Reply With QuoteI did 285x14 at high altitude once. Not doing high-rep squats again for a long time. Post up your results when you're done, I'm interested to see how much mass it packs on.
vegetableboy
20 rep squat challenge - any takers?
Any of you mofos wanna do this?
It's interested me for some time and today I finally got round to giving it a go (the classic version, including the other exercsies) because I need a break from goddamn sets of 5.
Tried it today with 40kg less than my 5rm and got 15! It was hella hard. You're supposed to pause at the top to breathe but I found just holding the bar on my shoulders sucked. Anyway, I'm not deterred; I finished the rest of the workout and am going back to do 20 reps on Wednesday at the same weight.
Relevant pages:
http://www.leehayward.com/squats.htm
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/63_07_Be_Alive.pdf
It's for 6 weeks, I'm gonna do the other exercises suggested, which are just pull overs and a circuit of chin ups/dips/sit ups. It will be interesting to see how this affects my lifts when I go back to them.
So... anyone up for this also?
Member
I did 285x14 at high altitude once. Not doing high-rep squats again for a long time. Post up your results when you're done, I'm interested to see how much mass it packs on.
vegetableboy
At high altitude?
Assuming I can summon the willpower to do the programme, I definitely will. I'm hoping a few others join, too, so we can get a little progress diary going in this thread.
It's supposed to be a linear progression with 20s, taking your 20rm up to what your 5rm was when you started, but I'm skeptical about whether it can be done. We'll see!
Last edited by Kregna; 09-10-2012 at 03:55 AM. Reason: grammar
Member
Copious amounts of milk will probably be needed to succeed.Originally Posted by Kregna
re: altitude, I lived at ~11.000 feet at the time, which just made it even suckier. Not going to put myself through anything like that until I forget how it felt...
It can be done. I have had 5 women clients achieve 60kg x20. Of those, one also did x25 and another x30. I've had 12 male clients achieve 20 reps with their bodyweight, ranging from 60 to 95kg. The craziest effort was probably my stocky Indian guy Navneet who did 60kg x52.
"After 40 reps, you realise squats use every muscle in your body."
I told this to the 30 rep woman, who exclaimed, "it took him 40 reps to realise that?!"
It builds strength, obviously, but also crazy endurance, and true willpower. One advantage of it in terms of progression is that if you do even 5 reps with a weight, you're uncertain how well you'll handle even 2.5kg more. But if you do 20 reps with a weight, 2.5kg more you know you've the strength to handle more, the only question is whether you'll chicken out after 12 reps or so.
And here is one bad thing about high rep squats. If you can do at least 12 reps, you literally always can do another rep, the only question is do you really want to? If you re-rack after 15 or so, within 5 minutes you invariably say, "fuck, I could have done the rest."
I've not taken anyone very much beyond doing their bodyweight for 20 reps, I feel that's enough. I've used it for building a base of endurance and willpower that the person could use in their lifting generally. Plus it's good for technique, if you can use good form on reps 12+, then your form will be good with much heavier weights.
I don't feel it has a great carryover to lower-rep maxes. It does, however, blow your thighs up pretty well.
Whatever you are doing for sets of 5, you will be tempted to use 2/3 to 3/4 of it for your 20s. Don't. Use 1/2 of it. This will be more than enough, trust me.
Last edited by Kyle Schuant; 09-10-2012 at 04:22 AM.
vegetableboy
Thanks for the input, Kyle. It's cool to hear from someone who's got experience with it.
Only tried it once so far but already I can relate to most of that post. I looked back at the video of myself lifting and the reps look quick and easy, so I knew I had another 5 in me ...had I had the mental strength to finish the set.
Can I ask why you recommend so little weight? I did 15kg higher than bodyweight my first session and got 15, and I'm confident 20 is just a case of mind over matter. Half of my 5rm weight would be about 40kg less than what I'm doing now, which I dare say would probably be too easy. If I can do it at a much higher weight, why not? Type of thing
vegetableboy
Already on dat milk so think the eating'll be fine!
Oh wow ha, scarred for life now?
Member
I might try it, reps in the squat are a massive weakness for me. Low reps are not working so well for me right now with hip & knee problems too.
I tried 20 repping an empty barbell the other day and even that was very hard to do at an adequate tempo. My best ever 10rep squat is a mere 80kg, and currently due to regressing massively in training I can only 10 rep 65kg or so.
So will indeed be interesting to see what happens, 6 weeks is not so long. Does anyone know how it would affect the deadlift?
I do sets of 20 reps once a week as part of my rehab. It is true that what you thought you could do for 10 reps, you can train up to 20 reps. I feel ready to rack the bar halfway through, but it's just willpower, tuning out everything else but getting the bar up. Breathing is tricky, especially if youre doing valsavas.
And yet you didn't. You didn't even complete the first workout.
In any progressive resistance routine, regardless of the sets and reps range, I recommend people beginning with weights which they are both physically and mentally capable of handling with ease. Had you started at 40kg less than you're doing now, by the time you'd reached the current weight, you would not have given up at rep 15, since you'd already have had 16 workouts in which you did all 20.
20 rep squats in every workout is essentially a beginner's routine. If you're already squatting 140kg or more, you're unlikely to be doing 20 reps every session and adding 2.5kg each time for very long. If you failed at 15kg higher than your bodyweight, how will you fare at 17.5kg, 20kg, 22.5kg, 25kg and so on?
They used to call them "breathing squats." You'll see why soon. When my client Agatha did 30 reps with 60kg, she took 8'30" - and the first 10 reps only took 1'00". There was some distress there, when I foolishly offered a form correction around rep 17, she snapped, "not now!" which is the only time she snapped at me in 156 workouts.
Start easy, build up slowly and steadily, nothing is lost except time. Generally there's no hurry. If you're joining a rugby team or getting married in eight weeks, okay then there may be a hurry. Most of us are just working out for general health and wellbeing, though - so there's no hurry, whether reaching certain lifts took 6 weeks or 6 months will not matter or even be remembered 10 years from now. Starting easy and building up slowly and steadily increases the chances not only of completing the first workout, but the one hundred and first. Consistency is key.
Some efforts are horrible and just stupid, like most military workouts and crossfit. Some efforts are horrible and effective, like 20 rep squats.
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