A client brought it to my attention that Young Lives vs Cancer are challenging people to do 100 squats a day throughout November. I think this is a great idea as a fundraiser and as a tool for health improvement.
I was thinking it would be interesting to take on another squat challenge before and after their one so I could see what difference a month of 100 squats a day would make on my performance.
I have decided that the Sally Up Squat Challenge is going to be my reference challenge and the 100 Squats a day will be the training challenge.
I tried the Sally Up Challenge a couple of weeks ago just with my own bodyweight and completed it okay, I felt it, but I managed to complete it without too much drama, so for this little experiment I am trying it holding two 12kg kettlebells.
I completed the first attempt with the extra 24kg but there was definitely a bit of effort involved. I would love to say it was a breeze but it wasn’t so I’ll go through my excuses so I can save face in front of all the folk who used to know me as Fit Malkie; I have a knee injury, I’m in my fifties, I haven’t had the time to train like I used to… yada yada yada… but at the end of the day though, I just haven’t been putting the effort in that I used to.
However, all is not lost, I have started working on the Fundamental of Fitness over the past few months and slowly but surely I’m seeing consistent improvement; I’m going from skinny fat and feeling pretty weak to having a little bit of muscle, looking a bit more toned, and feeling a bit stronger. The aim for 2024 was to get the fundamentals in place for a good foundation of fitness, then build up the fitness in 2025 to a decent level so I can get back to some bigger adventures, races, and competitions.
This is attempt 1 (before the 100 squats a day challenge).
If you want to improve your health and fitness, start slowly and build up; challenge yourself enough to stimulate growth but not too much that the risk of injury is too high. The main thing is: do something… and be consistent.
If you fancy raising funds for Young Lives vs Cancer details and link are shown below.
Join thousands of supporters taking on the 1500 Squats Challenge this November for Young Lives vs Cancer. They are squatting 1500 times between 1-30 November to raise money to support children and young people with cancer.
