speed I was going had to have been one of the most tiering things I have ever done! I can confidently say I have never felt so good after a set then I did after doing these squats. I will definitely be trying it again tommorow! 😀
#4 Mental Tenacity: Excellent point! I’m glad you covered this, great to ponder this idea in general.
#3 Increase in work capacity: good to know! I’m hoping to hike more in the spring and I’m glad to hear high rep squats should help with conditioning over the winter.
I’m learning a lot from your channel, thank you. 🎉
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you are enjoying the content!
Hi I'm 63 and started doing body weight squats to loose a bit of weight and help fitness. I do 4 sets 12 and 1 set till failure around 25.
I got up to 260 bw reps in one go after going up 5 reps per time every few days. I then started using my son's 75lb kettlebell whilst standing on 6 x 6inch timber blocks to enable me to go really low down. I am up to 55 reps now. What a life changing workout it is every single time especially on the cardio and conditioning side. I'm not stopping any time soon... 66 years of age.
When I was in middle school / high school I played baseball and was the primary catcher. It was not uncommon to catch two full games in a day and we would play 3-4 times a week during the summer. I never lifted in high school but had the best quad/glute/calves you could ask for. It also greatly increased my vertical and was able to high jump 6' 3" as a 5' 9" junior as well as dunk a basketball. So, I can attest to 100s or 1000s per week, heel to butt, body weight squats being a great leg exercise.
This is the type of anecdote I find very very interesting! I've heard several of these; people doing high rep BW squats with great results. I also have trained a few people who got the best leg growth in their lives when they started adding in hard daily bike rides, despite being strong weight room squatters. Also interesting to note that high rep BW squats were commonly used by old time strong men and physical culturists before weighted variations became popular.
Thanks for this.
@@Kboges I’ll add an anecdote for you. I did basic weight lifting in high school (a one-hour daily class) for about a year and saw some modest gains. Then the next summer I rode a bicycle across most of the US (covered about 2200 miles in 7 weeks). Because I had been taught in class that hypertrophy requires heavy weight, low reps, followed by a rest day, I expected I wouldn’t gain muscle on my trek. But wow was I wrong! My quads *exploded* in just a few weeks. After 7 weeks of wrangling that bike up and down mountains and across plains, I had big, rippling quads. I still believe that growth far outpaced what I would have gotten from weighted squats over 7 weeks.
The experience really shook up how I thought about gaining muscle.
I’ll add that, years later, watching my kids do gymnastics training on a competitive team brought these lessons back to mind. My girls and boys have both gained loads of muscle, and even more functional strength, from bodyweight exercises, many of which are repeated daily.
This channel is a gem im glad i found it
Mike Tyson used to do 2000 body weight squats per day as just part of his boxing workouts! Throughout the day, not all at one time. Nobody ever tougher than that dude!
Yeah Tyson is amazing. I'm a huge fan.
Fighters do some pretty incredible calisthenics volume.
@Salt Maker You're not going to failure. If you go to failure then you cannot do it every day.
I'm 76 and this past summer I did 2000 reps... in multiple sets of 500. Still have chicken legs and there wasn't any delayed onset muscle soreness. I suppose for some people it is a good workout, but for me, it was just boring.
@@ralphhancock7449did you do them properly
@@ralphhancock7449but you have stronger legs now
My Calisthenics leg day has seemed an ordeal for some time. Although I enjoyed it, I didn't feel I was gaining much from it tbh. So, I have once again taken your advice and started this properly today. I set a timer for 20 minutes for just bodyweight squats. I managed to get 400 before the time ran out. I will respond to high volume better, but time will tell. And like you say it's a mental test which I also enjoy in a sick way lol. Sometimes removing complications is the best way. I can barely walk, my legs are written off, I haven't felt like this EVER! hahaha
Really glad I stumbled upon your channel man. Been working 84 hours a week and had come to terms that I can’t workout at all for this crazy overtime run but this is definitely something I can do
84 hours a week, why would you dedicate that much time to work?
I started BW squats recently, I can do 2 sets of 15 in the morning and 2 sets of 15 or n the evening. I feel like my legs are getting stronger! I’ll build up as much as I can in the coming months and years 😊
Nice job! This is the way to go. Keep at it and it will serve you well.
Update?
