View Full Version : 20 rep squats
i have always said - it's the routine that you are not doing that will stim the muscles to new growth, you have to shock those bad boys. gotta stimulate with reps, heavy weight, drop sets, super sets...find what works and stick with it, but also get away from it all so you dont get burned out, try something new.
you learn something new all the time. a buddy of mine once said....when you think you know it all, thats the day you stop learning.
i started training with higher reps latley, due to training so heavy for over a year.
i was doing the HIT training, making awesome gains. but it was time for a change.
im FINALLY back into a groove with SQUATS, im in a good place, feeling strong again.
i just walked into the gym monday night with that passion, that fucking drive to push some weight around. i warmed up for 10 min on the cross trainer, 10 min of easy stretching, and some body weight squats and lunges.
i dont normally hit squats first, but i just got under 135 to get a feel, and it was smooth like butter moving up and down. but i was not impatient, i took my time. i did about 5 sets of "play around" warm up sets to make sure my knees and back were good to go.
remember i'm 42, so i need a big warm up.
185 for 5
225 for 5
275 for 5
i'm feeling good, and it been a long time that i feel this comfortable.
at this point im getting into a zone -
when i got under 275 for my 2nd set, i got to 5 and thought ok 5 more, when i got to 10, i thought ok 5 more, at 15 my thighs were feeling great, so why not 5 more....21 reps in total.
315, same mind set, as i broke the set into 5 reps it made it seem easier....17 reps total
365, again in the zone. cranked out 7 reps, dropped it down to 225 for 10, then 135 for 10 very slow controlled reps.
i finished up with 2 sets of hacks, 2 sets of extentions, and 3 sets of stiff leg.
Damn Vin, good for you bro. I have hip issues and its a week to week thing when I feel good with squats also. Sometimes theyre tight, sometimes theyre loose and feel good.
Workout looks killer man! Bet those quads were jumping off the bone. It actually looks like what I did recently- 6 sets of high rep squats followed up by hacks and lunges with lying leg curls. Crazy pump man.
I LOVE LEG DAY HAHA
I just started back on squats last week. Its been a long time since I've done them due to problems with my knee but I'm back in the rack. Not much weight bt enough to stimulate. Great job.
Geronimo
06-25-09, 4:21 am
I started doin' squats again last Sunday too...after about half a year of not doing any leg training.....I stopped doing massive leg training after i couldn't fit in my pants anymore....But what the hell...it felt great again, feeling the burn in my legs en almost puking away after leg day.....looking forward to that feeling again..
Yep those legs days are great, sure beats competing against the log book each time, lol
Yeah I like high rep work especially on legs, the squatting sessions on DC were killers with high reps too but mixing it up all the time keeps your mind fresh too, I just need to get motivated to hit the gym of late, been lazy but a decent high rep leg session such as you`ve outlined will wake me up.
live2lift
06-25-09, 12:34 pm
Vinny you are the man!!! How did your legs feel afterwards?
I Love It A Real Man Workout! I Love Doing High Reps And Drop And Super Sets And More So On Legs, Back,
Go Vinny Get Huge!!!
Big Wides
10-17-09, 12:10 pm
True meaning of its all mind over matter when it comes to traning. Good shit as usual Vincent
Mizzarler
10-17-09, 5:27 pm
Yeeeaaaa budddyyyyy, make those wheels grow!
ironshaolin
10-19-09, 2:45 pm
Good stuff, I don't know how you managed all the extra work with hacks/etc...after 20 rep squats. I've done the "super squats" program by Randall Strossen before, it was death. You do the 20 reps with your 10 rep max. Load the bar up to your 10 rep max, get out your first 10. Instead of racking at this point, you take several big, deep breaths and do another rep. A few more big deep breaths, another rep. You continue in that fashion until you hit 20.
I always found that workout a real test of mental fortitude. By rep 10 you're physically cooked, and you're only half way. By rep 13 or 14, you're wondering what you got yourself into. By rep 17, you're starting to see god ready to smite you. By 19, you figure you've come so far, you will get that last rep, even if it kills you. AFter the set, I'm always left laying on the floor crumpled up in a ball for about 5 minutes. The rest of the workout is an upper body push and an upper body pull for 4-5 sets of 6-12 reps.
xgentzx
11-02-09, 12:07 pm
I went for 20 reps last thursday... I started with 185x12, then 225x10, 275 x8 then went for 315 for 20... I got to 19 and was absolutely shaking and could hardly lock out, so now I got a goal of getting that last rep to work on. I racked that weight and fell to the ground I couldn't stand any longer... without a doubt one of the hardest fetes in the gym I've ever taken on.
All I can say is weighing 185 pushing 315 for 19 I was pretty damn pumped about!!! I'll have to get that last rep in a few weeks though.
I think everyone should try 20 rep squats, they'll destroy your legs.
mritter3
11-02-09, 1:09 pm
gotta love the 20 rep widowmaker squats....good shit vinny
desolation
11-02-09, 8:28 pm
i personally prefer to keep my squat reps (4-8) low nd heavy but i agree that doing a 20 is pure hell nd rips the legs like nothing else, i do it as a change up every now nd then just to completely murder myself
recently i did 4 sets of 4-6 reps than dropped the weight nd just finished of trying to get to 20, died at 18 - luckily the pins were in the rack, hehe
good times
I was inspired to throw in two 20 rep sets at the end of my 5-3-1 squat program today. Felt nice. Thanks for the inspiration Vinny!
I have been doing 20 rep squats to the bottom for the last 3 weeks. I have seen a big growth in my quads. I am doing 6 sets. Takes your breath away, and you can't hardly move for about 5 days, but this shit works. I broke my back, had surgery, so heavy squats are out of the question.
I change my routine and at times just put 135 on the bar and rep out 30 reps all the way down and just use excellent form, it does give me a great pump!
MrMonday
11-03-09, 10:21 am
I don't understand how you guys are doing multiple sets of these. lol
The way I was always taught is that you're supposed to take your 10RM, and squat it 20 times in one big loooooong set. If you can do another set after that, then you weren't using heavy enough weight.
Not knocking multiple sets of 20s, just stating what works for me. In fact, doing 20 reps for any quadricep exercises has done nothing but good for my thighs.
I don't understand how you guys are doing multiple sets of these. lol
The way I was always taught is that you're supposed to take your 10RM, and squat it 20 times in one big loooooong set. If you can do another set after that, then you weren't using heavy enough weight.
Not knocking multiple sets of 20s, just stating what works for me. In fact, doing 20 reps for any quadricep exercises has done nothing but good for my thighs.
Like I said, mine is due to back surgery and no press machine out here. I totally wish I was squating the close to 600lbs I was doing back in the day. The high rep, multi-sets is all I can do right now. It is working though!