OLD SCHOOL PROGRAM! Super Squats Review - How to Grow with Breathing Squats, 20 Rep Sets, and Milk!
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
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20 rep breathing squats is protocol that dates back over 50 years. It's the backbone of Ironmind's Super Squats, a book that had an immense impact on my training philosophy (and squatting ability) very early on. This old school squat program prioritizes simplicity and effort to build a big squat (and big everything) super fast.
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Can you look at Steve Justa's barrel lifting program?
I did 20 reps with 140 kg (309 lbs) after following the program for 8 weeks. I thought I was gonna die after 17 reps. Massive legs and burning lungs is what you will get.
Did your upper body grow too? I can imagine holding that weight on your back for that long will develop excellent core and back strength?
@@nickysixx2480 Quite possibly, I can't say for sure but I think so. Will try it tomorrow again, but without a belt this time. :)
Do we do it in sets or just the 20 reps ?
@@shouryanegi703 historically it's 20 reps x 1 set with a few lo-rep warmups. after that, while literally still breathing heavy, theyd do dumbbell pullovers for 20 or 30 reps, lighter weight. gallons of fucking milk and sweat and lots of food and its fun to dedicate some time to it.
Warming up was always a weird question for me with 20 reps squats. Cause you need all the stamina you can get. But if you set off on a set a 20 with an inadequate warmup you’re not going to finish, or at least not get the full benefit. May I ask, what have you found to be the best warmup routine when you’re facing a set a 20?
I'm currently 68 yrs old & 5'6" @ 161lbs
Please let us know. Hopefully we will get the notification of your comment.
this work capacity and strength at your age is genuinely inspirational. Best of luck at your meet my man
I was always a little apprehensive about running this program and never saw a lot of personal accounts of what it's like, so hopefully this sways those who are unsure to try it out. My previous squat max was 345 and it hadn't moved because I spent a long time running track in HS and college (losing a lot of body mass that I had gained lifting in the offseason and not focusing specifically on strength). Since I didnt have access to a gym over quarantine, I started low at 135x20 and went up by 10lbs until 205x20, then up by 5 lbs. Took 8 weeks to get up to 275x20. Started with 1 day of rest, and ended with 3 rest days in between. The day after I finished 275x20, I hit 405 with a fried nervous system for an easy single. My hips used to always rise up faster than my chest, but the squats cement better technique into you. Bodyweight went from low-mid 190s to 207 and gained around 1-2% bodyfat (aimed for 4k calories a day but could only hit around 3.5k due to time). I have a bum shoulder, so I swapped out bench and ohp for push ups and z press, but the strength and added mass transferred anyways. Can easily hit my 1rm for every lift and can rep ny previous clean and jerk, front squat, and OHP prs. If you're at all interested in running this program, then do it. It's absolutely brutal for the last 3 weeks, but it'll make you realize that most of your long term goals are not only achievable but easy to hit in just 2 months (and that you're way more capable then you think). Try to have a partner to help you push through it. If you try it, make sure to play a song that's at least 4 minutes long, and no matter what don't put the bar down.
Thats awesome man. Committing to each weight jump is key!
Man this was awesome to read! Started at 185 for 20 and Hit 270 earlier today and I’m doing 275 at my next training session! Gonna take a deload week after and see if I can push it up to 335.
@@patrickhart2483 final results?
Hell yeah this sounds like what I want to try. Ive been only doing bodyweight excercises for the past three months and will be going back to the gym fairly soon. Im gonna start low and work my way up. I wish i could do it without the added bodyfat but you gained 17 pounds that is impressive. Thanks for the motivating comment.
I usually get through 13-15 before I think about quitting. What helps me is that I’ve already gotten that many. It also helps me to count backwards for some reason.
Counting down is weirdly helpful for me too. Well done!
Bob U facts counting backwards is so much better idk why tho
I got to 13 or 14 with 225 and on my best day I can only squat 315/320 for 1 wth
I always count to 5 three times (up to 15), then I count down for the last 5.
I ran super squats recently and then tested my deadlift out of curiosity because I hadn’t pulled for weeks except for the SLDL and rows, and ramped to a new PR. I took a week off and going again, I’m going to need some bigger clothes, seriously
Nice work!