@@FightTheMonopoly my squats progressed well and it helped me do daily tasks even more easier, I still do them but also recently purchased some weight plates and used dumbbells for squats to try and add muscle to my squidward legs, but have recently stopped due to developing planter fasciitis (possibly from being too heavy and standing for extended periods of time, but am now training chest delts, biceps and stretching too.
I would say body weight squats is fantastic to keep your body healthy so you don’t deteriorate as you age and stay strong and active, a must in any daily activity regime! Thanks for the interest! 😊
commenting to keep you accountable
@@ReggieMisFit thank you, I need the motivation, I’ve been poorly with a cough/cold that I haven’t been able to shake for over a month.
Have been training though throughout, just not as hard. Stay strong and healthy 👍🏻
amazing bro..... your videos are gold....!!! i just binge watched your whole channel and man!!!! you have inspired me to workout..... thanks for making fitness simple and easy for us....!!!
Wow Dude! Thanks so much. This means a lot. If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out.
00:07 High rep bodyweight squats provide multiple benefits
00:40 Enduring intense pain and grinding through hard stuff is important for training and everyday life.
01:04 Start with daily high rep bodyweight squats for 10 reps to improve range of motion and technique
01:30 Perform high rep bodyweight squats for daily conditioning.
01:58 High rep bodyweight squats provide a challenging workout.
02:19 Body weight squats challenge mental toughness and discipline.
02:48 High rep bodyweight squats are attainable for anyone with practice.
03:08 Gradually increase body weight squats to improve over time
Thank you!
@@Kboges Q please: I struggle with psoas pain for months amd can't find the way to relief/recover
Is that a good idea for me to do this?
@@NicolasNMI Don't stretch your psoas. It's gonna be tempting to find stretches because they make you feel better temporarily. Start with bodyweight knee raises - one at a time. Then find a way to attach weight to your foot and keep doing your knee raises. Your psoas aren't injured - they're weak. Bodyweight squats aren't going to cure this because you're pushing down with your feet - you need to be lifting up with your feet against resistance, which most people don't take the time to do.
@@drm3259 thanks! I'll try
Did you seriously have to make this for a 5 min video 🤦
this is exactly the right thing for many people low risk injury and no equipment needed
That's exactly it. Excuse free exercise!
@@Kboges I've been doing 3 sets of 50 as per your recommendation for about 6 months now, feeling great and ready to increase the reps
Before I increase those significantly, can you think of any drawbacks to doing "too many" squats in the context of doing "too few" posterior chain exercises?
For example, in addition to my weighted barbell squats x2 per week, I'm doing my physiologic hygiene squats on the other 5 days. In contrast I'm deadlifting only 2 times per week, with back/leg extensions 2 other days. Is there a risk of "imbalance" between anterior and posterior chains, or is this idea silly?
This arrived on my TH-cam out of nowhere
Excellent, nice and simply explained and I reckon I'm going to give it a go
Just worked up to a set of 200 last week after about 4 months of consistent training. Thanks for all the videos and explanations; I-and I assume many others-may not have had the switch in mentality from quantity-primary to quality-primary focus on movements. My mobility, strength, and endurance have all increased in a way I didn't think I was capable of achieving, so thanks for helping to open that door.
For once the algorithm works in my favor. I need routines outlined like this for all major muscle groups! Thanks
Glad it got to you!
As a fellow calisthenics enthusiast you’re a beast man w that 500 rep continuous set. Damn son!
I’ve reached the 3k rep range. It was amazing for pushing myself to the next level. Definitely not the best for size, but more for the endurance, and the mental toughness.
Does it help u in weighted squats
Count to 5 when you go down then explode up if you could do 1200 I'm a row like that you did better than me in my prime
I really doubt that but take it as a compliment if you actually can
Make sure to vary your squat position. No species, including our ancestors, ever just stands up and down for 10 minutes until their legs are on fire. Wide leg, narrow leg, one leg, static holds, etc. variation will allow you to get stronger and more mobile without having to do unnatural numbers of reps.
