How many squats should you do a day?
Published 5 October 2026 by TRACK AI Coach
Squats might be the most useful exercise you can do without equipment: they train your thighs, glutes and core, and make everyday things, from climbing stairs to getting up off the floor, easier. So how many should you do? Fewer than the internet challenges suggest, with more attention to how deep and how well.
The short answer
For most people, 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 bodyweight squats, three or four times a week, is plenty to get stronger. That’s 30 to 80 squats a session. Beginners can start with 2 sets of 10. If 3 sets of 20 good squats feel easy, it’s time to make them harder rather than doing more.
Find your starting point
Do as many squats as you can with good form at a steady pace: thighs close to parallel to the floor, chest up, heels down, standing all the way up at the top. Stop when your form slips.
- Fewer than 10: 2 sets of 8 to 10 squats to a chair: sit down lightly and stand back up.
- 10 to 25: 3 sets of 10 to 15 squats.
- 25 to 50: 3 to 4 sets of 15 to 20, or start making them harder.
- More than 50: try slow squats, pause squats, jump squats or split squats, or hold a weight at your chest.
Can you squat every day?
Bodyweight squats are gentle enough that many people do a few every day, and some easy sets as a daily habit are fine. But if your legs are sore, or you’re doing hard sets close to failure, give them a day off: muscles get stronger between sessions. A good rhythm is two or three harder sessions a week and, if you like, light sets on the other days. Rest days and recovery explains why.
Depth beats numbers
Half squats are easier, so they creep in when you’re counting towards a big number. But a squat that stops well above parallel works your thighs and glutes through less of their range and builds less strength where you need it most: getting up from low positions. Aim for your thighs close to parallel, or as deep as you can go with your heels down and your back straight.
The most common squat mistakes
- Knees caving in, especially on the way up. Push your knees out over your toes. See knees caving in when you squat.
- Heels lifting, which shifts your weight onto your toes. Sit your hips back and keep your whole foot down.
- Chest dropping forward, which turns the squat into a bend. Keep your chest up and your eyes ahead.
- Back rounding at the bottom. Only go as low as you can with your back straight; see lower back pain when squatting.
Make it harder, not longer
When 3 sets of 20 feel easy, change the squat instead of adding reps: take 3 seconds on the way down, pause for 2 seconds at the bottom, hold a weight at your chest, or try split squats with one foot behind you. The 30-day squat challenge builds this in.
Count only the deep ones
Prop up your phone side-on at about hip height and press Start training. The squat counter counts every squat out loud, says “Too shallow” and leaves out a rep that doesn’t go deep enough, flags “Above parallel” reps, and calls out “Heels lifting” and “Chest dropping” as they happen. Face the camera instead to check for “Knees caving in”.
Quality first: 30 deep, controlled squats do more for you than 100 quick half squats.