20 Rep Squat Program
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Week 6 - Day 16
Squat: 180x20, 225x5, 275x3
pullover: 25x20
OHP: 125 5,5,5,5,3
DL: 335x5
https://youtu.be/GRcszcF2jHc
Upped calories again so now I should be just about at TDEE at 2,000. Workout felt good for the most part. Could have done another couple at 275 on squat, but with the race this weekend, I'm just going to be in prevent mode to make sure I don't injure anything this week. OHP was the second time failing, although it was on the last set this time. DL was ok. Form in video looks like back is rounded a little bit. Just started DL with belt again a week or two ago and still trying to figure out just how tight/loose to wear it. Seems like for me, tighter is better for DL.
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Week 6 - Day 17
Squat: 185x20
Flat Bench: 185x5, 205x5, 225x2, 235x1, 245- fail, 135x10
weighted pull-up: 55lb 5,5,3
https://youtu.be/hvf050A3tXs
https://youtu.be/HbWc4iZ7ZkI
Last workout before the race Saturday as I'll be driving up most of the day Friday. Switched to a flat bench for the day just to see where I was at. Not really that different than I was back when I was at 195lb BW so I guess that's a plus that I've at least maintained strength through my cut. Pull-ups were rough after the bench though and as I was running out of times as well, I just called it after the third set.
Goal for the race is to be around 4 hours. Last year's top finishers were just under 3. 4 should put me in the top 1/3 of finishers I would think.
I have a family event the following weekend that will go from fri-mon so training might be a little sporadic until I get back from that. Might do a couple of 10lb increases in the 20rep squat just to adjust and keep on track.0 -
So my body is absolutely wrecked after that Spartan race. Without question the hardest thing physically that I've ever done in my life. They more than doubled the vertical intensity over what they ran last year (4,800 vert. feet compared to 10k+ this year) and added another couple miles in length as well pushing it to somewhere between 14-15 miles. Overall my brother and I finished in 6:02. I know I didn't train for it as hard as I could have, but reading all of the reviews and comments of the race, I don't even know how much that would have helped. My longest training run was 9.2 miles with just over 1000 feet of vertical climb and I did a few mountain hikes with the wife and kids, but again those were all between 1-4 miles and 800-1400 vertical feet. I'm thinking of going for the trifecta at this point, because...well, why not if the hardest one is out of the way. If I do, I'll do the Wintergreen Super and the DC Sprint in August and September.
I'm not a "cramper" when I run/exercise usually, but both my brother and I fought them basically starting 3 miles in. My quads are DESTROYED!!! That being said, I will not be squatting this week.1 -
oiy- congrats on finishing!! essentially half marathon PLUS.
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oiy- congrats on finishing!! essentially half marathon PLUS.
SOOOOO much worse than a half marathon. I've done half marathons before and in about 1:45ish. I honestly think I could have gone out and ran a marathon Saturday instead and felt better than I do now LOL. My brother does triathlons and said this was way worse than anything he'd ever done...and he did the 8 mile Spartan at this same location last year.0 -
Starting the 6 weeks over today starting with 195lbs and adding 5-10lbs every workout from here on out. Here goes the countdown for 18 workouts and a 275-285lb 20 rep squat
Day 1
Squat: 195x20
Pullover: 25x20
OHP: 125x5,5,5,4,3 (will deload to 110 next time)
DL: 340x5
This weeks calories are set to 2100+exercise cals ~ 2300-2400/day
Quads still reeling from the punishment I gave them on Saturday, but I was anxious to start the program and I knew I was going to be out of town Fri this week and Mon next, so I'll have plenty of recovery time before doing day 2 a week from now. 195 was definitely more of a challenge this morning than it normally would be, but I thought I maintained fairly good form and didn't have much shaking going on either. I meant to record it (and plan on recording all from here on out), but I was a little out of it this morning I guess and took a picture of the squat rack instead of turning the video mode on. Oh well. Looking forward to just how far I can push myself here in the coming weeks.
