Bare squats work the entire body, strengthen the core, and improve ankle and hip mobility.

There are several variations of the exercise that work the quads, but this one is the hardest in my opinion. So for some reason, I decided to do 70 repetitions every day for a week. Starting from a tabletop position, simply lift your knees and bring your hips back toward your heels for a bare squat. It may not seem like a big deal, but as the number of repetitions increases, muscle tension skyrockets.

This bodyweight exercise targets the upper and lower body, but you can add a weighted vest if you want more intensity. I rolled out my best yoga mat and worked on squats throughout the week. Here are the results.

A variation is to start with a table top stance and then turn your hips upward into a down dog-like position to activate the hamstring muscles more (see below). However, the variation I use with my clients is instead to send the hips backward, maintaining a flat back and low posture, with the knees just an inch off the ground.

Not only is the core activated, but the movement is felt in the shoulders, chest, arms, hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Bare squats are a full-body exercise, but they do not take concentration away from the quads.

Step by step:

If you want to try the static version, our fitness editor tested core strength by doing a bare plank every day for a week.

Like this.

On the first day, I decided to tackle these reps one at a time to determine the lay of the land. As it turned out, this was a terrible idea and my quads were on fire. However, I do enjoy the stretching I get from bare squats, and in moderation, they are a great way to warm up the wrists, ankles, knees, and hips.

It does not load the body vertically, but it does work the lower body muscles hard through the sagittal plane (forward and backward movement). This exercise is also more effective because it is multi-jointed and works a variety of muscle groups and is what is called a compound exercise.

If you have limited mobility in your hips and ankles, it is recommended that you practice bare squats. This is a great way to increase range of motion without vertical loading while learning the movement patterns of the squat.

Over the next few days, I added a small loop band similar to what was in our Best Resistance Bands Buying Guide. By doing so, I was able to work my lower body as I pushed my knees outward against the resistance. Some people prefer to place weights up the middle of the back to increase the challenge, but this worked just fine for me.

Every time I take on a fitness challenge with Tom's Guide, I get restless by day 4 or 5. For the next 140 reps, I tried alternating sides, raising one leg or one arm every 10 reps. When I raised my left arm, the emphasis shifted to my left arm, shoulder, and right leg; when I repeated this with my right arm, the emphasis switched to my right arm and left quad.

My body had to work harder to get the muscles to cooperate, stabilize my body, and still produce movement without my hips buckling as I moved. This reminded me of the four sling systems that form the musculoskeletal system and how important they are.

The sling is composed of different muscle groups that work together to produce movement and force and provide stability. One example is the posterior oblique sling, which runs from the latissimus dorsi muscle to the contralateral gluteus maximus muscle. When the sling is functioning properly, the body is strong, balanced, and efficient. However, if any part of the sling is weak, the body is dysfunctional.

The sling system also takes into account natural movement. For this reason, many strength and conditioning coaches, physical therapists, and other professionals view all the muscles in the body as a single system. For example, you may have heard that low back pain often originates in the hamstrings or hips. [For example, you may have heard that lower back pain often originates in the hamstrings or hips. Functional training with the entire body in various athletic planes can help prevent injury and overtraining, increase stability, and improve strength and speed. The bare squat is an example of initiating upper body movement, including the torso, and generating force through the lower body.

Throughout the week, I focused on compound contractions, or contracting as many muscles as possible during the exercise. I employed time under tension and slowed down each phase to allow for maximum force through the muscles. By keeping my back flat and my knees just above the floor, I was able to focus on core stability and check to see if I could feel this where I wanted to; by day 7, my quads and hip flexors were electrified.

If you feel these symptoms primarily in your hips, see how the mobility routine below will help you recover from a fitness challenge.