It's a great point! I highly recommend varying your style to build well rounded fitness and mobility. As for an unnatural amount of reps...Well how do you define natural? I wouldn't consider myself existing outside of nature, plus people have been hiking, running, climbing etc. forever, often at very high volumes. Some traditional people' who live in mountainous areas are known for incredible fitness and tens of thousands of steps a day up mountains (flexion/extension cycles of the legs...kind of like a squat but with more load, since it is one leg). Also, the idea of selecting a movement patterns to use as a tool to drive conditioning is not as much of a modern invention as people think. This stuff goes all the way back to antiquity. For instance, traditional Indian wrestlers are known to squat thousands of reps a day as a way to build conditioning. This has been documented across time and space; from Persian wrestlers, to Russians, and Sumo wrestlers... humans use movement to develop adaptations that they want to develop, and high rep squatting is one of the more intuitive and universal ways to do it. it's literally found all over the world across lots of different traditions that have a need for developing conditioning, whether for war, sport, survival etc. As for the squat itself, people have been squatting forever. A study on Hadza found that on average they spend 3+ hours a day in the bottom of the squat, so the movement itself is about as natural as it gets. But to your point, I don't think it's "necessary". Just an option that delvers a lot in terms of bang for your buck.
Excellent points and great addition to the comment section, Justin.
When I was in my 30/35 I’ve been doing a 750 set once a week and my goal was 1000. Very stressful and painful, mentally.
Then I broke a knee freestyle windsurfing but I think my body did it on purpose because in need of some rest.
Now I’m 56 and I’m going on with a single 200 bodyweight squat set once a week.
I still practice windsurf, kitesurf, SUP surf, surfskate and Yoga.
Cheers from Italy
Ciao Daniele! Sorry for you injury. 750 once per week is incredible, brother! How long did you do this for? What other positive benefits do you experience?
@@Kboges Hallo, I started with 100 reps adding 10 reps every week.
Having strong legs helped me in my sport practice.
@@danieledragone423 do your squats on your sup. i do one squat every 5 strokes.
daamn man, 500 squats set is a damn hard thing . I was having 25 a set till now , but now i guess i gotta get that level like yours .....
Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
I didn't know anyone could do 500. Soldiers recruited for WW1 were only required to do 30 and 60% of them failed.
4x25 of BWS and 4x25 alternating BW lunges have my legs on fire and. Working up to 500 is ridiculous unless you’re tying to covert that to being the best at doing 500 reps of anything. Performance, power, endurance gains will be minimal. If 100-200 reps is not lighting the fire it’s time to add some weight. Who has time for 500? I have other shit to do. Quality & Consistency over quantity.
sled work is amazing as there is no eccentric loading, forces massive amounts of fluid through those hard to reach areas.
Dude I am such a fan of the sled. I used to have on in the gym and hit it every day. It's one of my favorite leg exercises. I miss it a lot.
I always overlooked body weight squats but because of your videos I started doing them again. It actually make sense when you think how we use our legs in real life.
We walk more than we squat. We don't squat because we use chairs. Squatting is a work posture, not a high rep exercise. Watch Bushmen working around a fire. That's what squatting is for, not for high rep exercise.
@@1unsung971 If you had done any physical labor, you would have known that a lot of squating, kneeling, and bending were involved. High rep, low-intensity squats. No need to watch the bushman, watch a carpenter.
@@MR-yp7mu I have done a lot of physical labour. Don't make assumptions; it makes you appear stupid, which you clearly are not. Carpentry is a much more recent activity than the life style of hunter gatherers. You could study anthropology.
This is great stuff and totally agree with you, works like a charm. Especially for endurance. Only thing I worry about is joint and cartilage overuse and less regeneration with aging. I try to not overuse anything since I've been exercising for 28 years now. Swimming is my current go to for endurance. I love videos like this!
Sqauts especially hindu squats can make your joints stronger
Then don't perform squats - eat your oatmeal and drink plenty of water, stay safe.
@@HerePiggyPiggy hahahahahaha, I bet you thought that was so clever! I started heavy lifting at 12, if I did 500 squat sets my knees would've been shot by 22 and after your 30s you don't even make new cartilage. So go drink your milk and prove to the world how "smart" and "strong" you are.
would collogen supplements help with regeneration?
@@TheLifepure12 probably. Also switching up movements since its very high rep. This channel has a great video on the pros and cons of high intensity training and some great pointers that I totally agree help avoid any overuse injuries.
did 50 slow deep squats while watching this... going to start doing them daily thanks to this vid!
I love it! Well done!
Freaking machine 💪🏼 I was doing 150 bw squats before my leg workouts and 60-70 is the most I've done in a set lol and I was resting couple of seconds shaking my quads and stuff you're simply a machine 👏🏼
Your videos are so chill, i like it.
Thanks, nekeh! I appreciate that!