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Finally back to the gym routine starting today.
Day 2 of 18
Squat 200x20
pullover: 25x20
Flat Bench: 175 5x5
Weighted pull-up: 35 5,5,5,4,3
Here is my squat video for today
https://youtu.be/yWWwyO15v9s
I'm hoping it's just lack of gym time and 2 workouts in the past two weeks, but just felt kinda sluggish today. I also had a twinge of pain in the inner elbow. First showed up when I was just setting up for my squat warmup at 135#. Was able to still do everything, but it was definitely present throughout the workout. Hoping it goes away
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Day 3 of 18
Squat: 205x20
pullover: 25x20
OHP: 110 5x5
DL: 345 1x5
Somehow I though I posted this on Friday, but I must have just pushed preview. Workout went ok...still felt the elbow twinge. Deloaded to 110 on OHP after failing three times at 125. Hopefully with the added calories that I'm eating, that will go back up while I'm on this program and the elbow doesn't give me much problem. No issue at all on the DL with the elbow though, so that was nice.
https://youtu.be/-HluOEG6w68
https://youtu.be/-Gft2JhZoTQ 0 -
Day 4 of 18
Squat: 210x20
pullover: 25x20
Flat Bench: 180 5x5
Weighted pullups: 35# 5,5,5,5,3
Squat was a felt a little heavy this morning, but I'm guessing that has more to do with playing a full soccer game yesterday. Only one Sunday left for the season though. Twinge in the elbow is still present, but like other workouts, once I get 5-10 reps into the squat, it's stretched out and doesn't bother me. I did feel it for all the reps on the bench though which is annoying. I don't know what is going on with my pull-ups and maybe it has something to do with the elbow as well, but I failed a second workout in a row at 35# after having worked up to 55 just a few weeks ago.
Anyway, here's my squat.
https://youtu.be/CA_p4lhoIO0 0 -
I can't see on my work computer- but how are the squats feeling for you at this point?0
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@JoRocka they're not feeling too bad yet. They felt heavy enough this morning, but I also played a full 90 min soccer game yesterday, so they were sore going into the gym. I'll be up over two plates by next week and that's when I expect that it'll really start to feel heavy and it'll be a mental grind just to not rack the weight after 5, 10 or 15 reps.0
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@JoRocka they're not feeling too bad yet. They felt heavy enough this morning, but I also played a full 90 min soccer game yesterday, so they were sore going into the gym. I'll be up over two plates by next week and that's when I expect that it'll really start to feel heavy and it'll be a mental grind just to not rack the weight after 5, 10 or 15 reps.
yeppppers. LOL- It's funny I transitioned off the program and onto another one and I'm up at 195- (*which I repped out at 20 end of the program) and now I'm doing it 5 x 3- and I"m like OMRRGH- how did I ever do this 20 times LOL.
After like 8 is where I'm wanting to get the bar off my back LOL0 -
@JoRocka they're not feeling too bad yet. They felt heavy enough this morning, but I also played a full 90 min soccer game yesterday, so they were sore going into the gym. I'll be up over two plates by next week and that's when I expect that it'll really start to feel heavy and it'll be a mental grind just to not rack the weight after 5, 10 or 15 reps.
yeppppers. LOL- It's funny I transitioned off the program and onto another one and I'm up at 195- (*which I repped out at 20 end of the program) and now I'm doing it 5 x 3- and I"m like OMRRGH- how did I ever do this 20 times LOL.
After like 8 is where I'm wanting to get the bar off my back LOL
Were you able to up your 1RM with the program though too, or did it just bump up your 20RM?0 -
@JoRocka they're not feeling too bad yet. They felt heavy enough this morning, but I also played a full 90 min soccer game yesterday, so they were sore going into the gym. I'll be up over two plates by next week and that's when I expect that it'll really start to feel heavy and it'll be a mental grind just to not rack the weight after 5, 10 or 15 reps.
yeppppers. LOL- It's funny I transitioned off the program and onto another one and I'm up at 195- (*which I repped out at 20 end of the program) and now I'm doing it 5 x 3- and I"m like OMRRGH- how did I ever do this 20 times LOL.