Have had that happen with smolov for squats.
Did you gain a lot of mass? Do you think supersquats or smolov for more mass?
Great vid, 3 weeks deep. Is it doable to add in 1 set of weighted lunges just to prime the balance component of the squat? You think a taller lifter would benefit from the tradeoff?
Starting today. Did this in 94-95. Got me started in a good way. Get back in a couple of months with update
This video is pure gold. The 3 breaths is spot on. Thx a ton coach.
This channel is my favorite new thing. I appreciate the breakdown of this program. I've been running a strength program for a while, but am stalling out and have been interested in something different as a break. As always, great video man.
Im in week 5 of Super Squats. It is brutal. I'll be running this once or twice a year from now on out, in some form or fashion.
E E how many days a week?
I'm confused as to how to finish the 20 reps. Can I stop and rack the weight when I reach failure or I shouldn't do that?
Moddy Radical you keep it on your back. And breath deep. Then crank one out, then another. Keep breathing. Stop at 20
@@hurhurhurhurhruhrurh thanks.
@@hurhurhurhurhruhrurh Got the 20 REPS... BUT how many sets ? and do you add sets every week?
I might try this just for the mental part.
oTOYOTo it’s worth it
Did u do it
Just discovered your channel.
Thanks for the down-to-earth, no-nonsense information that just makes sense.
Subscribed.
Your vids are so informative, so much detailed info and advice I've never heard anywhere else. Subscribed, keep it up!!
Yep, it’s a great book and added much to my life years ago and since!
Thanks for your publicizing Dr. Strossen’s condensed program.
I had a friend that let me borrow this book more than 20 years ago and I still standby it.
I’ll go from the 20 rep squat routine for as long about a month then go back to splits.
Great video thank you
You are by far the best channel to make those programming videos.
Just did 290 for twenty reps today. I built up from 225 over three weeks. It’s starting to dominate my thoughts. I’ve been squatting three times a week for a long time. Might need to go to two.
Is difficult to really describe the feeling of squatting and just holding nearly 300lbs on my back a two minutes or so…terrible, but interesting.
You know that first rep is too heavy to do 19 more, but you also know you can do it…it’s like a paradox you can resolve by just not stopping until you have done 20!
Ran a similar program in the past for 12 weeks- 20 Back Sqaut, 20 Pullovers, 3x15 Bench Press, 3x15 Bent Over Rows, 3x15 Strict Shoulder Press and 3x15 SLDL. 3x a week 2.5kg added each session and strength gains were awesome. Highly recommend!
Currently doing the 20 rep squat workout. By far the best cycle I’ve ever done.
Terrific video amigo. Cheers mate!
I’ve been in the gym for years and have never followed specific program. I think I might try this one
I was about 115 lbs at 19 yrs old. A very close friend introduced me to this. In a year I put on over 50 lbs. No I didn't have a 6% body fat but I was sooooo much stronger. The discomfort (pain) is worth it. At around rep 15 my partner would say "you're on the hill".
This channel deserves a million subscribers
Outstanding breakdown and example program. Thank you!
One of the best videos for beginners. Everyone needs to see this video!!
Just found this... Fantastic video, explaining the system perfectly... I followed it in my early 20's...Hardest thing I ever did in the gym.. Mentally makes you strong too... Now mid 50's
Gunna give it another go 😮.
Great video!!!!!
ROFL... unloading the weights is cardio righ.... love it! This is so informative. Wish I had found this a yr ago.
I so do respect you for saying that long lasting intensity trumps activities such as strongman training sessions. I did a lot of long-distance running for hour in my younger days. It was really easy to give into the voices. There were plenty of excuses rolling around in my head. “Who cares if I keep going? I could be doing other things.” Etc... Intensity came towards the end of a run and I’d have to either run uphill or against a good wind. In really hot and humid weather or cold and wet. That’s intense.
learning so much from your channel, thanks Alexander!
140kgs x 20 today.
After the long detraining sue to covid, I built back up. 88kgs, natural.
One of the best feeling I got in the last year's.
