Get Uplifted With This Squat Workout From Meg Squats!

Today is the first day of your new, stronger life. So, there's no better way to spend it than doing exactly what you'd expect in a program created by someone nicknamed "Meg Squats"—squatting!

Meg has partnered with Bodybuilding.com to create Uplifted: Build Muscle and Strength with Meg Squats, a new eight-week program unlike anything Bodybuilding.com has ever offered. It's a celebration of strength and its liberating potential, but it's also your opportunity to learn what Meg has learned from some of the strongest people in the world, and put into action in her own training. When she was named the 2018 Bodybuilding.com Women's Spokesmodel Search winner, this was just what we hoped would result.

Who is Uplifted for? It's perfect for any woman—or any man, but let's focus on women—who wants to go far down the strength rabbit hole and see what it feels like to watch the numbers go up. Yes, that means the numbers on the bar, but the numbers on the measuring tape might budge a little, too. There's no shame in getting a little bigger on this plan, and there's definitely nothing wrong with getting strong!

If lifting this heavy is a brand-new world for you, great! You're welcome here, and Meg will show you everything you need to know to absolutely own this program, and to take your strength and your body where it's never been before.

What's the best way to learn? By doing, of course. So before you get under the bar, watch this complete walk-through of the workout, with each set and rep guided by Meg herself. All of your questions about exercise technique, weight selection, and how close to failure is close enough are answered here!

Also listen to Meg's appearance on the Bodybuilding.com Podcast, where she discusses her lifting history, her love of squats, and how to get the most out of the crucial first few weeks of Uplifted.

Uplifted Movement Substitutes

We want every lifter, everywhere to be able to benefit from Uplifted, so feel free to use this list of acceptable exercise substitutions as needed. In the case of the primary lift, we recommend staying with the same variation throughout the program. For other lifts, it's fine if you swap them out as needed depending on what's available on any particular day.

Hip thrust: Cable pull-through, bodyweight squat with hip band
Back squat: Any barbell squat variation (Low-bar, high-bar, front squat, safety-bar squat, or Zercher squat)
Deficit kettlebell stiff-legged deadlift: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
Bulgarian split squat: Split squat or lunge
Hamstring curl: Ball hamstring curl; lying, seated, or standing hamstring curl; glute-ham raise
Leg press: Belt squat or goblet squat
Superman: Back extension
Windmill: Kettlebell windmill, dumbbell or kettlebell Turkish get-up