They Did 100 Squats Every Day for 30 Days, Here’s What Happened

If you think one leg day is bad enough, imagine doing 30 in a row. That’s exactly what fitness YouTuber Stan Browney did for one of his notorious challenges.

He and four friends decided to go up against each other to see who could make the most gains in a month. To make things more interesting, the person with the least progress would have to wear chicken socks and be forever known as "Chicken Legs" — so the stakes were high.

Rules of the Challenge

The rules were simple but demanding: Each participant had to complete 100 squats every day for 30 days. They could use any weight they were comfortable with, as long as it still challenged them.

Skipping a day meant facing a forfeit decided by rolling a die and multiplying by the number of skipped days. So, skipping two days and rolling a three would be punished with 600 squats. Yikes.

Pre-challenge stats

With their stats recorded and the challenge rules set, it was time to see if 100 squats a day could really make a difference.

First 10 Days

The group started the challenge in high spirits, though some soreness quickly set in. For Stan, the early stages of the challenge were even more difficult — he was travelling to Japan and had to complete his squats on the plane. Not ideal.

Sten, the least experienced with squats, struggled but remained motivated. Meanwhile Arjen, recovering from a biceps injury, was doing well and no longer needed support for his arm.

By the end of the first third of the challenge, progress was already showing, and most of the group started increasing their weights.

However, Arjen fell ill and had to skip a day due to weakness. Soon after, Jorg forgot to do his squats, also missing a day. Their punishment was to be decided at the end of the challenge.

Road to Day 20

Jorg didn’t have the best start to this stage of the challenge — he caught Arjen’s illness and had to skip two more days. Meanwhile, the rest of the group remained on track.

Except for Stan. Another long-haul flight meant another round of squats in an airplane toilet — a task he hadn’t anticipated doing when signing up for the challenge, let alone twice!

On day 15, the group met up to check in on their progress. Jorg had now skipped three days, while Arjen had missed two. They explained their reasons, and the group showed sympathy and reduced their punishments, cutting their missed days to one each due to sickness.

At this point, there wasn’t much visible change in their legs, but they all agreed their strength had improved significantly.

But by day 20, Arjen started noticing his legs looked fuller and more defined. Meanwhile, Stan became the next to fall ill. But unlike the others, he pushed through.

The Final 10 Days

With the finish line in sight, the group doubled down on their efforts. Each increased their squat weights to ensure they weren’t the one stuck wearing the chicken socks.

Sten, in particular, was proud of his progress. His bodyweight squats now felt effortless — “like air” in his words — and he noticed a huge boost in stamina over the span of the challenge.

Days 28 and 29 proved awkward for Stan and Jorg, who were at a theme park. But instead of skipping their squats, they improvised — doing them while waiting in line for rides. Unusual? Definitely. Effective? Absolutely.

Day 30 – Final Rankings, Forfeits, & Chicken Legs

With the challenge completed, the group gathered to share their experiences and predict who had made the most and least gains.

Sten: "Overall I think it went fine. It wasn’t necessarily the hardest I’ve done since it’s such a quick workout to do."

Jorg: "This one was the nicest challenge I’ve done, for sure."

Arjen: "I didn’t really like the challenge. My legs hurt all the time and half of the challenge I was sick. I’m sick of squats now."

Predictions:

With the predictions in, it was time for actual measurements.

Final Rankings:

The Loser? With the least gains at just 1.5cm overall, Stan officially earned the "Chicken Legs" title. He wasn’t thrilled about it, but rules are rules.

Jorg and Arjen still had skipped days to atone for. It was time for the die to decide their fates. Jorg rolled a three, meaning a 300-squat punishment, while Arjen rolled a six, meaning 1,200 squats. Bad luck, boys.