Absolutely incredible.
A decent cardio helps a lot in the 20 squats.
Great tutorial Alex. Thanks!
Sharing your videos because the info is amazing. Only 3k subscribers is a war crime.
Appreciated! I need all the help I can get over here lol
I did this in high school. I started it in November of my junior year and with 225 and by the time summer rolled around I had gotten it to 365 lbs. It was a workout my dad found on tnation. Now I got my CSCS and this thing is still by far the best workout regimen I've done.
How much weight did you gain in that time ? I’m considering doing it at maintenance calories but I may be absolutely insane
@@lmc3307 buddy fuck maintenance you gotta eat like a freakshow. Carb up like there is no tomorrow and kill that shit! You can always trim any excessive fat down the road. ITS TIME TO GROW!!!
Dude the tnation and just eat method helped me put big weight on for rugby lol the simpler days of just jacking weight around
@@lmc3307 just saw this reply 7 months later lol. I was eating like crazy, I gained about 50 lbs from December to july
Damn thats good as hell.
Great content. Solid information
This might be the Best videos I ever watched!💪
All of them
Hell yeah it works! I did something like that half a year ago, under a slightly different form. On one day, I would squat for lower reps, using a submaximal weight. The day after, I'd take a weight I can do 8-10 on, and force myself to do 3x15. I'd add one rep per session until I get to 3x20, then add 10 lbs and start over. I did such a session twice a week, and I hated it, but my legs grew more than they ever had before. I'll certainly do it again at an other time!
For the record, after each set, I laid down and had to catch my breath for like 5 minutes. Then I'd feel really sleepy for 20 minutes, when I'd finally convince myself to do it again. It really sucked. But it worked.
I wanted to get a stronger back for BJJ and my regular haphazard workouts from generic apps just wasn’t doing much. 2 weeks into this and the ability to throw people off of me from my back is insane. It’s also helped with my chronic claustrophobia, having to hype myself up to not rack it at 7 reps is insane. This program goes hard af.
great content man! keep it up!
Great video Alex! I'm feeling froggy. Going to give it a go.
Whenever I did 20 rep squats I got so much bigger. Before I lost a ton of weight due to injury/being lazy for years, I was quite a large guy. All from doing widowmakers
Wait! Did you lose weight from high reps?
@@bekabeka71 He said he "lost a ton of weight due to injury/being lazy" not from high rep sets, on which he commented "Whenever I did 20 eep squats I got so much better" so he says they worked.
Been cycling through your vids today while I study for school. Really appreciate your work and reviews. As a late-stage novice/early-intermediate, your program reviews are incredibly pertinent to my current search for the right training structure.
I'd be curious to hear your opinion on how a physical laborer should structure their training for best results if you have the time in the future.
Randall Strossen in his Super Squats book has the following order:
Seated press BTN 3×10
Bench press 3×12
Bent over row 2×15
Standing curl 2×10
SQUAT 1×20
SLDL 1×15
Radar chest pull 1×20
Toe raises 3×20
Crunches 1×25
There is also another radar chest pull set between the squat and SLDL. Can use what it calls stiff arm pullovers as an alternative. Light weight focused on stretch and not the muscle contractions with a ribcage full of air.
Wow this brings me to when I was a young man and we all thought this was normal training! Train basic hard and often. I’m going to run this for a couple months just to see if I got anything like I used too. Great videos man
Wow..that was really. Good 👍🏼👍🏼thank you for this motivation....🏆
Great videos!
This guy is very knowledgeable
Dude this was a great video
I'm so hyped to try this
There is a reason why this video has 10 downvotes. This is gold.
Been thinking about running Super Squats for a few weeks now. I come from an Olympic lifting background so I'm used to high frequency and high intensity squatting, but volume's always been super low. Legs are fucking beefy even now but of course, who doesn't want legit horse legs? Just gunna nut up and go for it. Thanks for the info Bromley, great vids as always!
OOOfff, that's a rough transition! The frequency you're used to wont help as much as you think if you aren't used to rep work. I would take a few weeks and hit a few easy sets of 10-15 before you jump into this.