In my late 50's, thru my early 60's, I worked up to 200 - 250 Hindu squats a day in sets of 25, then 50, 75, 100, and eventually - 125. I stopped for a few years after an ankle injury - and have just recently re-started, at 69. The muscle memory is still there, but it is rough! I'm back at doing 50 in 5/10's - thanks for the encouragement!
1 like = 10 squats
Let’s go!
I want a vid of the ten squats 😎
Let's make this comment get 10k likes.🙏🏻😅
My center of gravity is such that my form suffers when doing "naked" squats, even when putting my arms out in full extension. Now I use a light kettlebell (16kg) held in goblet squat position and that simple counter balance fixed all my problems. Maybe, not "body weight" but perfect form with butt-to-calf range makes this effective.
Try heel elevated squats
I’ve been doing 200 daily and honestly I feel amazing my knee caps and heels don’t hurt no more
Yeah they can be great for that. They definitely help my knees.
THEY WILL EVENTUALLY
@@1unsung971 Asians are the only people I know who dont suffer from knee pain as old people probably cause they squat for everything.
I'm 63. Any day I can't get to the gym, I do 300-500 bodyweight squats as punishment. Use it or lose it. Love feeling my muscles work. Great Video !
Damn 525! Super human! You're my inspiration!
Super slow squats are good to mix in with your regiment. Holding in the down position, thighs parallel to the floor, for ten seconds or more. One rep in total taking 30 sec to a minute, but so tough! Activating different muscle fibers.
Spot on with this. They are really tough!
My physical therapist taught me "wall sits", basically what you describe except back to the wall so you don't fall over, and just hold a sitting position. Ouch.
@@stevenscott2136 Yeah they are a killer quad conditioner
Interestingly, I can say this legitimately works. And it's something I practice personally... Some months ramping the volume upwards of 10,000 repetitions per month. Other months we focus on deep squat holds. Great video.
You can check out "the great ikram" doing 2000 squats in under an hour if you like this and are into bodyweight squats. He is doing sets of 100. He is probably a few inches shorter and with less body weight but a beast nontheless. High rep bodyweight movements are really unappreciated. Great job !
WOW! That is incredible.
Just awesome! 525 is a lot but if you image that for a 10k run you would need between 10.000 and 12.500 steps and every step is like a little squat - though with a very limited range of motion of course - it doesn´t seem so much any longer ... I recently did 300 squats in a row and and it was tough but it didn´t kill me. I worked through it slowly, pace is everything! thank you very much for your videos, this is pure gold and very inspiring to me! also it seems as if you lived in paradise :)
100%! I think a pretty good comparison is cycling or stair climbing. 500 isn’t too much once you get conditioned to it! Squats are a great exercise and accessible pretty much anywhere.
Can definitely confirm the hiking bit. I live in the Appalachians and hike regularly. Nothing has improved my hiking stamina more than high rep squats and deep knee bends (Which I found on your channel. Thanks for that). They've had more carryover than burpees, skipping rope, sprints, etc.
Yeah I have found the same. My hiking and mountain biking, specifically, have benefited so much from these. Also the horse stance has helped a lot too.
A few years ago, I thought doing a lot of body squats was bullshit as for as losing weight. Then I tried it and lost 30 lbs so fast that people thought it was sick. I was doing 100 a day.
seeing other people take action and have good results motivates me as well
Awesome! Get after it, Peter!
In my mid 20s I used to do 500 b4 work as part of my martial arts program , I used to stomp around like robo cop ! Now at 41 I'm getting back into fitness and I think the effects of the exercise has helped through the last 15 yrs of no fitness, due to kids , shifts , living 30 miles from my old job , crouches and horse stance are the base of real power ! Try it do it
What are crouches?
@@kamalahmed5057 squats
@@jimbob5b200 ah right you literally meant crouches. Awesome, I might adopt that too as it’s technically very accurate. I like it. Hindu squats? Or regular?
@@kamalahmed5057 sorry I dont know the difference but holding your arms in different subtle positions does make a difference, or circular or straight paths up and down , all good fun ! / hard work !
@@jimbob5b200 nice, maybe upload a video of your workouts.
Looks like you got the old school (best school) mentality !
I'm happy to have received this video in my youtube recommendations. I'll check your channel for a video on the correct form for this execcise.
Thank you!