After like 8 is where I'm wanting to get the bar off my back LOL
Were you able to up your 1RM with the program though too, or did it just bump up your 20RM?
I didn't test my max b/c I was cutting so heavily due to the weight loss thing at work. I'm thinking I'm going to be testing out here in the next 8 weeks. So we'll see. Mentally I think it's going to make a huge difference.0 -
Day 5 of 18
Squat: 215x20
pullover: 25x20
OHP: 115 5x5+ (got 7 on the last set)
DL: 350 1x5
Still a little sore from soccer on sunday, but I took some advil before heading to the gym and felt pretty good by the time I warmed up. Still having the elbow issue which is troublesome. I did some internet sleuthing, and it looks like it's some kind of tendonitis.
Squat felt good though. Could have easily done a little more weight or a few more reps if I wanted to. OHP was alright. The elbow probably bothered me the most on that lift right at lockout at the top. DL felt good as well and seems to be benefiting from the squat. Again, I felt like I probably could have done either more weight or more reps on that. I may start pushing a little harder on squat and DL to see just how far I can push it.
https://youtu.be/QNjNox2GHtw
https://youtu.be/sR6dtgUYPAE 1 -
Day 6 of 18
Squat: 220x20
Pullover: 25x20
Flat Bench: 185 5x5
Weighted Pull-up: 35 5,5,5,5,4
So after about a week of dealing with my elbow, I followed some advice of an older lifting buddy and tried to widen my grip to try and reduce the torque on my elbow. The result was an awkward feeling 20 reps that I'm sure my form was waning as I got further in. Going forward, I'll just try and deal with the pain and keep my normal grip. Unfortunately, my video cut out after 30 seconds instead of recording the full set Bench felt good the further I went into the sets, but the first set or two, that same elbow hurt when I'd go to lock out at the top. ***EXTREMELY IRRITATED WITH MY BODY RIGHT NOW*** On top of the elbow, I have something going on with my right groin area too 
Don't know if it's elbow related or not, but failed on my last set, last rep for weighted pull up too. I think I might transition to 3x5 weighted and then do two sets of bodyweight to try and keep my reps up.
https://youtu.be/pP6h1-7Dqvs
https://youtu.be/Hm6Fg89aktU 0 -
Day 7 of 18
Squat: 225x20 (two plates!!!)
OHP: 120 5x5
DL: 355x6 (pushed it for another rep
I was definitely a little sore after yesterday's soccer championship game (we won!)...groin is a little tender after some kind of minor tweak/pull last week and I irritated it again yesterday. Took some advil before heading to the gym though and as long as I'm moving in a straight motion, there's little/no pain so didn't really affect squat. Someone was in both racks when I got there this morning, so I hit OHP first. Felt good. Less pain in the elbow than last week so hopefully with another week or two, it'll really start to feel better. Moved on to squat and as you'll see in the video, something was up with my stance or something for the first couple of reps and I lost my balance at the top a little for the first couple of reps, but got that corrected as I moved on. 225 felt easier this week than 220 did last week. Finished off with DL and added an extra rep for good measure...355x6
https://youtu.be/xgInekNzfes
https://youtu.be/7qHPQ2W1OIk 0 -
Day 8 of 18
Squat: 230x20
Flat Bench: 190 5,5,5,5,4
Weighted Pull-up: 30 3x5
BW Pull-up: 2 sets - 1st set chin-up grip x 8, 2nd set wide grip slow, controlled 4 count up, 4 count down x 4
Squat was good. Took off the shoes and did just my socks and felt like I had a much better base, so I'll continue that going forward. And over 2 plates now so every squat will be the heaviest 20 rep squat I've ever done Bench was ehh...failed on last rep. Pull-ups I went down to a 3x5 for the weighted and am playing around with what I want to do for BW after. The slow pull-ups are definitely a grind and add to that time under tension. Might just try and do 20 BW as fast as I can though as I saw in another thread.
https://youtu.be/6szM_2fUNiA 0 -
230- nice man- nice.
