20-rep squats - The workout
Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 5:18 am
I list this in the Blueprint as a classic, and for good reason. I really struggled with "giving it away for free", being respectful of auther Randall Strossen's work. As such, I provide a link there to buy the book. And I still believe it IS important to buy that book to grasp the full gravity of the program. In the interest of helping Blueprint customers out though, I provide the guts of it here:
Here it is:
Bench press or Dips - 2 sets of 12
Squat - 1 set of 20 supersetted with
Pullovers - 1 set of 20
Bent rows - 2 sets of 15
Don't let the simplicity fool you. Those 20 rep squats are done with a weight you usually use for 10 reps, performed with deep breaths in between each rep, followed immediately by a light set of breathing pullovers.
The devil is in the details though, and Strossen brilliantly walks you through the execution, rep by rep. Such abbreviated, full body routines are way undersold today and exactly what's needed for many lifters. Sorely needed in some cases.
If one set doesn't feel like enough to you, please look at the weight you're using. Properly done, this should border on a religious experience. The LAST thing you should be thinking about is doing another set. Strossen recommends peforming this workout up to 3 days a week, adding 5lbs a session. Younger trainees may be able to do it, but plan on lowering that frequency as your Feast phase progresses. I've found if you can hack it, that 3x a week frequency quickly moves to 2x a week and finally 1x a week in the final week of a 4 week feast phase.
If you're concerned about your lower back given the time it takes to execute the squats (over 3 minutes for all 20 reps, in some cases), look into the Ironmind hip belt or Spud Squat Belt I detail in the Poll: 20 rep squats thread in this part of the forum.
Hard work, lots of milk and a true test of your inner strength.
Here it is:
Bench press or Dips - 2 sets of 12
Squat - 1 set of 20 supersetted with
Pullovers - 1 set of 20
Bent rows - 2 sets of 15
Don't let the simplicity fool you. Those 20 rep squats are done with a weight you usually use for 10 reps, performed with deep breaths in between each rep, followed immediately by a light set of breathing pullovers.
The devil is in the details though, and Strossen brilliantly walks you through the execution, rep by rep. Such abbreviated, full body routines are way undersold today and exactly what's needed for many lifters. Sorely needed in some cases.
If one set doesn't feel like enough to you, please look at the weight you're using. Properly done, this should border on a religious experience. The LAST thing you should be thinking about is doing another set. Strossen recommends peforming this workout up to 3 days a week, adding 5lbs a session. Younger trainees may be able to do it, but plan on lowering that frequency as your Feast phase progresses. I've found if you can hack it, that 3x a week frequency quickly moves to 2x a week and finally 1x a week in the final week of a 4 week feast phase.
If you're concerned about your lower back given the time it takes to execute the squats (over 3 minutes for all 20 reps, in some cases), look into the Ironmind hip belt or Spud Squat Belt I detail in the Poll: 20 rep squats thread in this part of the forum.
Hard work, lots of milk and a true test of your inner strength.