The only legit fitness channel on TH-cam. Great stuff man!👊
Just ran across your site. Awesome!! I been on a diet of high rep push ups,pull ups and bodyweight squats for the last 10 years and feel awesome at the age of 59. Do you incorporate/dedicate any time for specific core training? lately I have been adding plank variations to my routine.
Alex! So good to hear this. High rep basics make for a powerful practice.
Yes, I do add some core work in after my main exercises. I like plank variations, hanging leg raises, and occasionally L sits.
Glad to hear Alex. Same age and story here. I started training to continue playing sports (all the balls and boards 🤙) and maintain my agility and coordination. I start with 45 degs, then 90 degs, and finish with deep (toddler) squats to touch the floor each rep. At my age, longevity is my goal. In addition to other good tips, maybe also try some boxing or MMA training for the core. Has worked well for me and my program. Let's keep going!
its really good for cardio too ( Low impact cardio) ! hi reps add in a jump to it ..
Absolutely! High rep squats are awesome cardio!
@@Kboges hell yeah I'm glad u agree. I def think it's cardio. 👍
Due to scoliosis being an issue. Bilateral loaded exercises for lowerbody always gave me back issues and imbalances development and I had always discounted the prisoner squats, cause hey, it's just bodyweight right? NOPE, added in 5 sets of prisoner squats to form failure and boy did that kill.
Right?! They are so underrated. They absolutely fry the legs!
I have been inspired by this to do squats every day, will be two months in about a week, thank you for sharing your conviction with us!
Yes I'm glad I found your channel. I'm built just like you and do not like heavy weights. I'm 42 and am mindful of saving my joints. Most other channels are just workouts for stiff bulked out meat heads. Great info very practical
Thank you Phillip! I appreciate the support. Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions!
Squats are the most important movement in calisthenics. However, I don’t get much increase in value out of doing more than 25 reps in a set. I grab dumbbells and add up to 110 pounds on my shoulders. My dumbbells balance nicely on my shoulders. I like to keep reps at 12-15.
Hey Jake! I appreciate you sharing your experience! Weighting the reps definitely provides an additional level of intensity and is incredibly productive. I totally get where you are coming from. Personally, I really enjoy training super high reps with legs. Just an anecdote... but I have noticed really good overall conditioning benefits from high rep squats. The first was after running stairs. I had a stair workout that used to absolutely kick my butt and fry my legs. I didn't do it for about 6 months and just did high rep squats and when I revisited the stair workout, I was shocked that it was ever challenging to begin with. My legs felt incredibly durable and fatigue resistant. The other situation was running a 1.5 mile vo2max test during school, when I hadn't been doing any running, but just LOADS of high rep squat sets, and this was enough to maintain a respectable amount of running endurance. That all being said, high rep leg training works really well for my specific goals, but I totally recommend weighting them (I do them with a weight vest too) for people that want more strength adaptations and don't want to explore other options, like sissy squats or pistols. No doubt weighting them is much more time efficient as well.
@@Kboges ...Similar experience here. If I squat a lot, I maintain decent fitness in all other athletic activities I do (running, skateboarding, snowboarding, rope jumping, and even swimming). And yes, I add weight partially because I am NOT motivated to do weird movements like pistol squats and sissy squats. There is just something about normal squats that is easy to make a habit after the form is right. Also, my legs are naturally toothpicks, and squats are my only exercise for adding some beef down there. The added weight helps my legs look and feel more substantial.
@@jakemccoy yeah your reasoning here is spot on!
Squats are the most important movement period. 25's not enough. You need to be doing 500+ at 3 mns. or less per 100, and you'll see benefits in everything.
@@oldnatty61 Yeah, high rep squats are really powerful! I'm also a big fan of high rep walking lunges.
I do squats and pushups all day long not just for the exercise but to keep my blood flowing (and precent heart from decaying lol) while working at a desk for long hours. What amazed me the most was how much it positively changed my physique. I don't care what some of those high-tech sports trainers says....simply doing tons of bodyweight movements works. and p.s. I now must do a set of 525 just because lol
A few weeks ago I did 250 in one set, and the soreness lasted around 8 days(of normal weight training), and I have to say that I never felt more connected to my quads than after that one set, it's like my mind found out there are some muscles it could use, and with that gigantic soreness, I still got some rep PRs for the prescribed weight. I will definitely find a way to include high rep bodyweight work for both lower and upper body in my training because I find it helps a lot with mobility issues and day to day tasks(i.e: I feel lighter on my feet, move better, can pick things up easier).
