30-Day Exercise Challenges: Helpful or Not?

The 30-day squat challenge, the 1-month burpee challenge, the plank challenge… we see them popping up pretty regularly on social media, especially around the summer or after the New Year! What do you think about these challenges? Fashion influence, dangerous exercise or a good sports idea to get back in shape? We tell you everything.

Is he working ?

Intuitively, these 30-day challenges are a great source of motivation, and ideal for getting back into regular sports activity.

Exercise every day

Many studies have proven that it is better to exercise just 15 minutes a day rather than 2 hours once on the weekend. Your body needs repetition and appreciates staying active every day. So these challenges are all good, because they force you to get off your couch and exercise every day. It is a very good habit that you should follow every day, which will allow you to stay fit and healthy.

A goal that makes you want

The second beneficial effect of this type of challenge is the greater motivation that follows. Squat challenges or plank challenges often focus on the areas of the body that are most difficult for you (buttocks, stomach, etc.). Wanting to strengthen your body is a laudable goal (especially if it's not purely aesthetic). In addition, it is very difficult to remain strict in your lifestyle and training over the long term. By setting a close deadline (30 days), this type of challenge allows you to stay focused on your goal.

Traps to avoid

Of course, not everything is perfect in 30-day challenges either. To get the best results, you need to know how to identify risks to avoid.

Expect a lot of challenge

No, the one-month challenge won't give you chocolate bars or an overly muscled butt. If you start at athlete level 0, the work will take longer to pay off. In general, we start to see the results of sports training after 3 to 4 months, if it is well combined with a healthy diet and the right lifestyle. Therefore, do not expect miraculous results and be content with even a slight improvement.

Being in a bad situation

If you've never done squats or lunges in your life, you may be doing these movements randomly. Even the plank requires maintaining good posture, to be effective and to avoid the risk of injury. So do not hesitate to seek advice from a sports coach or watch high-quality videos on YouTube. By focusing on the correct placement, you will maximize the expected results of the challenge and not hurt your joints.

Always do the same exercises

The downside to this type of challenge is that you are always presented with the same type of exercise. 50 squats on day one, 55 on day two, 60 on day three…admit you'll probably get bored. The real problem is that this type of movement does not work the entire body. Take the squat, for example: perfect for the thighs and buttocks, but completely neglecting the upper body. To avoid getting a completely unbalanced figure, it is highly recommended to diversify your exercises.

Stop everything at the end of the challenge

Did you complete your challenge? Congratulations, but it would be a shame to stop there. The vast majority of people who do this type of challenge consider themselves “finished” at the end of the 30 days. However, the form must be worked on every day, not just occasionally for a month. So look at this type of challenge as a starting point to motivate and push you to exercise more, by diversifying the sessions as much as possible (muscle strengthening, cardio, stretching, etc.).