@@AlexanderBromley can this be used on the floor press
Update! Just finished the program going from 185X20 to 275X20 and I’m feeling pretty banged up rn😂
May come back to it at some point because my business certainly isn’t finished with 20 rep squats, but for now I’m gonna take a week off and then I’m on to Texas Method!
Did it take a work out or two for you to really start feeling the pain in the squats?
love finding dope new channels to help me learn and get bigger tree trunks
This is so random but I see that you like obviously lifting, and Rezz and also Michael Knowles... we should be friends.
@@miriahcruz1590 yes let's!
@@granteckhardt4878 I can’t figure out how to message you hahaha 😅 any suggestions?
Excellent breakdown and explanation. Only thing I would do differently is alternate bench press and rows with weighted dips and chins then can really pack on meat onto the arms as well!
I will give it a try , thank you sir !
I absolutely agree with the high rep deadlifting. You’ll get way better at straining doing sets of 12 than a heavy single. That being said, I think both serve a purpose but high rep sets are often overlooked by powerlifters in particular.
I just did this today from a crossfit class, strength portion of it. Makes total sense. My BW is 140, not a big dude. I was doing 155lbs for 20. First 10 was moderate, next 5 was tough, last 5 were a grind. :) Haven't squatted that many reps in a row in a while. Even at 135, most i hit would be sets of 10. Maybe in 6 weeks i'll be at 175-180. :)
Great advice. This was seriously the best program I've ever run. I absolutely hate/love "Squats and Milk"/"Supersquats". first time I tried squating 185 was hard, I could get maybe 8 or so. I started 185 for 20 reps and did progressive overload every workout so 15lbs a week. got it up to 335 eventually (in maybe 2-3 months or so). In my experience I would say just starting lighter is ok because within a couple weeks you'll feel like dying during your set anyways. and just keep increasing as long as you can. If you fail just take 2 days off and get back to it. All the other lifts you feel so pumped because you went thru such trauma to begin with. I'm just starting this again but I like doing bench squats just above parallel. Let you know how it goes in a couple months! That was motivating man
How did it go?
Gerardo Lira it was hard! Did it for a while like month max. Then I dropped it. At this point as long as I’m lifting I’m happy. I tree plant and seem to be unable to progress during that time. The back takes a beating bending over 1000X day lol.
Thanks for the reply. I had a grocer’s job back in the day lifting 40-75lbs cases of food items for stadiums, hospitals, schools, and restaurants for 10 hour shifts. It was murder getting an all out workout during my 2 year employment there. So I hear you on that.
Tremendous natural high when you make it through the set.
@@EDC.EveryDayCode Was your first work out to..say 2nd and 3rd work outs a bit easier? Compared to say your very last one
Did my first set today it was tough. Felt really good after though, can’t weight for the next session
u r awesome thank you
will spread the word about you here in atlanta amongst the iron community
I appreciate that! I need all the help I can get lol
What is your feeling on Starting Strength? I am going for my certification with them
Thanks, this is awesome
Very good video!
Great videos,
Great video
Really enjoying your videos, glad I found you. Giving the 20 rep program a try. In week 2 and everytime at around rep 11 or 12 i start getting headaches. Been trying to focus more on breathing, but not much luck yet. Not getting light headed. Wodering if you have heard of this before? Thank you
I've been giving this a shot ever since I saw Golden Era Bookworm Channel and all I got to say is prepared not to breathe not to have any legs prepared to say afterlife
Just experimented with my first widowmaker yesterday. FSL on bench. Holy crap! Mental fitness. Not sure I'm up to squats yet.....
...AND Dr. Strossen may answer the phone if you call IronMind like he did for me...great guy.
Good fn video my guy! Thanks!
There is so much to say, but the best thing I can say is you are correct with your thought process for gains - however there are multiple ways to the top of Everest.
Yes, squats are life.
That being said, regarding squatting in any way - shape or form:
I challenge anyone to a game of physical fitness HORSE.
Skill for skill, challenge for challenge - first person to spell HORSE, loses.
I call out anyone.
I try 20 on the first set, if I get it, start 10 lbs heavier next time…but I continue with 4-6 more sets adding 30 lbs each set. So far so good!
