As a fitness editor, there’s nothing I love more than a deep dive into a workout—the next step on my list of weird and wonderful challenges: squats. The cup squat is a full-body exercise that strengthens your quadriceps, glutes, leg muscles, core, and arm strength as you will use one of The best adjustable dumbbells, or kettlebell while in motion. But what would happen if I did 100 daily for a week? Read on to find out more.
Needless to say, 100 reps for anything is a lot. If you’re new to exercise, or are returning to exercise after an injury, it’s a good idea to talk to a personal trainer or doctor before taking on the challenge of an exercise. You also want to make sure you’re moving with the correct form to avoid putting yourself at risk of injury.
How to do a cup squat
A cup squat is the same as a regular squat, but with the addition of a heavier weight, held in front of your chest. To perform a squat, get into a normal squat position — with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with your core engaged. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell to your chest, and hold it in both hands, like a cup. Brace your midsection and sit back down into your heels, keeping your chest up. Drive through your heels to rise back to the starting position.
When choosing a weight that’s right for you, find one that feels challenging through the last few reps, but not impossible, or like you have to compromise your form to finish your reps. It’s always a good idea to start with a lower weight, and then increase it as you go.
I squatted every day for a week – that’s what I learned
This move worked my abs and core
This is definitely an exercise that will give you a lot of bang for your buck. After my first few days of 100 reps, I felt endless squats in my glutes, hamstrings, and core. During this movement, since the weight is on the front of your body, your core has to work hard to keep your body stable.
A strong core is much more than an aesthetic goal—it can help you lift weights, run faster, and sit in better posture. It can also help protect your spine from injury and reduce lower back pain. If visible abs are your goal, then infinite squats won’t achieve it — instead, you’ll need to reach a low body fat percentage. here How do you calculate body fat percentageAnd why is it important.
It is very different from the sumo squat
I often tend to stick to sumo squats for my lower body exercises, as I find they work harder on my legs. After a few days of squatting, I found that adding weights completely transformed this otherwise simple-looking movement. At the beginning of the week, I grabbed a 15-pound dumbbell and squatted, and as the week went on, I tried to increase the weight a little each day, even if it was for my last set of 25 squats.
Compared to a barbell squat, I found that by holding the weight against my chest allowed me to sink a little bit into the squat, which made my muscles work harder.
It was easy to up the ante
In addition to increasing the weight of the dumbbells used, it was easier to lift before this move by moving slower. On the fourth day, when my squats started to get boring, I would squat for four seconds, then rise again for one. My personal trainer friend told me this has helped me increase my time under tension, which in turn will help me work my muscles harder.
If cup squats are too difficult, you can simply lower the weight.
I found that lifting my heels gave me more range of motion
As a runner, and someone who spends a lot of time sitting behind a laptop, I have incredibly tight muscles. As a result, I find it difficult to sit low in a squatting position. To help, I lift my heels off the ground on a weight plate. It allowed me to sit down a lot more, and work my legs a little harder—I wished I hadn’t found this modification on day five, because it really transformed the movement.
Of course, a week is not long enough to build muscle or make any visible changes in your body. That said, on days when I added cup squats to my pre-run warm-up, I found it easier to engage my muscles while running—something that, like a lot of runners, I struggle with. I will definitely be adding these to my leg day routine in the future, not just 700 of them!
Looking for more workout inspiration? here How to build your legs and glutes with a set of dumbbellsIn addition to The 7-Move Kettlebell Workout helps you build bigger legs.
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