I don’t know what is it about you but you inspire me to actually apply your advices into practice. I just followed your advice and did full body squats throughout your video (I was listening as you’re speaking so I lost the count.) At some point I just want kept going (even thought your legs are burning) because I knew if I did stop - that was it. Lol. Bottom line - your educational and inspiring videos help me in my fitness journey. Thank you. God bless and keep up the good work.
Writing this the day after I beat my old record of 570 high rep bodyweight squats. I ended up getting 2420, four and 1/4 times the old record (NB. I don't train legs seriously only do cycling to get to the park and a lil high rep squats around once per weak starting around 2-3months before). Had some more in me but decided to save some energy to pedal about 2 miles home. Thing is I only set out to get to 650 after not even wanting to go as it was cold and I had sub optimal sleep but still deciding to push forward and show up to a competition I initiated, but after winning the competition against some track guys who went to 300 and 400 respectively I decided to push it. I listened to David Goggin's advice about thinking about the next step not the big number which is basically chunking willpower and ended up with this record that I'm honestly extremely proud of. It took me around 2 hrs 25 mins. And around 1000 it felt like a switch came on and I couldn't stop pushing and it felt easier. Honestly i think most of us are holding ourselves back with the stories we tell ourselves about our capabilities. Its a mental game.
I'm almost 75 , I just started yesterday ( 7/11/22 ) and did 3 sets of 5 , will keep you posted on my progress !!!! Thanks 😊
Very proud of you. We’re all gonna make it!
@@lucaskasssab4543 , yes we are , I just did 3 sets of 5 , 6 , and 11 , yahoo, only my second DAY !!!
Quick questions:
- Every day?? :-)
- How low should you go?
- What counts as “good technique”?
- How fast do you squat? I find if I go slower then I can connect to the glutes more, otherwise I just seem to somehow swing through them and put a lot of stress on my knees and the ligaments around them.
Great motivation, thank you very much!
You can work up to doing them daily. It fits some exercise schemes. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re doing serious muscle building (weighed squats). But for anyone else, it’s like climbing a lot of stairs-completely fine to do daily.
I’ve been doing daily squats (but not 525!) for several months now and it feels normal.
Thank youbfor the inspiration and recommendations.
Do you ever rais your arms out in front at 90° ? That is part of the nitric oxide dump/workout. I love it
PEACE
Yours was the channel I was searching for! 🌞
Subscribed, cheers.
Spent several months doing 100push, 100sq, 100leg raises , 10pull every hour 10-12 times a day 5xweekly.
In the army I'd do 10push variations x100, 10sq variations x100, 10core and back variations x100 daily after work so 5xweekly.
Those were both very high reps and frequency.
Now I do 7calisthenic x100 daily (pull-up, push up,sq,leg raise,crunch, windmill,dips) 6xweekly + 2free weight day(bench,sq,ohp,deadlift) 2kettlebell day (7movements x100)and 2machine circuit days(press,pull down,leg extension,bent row, fly)
Week and a half left in current cycle. Then a well deserved break but even recovery weeks still have calisthenics. High volume is the way to go always new challenges.
Sorry for long post, but great video.
Impressive!!! Have you ever suffered any injury, or soreness, in the piriformis, after doing this volume so regularly?
I imagine, good form is essential, especially when doing high reps
Wow! This was very helpful! My legs are weak, my ankles and shin hurts whenever i do some athletics. Ima definitely try this out!
Try it out. Just take it slow and give your body time to adapt.
@@Kboges I've watched soo many of your videos and i appreciate the information! Soo useful! God bless
@@prosperity144 Thank you!
Check out knees over toes guy if your shins hurt
@@circumcisionismurder7415 Spot on. He knows his stuff!
RIC Flair said he did 500 squats a day, everyday of his life.
BEAST!
Infact many great wrestlers have done stuff like that, it's very common among Indian wrestlers to do 500-1000 reps of sqauts and pushups everyday!
@@vikaschauhan687 Spot on! I find Indian wrestlers to be very inspirational.
Just started this today.
I am a 40 year old martial artist and was looking for something low impact to hit my cardio that was harder than walking but easier than jump rope.
Did 140 reps in 5 sets with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Feels good and about on par with the cardio effect of 3 minute jump rope sets.
