Squat-tober

Squat-tober is a 31-day squat challenge from Modern Protocol that runs October 1 to October 31, 2026. You pick one of 4 equipment tracks — bodyweight, kettlebell/dumbbell, standard barbell or advanced barbell — and squat every day on it, with built-in recovery days worked in throughout the month. You set a starting number on day one and take a new max attempt on Halloween. A leaderboard, a nightly 6pm live room and a community wall run alongside it. It costs $27 for the month.

Day one unlocks at 12:00am on October 1, 2026, Phoenix time, for everyone at once. The month ends with the max attempt on October 31. Until day one drops, the program stays locked and you can hold your spot.

$27 today if you claim your spot before October 1. That covers the whole challenge, the leaderboard, the 6pm live room and every other Modern Protocol program. It renews at $9.99 a month on November 1, and you can cancel any time.

Yes — a one-time $17 enrollment fee on top of your $9.99 membership. The $27 spot on this page includes a month of app access, so as a member you have already paid for that half and you pay the $17 difference. The challenge costs the same either way. If you would rather sit October out, do nothing: your $9.99 continues, you keep every other program, and you are not charged the fee.

Yes, but not every day is loaded. On the barbell tracks, six of the 31 days are bodyweight-only flush days — air squats, a deep squat hold, a mobility flow and an easy walk — plus four stretch-only days, and volume on the loaded days drops every week as the weight climbs. The bodyweight track builds its recovery in differently: ten plain rest days with no forced light squatting. Every track includes a pre-squat mobility prep before each session.

You keep going, and the app gives you 15 points for coming back. One missed day is the reason most people quit a 31-day challenge, so the comeback bonus exists to kill that feeling. You can still finish top ten after missing several days.

You need a squat you can do safely and a starting number to work from — the track you pick sets the bar. The Bodyweight track is built for beginners and needs no barbell experience at all. If you have squatted with a barbell regularly for six months and know what a hard set feels like, Standard or Advanced Barbell is the right track.

Whatever you've got — pick the track that matches it when you join. No equipment at all works on the Bodyweight track. One kettlebell or dumbbell covers the KB/DB track. A barbell, rack and plates (or a Smith machine) covers Standard Barbell. Advanced Barbell adds a light band on top of that. You can switch tracks later if your access changes.

Because everyone starting the same day is what makes the leaderboard, the wall and the 6pm live worth anything. Day one drops at midnight Phoenix time for everyone at once.

No. Opt out in one tap and train the month privately. That hides you from the wall too, so it is one privacy choice, not two. The program is identical either way.

Your subscription continues at $9.99 a month and the whole library stays open: every other Modern Protocol program, the exercise library and the recipes. Your Halloween max is saved to your PR vault as the new number everything else runs off. Cancel any time.