Firm, muscular, round, full buttocks? If you don't have them naturally, it takes some discipline and perseverance. Yvette took on the thirty day squat challenge to see what it does for her.
Okay, squats every day for thirty days to do. Oof. How do I approach that, what is feasible, and what is the best way to do this? I have no idea so I consult one of the personal trainers at my Shape All In gym in Amsterdam:Levi Graham. When I ask him for a plan of action, he wants to see with how much ease – or discomfort – I can do my squats do, to determine what a suitable schedule is for me.
Not as easy as I thought
I've only done two squats and I'm already being told I'm not doing them right. That is promising! I have to keep my back straight, my knees move more towards my feet, and deeper squats † After five squats, Levi thinks I'm still not going low enough, and slides a chair under my bum. “Sit down,” he says. And just before I sit down, he says; “And now up!” Aha. That does indeed feel different from how I did it before. "Okay, so from now on you will just squat with a chair, that will be much better." Great.
After that I get some general instructions from Levi
Getting started
Then I get my 'beginner schedule'. I start with twenty squats a day, and build up slowly. Day two I do twenty-five, day three thirty. And every fourth day is a rest day. That's fine! Apple egg!
In between I also take a body shape class at my gym where we also do squats, and the next day I have some mild muscle pain. But everything is going well. The following week the number is increased and it becomes a bit more difficult to keep up, because I am going to Madrid for a week.
Then the schedule starts to require discipline. Immediately after getting up I squat back and forth above a chair. I'm on day nine and have to do sixty squats, the day after sixty-five, the day after seventy. It's sweltering hot in Madrid, I'm sweating carrots and I also have a snooper walking around in the room, which I try in vain to send away. Annoying! In between, Levi texts me furiously to check if I'm still doing something. 'How are you? Fine! I am mainly eating and drinking a lot here, but I squat I'll be there!', I text back.
The end of the challenge
In the third week I get my period, I am sick of stomach cramps and I am disabled for three days. I do zero squats when I should be doing a hundred and twenty. I'm bummed, but it's force majeure. In the last week I pick it up again, and suddenly I hit the hundred and thirty squats. Yay! I have muscle pain in my buttocks and also some pain in my knees. But I made it! Even though I don't immediately see a difference, I still have the idea that my buttocks have become firmer. The challenge is over, Levi is proud of me, and I'm going to try and see if I can keep up with that squat a little longer – but then just twenty-five a day, because then I'll find more than enough
Text:Yvette Bax | Image:Shutterstock
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