The Deep Squat “Hold” Challenge

Join us for this 21-day challenge

The long coveted achievement ability, the ability to hold a deep squat. For many our relationship with the squat is shaky to say the least. Most of us cannot perform a basic deep squat and for those of us who can, its not an easy position to hold for long. Its gotten so bad that many of us experience so much pain and discomfort when we attempt to squat, that we either avoid it all together or we do some work around movement that doesn't deal directly with the issue.

Much has been written in the most recent years about the naturalness about being able to rest in a deep squat position and in many cultures this is still very much true. So we won't spend too much time here discussing why we need to squat more, rather we are just putting out a 21-day challenge to just get going at it.

But you can check out a podcast episode of RevFit Radio where we talked all about squats and their importance for human health.

This is not a challenge to see how many squats you can do a day or how many variations you can create to look cool on social media. In fact this is a challenge focused on simply holding the deep squat position every day for 21 days. Our hope is that people go through the 21-days, gain more control and comfort in the position and change their overall relationship with the position. So here is how it works

HOW SHOULD MY SQUAT LOOK?
There are tons of variations of squats but for this particular challenge we are calling for a squat where your feet are spread shoulder width distance, toes pointing relatively forward, feet fully planted, knees tracking with toes, back upright, spine neutral, and shins as vertical as possible.

HOW DO I START?
Take a picture of your deepest, best quality free standing deep squat today and post it on social media (Instagram ideally)using the hashtag #deepsquatchallenge. This will commit you to the challenge and hold you socially accountable (don't be scared lol). The challenge is 21-days long and will officially start on October 11th and run us to October 31st, but you can join us at any point if you don't see this in time.

HOW CAN I SQUAT?
Outside of how your squat should look, here are the four approved variations. Always use the most challenging variation that you can hold with good form.

1. Free-standing deep squat

   This is ideally where we can all work towards. Remember the cues mentioned earlier in this piece and avoid, caving knees, heels raising, excessive forward lean, rounding of the back and so on. Remember we should be all be working towards this ideal rest position, its possible with some commitment.
   
   

2. Assisted squat

   For many of us, this is going to be a great option to start with. An assisted squat can be done with a pole, ledge, door frame, really anything that you can get the needed support from to get in the deep squat. Grab it with two or hands and eventually just one and bring yourself down into a nice deep squat.
   
   Here are some tips from our good friend Kellen Milad on how to hold a proper assisted squat.

3. "Heels lifted" squat

   A whole lot of folks are dealing with chronically tight ankles and calves. This mobility/stability issue can really limit our ability to get into the deep squat position that we desire. As we are correcting this limitation, we can ease into our deep squat by raising our heels on some kind of firm surface (we advise something that is 3" or less in height).
   
   

4. Goblet Squat

   You might initially think, why would I add weight to a resting deep squat isn't that going to exhaust me? And yes while you will need to be a little stronger for this variation, the weighted object actually acts as a counter balance and can help you reach deeper into your deep squat. When selecting an object make sure it is atleast 15% of your body weigh give or take.
   

HOW LONG DO I SQUAT FOR?
The challenge is calling for you to hold the deep squat EVERYDAY for 10 mins. If you can't hold a free standing squat for 10 mins straight yet, here is the weekly 3-week progression we suggest.

Week 1 - 5 rounds of 2 minute holds (in most challenging deep squat variation)

Week 2 - 2 rounds of 5 minute holds (in most challenging deep squat variation)

Week 3 - 10 minute hold (in most challenging deep squat variation)

WHAT DO I WIN?
A greater quality of lift, more mobility, strength in your ankles, knees, hips and the whole of the lower extremity. And also for those who post a picture of them holding their squat each day on social media (Instagram ideally) using the hashtag #deepsquatchallenge we will show you some love on our main social media pages and also have a nice surprise gift that we will announce in the final few days of the challenge.

We hope you can move (or rather hold) with us over the next three weeks. Let's Move Together!