Challenge: How long can you hold a Wall Squat for?
I have a challenge for you. I'm going to be getting my clients to take up the challenge too. Are you up for it?
This month I want to see how long you can hold a wall squat for. It's a super simple exercise to do as the only equipment you need is a flat piece of wall or a door.
A wall squat (or wall sit) is an isometric exercise that works your legs, back, abs and glutes by having the muscles remain under tension whilst you are doing the exercise. It will develop not only your strength but also your muscular endurance. It’s a great body weight exercise and you can use it as a fitness test by recording your time at the beginning and end of the month.
How to do a wall sit
Position yourself against the wall with your legs at 90 degrees, your back flat against the wall and your feet shoulder width apart. You want to make sure your thighs are parallel to the floor. Start your stopwatch and hold your position for as long as possible. If you start to feel your body slide down the wall or you experience any pain then stop.
How long should I be able to wall sit for?
As a guide, aim for the times below, completing 5 reps with 30 seconds rest between each.
- Beginner: 10 - 20 seconds
- Intermediate: 30 - 40 seconds
- Advanced: 60 seconds +
If you find that you can hold a wall squat for longer than a minute with no difficulty and want to make the challenge harder, you can try doing it holding a weight at your chest. You could also try placing a ball between your knees so that you need to squeeze your legs together during the squat. If you want to try a really advanced position, you can lift one knee up so you’re balancing on a single leg while you do your wall sit.
You can do the exercise every day, either at home or in the gym and slowly build up the time you hold the wall sit for. Other leg exercises like squats will also help you to increase the length of time you can hold the wall squat for as they’ll build your leg muscles (quads and hamstrings).
Here is a video of me showing you the technique and giving some tips for performing the wall squat test.
I always tell my guys to think of a happy place to help them take their mind off the slow burning that's happening in their legs. When I attempted the challenge, I managed to hold my wall squat for 1 minute 13 seconds. Can you beat it? Let me know by posting your results on my Facebook page.
