Breathing Squats

[strong island]

I have seemed to hit a plateau in my leg training. I have decided to try an 8 week "breathing squats" routine. For those that don't know too much about them I recommend researching them. Most trainers love them.

Basically you do one HARDCORE set. You are supposed to take a weight you usually do ten reps with and do twenty. But you take deep breaths between them.

Reps 1-10: 1 deep breath
Reps 11-15: 2 deep breaths
Reps 16-20: 3 deep breaths

Another way to pick a starting weight is as followsfrom the Sports Supplement Review 4th Ed.)

After 8 weeks you should be able to do 20 reps with your current 5 Rep max. Since you will be doing them twice a week that will be 16 workout. We will use 15 to give some slack. Plan to add 5 lbs. per workout.

5 x 15 = 75 lbs

take your 5 rep max and subtract 75 to get your starting weight.

My 5 rep max is about 350 (below parallel) so I decided to use 275. I did these yesterday and I almost threw up. It is also a psychological workout.

I will be doing these Mondays and Fridays along with some hamstring work. And I might throw in some leg extensions on Wednesday.

I will post my results after a few weeks.

Here is a good link:

http://www.geocities.com/scufc/20repsquats.html

I used the "glimpse" technique. This is when you load the bar with more weight than you will use so the weight "feels" lighter and more manageable.

 

[strong island]

I am amazed on how sore I am from one set. Expecially my quads.

 

[edgecrusher]

Just be careful, a lot of lowwer back injuries have occured from indviduals who lose their form while training.

 

[strong island]

Bad form is definately a major problem. I would say 80% of people in my gym have poor form.

And when it comes to squatting about 95% of people don't do them properly.

Most people actually do half squats. They fail to go low and get the full benefit of the squat.

Personally my from is perfect. I am always controlled and I warm up properly.

 

[kunta]

i think i'm gonna add this to my routine...kind of like yours but a little bit different on mon i alternate b/w 5x3 and 5x5 for squats and then on fri 20 rep breathing squats

 

[edgecrusher]

Bad form is definately a major problem. I would say 80% of people in my gym have poor form.

And when it comes to squatting about 95% of people don't do them properly.

Most people actually do half squats. They fail to go low and get the full benefit of the squat.

Personally my from is perfect. I am always controlled and I warm up properly.

Don't take that last post the wrong way, I was not saying anything about your form being incorrect. Just, during a set of breathing squats, people often begin to fatigue mentally and physically then their form goes down the tubes.

 

[ZZuluZ]

I can't imagine going 10 reps PAST failure and still be using perfect form.

[Usually people use their 10RM]

-Zulu

 

[bignate73]

I can't imagine going 10 reps PAST failure and still be using perfect form.

[Usually people use their 10RM]

-Zulu

yep.

 

[Doktor Bollix]

You can do twenty reps of your ten rep max because you are pausing at the top for a deep breath and after rep 12 or so getting as many breaths as you need to continue, basically every rep is a single. They are safe to do as long as you maintain core tension, once that goes shaky you are done. Twenty reps squats are awesome. They do make you sore though, in a too sore kind of way. Most people have no idea what failure is for squats, you can nearly always do two reps more than your brain tells you is possible.

 

[ZZuluZ]

"You can do twenty reps of your ten rep max because you are pausing at the top for a deep breath and after rep 12 or so
"

Exactly....if you start pausing after 12 reps, then it's your 12RM not your 10RM!

-Zulu

 

[strong island]

actually you are supposed to pause after every rep. Thats the difference.

But most people never not take squats to "failure." You actually shouldn't every set ...which could lead to overtraining. But must at least one set to stimulate growth.

During my "usual" leg routing I usually only go to absolute failure on my last set. I usually end up using the rack to catch the bar because I can't lift it up.

Squats are definately mostly mental.

 

[Imnotdutch]

I can't imagine going 10 reps PAST failure and still be using perfect form.

[Usually people use their 10RM]

-Zulu

What Zulu said.......and it always sends alarm bells ringing when somebody tells me their form is 'perfect'. It rarely is......

 

[strong island]

What Zulu said.......and it always sends alarm bells ringing when somebody tells me their form is 'perfect'. It rarely is......

Are you trying to say your form sucks...because if it does you should work on it.

Like I said...the average joe has improper form. I myself use proper form. This is why I say that squats are very mental.

Imnotdutch ...if you find your form is getting sloppy on the last few reps than you are using too much weight or just need to focus more.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Strong Island is right. I've been doing the 20 rep heavy breathing squat routine for 3 months now and have added 2 inches of 100%pure beef to each leg.. It's awesome.. I swear that my arms have gotten bigger too as a result!

 

[strong island]

Strong Island is right. I've been doing the 20 rep heavy breathing squat routine for 3 months now and have added 2 inches of 100%pure beef to each leg.. It's awesome.. I swear that my arms have gotten bigger too as a result!

Thats the type of results I am looking for.

How often do you do them? I plan on doing them Monday and Friday.

 

[CrimsonKing]

twice a week Monday's and Thursday's.. I increased the poundage EVERY workout! I mean EVERY workout.. I have fractionals so some times the increase was only .75lb. On average I increased the weight by 2lbs per week.. It is killer on you head.. My head was screaming at me to put the bar down but I would just take a few more deep breaths and down for another rep.. It would take 5-10min to recover from the set before I could do anything! I would lay on the floor or sit in a seat nearby and just puff away while my head pounded and legs shook in shock!... Good Luck.. Let me know how it goes...

