Almost everyone is familiar with the benefits of bodyweight exercises. You can do it anytime anywhere, without spending a penny.
When it comes to working out your lower body with bodyweight exercises, the first thing that comes to mind is squats.
And it happens for the obvious reason that squat is the most basic and highly beneficial compound exercise. These are easy to learn and can be done without supervision.
While there are thousands of workout plans developed around squats, this article deals with a specific routine that will surely make it to your ‘one of the favourites’ list.
Following this routine, along with all the benefits of squats, you get to boast about doing the workout that one of the most popular heavyweight boxing champion used to do.
It is said that Mike Tyson invented this squat routine while being in prison. During his three-year prison stint, like any other prisoner, he had no access to gym equipment. This led him to be creative with whatever resources he had.
In order to maintain his strength and shape while being deprived of resources, Mike Tyson developed this training routine that can be done using bodyweight only within the cramped space of prison cell without much of resources.
Mike Tyson Squat Workout Overview
This squat routine is more fun than many traditional lower body routines. Also, this squat workout has inbuilt rep measuring, so you don’t have to count them.
In this routine, you are going to place some playing cards on the floor, squat to lift them and squat to put them back.
During this routine, you will be doing about 100 to 385 squats. This will train your hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
This workout will increase your lower body endurance strength faster than any other training routine. If nothing else, this routine will add some diversification to your lower body workout.
Mike Tyson Squat Workout
All you need to do this squat workout is a pack of cards, two if you are going to do the progressive version.
Following are the step by step instructions to do this routine. You might find it confusing at the start, but once you understand the concept, it is very easy to follow.
While reading it might sound easy but it will make you perform 100 squats. If you choose the progressive version, you will end up doing 385 squats.
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- Place ten playing cards in a straight line. Keep even distance between them. The distance should be anywhere between 4 inches to one and a half feet
- Stand over the first card, with the card between your legs. This will be your starting position.
- Begin the workout with squatting down and picking up the first card. Hold this card in your hand and take a step forward to stand over the second card in the line
- Squat down and place the card you are holding on the second card and squat up
- Now you have two cards before you. Squat down and pick one card only. Again, squat down and pick the second one. Till now you have done one squat at the first position plus three squats at the second position
- Holding these two cards in hand, take a step forwards moving on to the third card.
- Perform two squats keeping single card down each time. Then perform three squats picking up one card each time. By this time, you have performed – 1+3+5 – that means a total of 8 squats
- Step forward holding these three cards in hand over to the fourth card. Repeat the whole sequence.
- Continue till you reach 10th card. When you finish you would complete 100 squats.
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Progressive Version
If you like doing more you can try the progressive version. In this method, instead of putting 10 cards in the line, you put 10 stacks of cards. The first stack contains one card, second stack contains two cards and so on.
Follow the same process and you will end up doing 385 squats.
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Conclusion
Squats is a lower body workout that can not be substituted by any other. You can not imagine building thigh muscles without squats being a part of your routine.
And if you only have bodyweight to work with, there are very few options for working on lower body and squats is best among them.
This routine will take out the monotonousness from the bodyweight lower body workout. And at the same time make some good use of the stack of cards.