Glad you're feeling solid on your feet.
How's the elbow today?0 -
230- nice man- nice.
Glad you're feeling solid on your feet.
How's the elbow today?
Thanks @jorocka I'm not quite dreading going to the gym yet, but I can feel it coming around 250lbs. Elbow is feeling mildly better, but I'm not sure if that's because it's actually healing, or because I'm taking advil before heading to the gym this week. LOL I was taking it more for my groin than my elbow, but it's probably helping with both. I tried going to a wider grip with my arms to take some pressure off, but that didn't work with my overall form and feel of the squat, so I'm just keeping it narrow like it's been and working through the mild pain that's there. Like I've said, once I get about 5 reps in, I don't even really feel it.0 -
230- nice man- nice.
Glad you're feeling solid on your feet.
How's the elbow today?
Thanks @jorocka I'm not quite dreading going to the gym yet, but I can feel it coming around 250lbs. Elbow is feeling mildly better, but I'm not sure if that's because it's actually healing, or because I'm taking advil before heading to the gym this week. LOL I was taking it more for my groin than my elbow, but it's probably helping with both. I tried going to a wider grip with my arms to take some pressure off, but that didn't work with my overall form and feel of the squat, so I'm just keeping it narrow like it's been and working through the mild pain that's there. Like I've said, once I get about 5 reps in, I don't even really feel it.
My elbows get cranky when I do pause squats- so I feel you.
Hopefully your groin heals up quickly though- 20 reps at heavier weights is not going to let anything heal if it's already cranky LOL0 -
Have you tried a thumbless grip while keeping your wrists straight? You can see an example of this grip (and an explanation) by Mark Rippetoe in his bar position video. Basically, what you are doing now is placing your hands under the bar so some force is being exerted down your arm to your elbows (I'm assuming you are supporting the bar with your hands a bit). If you switch your grip you can eliminate the elbow from the weight bearing aspect of the lift.0
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Honestly, I'd never heard of thumbless for squats before you brought it up @norlead2005 I'll have to do some more digging on it, but my initial thought is not to mess with it while I'm getting up in weight on this program. My grip has worked for me the last two years and this elbow issue started unrelated to the lifting. It's just that there's some pain there now.
@jorocka groin is healing, it's more that I aggravated it during my soccer league finals. I take the advil for it more for throughout the day than lifting. I don't feel any pain in my groin squatting or even DLing which is good.
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Day 9 of 18
Squat: 235x20
Pullover: 25x20
OHP: 125 5x5
DL: 365x5, 405x1
Today was kind of "yay, halfway through" and "OMG I'm only halfway through" rolled into one LOL. Squat rack was full when I got there so I knocked out the OHP first. Still the pain in the elbow, but not severe and able to work through it.
Tried the thumbless grip on squat for a warmup set and there was just as much pain doing it that way, so I wasn't going to mess with trying it at the heavier weight and risk messing with my form. Squat was noticeably tougher today than Wednesday. It felt about as hard as 225 did about 4-5 weeks ago when I tried it. It's going to get rough quickly from here on out and I expect to have my "talk to Jesus" moment sometime after 250...and maybe every set after that too.
