How to best increase squats

HEy all

One of my aims for this year is to increase my squat.
I want double bw, and 20 reps at 1.5bw

Now what will be the best way to do this , currently i do sets of 5 working reps upping the weight as I feel I can, occ I do a few 1rm to see if my max is getting better, ..not a lot of gains here. (well 20kg last year)

I want to start doing bigger rep sets , sets of 20, as it seems to be a general consensus that it works.

so target is 1.5 bw for 20,
should I just work up as usuall until I get to 105kg, and everysession just see how many i can get?

OR ( this seems better to me)

choose a lower weight and attempt the 20 reps, if i get them , add weight? IF so how many sets of 20 should I be doing a session / day?

I will probably do squats on two days a week, with deads and cleans being the focus on other days.

Thanks.

Trofius,

I dont know much about 20 rep sets, but I do know a bit about increasing your squat.

Probably the best way to increase your squat is to squat. Hamstring work (deadlifts and GHRs) are also useful, but dont overdo these as hamstrings have a tendency to fry.

Keep at 5 reps (great for progression) and get smaller plates - 2.5kg increments start to crush you after a while. Also do a lot of form work - you might find you squat better in a wider stance and with the bar lower on the traps, but you have to work that out yourself.

Thanks Oli I find a close stance, and bar below traps better.

Lately I have been able to fight the tendancy for my knees to move closer together when I squat.

I always do a full ass to grass ROM, should I also be trying box squats?

Some people swear by the smolov cycle. I CBFd writing it up but google is your friend. Plenty of info about it around.

Ive just gone back to 20 rep squats and holy crap I havent been sore like this in a while.

Firstly make sure your form is correct. If not you wont be squatting as efficiently as you can and you risk injury.

I like to train the squat by attemping to set a PB every session. I dont mean a 1rm PB every session but simply do something I have not done before. One day I will do 5x5 work sets, one day I will do 5 singles, 5x3, 3x3, 20 reps, 3x10 ect. I will simple walk into the gym and bust out one of those. I know all my PB's on those so its simply a matter of adding 2.5kg or 5kg if I'm feeling confident.

This adds variety, makes sure I dont stagnate on a rep range and has worked very well for me.

Squat at least 3 times per week. Make one of those sessions a front squat session for 5 heavy triples, add 2.5kg each time you completer 5x3 work sets. This will really test your core and quads, it takes out the back that alot of lifters use when back squatting.

trofius said:

HEy all

One of my aims for this year is to increase my squat.
I want double bw, and 20 reps at 1.5bw

Now what will be the best way to do this , currently i do sets of 5 working reps upping the weight as I feel I can, occ I do a few 1rm to see if my max is getting better, ..not a lot of gains here. (well 20kg last year)

I want to start doing bigger rep sets , sets of 20, as it seems to be a general consensus that it works.

so target is 1.5 bw for 20,
should I just work up as usuall until I get to 105kg, and everysession just see how many i can get?

OR ( this seems better to me)

choose a lower weight and attempt the 20 reps, if i get them , add weight? IF so how many sets of 20 should I be doing a session / day?

I will probably do squats on two days a week, with deads and cleans being the focus on other days.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Do both.

As an adjunct consider car pushing-two or three trips around the block should be more than enough, done twice a week for a peroid of time will add to leg drive, keeping the body low, getting a good forward lean and drive with the hip and thigh, mercy.

Make sure someone is at the wheel, they can add resistance using the brake.
If you are unable to do this... sled pulling is also another fantastic way to add kg's to your squatting ability and leg drive.

Car pushing is great. My clients aren't quite at that level yet but they all push my motorbike up and down the street with me on it riding the brakes.

NPR said:

Car pushing is great. My clients aren't quite at that level yet but they all push my motorbike up and down the street with me on it riding the brakes.

Click to expand...

It sure is.

Also adding hill sprints to the mix, your hip will benefit from the iso-lateral movement improving hip mobility.

doing this is also good way to discover "where" your issues are if you have them...

i have done the first phase of the smolov squat program twice now. both times totally amazing results. It involves doing 4 sets of 9 reps @ 70%. Squatting 4 days a week. The volume is incredible. The results are there if you want it.

You can get amazing results from doing sets of 5,6.7,8....18,19,20.. reps...you just need to be creative & as long as your adding weight your doin' ok

The Hepburn press course:

Work out 3 times a week. Take a weight, lets use 100 kgs and perform 3 reps, 5 sets. Keep the same weight but add one more set each workout until you have done 10 sets with the 100 kgs. This will take you 2 weeks or 6 workouts. Now drop back to 5 sets, 3 reps, but add 10 kgs. Continue the addage of 10 kgs every seventh workout. This is the greatest pressing course known to weight lifters and body builders.

Ok thanks heaps all.