I started noticing that my inner thighs were getting pretty beefy with high-volume squats, to the point they started rubbing together when I walk, giving blisters unless I wear tight underwear. Overall not pleasant for me, so I switched to a version that targets primarily the bottom of the quads where they join the knee. I just perform squats while standing on toes (the whole forefoot) without letting the heel hit the ground (which activates the glutes and inner thigh muscles more). Also, I keep the range of motion on the bottom 3/4 of the movement, that is, from a quarter squat down to full squat (knees will come over the toes when you squat on your toes, that's OK), and then back to the quarter squat. There is never a release of tension because we are standing all the way where there is no longer tension on the quads. Keep the tight range and tension, then go for time (1 minute or more), not reps. Trust me, you will be tested and this variation gives a great stretch to the quads from the bottom insertion, the place where they are usually weaker. If anyone is gonna try this variation, please use your own judgement. This variation puts greater stress on the ligaments on and above the knee. Make sure you have a baseline level of knee health, (through normal squats) before attempting.
I love how you do the 25 extra. Serious mental toughness right there.
Thanks, brother!
I just started doing squats yesterday! Im doing 5 sets of 5 and each week i add a single rep to each set! Is that good?
Good to hear!!
Yes. For a beginner, this is a great place to start. Take it slow, and give yourself time to adjust.
You did 525 squats in less then 6 minutes? I started the program with 5 sets of 10 push-ups, 10 assisted pull-ups and 15 squats for each set. I picked 5 sets as I have 5 breaks at work. Week one complete. Thanks for the videos.
Hahaha no they were sped up.
This video reminded me to start doing 100 squats a day again, everytime I stop some force in this universe is going to tell the TH-cam algorithm to put this in my reccommended
Was looking forward to seeing that sick leg pump
I'll revisit this in the future. I've been building up to more volume so I might be able to show a cool quad pump a few videos down the road.
Dont waste your time doing very high reps..nothing beats heavy 3 sets of 5 with progressive overload.when you do bodyweight squats there is no fear.. a heavy barbell on your back will give you fear but if you can conquer it ..your mind is bulletproof..as for conditioning..i go outside and ride my bike through steep Road..when I get home my quads and glutes are exhausted..the weighted squat is the king of all leg exercises and nothing can match it
Yeah barbell squats are the single best way to build leg strength. However, there is always a tradeoff with any exercise modality. As you add more and more weight, your risk of injury increases. When I was back squatting, my conditioning SUCKED! Hiking, running, stair sprints, long backpacks, even swimming etc. were all horrendous compared to where they are now. Plus I had chronic low back pain and tingling in my left foot from a bulged disc. After getting good at BW squats, I couldn't believe how much more fatigue resistant I was, how much more durable and stable my legs felt. Sets of 5 barbell squats provide a completely different adaptation than high rep BW squats. One isn't better or worse, they are different. Pick the one that makes sense for you.
I just turned 88 and I have been doing body weight squats ever since my lower back flared up 45 years ago. No back issues and I can get in and out of my corvette and walk up stairs. That’s what exercise is all about, keeping our physical vehicle mobile.
3 x 3 then 20 reps
@@lightworker4512 SPOT ON! This is such a great comment. Exactly what I'm talking about. Thank you for that.
Very interesting!
1) Will squats help when I have pain in the knee or it makes things worse?
2) Does squats train harmstrings? Can I use it as my only excersise for legs (except walking or running)?
1) It really depends. With injuries or joint pain, get it checked out by a doc or a sports PT before hammering out a bunch of squats
2) Not in the same way they train the quads. Hill sprints, bridges, hanging leg curls, will train the hamstrings pretty effectively.
@@Kboges Thank you!
@@dimitnone6795 My pleasure!
@@dimitnone6795 also nordics GHRs.
1. Yes, they will make things worse. If you have bow legs, flat feet or conditions in your knee / hip joints such as damaged cartilage or bad patella tracking you'll just get more damage. Not everyone is built for high volume workouts - those tennis elbows and runner's knees don't grow on trees.
2. Hamstrings are used for stabilization in the exercise, but are not directly trained.
Are squats alone enough for legs? I’ve seen people say it doesn’t activate the hamstrings much what do you think about this?
Legs are made for squatting, running and jumping. To train your hamstrings you should do sprints and runs.
I'm 68... had 5 leg cancer surgeries... this is great for slightly disabled me.. ...
Very minimalistic, I was looking for something like this to add to my kettlebell morning routine.