I tried the Madonna jump squat TikTok challenge and can confirm it's not for the faint hearted
I'm sat in my living room and my legs are pulsating, my heart rate is pumping and the room is a little less steady than it was 10 minutes ago. It’s not that I’m feeling the ‘gains’ of an intense workout; I think my body is in some kind of shock? What can I say, I am not used to this level of exercise.
To explain, I've just finished doing (or, more accurately, attempting) the Madonna fitness challenge currently taking TikTok by storm. The rather unforgiving trend has been reborn from the Queen of Pop's memorable dance moves during her performance of the song Music at her 2001 Drowned World Tour.
In the viral clip, the star can be seen doing no less than 15 jump squats at the end of her set (yes after two hours already conquering the stage, at the age of 43. In heels). And she does it all perfectly in sync with the beat of the music.
Since the clip resurfaced, TikTokers are trying it for themselves. Some are making it look completely effortless (likely being the ones that felt confident enough to post their moves), while some have adapted it with more normal squats that don't quite require hitting the floor (though still killing it), and others (thankfully) have admitted their struggles, or refusal to even try. Most of them also appear to be doing the challenge in denim short shorts or stylish flares.
Of those who were successful, one user wrote: "Losing count and doing an extra squat about did me in", to which all I can say is I wish I had the problem of 'losing count'. Another who braved it in heels like the Queen herself was congratulated by viewers on the app with, "This girl is the first person to get it right", and "You're the first one that actually does her head movements and spin at the end".
Personally, I appreciated the contributions from those in the comments offering up the likes of: "I'm in my 30s and tried this and almost had a heart attack”, “knees hurt" and "if I tried this I'd be in a wheelchair for six months".
Naturally, in the name of good journalism I decided to give it a go. I have to admit, I felt a little nervous to start, or silly even. For mortals like me, trying to copy Madonna doing a high intensity dance will make you feel that way. I'm more of a 15 minutes of yoga, long walk, quick session with the resistance bands, or occasional cross trainer kind of girl. Not so much a jump squat superstar.
But nonetheless, I put on my running shoes (not heels, sorry to disappoint, that really would be dangerous as I can barely walk in them), did some stretches, watched the clip a few times, and well – tried.
After a fair few attempts, I managed to count to 15, but I can't confirm that my 'jump squats' were quite in the style or speed of Madonna. Especially when I tried to add the head flicks. Perhaps picture an out of time star jumping frog with its limbs flailing around instead?
For me, the hardest part was keeping up with the pace of the music (unsurprisingly it takes me just a little longer to get down to the floor in the right position, before having to leap back up again). But while I had to finish the sequence after the clip ended, I did catch myself semi-enjoying it while the music was blasting, as well as the adrenaline it gave me afterwards (coupled with near-collapse exhaustion).
What I have learnt is that I didn't think any of it would be possible, so I'll give myself a pat on the back for crossing the finishing line (even if I definitely didn't do it right). Feeling somewhat *inspired*, maybe, just maybe, I'll want to try again tomorrow, and the day after that, to see if I can get that bit closer to being a Madonna-style jump squat queen. But for now I'm going to excel at sitting (they weren't lying about the sore knees) and perhaps I’ll try the 75 Soft TikTok challenge instead (the far kinder version of 75 Hard), it feels more my vibe.
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