by Jim Brewster
The 20 rep Squat is without a doubt one of, if not the most demanding
exercises you can do. You will definitely know what pain is all about after just
one set of these! It also is not all that common of an exercise anymore.
Why? Who knows. Maybe it's just to tough. Most people don't like normal squats,
let alone some mutant variation for 20 reps! In this article, I'll touch on the
history of this great exercise, give you some examples of early routines and
give you a routine to follow based on this exercise.
A Little
Bit of History
The 20 rep squat is also known as "breathing squats", having it's origin in
Mark Berry's Deep Knee Bend system, dating back to 1930. This was a simple 4-5
exercise, full body routine based around squats - but not yet 20 rep squats.
J.C. Hise is perhaps the most dramatic example of Berry's routine, having great
success with it. Peary Rader, founder of Ironman magazine, with the help of
people like Hise, is generally credited with coming up with the first 20 rep
breathing style squat routine. Breathing squats for those who don't know, are
squats done for 20 reps with a weight you usually do 10 reps with, each time you
hit failure, you take 3-5 deep breaths and continue until you get to 20 ( a full
description will be given later) while I have seen lighter weight 20 and even 25
rep versions, this one is most common.
Early
Routing Variations
The original Ironman routine looked like this:
Press Behind Neck - 3 sets of 8
Squats superset with straight arm
pullovers - 3 sets of 20 reps
Bench press - 3 sets of 8
Curls - 3 sets of
8
Quite a simple routine that came along with a "formula for growth". Now, much
of the "formula" to this program, is the idea of doing the breathing squats,
eating a lot of food and drinking a lot of whole milk. This is, in fact, how
this routine is defined by most proponents, including a book claiming you can
gain 30 lbs of muscle following this routine. Part of this gain is fat weight
instead of muscle mass, largely because these early versions pushed high fat
whole milk - as in a gallon or so per day - so much.
The routine has evolved over time to more recently one like this:
Press behind the neck - 3 sets of 10
Bent over rows - 3 sets of
12
Curls - 2 sets of 15
Squats - 1 set of 20 supersetted with Pullovers -
1 set of 20
Dead lifts - 1 set of 20 supersetted with Pullovers - 1 set of
15 reps
Calf raises - 3 sets of 20 reps
A shorter variation of this
routine is:
Bench press - 2 sets of 12
Squat - 1 set of 20
supersetted with Pullovers - 1 set of 20
Bent rows - 2 sets of 15
So you see how these early routines were set up, very basic full body
routines, done three times a week. Most current variations of this exercise
include it on leg day as part of a split routine. While I can see value in full
body style routines, I think a split routine is the only way to go for a serious
bodybuilder. I also believe this exercise, when added to a good split routine,
will add considerable muscle. I think modern supplement standards have moved us
out of the "whole milk" days, so a good supplement stack will
really enhance this exercise's effectiveness (I'll suggest one later).
The
Proper Way to Perform the 20-Rep Squat
This would be a good time to review the proper performance of this
exercise. Pick a weight you would usually fail with at about 10 reps. At
failure, pause and take several deep breaths, continue doing as many reps as you
can, maybe one, maybe two is all you'll get. Pause again, take 3-5 deep breaths,
and go again. Keep doing this until you hit twenty reps. Make no mistake, this
ain't easy, and you will want to quit before you hit twenty, but keep going.
This is as much mental as it is anything else. if you've done the set correctly,
you should pretty much hit the floor. If you feel like you can do more, you did
something wrong! Once done with your set, crawl over to a flat bench and do a
set of light dumbbell pullovers for twenty reps. This is, really, a variation on
rest pause style training, which is enjoying new popularity under a variety of
training program monikers. Done in this fashion, this exercise is going to do a
lot to promote not only leg growth but also over all growth.
It has been said that squats can increase upper body size by 10-15%. Here's
why: squats are known to promote a lot of natural hormone release (igf-1-gh and
testosterone) causing over all growth, they target the legs like no other
exercise but also involve most muscles of the body either directly or
indirectly, and the deep breathing combined with pullovers promote rib cage
expansion, leading to increased chest size, although this has a lot to do with
age: the younger you are, the more pliable your rib-cage is and the more you
should be able to expand it with this type of superset.
The
20-Rep Squat Routing - Not for the Weak
Following is a great routine based around 20 rep squats. I also added two variations to
the basic routine. In these variations, the exercises are the same, but the rest
days and body part split changes. This gives people with different schedules and lifestyle
obligations something to work with. Since 20 rep squats are really
a lot like rest pause type training, and are certainly a high intensity
technique, we'll make this routine high intensity. We'll follow it with a
power type routine.