Deadlift was solid and I actually jumped 10lbs instead of 5 from Monday, one, because I felt good and though I could do it, and two, because I didn't feel like wandering the gym looking for the 2.5lb plates. Went for 6th rep, but felt like I was losing form about halfway up and dropped it. Gave myself a little break and went for 405. This is only the second time that I've pulled 405 on camera and only a few min after a heavier 1x5 set, I was pleased. Think I might be able to get 415 or even 425 by the end of the program which would be awesome. 415 is my all time PR for DL.
https://youtu.be/ml3PP4PC948
https://youtu.be/DwI15lZYoo8
https://youtu.be/PB4JgEAO1Ls 0 -
Day 10 of 18
Squat: 240x20
pull-over: 25x20
flat bench: 190 5x5
weighted pull-ups: 35 3x5
BW pull-ups: ~190 2x8
1 mile run
Worked out yesterday but just didn't get it posted. Squat felt really good and felt like I could have done another 15-20lbs without too much pain LOL Might have been the fact that I ate a cliff bar before heading to the gym and then also had a GU packet with caffeine 5-10min before starting. Hadn't been part of my normal routine, but I'm going to keep it up to see if that did make a difference.
Bench felt ok. Last set/rep was a little bit of a grind. Pull-ups same way. by the time I went to the bodyweight, I was pretty spent and once I hit 5 reps, my body just says "why are you trying to do more" LOL
Finished up with a 8 min mile on the treadmill just because. I'm itching to start running again, but giving this my full effort for now.
https://youtu.be/6pPygM5VL-0 0 -
I'm going to go back to this as my legs conditioning needs to be upped after my long recovery from my knee injury. Now that I can squat again, I just want to get the conditioning back.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I'm going to go back to this as my legs conditioning needs to be upped after my long recovery from my knee injury. Now that I can squat again, I just want to get the conditioning back.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Glad to hear your recovery is allowing you to squat again. Especially after doing this program, I think that any program I do is going to have me squatting 3 days a week. I just feel so much stronger and my form is so much better when I do. Good luck @ninerbuff0 -
I would attribute some of my leg size to the 20 rep squat program. I lagged in legs my first year because like all young dudes back in the 80's, it was about the chest and biceps. So over the years when I felt my leg training got stale, I went back to the 20 rep squat program and would get small results again. Mind you it was a tough program and doing it 3 days a week for a long period of time didn't fit my personal goals at the time, but I do believe it's a great program for legs.I'm going to go back to this as my legs conditioning needs to be upped after my long recovery from my knee injury. Now that I can squat again, I just want to get the conditioning back.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Glad to hear your recovery is allowing you to squat again. Especially after doing this program, I think that any program I do is going to have me squatting 3 days a week. I just feel so much stronger and my form is so much better when I do. Good luck @ninerbuff
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
Updated Stats
BW 180 => 192
Neck 15.25"=>15.625
Chest 41.75"=>42.25
Waist(narrowest) 33"=>34
Waist(naval) 34"=>36.25
Hips 39.5"=>41
Thigh 22.5"=>23.5
Calf 15.5"=>16.5
Bicep 14.25"=>14.75
Forearm 11.5"=>12.25
Wrist 7"
Ankle 9.25"
Don't really know if any of this is muscle...I'm sure water retention and fat are there too. Hopefully this isnt all for naught. 245lb squat in the morning
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Day 11 of 18
Squat: 245x20
Pullover: 25x20
OHP: 130 5x5
DL: 370x5, 415x0
So it looks like I'm sticking with the pre-workout meal plan of a cliff bar and GU pack...Squat felt strong again this morning and while the last few reps are difficult, I'm not yet having to take excessive breaks in between reps. My videos have stayed pretty consistent at right around 2.5 min
OHP was just as rough as always when I start approaching 130-135. Gave myself 2 min before the 4th set and 2.5-3 min before 5th and was able to get all 5 reps.
DL is starting to get heavy on this rotation adding 5 lbs every session. 370 this morning and then attempted 415 for one but dropped it about at my knees bc it felt like my back was going to round.
https://youtu.be/sArJ2lKqcPQ
https://youtu.be/M0VS87rOXKc 0
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