Now that the first weekly challenge is finished, it’s time for the second one.

Challenge #2: 5 sets of 25 SQUATS with 20 seconds rest in between sets. Have a timer, watch or clock handy.

Shame on you if you actually thought the challenge would be to sit in a chair. You don’t need a challenge to do that.

Why: Because squats are great for strength training and you don’t need a gym to do it! You can do it at home while you’re watching TV, you can do it at work on your lunch break, you can do it ANYWHERE. Squats target your quadriceps, your glutes and hamstring. The bigger the muscle group you target, the more calories you burn. The reason why your quads are called quads is because it is a group of four muscles that sit on the front of your legs. FOUR MUSCLES.

In order to get strong quads, you need to strengthen your hamstring as well (reflexive muscle groups). Your hamstring are on the back of your legs, connecting to your butt. Now why is working your glutes important? Because your hamstring connects to it. So you need a strong butt to have strong legs. Besides, who doesn’t want a firm butt? In short, a squat targets THREE huge body parts.

How to properly squat: The challenge is called Sit in a Chair because that’s how you’re supposed to squat. It’s the same type of motion. Feet shoulder distance apart, you stick your butt out and sit back, like you’re sitting in a chair. Make sure your knees do not go past your toes, and at the final position of the squat, your knees should form roughly a 90 degree angle. During the squat, stick your arms out in front of you for balance.

If you don’t squat often, I would recommend doing this in front of a mirror with a chair behind you. Go with the sitting motion, but don’t let your butt actually touch the chair. Practice a few times and you’re ready!

Duration: Challenge will run from Sunday, March 14 to Saturday, March 20. You should try to do the challenge 6 out of the 7 days.

Feel free to post your daily progress in the comments. If you’re finding this challenge too easy, up the reps to 30 or 40. Finding it too difficult? Do 10 reps per set. Challenge yourself but don’t kill yourself.

Hope you guys join me!

As you may know, I’ve created weekly challenges for myself in order to force myself to exercise and get into better shape (plus train for the 5K I’m running in April and May). So this week’s challenge was to run a 5K every day, for 6 out of the 7 days. I started last Sunday and finished yesterday.

I am freaking tired.

I didn’t realize running every day would be so draining, but it really is. Some days were easier than others. Out of the 6 days, I ran 4 of them straight through. Yesterday, the last day, was a partial run, partial walk, but I finished in about the same time as my other 5Ks because I ran at a faster pace, especially the last mile. But man, my legs are sore. They feel burnt out.

But I am impressed with myself.

I used to think I wouldn’t be able to run a 5K until my birthday. WAY underestimated myself. Since last Thursday, I’ve ran a 5K every day. That’s 10 straight days of running roughly 3.10 miles. That’s 31 miles. And when I put it like that, I feel accomplished. It’s a great feeling. I’ve been planning with a few friends to register for a 5K in May that benefits UCLA Mattel Children’s Cancer Program and there’s a 5K in April that I’ll most likely run with my dad if he doesn’t flake. It’ll be great getting some real races under my belt.

So what next?

Weekly challenges exist on a weekly basis! Just because THIS one is done doesn’t mean there isn’t another one! I will post the next challenge later tonight (we lose an hour, boo!) so keep checking back. The next one requires no gym membership and can be done while watching your favorite TV shows or during breaks in your office. Hope you’ll join me!

Challenge #1: Complete.