Day 1 - Legs & Abs
- Squats - 2-3 warm up sets, start with a light weight for 15 easy reps, add
weight and drop the reps over 2 sets to 12, three sets to 10
- 1 working set - breathing squats - 10rm for 20 breathing style reps, super set with 1 set -
dumbbell pullovers - use a moderate weight, get a good stretch
- Rest 3 minutes
- Leg extensions - 1-2 working sets, 8-10 reps Calf raises - 1-2 warm up sets,
3-4 working sets, alternating slow, full range reps with faster explosive
reps, done over 3/4 range of motion
- Crunch - 3 sets of 50
Day 2 - Rest
Day 3 - Chest, Delts, Tris, Abs
- Bench press - 2-3 warm up sets, done the same way as
your warm ups for squats
- 3 working sets, each set to failure, r/p after a 15
count, rep out, r/p after a 15 count, rep out 3 working sets incline press,
same as bench press
- 2 working sets incline flys, drop set style ( 3 drops) by
going to a lighter set of dumb bells each drop
- Military press - 3 working sets, r/p style as in bench press Side/rear laterals - superset and use r/p as
in bench press Close grip bench press - 2 working sets, use the same r/p
technique Tricep press downs - 1-2 working sets, using rest pause
- Crunch - 3 sets of 50
Day 4 - Off
Day 5 - Back, Biceps, Abs
- Dead lifts, 2-3 warm up sets
done the same way as with squats 3 working sets, each set to failure, r/p as
with bench presses - keep an eye on your form, if it breaks down, stop the
set. Also watch your grip, that'll likely give out before your back does
- Bent rows - 3 working sets, same r/p style Chins to
failure, then go right into negative only chins EZ curls - 3 working sets,
using r/p Hammer curls - 2 working sets, use r/p Crunch - 3 sets of
50.
I don't usually talk about rest time between sets but
I've been getting questions about it - I usually rest no more than one minute,
even when lifting heavy, but you have to be able to recover fast enough to
warrant this. Some extreme power lifting routines call for up to 5 minutes rest
between sets, I think that's to long. I feel this is a somewhat individual
thing, as you have to be recovered enough to do your next set justice, and the
time needed to do that can vary depending on your conditioning level among other
factors but you also don't want to start losing your pump and focus. So, as a rule of thumb, I
suggest no more than 1- 3 minutes.
Day 6 - Off
Day 7 - Off
If you are new to this type of training, you may want to ease into it by only using rest pause on 1 set of each exercise, and then gradually work up to the recommended sets.
20-Rep Squat
Routine Variation #1
Day 1 - Legs
Days 2 and 3- Rest
Day 4 - Chest, Delts, Tris
Day 5 - Rest
Day 6 - Back, Bis, Abs
Day 7 - Rest
20-Rep Squat
Routine Variation #2
Day 1 - Legs
Day 2 - Rest
Day 3 - Chest, Tris
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Back, Bi's
Day 6 -
Rest
Day 7 - Delts
As with all routines, after 4-6 weeks, it's time for
something new. A nice variation to a routine of this type is to switch to a
power type routine, lower reps (5), straight sets, heavy weights and basic
movements. Also, we'll bring in a new exercise: power cleans, one of the great
forgotten exercises. Regarding rest time between sets, some people like to rest
2-3 minutes on a power routine to enhance between set recovery for more strength
on there next set.
Here is an example of a good routine along these lines:
Day 1 Legs, Abs, Squats
- 2-3 warm up sets 5 working sets, reverse pyramid style - your
first set is your heaviest for 5 reps, drop weight with each sets but stay at 5
reps, drop only enough weight to allow 5 reps
- Stiff legged dead lifts - 3 sets,
5 reps Calf raises - 4-5 sets, 15-20 reps
- Crunch - 5 sets of 50 reps
Day 2 - Rest
Day 3 - Chest, Delts, Tris, Abs
- Bench press - 2-3 warm up sets, 5 sets of 5
reps as with squats
- Overhead press - 3 sets of 5 reps Wide grip upright rows - 3
sets of 5 reps
- Close grip bench press - 3 sets of 5 reps EZ ext. - 3 sets of 5
reps
- Reverse crunch - 5 sets of 25 reps
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Back, Bis, Abs
- Dead lifts ( always do deads!) 3 warm up sets, 4 sets of 5 reps
- Low cable rows - 3 sets of 5 reps
- Chins - 50 reps, then do 5 negative reps
- EZ curls - 3 sets of 5 reps
- Incline dumb bell curls - 3 sets of 5 reps
- Reverse crunch - 3 sets of 25 reps
- Twisting crunch - 3 sets of 25 reps
Day 6 and 7 - Rest
I have always set my split routines up this way - legs on there own day since they require a lot of
energy and are very taxing to train, "pushing" muscles on their own day and
"pulling" muscles on their own day. This is logical as these muscles naturally
work together. However, to mix things up, it's not a bad idea to change up the
order of body parts - training chest and back together on their own day is
common, for example. If you want to add a fourth training day, training delts on
their own day is another good option. Spend 6-8 weeks on this type of routine
before switching back to something else. It's a good idea to have 3-5 good but
different routines to use in an on going cycle like this, rotating each one
after 6-8 weeks. This helps keep variety in your training and promotes continued
progress.
Essential
Supplements & Good Nutrition Are a Must
First off, keep your protein intake high, at least 1 gram per lb. of body weight, evenly divided through out the day. Don't
be afraid of carbs, they are essential for energy needed with this type of routine.
Choose complex carbs, such as oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes and whole
grain products, and shoot for 1 ½ to 2 grams per lb. of body weight. Some simple
carbs are good as part of your pre and post workout shakes however: 60 grams
simple carbs (fruit and/or fruit juice) to 40 grams protein make a good pre and
post workout shake. You can, as part of your supplement stack, use a pre workout
drink with caffeine, in which case you have to time it's use correctly with your
carb/protein drink.
Here's a great stack for use with the 20 rep squat routine:
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact Jim Brewster at sb5660@windstream.net
Thanks
for reading.
*posted 1/30/08