My plan will be 3 squat sessions a week

1. A heavy day looking for my 1Rm ramping up the weight and dropping the reps for each set, still target >25 reps total.

2. A front squat day 5x3 heavy will hopefully change this to or include overhead squats aswell

3. A burn day were I do 3 sets of 20 reps..or will that be too much?

Goes without saying that I will keep trying for more reps or heavier weghts

trofius said:

3. A burn day were I do 3 sets of 20 reps..or will that be too much?

Click to expand...

too much, just one set.

trofius said:

HEy all

One of my aims for this year is to increase my squat.
I want double bw, and 20 reps at 1.5bw

Now what will be the best way to do this , currently i do sets of 5 working reps upping the weight as I feel I can, occ I do a few 1rm to see if my max is getting better, ..not a lot of gains here. (well 20kg last year)

I want to start doing bigger rep sets , sets of 20, as it seems to be a general consensus that it works.

so target is 1.5 bw for 20,
should I just work up as usuall until I get to 105kg, and everysession just see how many i can get?

OR ( this seems better to me)

choose a lower weight and attempt the 20 reps, if i get them , add weight? IF so how many sets of 20 should I be doing a session / day?

I will probably do squats on two days a week, with deads and cleans being the focus on other days.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I reckon for the target of 2 x bw squats & 1.5bw x 20reps, just so 2 sets of squats 20reps, 15reps 2-3 times a week until you get there.

Each time you reach 20reps,15reps on a certain weight increase the weight by 2.5kg or 5kg aim for 15,10reps or your best effort. Then next time in the gym do the same weight and do one more rep on either set.

Worked for me...

very tough and painful though as its the first thing you do when youwalk into the gym hog the squat rack for ages LOL

I would leave the overhead squats. They are designed so increase strength at the bottom of the snatch, not something you need to work on from what you have said.

Shorty got it right.

For the goals you have listed, most of the other stuff wont be as beneficial as simply doing 20 rep squats.

I have plenty of experience with this. If anybody doubts me, please put your hand up if you can squat double bodyweight or do 20 reps with 1.5xbw, put your hand down Shorty.

All the low rep stuff, all the assistance stuff is fluff for what your actually aiming for.

Trust me, when you can do 20 rep breathing squats with 1.5 x bodyweight, you will be able to squat double bodyweight, without ever practicing your 1RM.

Max has got to 1.7 x 20 and he squats double bodyweight x 10.

Big Nick has done 155kg x 20 and 210kg x 1, both are just short of your goals, he weighs 109kg.

When Nick manages 220kg x 1, he still wont be able to do 163kg x 20, but when he can do 163 x 20, he will definitely be able to squat 220kg x 1.

Dont listen to people who havent done 20 rep breathing squats, Nick and Shorty have done heaps, and nobody squats like they do.

Smolov and other programs have their place, but your goal is 20 x 1.5 and double bw x 1

Squat 3 x a week and do 1 set of 20 rep breathing squats at the start of your session. Add 5kg to the bar each time you get it. Finish with MP, SLDL x 20 and BP.

Thats it

I apologise if this is a thread hi-jack, perhaps this would have been better as a stand alone topic but I shall continue and leave that to the moderators discretion

PTC (and anyone else who can squat or has squatted 1.5x BW for 20) where do you consider such a 'drill' (exercise/endeavour/torture, call it what you will) fits in a general novice progression?

You say that a 1.5x BW 20 repper will almost definitely indicate a 2x BW max, but what of those of us who are currently working at 1.2 or .3x BW for 5 or 8 reps? is there a place for 20 rep training or is a simple linear progression (rep range or program name arguments aside) a sufficient standalone tool?

Are the two mutually exclusive? perhaps they compliment one another?

Keen to hear your thoughts and experiences

Pseudonym relavant Q.. no worries

NIck I was only going to do them as a core exercise.

For me it is just a goal something i want to do. It was one of the lifts marcos lists, it is one of my weakest so i want to attain it, I can do or am very close to getting the upper body stuff, my legs are failing me. I will be focusing more on higher rep stuff for a few of my lifts, like 20 reps at bw for bench!, in a month or two I will look at 1rm again.

Marcos thanks, I assumed that if i could get 20 at 1.5bw than double would be in the bag.

Today i did some teething work, did 40kg x 20, some shoulders and then 60kg for 18

next session I will start at 60, I think 70 would only give me 12-15 reps

PTC said:

Trust me, when you can do 20 rep breathing squats with 1.5 x bodyweight, you will be able to squat double bodyweight, without ever practicing your 1RM.

Click to expand...

^^that

im at about 1.4x bw for 20 reps (at about 85kg) and have not done heavy 5x5 squats for quite a long time. 1rm is about 170kg which is double bw but i havent tested it in a while.

like everyone else has said, whenever you step into the gym start with 20 reps and add 2.5kg every time you make the 20. at the weight youre doing you should be able to do them every session but you might only manage once or twice a week as the weight gets higher.

Excellent thread Gents. Shhplendid.

I've been starting with a first set of reps of 15 and working through 3 more decreasingly lower rep sets to get to my 1RM.

I'm going to change this to the 20 Rep version as of right f8ckin now.

Cheers

Ive been doing the 20 breathing squats for the past few weeks and loving them, and fearing them at the same time.
PTC, how many of your guys can do 1.5xBW? Im only doing just over body weight, I weigh 90kg and did 105kg on friday, and they are bloody tough, a real mental game too.