Prior to this program my best squat in competition was 430. After 2 months squatting most days I hit a deep 470 with more in the tank. BW: 183lbs. Height: 5’11".
My squat never seemed to budge much despite trying many different methods over the years. I felt a bit drained at the beginning of the program, but after a while (provided I hadn’t deadlifted heavy the day before) I could hit a heavy squat every session.
There’s much more to it and I’m not in the mood for a long writeup at the moment, but I highly recommend this program for someone who is frustrated with their squat. Happy to answer questions for anyone who’s interested in setting it up.
Week 1-3: I just worked up to a beltless max rotating between front and back squats. Peaked with a grinder at 415.
Week 4-5: Threw belted squats into the mix. Started hitting 415-425 with the belt.
Week 6-7: 425 started to get easy. Hit 445 (not to depth) and 435 with good depth. Every day starting to feel pretty good.
Week 8: Everything started to come together 425-435 feeling easy. Took a light day and hit 470 the next.
I trained deadlift heavy once per week and with 6-10 singles at 60-70% on another day. Followed my normal protocol for bench. It was a lot of squatting but I didn’t have to pull back on the other lifts. Deadlift actually feels stronger. Pulled a fast 590 and my PB is 606.
Sounds like some good progress there, and that 470 looked like you could still handle a few more pounds. I know a few people who tried this (including myself) and usually it works for a short while and then you stall, overuse injuries (like arm/shoulder issues from holding the bar) can become a problem too. What I would suggest is that you can keep going with this until you aren’t making any apparent progress and then cut back to squatting heavy singles 3-4 days a week at most. There are a few elite lifters here and there who train like that, like Tom Martin (used to squat every day) and Eduard Khanjyan (ATWR squat).
That’s what I was thinking. I’m ready to take a break after my meet next Saturday, but I’m progressing better than I was the first 6 weeks so I think it’s probably worth seeing what I can squeeze out of if.
My thought is that once you’ve achieved a level of strength it’s easier to get back there the next time. So might as well take advantage of where I’m at in the process.
Theres something to be said for this. Its a common training modality in olympic weightlifting and while it yields arguably optimal results, they have notably short training careers on the whole, with even early 30’s Oly guys being rare at the top level, typically because of injury accumulation.
Definitely a risk. A nagging pain in my hip has actually gone away since doing this. If you’re looking for a PR every day it would be very easy to get injured. If you listen to your body and pull back, take a day off, or just do a few speed sets on a day you feel off there’s probably less risk.
Also probably a better program for someone who isn’t squatting over 500. Less beating than a guy who squats 650.
From what I hear, the issue in weightlifting is that you get slower as you get older and speed is a huge factor there, unlike in powerlifting. Also the top WLers are training 5-7 days per week for years and years so on top of injuries it would be easy to just mentally burn out after a while. I like training but I don’t want to do it all day everyday, enough is enough.
Weirdly I had exactly the same problem / result. I always get hip pain from squatting, but it was definitely less when I was doing daily squats. I’d be doing it still if I had the time, or a home gym.
I’ve also started doing Wim Hof breathing every day, so it very well could be that. It’s been a game changer for helping to relax and stretch the muscles around the spine and low back. Plus creating better stability.
