How Many Squats Should I Do A Day?

If you are looking to fill out your jeans with some great squatting exercises, then we would recommend that you continue reading this article.

Squatting is one of the best things you can do to not only get better leg muscles but to improve your agility as well as your balance and core strength.

But you might have heard from various fitness enthusiasts that you might be doing too many squats or too few.

When you are getting into the noble art of squatting, you might have been told that you are squatting too much. This is easily done, as you might want to overextend yourself, which could lead to injury.

It will certainly help you to develop a plan, starting with a decent level of squatting before increasing the number of squats and reps that you do overtime.

How Many Squats Should I Do A Day?

Squats are complicated to perform when you first start, but eventually, they will get a lot easier and you can up the amount of exercise that you do.

So how exactly can you build a solid foundation for your legs? What is the optimum number of squats that you need to do when you are first starting and for when you have been squatting for a while? How can you increase your squatting levels and where is a healthy place to aim for?

Well, if you are an avid fitness fan or you are just getting off your couch, then we would suggest that you keep reading. We have everything that you need to know about squatting, including the various types of squats, as well as an exercise program for increased squatting.

How Many Squats Should You Do A Day?

If you are just beginning squatting, then we would recommend that you start with around 3 reps of 12-15 squats with a minute resting time in between. This will build the muscles in your legs sufficiently enough to form a foundation with which to increase those squats.


When you are squatting, we would recommend that you start with the basic squat forest so that you can master the basics.

Then when you feel like you are ready, you can graduate up to the next level of squatting, performing more complex squats that will target different muscles in your legs.

Feeling sore after exercising is normal but you don't have to be scared. There are several ways how to get rid of sore legs from squats and help your muscles recover faster.

Here’s a little guide to help you get started with your squatting, which will be perfect if you are looking for a premium level of squatting.

How To Start Squatting

There are a few variations of the classic squat that you might want to try, whether it involves your legs curving in different directions or squats that place your legs as far apart as possible.

We would recommend that you try as many of these squats as possible when you progress beyond the basic level.

The Types Of Squat

Here are a few of the different types of squats and what you can do to perform them adequately.

Basic Squat

This is the standard squat that you might have seen already. It involves bending your knees and lowering your torso down until your bottom is almost touching the floor.

You then raise yourself up in the same direction as you came down. You should make sure that you are not holding any railings as you come down.

Remember to maintain a proper form with this squat. Have your legs at shoulder-width apart and make sure that your arms are either at your side or straight out in front of you.

Once you have progressed beyond this squat, then below are a few different squats that you can try that will really test the strength of your legs and get those little-known muscles in your thighs and calves working.

Curtsy Squat

This next one resembles the classic curtsy that you might see at a Victorian barn dance. You’ll need to make sure once again that you are starting with a proper form with your legs shoulder-width apart and your arms either at your side or out in front of you.

You should not use your arms for support at any point. You should take one leg and cross it behind the other.

This will give you enough leverage to push yourself up off the ground, working the muscles that are on the inner thigh.

Split Squats

This comes with a kind of lunge stance, with you thrusting one leg forward and putting pressure on the back of the leg.

This will work the glutes of the back leg and really work the hamstrings of the other leg. We would certainly recommend that you switch up these legs to develop an extreme workout.

We would recommend keeping your arms on your hips and tensing your legs as well as your core for stability.

This is a great exercise for developing your core and improving your general balance. We would certainly suggest that you try these in conjunction with the basic squats to really develop those leg muscles.

Goblet Squats

This will require a few dumbbells, holding the weight in front of you as you squat down to the floor. Have your hands cupped and then drop down to the floor. 

This is very hard to do without having already tried the other squats, so do not attempt this until you’ve reached a more advanced level.

How To Increase Your Squat Levels

One method of increasing the amount that you can lift is by attempting the 30-day squat challenge. This is where you commit to doing 30 days of 12-15 squats in 3 reps.

After just 30 days of these, you will no doubt notice a lot more definition and strength in your upper thighs and calves.

You should always remember to do at least 5 minutes of cardio warmup and 10 minutes of cooling down before and after every squatting exercise.

Kevin Harris