After reading strong enough, i have decided to give a 20 rep squat routine a try. The 20 rep squat routine the most effective way to build muscle. Tom platz was famous for sets with reps of 20 or 30 in the squat and u see what happened to his legs. Importantly, the ability to do twenty reps or more with a heavy weight relies on a simple but. Day 1 is 20rep squatslegs, day 2 is chest and back, day 3 is rest, day 4 is 20rep squats and shoulders, day 5 is biceps and triceps, day 6 is rest, day 7repeat. Adding those squats was the only thing that i changed in my workout until i hit about 225 lb. Strossen wrote a book called super squats that detailed the history of highrep squats.
Basic barbell training is the new expanded version of the book that has been called the best and most useful of fitness books. As you can see, part of my training is the enigma known as the 20rep squat. My motivation for giving it a go was to add some size to my legs first of all and secondly to pay my prospective dues to the hard men who have came before me in the strength training world. I will also be keeping track of my weight and measurements throughout the 6 week period. I can clearly remember knocking a 20 rep set of honest super squats w 315lbs 3yrs ago like it was yesterday thats how much of an impact this sorta stuff has on the human. Inspired by dan john and his mass made simple program, the program i am running consists of basic strength movements, high rep squats, and barbell complexeswith my own unique twists of course tumbling and gymnastics. The weight used should make it challenging to complete 1215 reps. If you can perform 3 sets of 10 reps at bodyweight, then you can do every. Perry raders old programs from the 40s and 50s involved 20rep squats. Strossen may sound like a great book, but the results are overhyped to the point where the whole thing seems like a marketing gimmick. Today i am starting my twenty rep squat program to try to pack on lbs of muscle in the football off season. My overall fitness increased massively very quickly, and this is a good opportunity to perfect your form at relatively low weights. The book gives the most complete info on this, and if youre still intrigued i highly recommend the book.
On squats and milk, you train 3 times a week monday, wednesday and friday performing a 20rep squat set, immediately followed by a light weight set of barbell pullovers. Two deep squatting tips and my 20 rep squat experiment. With credit given to randall strossen outlining john mccallums 20rep squat routine in his book. The latter claimed that 20 rep squats could pack on 30lbs of muscle within 6 weeks. The 20 rep squat routine was first developed in the 1930s by mark h. Dont worry that the principle is over 40 years old. I started doing 20rep squats once a week about 18 months ago. The written program does not work the same for each and every person, but being consistent with training 1520reps in those two lifts will build a different type of strength, physique, power that people who. Starting strength is more modern, more thought out, and will work for anyone but 20 rep squats put hair on your chest as well, and should be considered for those that want to test themselves and break through plateaus. Tom platz used 20 rep squats as a staple in his routine and had some of the biggest and strongest legs on the planet. The surprising history of 20rep squats shredded figure. The crux of super squats is also available in many internet articles. It was an endurance and foundation strength building program.
Practical programming for strength training 3rd edition. Starting stength hack squats instead of squats im doing starting strength but am doing it at home because i already have the barbell and weights but cant afford gym membership right now. Is there any way to combine the 5x5 sl, ice cream fitness. So, if your current 5rm is 315 lbs and you are planning to train 3xweek for 6 weeks 18 workouts, you should begin with 225 lbs.
Strossens book on 20 rep super squats is paying homage. Yessiss book, the revolutionary 1 x 20 rm strength training program, ive become convinced that a 1x20 setrep scheme actually has. In my research on the 20rep squat program, i never saw any 2 routines that. Many people have experienced gains of 20 or 30 pounds in a month. In the early 2000s, mark rippetoe of starting strength helped to further this interest which led to hundreds of trainees using an old school bulking method of 20rep squats and a gallon of milk a. Although there are several variations of the 20rep squat workout, the most popular variations focused on performing one set of squats, three times a week on nonconsecutive days, for six weeks.
