How many squats should I do a day?

For general fitness, 50 to 100 bodyweight squats spread over the day is plenty. If you're after strength or muscle, you're better off doing 3 sets of 10 to 20 on three or four days a week and making them harder over time. There's no magic daily number.

A "100 squats a day" challenge isn't dangerous for most people, but it's not especially effective after the first few weeks. Your legs adapt, and 100 easy reps stop being a real stimulus.

Start with what's reasonable

If you're new to squatting:

1. Begin with 2 sets of 10 and see how your knees and hips feel the next day
2. Add a set or a few reps each week
3. Rest a day between sessions at first
4. Work toward 3 sets of 15 to 20 with good depth

Quality beats quantity. Go down until your thighs are about parallel or lower if you can do it without pain, keep your heels down and your knees tracking over your toes.

Once bodyweight gets easy

Fifty or more squats a session usually means it's too easy to build much. Rather than doing more reps, make them harder:

• Slow the lowering phase to 3 or 4 seconds
• Pause at the bottom
• Hold a backpack or dumbbell at your chest
• Try split squats or step-ups, which load one leg at a time
• Move on to barbell squats if you have access to a gym

Doing them every day

Daily squats are okay if the volume is modest and you feel fine. If your knees or hips ache, take a break. Muscles need rest days to grow, and sore legs from heavy sets are a signal to skip, not to push through. Is it okay to work out every day goes into that.

If you want to see whether your squats are improving, League of Fitness has a 60-second squat race against a real opponent, with the phone camera counting reps, and Max mode for a solo personal best. Since it's only a minute, it works as a retest rather than another daily dose.

What squats won't do

They won't spot-reduce fat from your thighs or hips. They build leg and glute muscle and help with daily movement, but where fat comes off your body is mostly decided by genetics. If you want to strengthen your glutes, there's more in best exercises for glutes.

If you have knee pain, a past injury or a medical condition that affects your joints, check with a doctor or physical therapist before starting a daily squat routine.