I first saw this in the early '90s. It works well. I also saw this as a superset with pullovers.
Squat is love, squat is life
About to give this programme a try. Ill report back with my results
Halfway though. This programme is insane, and they're completely right about the mental toll. Your body can do it, but there is just this voice in your mind telling you that it's too much today, to rack the bar and try again next time, that you've pushed far enough and you're feeling ill and didn't get enough sleep so call it for today and have another go on Saturday. You just have to ignore it and squat down again, and again, and again
So far my legs have gotten noticeably bigger (even though I've been trying to notice it), and I've begun dreading going to the gym. Actual fear. The first two weeks were pretty good since I started a little lighter than maybe I should have, but after making a 5kg jump and getting into week 3 it's started to consume my mind.
Well worth doing if you want a horrible challenge
I did this one time a few years ago and I get physically sick thinking about it. I think I want to give it another shot.
Did my first day on SUPER SQUATS. I'm 59 years , 4 months and 2 days old
Boutta try this right tf now
I started this 20 rep program like seven years ago and I can squat over 600. Not for 20 wraps LOL, but yeah you literally just add 5 or 10 lb every single time you do it it's so simple I can do 355 for 20 now
That's awesome.
@@GVS figures i would see you here on this video lol
@@rmb5355 love me some super squats
@@GVS Do you think this program is viable for early intermediates?
@@paulchristie3306 gonna test my 5 rep max on Wednesday with my final workout of super squats. Kinda nervous but excited
I do 6+5+4+3+2+1, which is 21 reps. Normally by rep #14 I just want to drop the weight and die 😆
You said it Alexander. Breathing Squats with just a small handful of compound exercises are a GoldMine. Just squat more... ALL WE EVER DID WAS ONE VICIOUS FUCKING SET (progressive overload for six months at at time) per week and gained over 50 pounds each of us (my training partner and I). The only other exercises we did were chins, dips, presses and rows. Our arms grew like crazy with almost no direct arm work.... we would do curls for one set once per week MAYBE. We made more gains on our arms doing curls one set once per week than everyone else training arms twice or even three times a week but they did pussy leg press of low rep squats.
Bout to start this tmr. Sounded good for off-season wrestling training, given the need for endurance on the squats, and the myriad of posterior chain work is going to help a lot too. Starting Weights:
Squats: 135 x 20
CGB (Larsen Style): 85 x 12
Rows: 85 x 12
RDL: 105 x 12
BTN: 50 x 12
Pullovers: 40 x 12
Decline Sit-Ups: BW x 20+
See y'all in six weeks!
it has been more than a 6 weeks, how did you do
how did it go?
You should make a shirt that says “compound city”
So my 2 weeks in account is, prior to this I was doing 225 x5 sets of 3. And I couldn't walk out the weight by the end of workout and my hips were banged up. I took it down to 135 x20 for sets of 5-6 for 2 weeks. Then I was able to do 235 for 10. So I'm going to take it down to around 200 and shoot for sets of 20 while I strengthen my back w deadlifts on push days and do back extensions before leg press (after my squats) and also on back day.
What are you suppose to do if you fail to do all 20 reps for a weight? Do you basically count that session as a fail, and repeat the same weight for the next session and hit 20 before adding more weight? How much weight did you add as well with each successful 20 rep session?
I love your channel.. we use white boards at our machine shop..denatured alcohol clears the market that won't erase..I hate when they do that.
Ive run this a few times over the years. Only thing i ever tried that was harder was Steve Justa's barrel lifting program
Hey Alex can you recommend a strength/technique/competition block too follow up super squats? (You mention this at 20:50). Thanks!
I found the best way to get through the 20 rep squat is to pause for 10 seconds after 5 reps treating it like a 4 sets of 5 but don't rack it until you hit 20th rep
Hey Alex, great info!
Would you recommend this approach for other compunds? (Bench, overhead, pendlay's, chin uos etc),?
Thanks!