It has since stood the test of time, having been championed by john mccallum in 1968 and in randall j. I have used the 20 rep routine several times over the years and it always. And while this is semitrue, do not ever ever ever try to start with a true 10rm the first few times you do the 20 rep squat workout. Berry and can be found in his book the mark berry barbell courses. Thousands of people have gained more weight in a month on the squats and milk program than they had after a year or longer on other programs. With credit given to randall strossen outlining john mccallums 20rep squat routine in his book super squats, let me tell you about a simple but very difficult program for increasing lower body strength and facilitating weight gain. For this routine, you will be squatting 3 times a week with one set of 20 repetitions each workout. A simple and practical guide for coaching beginners leaves off. Enter that mythical beast, the gutwrenching set of 20rep squats.
One set of 20 rep squats has a lot more to offer than many of us think. Monday and friday, while using wednesday as a lighter recovery day for squats. Mark rippetoe says, trust me, if you do an honest 20 rep program, at some point jesus will talk to you. I am using the super squats protocol and will update weights and workouts every workout.
But for an intermediate lifter who wants to take six or eight weeks and grow some legs, 20rep squats do a marvelous job. High rep squats work wonders for building muscular bulk and strength, not just for the legs, but for the entire body. The idea is to warm up to a weight you could squat for a tough set of 812 reps, then. It is common to gain 2030 pounds of bulk in as little as 68 weeks with this full body routine. I squat 2 times a week, and both days are 20rep squat days. B1 squat 1 x 20 this is your 20 rep squat and should be done with your 812 rep max. I know that its recommended that we dont tweak with the starting strength routine until weve mastered it, but i am unable to squat more than i press as i. Your lower body will get taxed during the 3 sets of squats, but a novice wont be able to squat enough weight to leave them unable to properly perform their next exercise, which is a bench press or a standing.
On the last day of the program, he asked if he could work in. One of the oldest and most famous of all old school bulking routines by far is the super squats program, which centers around high rep squats. Let me finish up by talking about how not to do the 20 rep squat routine. If you want big legs, seasoned lifting vets will often tell you this. The above really isnt anything new anyone who is familiar with the 20 rep squat probably knows it.
Only these 20 rep death marches make me gasp for air like 20 rep squats. Its been around for over 50 years, and is a very effective approach to packing on muscle mass. I keep taking 10 second breaks after failure, until i have completed 20 reps. In short i think 20 rep squats will put size on your legs, but will only make you good at 20 rep squats and will not greatly imptove maximal strength. Why 20rep squats are the best and worst thing ever barbend. As a starting strength advocate, and a certified starting strength coach, frankly, buying and reading this book was a no brainer if you just want to know my overall recommendations, skip ahead to the bottom. To determine your starting weight for the 20rep squats, take your current 5rm and subtract 5 lbs for each scheduled workout. I think that the 20 rep squat and deadlift improve tlevels so much because they take you to the very edge of oxygen and energy deprivation and hold you there until your body is screaming.
How to gain 30 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks by randall strossen. Joes after 20 plus years of training i cannot think of a better book that will produce. Just type starting strength before and after in a search engine, click on images, and you will witness the atrocities that this plan has produced. I have been an avid user of ptp power to the people. The old school 20rep squat workout for massive muscle gains. Youve probably heard of the squats and milk program. As i stated above, the 20 rep squat is often described as taking your 10 rep max and grinding out 20.
The juggernaut method, supersquats 20 rep squat routine alan thrall. Mark rippetoe just released the third edition of practical programming for strength training. Working hard is still the way to go, no matter how you slice it. Its a whole body workout done 3 times a week starting with a 20rep set of squats, immediately followed by a set of barbell or dumbbell pullovers, then continuing on to include multijoint exercises like the bench press, dips, bent over rows and the overhead press. I was mostly fat and pretty weak and weighed 230lbs.
For everyone looking for some no bullshit results from a twenty rep squat. Use a weight that is between 6575% of your 5 rep max. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the. When youre ready to give 20rep squats a go, the first thing you have to do is find your starting weight. Rippetoe has been involved in the fitness industry for over 40 years as a coach and an athlete, where he competed as a powerlifter for 10 years. In the early 2000s, mark rippetoe of starting strength helped to further this interest which led to hundreds of trainees using an old school bulking method of 20rep squats and a gallon of milk a day. So, to calculate your starting weight, work backwards and subtract 2. Riptoes starting strength is a much better book for beginners. Chances are that a lot of you have heard of the 20rep squat program at some point along the line. High reps works for the lower body better than the upper for size quote.