Using High Rep Squats

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
21

higher reps really are a totally different animal, forcing yourself to stay under the bar and control your breathing. One thing I like is that after a few weeks of high reps, you really won’t have air problems in the hole when you move into a heavier weight cycle. I’m curious to know every ones take on front squats though. Anyone trying using them for higher reps? I know typically it doesn’t make too much sense too, how ever I find that after heavy back squats, the front squats prove a bit more upper back work. Sometimes I’ll do it vice versa. I’ll use front squats as my strength work, and then maybe in a P.M session or on a another scheduled day during the week… I’ll go for higher reps on back squats.

Also, anyone train core/abs on the same day as legs? What about super setting floor/abdominal stuff with lighter squats. Maybe on a speed/recovery or high rep day.

22

high rep squats are awesome and they mold a psychological and physical intensity, staying under that bar you sometimes feel like Atlas with the entire world pressing down on your back.

The Look of Power by Ken Leistner (sp) is heavy on high rep squats. Day1 is hard it includes a 20rep squat at the start of the workout, day 3 makes day 1 seem like a “vacation from training” with a set of 30rep squats.

The last 7-10 squats in a 30rep sequence require a force of will with anything over 180pounds for me right now though, breathing, gasping like this dying horse.

high rep squats for the win.

I tried using the front squat for high rep squats, had been using a 100pound heavy-bag to bear hug into the chest and did squats with that, grabbing the bag near the bottom to hoist up also put a bit of pressure on the core and lower-back to stabilize your body, it worked great, the only issue was that my legs became heavily quad dominant switching back over to the back squat and some box squats on top of including some better stiff legged deads helped that though.

It’s very easy to squat with great form with the front squat but you should always include other variations of squat or make sure to work the rest of the legs as heavy.

high rep squats require psychological power, I always find myself wanting to drop the bar long before I am physically incapable of coming out of the hole, your mind keeps telling you that you won’t make it out, or won’t catch your breath, you have to force past these nagging doubts and fears, focus on one rep at a time. I find it intense.

“ONE set of 15-20 reps in the full squat, performed with proper form and done until the trainee can no longer rise from the full squat position, will do more for building the strength and size of the involved muscles than any such number of improperly performed sets of any other leg exercises, including the full squat. And how many sets of full squats, done as described, do you think you could perform in a single workout? How many such sets would you want to perform? Thus it becomes obvious that the amount of work must be limited.” - Ken Leistner

I just love the feeling of doing a set of high rep squats at the START of a workout, you are pouring sweat like you ran a marathon or did sprint intervals, completely messed up right from the get-go. high rep squats are great if you don’t have a squat rack and can only get 200 some pounds on your back to begin with as well.

23

The hardest workouts Ive ever had involved high rep squats, so much pain you never forget lol

I like doing the 10 minute squat with 135 but its literally the hardest thing you could ever do

I like doing 20 rep sets

But above all else I think the best thing is drop sets with squats, those are horrible, Matt krocs vid where he tears the quad at the end made me want to do them

24

[quote]Blackaggar wrote:
The hardest workouts Ive ever had involved high rep squats, so much pain you never forget lol

I like doing the 10 minute squat with 135 but its literally the hardest thing you could ever do

I like doing 20 rep sets

But above all else I think the best thing is drop sets with squats, those are horrible, Matt krocs vid where he tears the quad at the end made me want to do them[/quote]

Black, subtract 20 lbs add 10 reps, keep going at that pace and see how far you get! Take a look at the routine I’m currently doing once a week . I’ll do a recovery workout, almost like a healing day to get the blood back into my muscles maybe 3-4 days later, probably on a weekend or an “off day” (extensions, leg curls, things like thing. Just light.

What I like about the drop sets, is that if you log your weight, you can literally make 5 PRs a week. (at least on the scheme I’m using) If you increase your starting weight 10 lbs each week, you’ll adjust your weights accordingly. You can make a PR at 10 reps, 20 reps, 30 reps, 40 reps and even a 50 rep PR. This is a my new year round routine. It’s easier on me than going for an absolute 1-3 rep max all the time. I’m still getting stronger + it’s great cardio.

Ah the pain, I love it!

  • Chase
25

[quote]captain slow wrote:

[quote]theBird wrote:
There is this guy at my gym, that only weighs 60kg, but he can do 50 reps of 60kg squats in one set!

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what are his legs big or not though? sounds like a lot of reps :)[/quote]

To tell you the truth I have never seen him. I only know about him from other people at the gym that told me about him (we have a competition at the gym atm where you have to try and squat, bench, pull up your bodyweight for max amount of reps).

This guy is going to win due to his squats. All of his other lifts are average(he can bench his bodyweight for 12 reps and can do about 10 pullups.

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