I would do a 20 rep set the day after conjugate day which would consist of starting with a 1RM at something like a close stance squat (C)then a 2RM at a wide stance (W). Then a 3RM at the box squat (B). Then a 4RM at a Zercher squat (Z).Then a 5RM at a front squat (F). Yup, that's some work. Anyway, the following day, I would do 1 set of 20 on two exercises to fatigue the posterior chain e.g. hyperextensions, reverse hyperextesions, good mornings, etc...... Then the 20 repper beginning at 55% and going up 10lbs when 20 was achieved. Then compensatory acceleration training of deadlifts 60×10×1. That served two purpose. One, working a muscle while fatigued strengthens it, but you are doing so with a weight light enough so as to not strain the muscle which is a risk when working an unrecovered muscle. And, as I learned from Louis Simmon's literature, it expedites recovery. The previous day's C×1, W×2, B×3, Z×4, F×5 that I described the following week becomes W×1, B×2, Z×4, C×5. It looks like this:
C,W,B,Z,F
W,B,Z,F,C
B,Z,F,C,W
Z,F,C,W,N
Etc.......
Always with 1,2,3,4,5
Because the exercises done after the first single, with some fatigue, you can expect to do better the next time because you will be doing it fresher. And it doesn't have to be those exercises. You would want to choose exercises that are new or haven't recently been done to have the benefit of the rapid gains of a new exercise. Say you did the F at 275×5. To determine what weight to use the following week which would be a better 1RM estimate at 4 than the set of 5 you would determine the equivalent like this:
275(35/34)=283.1
Because of the two previous mentioned factors you could get 290×4. Let's say you did.
290(34/33)=298.8
305×3 would be no problem
305(33/32)=314.5
320×2
320(32/30)=341.3
350×1
After an exercise does it's single and starts over you must realize that previously it was done with no fatigue and now you will be doing it with substantial fatigue, so the equivalent would be a gain. You may want to round down a bit.
320(30/35)=300
I would decide if I should go 300, or 295, or 290 depending upon the difficulty of the previous week's single. Those example increases, by the way, are conservative. I have seen a group of 4 lifters make between 15 and 20 percent gains on all 5 exercises in 12 weeks.
revisit this once a week
Remember when you took ‘Blast your Bench’ and tweaked it into something a little more refined with ‘Bench Press Blitz’? I need that version of Super Squats.
Lol not a bad idea.....
This ones for the algorithm
I have a love hate relationship with Super Squats... I love completing the set, but I hate the set lol 😀 I try to do this program at least once a year...
I think I'll start running this tomorrow. I have been stagnant at 170lb body weight. And the one thing I have been neglecting is squats...
When I discovered the Super Squat program 16 years ago (I’m 53) I went from bar weight to 300 lbs in 12-15 weeks and could have continued, but we had a kid. Anyway, I’ll close by saying a couple things. 1) I went from hating squats to loving them. 2) I never trained harder or saw the results faster in all my years of training. 3) I did not gain 30 lbs of muscle in 8 weeks, but I did not follow the program precisely. Even so, I’ve never heard of anyone gaining that much muscle roid free in that amount of time. 4) The program is legit and I’m starting it again in my old age!
But bar weight wasn’t actually your 10 rep max was it? Doesn’t the super squat program call for a 10 rep max and doing breathing squats for 20 reps?
This program is "Pain builds character".
You get tired quicker the more you breath you take because hyperventilation. I cant get more than 13 reps if I take 3 or more breath, meanwhile with 2 I’m progressing quite nicely.
Got a stupid question. But I really like doing cleans over bent rows mostly because I feel like it triggers traps to grow like crazy. Suggestions on swapping bent rows for cleans? Or stick to the bent rows?
How I approach these:
If you can hit 5, you can hit 10.
If you can hit 10, you can 12.
If you can hit 12, you can hit 15.
If you can hit 15, you can hit 16.
If you can hit 16, you can hit 17.
Only 3 more.
If you can hit 1, you can hit 2.
If you can hit 2, FINISH IT!
Thanks for the video. Thoughts on using a belt during the breathing squat set?
I did this program for years starting in the mid 90’s. I guarantee you’ll need to lay on the ground after the 20. It’s brutal.
in the super squats program, are you meant to increase weight per week on all exercises or just squats ? thanks