 

[Imnotdutch]

Are you trying to say your form sucks...because if it does you should work on it.

Like I said...the average joe has improper form. I myself use proper form. This is why I say that squats are very mental.

Imnotdutch ...if you find your form is getting sloppy on the last few reps than you are using too much weight or just need to focus more.

Huh?? Uh no......most powerlifters rarely go right to their limit except in competition......that helps you keep good form. I'm no exception.

What I actually said was, those that go around shouting about their 'perfect' form rarely live up to their claims. I'm sure that if you took two people who claim perfect form they would both do things differently.

Do I claim perfect form.....never. I'm not that naive......it is something that I continually work on.

 

[b fold the truth]

A 10 rep max is just that..a 10 rep max. That means that no matter how hard I try...11 reps is NOT possible.

B True

 

[ZZuluZ]

I'm thinking along the sames lines as BTrue. Of course.... you can squeeze a few more reps if you pause for several seconds, but I doubt the form is going to be good.

-Zulu

 

[strong island]

Regarding using your 10 RM...This is something I have read on several websites. I believe this was the old school train of thought. I don't know whether resting would help bang out another ten reps but you will be able to squeeze a few more out.

If you can only bench 5 reps with 300. Does that mean your next set you will not be able to lift 300....no. Because you give your muscles a chance to "catch their breath."

You ARE resting between reps.

It is like doing 20 sets of 1 rep.

Reps 1-10: 1 deep breath(app. 3 seconds)
Reps 11-15: 2 deep breaths (app. 6 seconds)
Reps 16-20: 3 deep breaths (app. 9 seconds)

This set could last 3 minutes.

I DO NOT use my 10 RM as my starting point. I personally used the second method of figuring out my starting point. I picked my eight week goal(my current 5 RM) and worked backwards.

Five pounds every workout when first starting out is achievable.

 

[havoc]

A 10 rep max is just that..a 10 rep max. That means that no matter how hard I try...11 reps is NOT possible.

B True

Yep

 

[Doktor Bollix]

Go here:

http://www.cyberpump.com/training/trainhard/video.html

All the way down the bottom of the page:

Dr. Ken Squatting 407x23 @161.5BW & 53 years young (3:30 - 1.3Mbytes)
http://www.cyberpump.com/cgi-bin/schlabo/dl.pl?docsquat

You take your 10 rep max and you squat it 20 times, it's text-book HIT. I can't believe it's controversial because it's a well known protocol done by a lot of people and we cant all be imagining it (except maybe be, goddamn those halucinogenics). The clip is scary, for a little old guy he's tough as a jockey's nutsack.

 

[b fold the truth]

Go here:

http://www.cyberpump.com/training/trainhard/video.html

All the way down the bottom of the page:

Dr. Ken Squatting 407x23 @161.5BW & 53 years young (3:30 - 1.3Mbytes)
http://www.cyberpump.com/cgi-bin/schlabo/dl.pl?docsquat

You take your 10 rep max and you squat it 20 times, it's text-book HIT. I can't believe it's controversial because it's a well known protocol done by a lot of people and we cant all be imagining it (except maybe be, goddamn those halucinogenics). The clip is scary, for a little old guy he's tough as a jockey's nutsack.

Althought what he did was a great feat of strength...what kind of size has he developed from it? I have met him and he doesn't look like he even lifts weights...

B True

 

[Doktor Bollix]

So what your point there big feller? As a strength athlete you should know that there's people who get stronger year after year while keeping themselves in their weight class. Surprised to hear you coming up with such an argument, maybe a closet pumper and toner?. What has he got from it? Well he's strong and healthy for one thing, unlike all the guys I know in their 50's which is my father's age who are broken down fat pieces of heart-attack-waiting-to-happen pieces of shit who can hardly bend down to pick up the Wall Street Journal in the morning. Next time you meet him, why don't you ask him? LOL.

 

[b fold the truth]

Don't get me wrong...most of what I posted was "tongue-in-cheek". This is also a board mainly directed at size and bodybuilding.

Dr. Ken is a very small guy...and one of the nicest that you will ever meet. I did NOT mean to take anything away from him. I just want people to look at both sides of the spectrum here. Lots of "If/then" situations are being posted here. If we do a 20 rep squat routine we will get bigger and stronger. Dr. Ken does a 20 rep squat routine. Dr. Ken is not big though...

Shucks...I can't type it to where it makes sense and does not take away anything from Dr. Ken.

I think that high rep squats are good...for a short period of time ONLY.

B True

 

[Doktor Bollix]

I hear ya b-fold, but I've done a 20 rep breathing squat program several times and I got bigger and stronger that's all I know. I don't do it all the time, nothing works for ever, but I enjoy the mental aspect of it more than anything. To commit to a set that you know might take you 3 minutes to do and actually get all the reps is a great feeling (followed quickly by a terrible feeling).

 

[b fold the truth]

Dr. Ken in purple walking next to a 132 pound woman...

 

[b fold the truth]

Another next to Jackie Bissonette...

B True