The 'Don't Break' Workout: A 5-Minute Squat Challenge With Fitness Influencer Massy Arias
One look at Massy Arias and you're instantly impressed. She's supremely fit and athletic, and there is a confidence and self-assurance about her that is unmistakable.
It wasn't always that way.
Born in the Dominican Republic, the 30-year-old — born Massiel Indhira Arias — came to the United States when she was just 13. She didn't know any English and her family didn't have much money. Extremely proud, and determined to prove that she could thrive despite the many obstacles in her path, she worked tirelessly to acclimate to her new surroundings and make the most of her new life. But as she got older, a new set of challenges emerged.
Hitting 'Rock Bottom' and Coming Back Stronger Than Ever
Arias suffered from major depressive disorder and struggled with her self-image. She hardly ate, and her body took a serious toll: Her gums began to recede, her hair began to fall out, and her strength dissipated. After hitting "rock bottom," she turned to fitness as her drug of choice, something to constantly push her and not just improve herself physically, but also mentally. Now a certified personal trainer, she has managed to defeat her depression and is using her platform to empower women all over the globe. A fitness influencer and fierce advocate for health and wellness — she boasts 2.7 million followers on Instagram — Arias is the founder and CEO of Tru Supplements and the Ma Warrior Challenge.
WATCH: Episode 1: The Deadlift Marathon With Logan Aldridge
The latest guest on Don’t Break With C.T. Fletcher — Spartan's newest show, airing exclusively on YouTube — Arias was challenged to C.T's legendary five-minute squat challenge.
'Don't Break' Workout: The Five-Minute Squat Challenge
Twenty-five years ago, as C.T. explains, a buddy bet the six-time powerlifting champion $100 that he couldn't squat for five consecutive minutes. Just like that, the five-minute squat challenge was born. In the two-and-a-half decades since, only four people — all of them women, C.T. points out — have completed it.
The instructions are simple: Squat for five minutes, without stopping, and complete as many reps as possible. Choose your weight, or even use your own bodyweight. As C.T. says, it's brutally difficult even with "just your fat a** going up and down."
Coming into the episode, the record for reps in five minutes was 82.
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Not only did Arias accept and complete the challenge — she squatted 95 pounds for five minutes — but she shattered the record, performing 100 reps. She also vowed to come back and set a new record in the future. We're holding her to that.
With the workout wrapped up, Massy opened up about her experience with depression, how her devotion to fitness saved her life, and her commitment to helping women transform their bodies and find happiness.
'I'm Never Satisfied'
"This is eight years into it, and I'm not even at the point where I want to be," she says. "When I went into this industry, it was very personal to me because I was trying to get healthier mentally, and also physically. Just seeking health and wellness, especially for depression, and that's how I ended up with exercise, because I tried pretty much everything and nothing was really making me feel better."
Massy's mission is far from complete, and despite her achievements, and the monumental changes she's helped others make, she's far from finished — and far from satisfied.
"Nothing you see today is luck," she says. "I'm never satisfied. Everything that I do, I'm like, 'I can make this better.' I'm never satisfied because there's so much more room. I'm not limited to thinking, 'Oh, this is my environment, I cannot come out of it.' ... The one thing that you can control is yourself. Are you gonna wake up every single day and be better? You can't control how [somebody] reacts, outside forces. What I can control is myself, and what I do with my time and my energy in this world."
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