Reps30-day squat challenge: four weeks from 15 to 45 clean reps
Quick answer
Instead of adding 10 rushed half-squats every day until your knees ache, build across four 8-day stages: Week 1 focuses on full depth (3 sets of 12 in 30-second rounds), Week 2 adds a steady tempo beat, Week 3 extends rounds to 40–45 seconds, and Week 4 tests a single 60-second boss round of 35–45 reps.
Why most 30-day squat charts fail
Paper squat charts usually start at 50 reps on Day 1 and climb to 250 by Day 30. By the second week, most people cut their depth in half just to hit the number. Thirty clean squats where your hips sink low and you stand all the way up do more for your legs than a hundred shallow knee bends.
The 4-week plan
Follow the four worlds of the Squats campaign in Reps Race. Rest 60 seconds between sets, and take one lighter day after every 8th day (the boss round).
Days 1–8 · Foundations
3 × 10–15 reps · 30 s roundsStand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Sit your hips back and down until your thighs tip past 65 degrees from upright, then drive through your mid-foot to stand tall. Day 8 checkpoint: 18 squats in 60 seconds.
Days 9–16 · Tempo Town
3 × 15–20 reps · 35 s roundsKeep the exact same bottom depth, now on a steady rhythm: about one squat every two seconds, with no long pause at the top. Day 16 checkpoint: 24 squats in 60 seconds.
Days 17–24 · Endurance Road
3 × 20–25 reps · 40 s roundsLonger sets where breathing matters. Inhale on the way down, exhale as you drive up, and keep your chest proud so a tired forward bend doesn't spoil the rep. Day 24 checkpoint: 30 squats in 60 seconds.
Days 25–30 · Iron Legs
3 × 25–30 reps · 45 s roundsFull-length 45-second rounds at top pace, finishing on Day 30 with a single 60-second boss test: aim for 35 reps for 1 star, 44 for 2 stars, or 53 for 3 stars.
How Hop counts a clean squat
When you prop up your phone at hip or chest height, Reps Race runs an on-device pose model and checks four rules before counting a rep:
- Stand side-on to the camera: you first face the phone so Hop sees your full height, then turn sideways so your hip and knee travel is clear.
- Thigh tilt past 65°: a rep reaches the bottom when your thigh (hip to knee) tilts past 65 degrees from upright, and your other thigh tilts past 50 degrees (so a lunge doesn't count as a squat).
- Chest up, torso under 75°: bending at the waist to touch the floor or pick something up leans your torso past 75 degrees and cancels the rep.
- Stand tall under 20°: the rep counts at the top once both thighs return within 20 degrees of upright. Pulse reps at the bottom won't tick the counter.
Make it harder next week
Once you finish all 32 levels of the Squats map, switch your daily quest size in Me › Quest size from Normal to Beast (×1.5), or race your own best ghost run to beat your 60-second personal record.
Train safely
Not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting a new exercise program. Warm up, clear the space around you, and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness or shortness of breath. If you have a health condition or an injury, or are pregnant, ask your doctor which moves suit you.
Questions
Why does Hop ask me to turn sideways for squats?
Seen from the front, a camera has to guess your knee angle from your ankles, and leaning forward can look like a squat. Side-on, Hop reads the tilt of your thigh from hip to knee directly, so only real depth counts.
Why did Hop say "Lower!" on my rep?
Your thigh tipped partway down (more than halfway to the target depth) and stood back up before passing 65 degrees from upright. Drop your hips a little lower next rep and stand all the way tall at the top.
Do my feet need to stay inside the camera frame?
During initial setup, Hop checks from head to feet so you start far enough back. Once the countdown ends, only your head, hips and knees must stay in view.
What if the daily target feels too high or too easy?
Open Me and change Quest size between Easy (0.5x), Normal (1x) and Beast (1.5x). The new target takes effect the next day.