How to best increase squats

[nievs]

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.

I weigh around 93kg and started failing at 115kg. I'll jump back on them in a few weeks

 

[NPR]

I've done 155kg x 20 @ 105kg. I only do them every so often though, too much of a pussy to do them on a regular basis!

 

[dr00]

just 2.5kg more to get 1.5x bw. how can you resist? its like 1.6% more weight

ive got about 6kg to go but depends what my bw does over the next few weeks.

 

[trofius]

I gues being a little bugger makes it easier for me, 1.5xbw is only 105kg! will stop thinking about it and see how many at bw i can do tonight, I want atleast 15.. but will keep pushing for 20 until i cant stand up...

My 80% of max is 88kg so that will be my second goal and than finally 1.5bw..

Edit:I got 70 x 14, then 60 x 15, see journal.

 

[PTC]

Make sure you guys are doing them breathing style, 3 deep breaths at the top of each rep. Massive difference.

At PTC Max has done 125kg x 20 @ 70kg....thats around 1.8 x

Dim has done 105kg x 20 @ 70kg

Alen has done 135kg x 20 @ 85kg

They are the only 3 to have done 1.5 x bodyweight x 20

 

[trofius]

lol breathing, I thought you held your breath and just gunned it ! lol

seriously I probably did what i do most and take a breath hold it and do the rep, I will do the breathing thing on thursday and see how many i get then, the 14 only took a few minutes..

 

[puff]

much harder breathing - let us know how you go.

 

[Goosey]

I've been doing a 5x5 followed by a back off set of 20 weelky for the last 7~10 years.
Not as easy as it once was but still do it.
It has been the keystone to my training, go to sleep going over it in my mind the night before and think about ot the night after.

 

[dr00]

i always take at least three breaths between. pretty sure id fail after about 8 or 10 reps if i just pumped them out.

its not harder breathing, its easier... if you use the same weight as you can do 20 normal squats with. for me the reason breathing squats are harder is because they let the muscles that fatigue during a squat recover enough to do another rep. that means you can use more weight so its almost like 20 singles, but without a break for your core. this means that 99% of failures are mental. therein lies the cruelty.

 

[Goosey]

Perry Rader was quite sure that this coupled with pullovers could expanrd the rib-cage.

 

[puff]

i always take at least three breaths between. pretty sure id fail after about 8 or 10 reps if i just pumped them out.

its not harder breathing, its easier... if you use the same weight as you can do 20 normal squats with. for me the reason breathing squats are harder is because they let the muscles that fatigue during a squat recover enough to do another rep. that means you can use more weight so its almost like 20 singles, but without a break for your core. this means that 99% of failures are mental. therein lies the cruelty.

i supposed everyones different. i have tried both recently and found pumping them out much easier.

 

[PTC]

Having the load on your back for 3 minutes and your lungs gasping are keys to success. The reason we do breathing style coupled with pullovers is to expand the ribcage

If the guys were able to simply pump them out, the set would last 60 seconds

 

[dr00]

i supposed everyones different. i have tried both recently and found pumping them out much easier.

id say youre just not using enough weight. the whole idea of 20 rep squats is that you take a weight that you can only do 8 to 10 reps with and you do 20.

 

[skidmark]

The biggest problem I've found when doing 20 rep breathing squats is that my lower back cramps up around rep 15 or 16 and then I can't really feel my back to know that I'm keeping my form correct as I struggle to get the last reps out (which is generally when form would suffer). Anyone else experience bad cramping at all?

 

[Grippy]

id say youre just not using enough weight. the whole idea of 20 rep squats is that you take a weight that you can only do 8 to 10 reps with and you do 20.

Gotta agree with you there, there is no way I could just pump them out, without breathing at the top of every rep I think I would pass out.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Anyone else experience bad cramping at all?

Yes. Holding the brace for that long is quite a bit of work for your lower back and abs. In general, its cramping up would suggest a lack of core strength.

I cramped up around 12-15 reps, but a couple of months later I strained my erector spinae, so quite obviously I lacked core strength. There are structural reasons for this - my scoliosis - but still, there you go.

 

[Bluey]

Roll your back out on a foam roller before you squat. I find my hips are really stiff and need a really good warmup/roll before I squat.

 

[TheReductionist]

Roll your back out on a foam roller before you squat. I find my hips are really stiff and need a really good warmup/roll before I squat.

I get mild back cramps during the set aswell, the core weakening during the set makes sense and thanks for the advice. PTC, how many sets would you reccomend when doing 20 rep squats?

 

[Bluey]

just the one is sufficient, follow it up with a set of 15 if youre hardcore.

 

[trofius]

Got my first set of 20 at bw (70kg)today, had a lye down on the floor after. It seems to take for ever, and you just want to rush them, but I paused I breathed and I succeded.. next week 75kg...