Bulgarian Method? Heavy Squats Everyday

[iamnobody]

Hi I'm kinda new to lifting for power as opposed to aesthetics and have since been addicted to squats. I'm currently doing bill starr's 5x5 and part of the routine calls for atleast 48 hours in between squat workouts. A little searching on the net and I found olympic lifters stating they do squats 5 days a week more or less. Further searching netted me this article about a "Bulgarian" routine : http://www.owresource.com/training/bulgarian.php

I'm not so much concerned about the other lifts just the squats. So can I do heavy squats everyday (5 days per week at most) without risk of overtraining? Thanks.

[/\/\ichael]

Since you're new to olympic weightlifting, I would NOT reccomend squatting that often at first. You can start squatting 2-3 times per week and gradually build up volume. Bulgarians were known for using ****loads of steroids, and they have at least 10 years of experience, so their bodies are used to this type of volume. If you're a beginner you'll burn out in less than a week

[raffiki]

Yes, but you need to remember that they were doing only one set of 1-3 reps. Also they used a weight cycle based on the monthly training. It was just 100% all the time or going for new PRs daily. You could try a simple rotation like this:

Day 1 - 95%x1
Day2 - 90%x2
Day 3 - 85%x3
Day 4 - 95%x1
Day 5 - 90%x2
Day 6 - 85%x3
Day 7 - rest or 70%x3

Do that for 2 weeks, then:

Day 1 - 90%x1
Day 2 - 85%x1
Day 3 - New PR
whatever...

[SNATCHTHAT]

well let me just say this, the ENTIRE Bulgarian team got busted for steroids

"Bulgarian weightlifters will have to wait a lot longer to compete in the Olympics.

In the latest scandal to affect the sport before the Beijing Games, the Bulgarian weightlifting team withdrew from the upcoming Olympics after 11 of its athletes tested positive for a steroid.

Eight members of the men's team and three women tested positive during out-of-competition checks on June 8-9, a federation statement said Friday.

"As a result, the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation took a decision to withdraw its national weightlifting teams -- men and women -- from participation in the Olympics," the statement said."

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=3463251

so yeah i wouldn't suggest it

[iamnobody]

seemed too good to be true and looks like it actually is. Might as well rest today, many thanks to all.

[crackyflipside]

Don't do Bulgarian routines, period. Though it has produced some awesome athletes, the number of lifters put into the hospital were much more (sourced from soviet lifters). Besides, the Bulgarian system was made particularly for athletes who who were already highly advanced in training and were already competing at an international level, and it will destroy a new lifter imitating it... even with strong 'restoratives'.

I tried it before just for the sake of trying it and ended up burning out in two weeks. At the end of it, I was lifting 70% of my old max.

Stick to thought-out periodized routines or make up your own (lots of guys here can help you), you can train every day as long as your routine is pretty well thought out and you know how your body behaves and reacts to different intensities of training.

[feces99]

verrrrry old thread i know (googled squatting every day, this was one of the first results) would five times a week alternating front and back with an entire weekend of rest and binging to keep me from burning out be a good idea?
my squats go as follows
(day)
1 bs 1rm max
2 fs 1rm max
3 bs old 1rm for 2
4 fs old 1rm for 2
5 bs old 1 rm for 3
1 (next week) fs old 1 rm for 3


i follow this cycle until i reach my old 1rm for 3 then i add five kilos and repeat the process. My lifting schedule is not concrete and one or more of these days may be missed according to the intensity of the classic lifts I do as well as the homework that i receive. Thoughts?

[raffiki]

verrrrry old thread i know (googled squatting every day, this was one of the first results) would five times a week alternating front and back with an entire weekend of rest and binging to keep me from burning out be a good idea?
my squats go as follows
(day)
1 bs 1rm max
2 fs 1rm max
3 bs old 1rm for 2
4 fs old 1rm for 2
5 bs old 1 rm for 3
1 (next week) fs old 1 rm for 3


i follow this cycle until i reach my old 1rm for 3 then i add five kilos and repeat the process. My lifting schedule is not concrete and one or more of these days may be missed according to the intensity of the classic lifts I do as well as the homework that i receive. Thoughts?

I don't see how you expect to increase your 1RM to a 3RM in 5 days. That is like a 10% strength increase.

[feces99]

I don't see how you expect to increase your 1RM to a 3RM in 5 days. That is like a 10% strength increase.

Well i guess its possible, because its been working for me for the past 2 months. All i really want to know is how to keep from burning out. I have my comp in two weeks and i want to make sure I'm top shape. Don't want to leave a bad first impression haha.

[Iberian80]

Well i guess its possible, because its been working for me for the past 2 months. All i really want to know is how to keep from burning out. I have my comp in two weeks and i want to make sure I'm top shape. Don't want to leave a bad first impression haha.

Beginner gains going to run out quick, making it a short term only workout.

Depends on how heavy you hit the lifts and how you feel that day. I try to get at least a set in at 5x50% and then 3x3x80% or maybe a 6x2x90%. Slow 1rm max squats are not going to carry over the most to the lifts.

[feces99]

Beginner gains going to run out quick, making it a short term only workout.

Depends on how heavy you hit the lifts and how you feel that day. I try to get at least a set in at 5x50% and then 3x3x80% or maybe a 6x2x90%. Slow 1rm max squats are not going to carry over the most to the lifts.

I wasn't really a beginner when i started this program. But i used it to balance my weak front squat with my strong back squat.

Ill your suggestion after my comp

[raffiki]

Well i guess its possible, because its been working for me for the past 2 months. All i really want to know is how to keep from burning out. I have my comp in two weeks and i want to make sure I'm top shape. Don't want to leave a bad first impression haha.

Two weeks out you should start tapering. Don't try to increase your squat anymore. You should see your speed start picking up as you go easy on the squats.

[feces99]

Two weeks out you should start tapering. Don't try to increase your squat anymore. You should see your speed start picking up as you go easy on the squats.

so for my front squat workout today, should i just go for fast reps on a weight that i can clean?

[raffiki]

so for my front squat workout today, should i just go for fast reps on a weight that i can clean?

It's probably too late, but yes.

[feces99]

It's probably too late, but yes.

i did it anyway. 5 dubs of my max clean weight. 1 rep rebounded, 1 rep paused. all fo speed

[asbrus]

They key is n0t t0 g0 t0 failure. As l0ng as y0u d0n't g0 t0 failure, y0u can D0 heavy squats 3x a week

[feces99]

They key is n0t t0 g0 t0 failure. As l0ng as y0u d0n't g0 t0 failure, y0u can D0 heavy squats 3x a week

so i should cut out 2 of my squat days?

[Iberian80]

I wasn't really a beginner when i started this program. But i used it to balance my weak front squat with my strong back squat.

Ill your suggestion after my comp

Any thing with an ~10% gain per week will die fast. Which is about what a 3rm is of a 1rm. Could be 5% if you are geared more towards powerlifting muscle than speed.

Some math because I like math.

Wk 1 175 x 1.5 = 262.5 (using the standard for moving on from 5x5)
Wk 2 262.5 x 1.1 = 289
Wk 3 289 x 1.1 = 317
Wk 4 317 x 1.1 = 350
Wk 5 350 x 1.1 = 385
Wk 6 385 x 1.1 = 422
Wk 7 422 x 1.1 = 465
Wk 8 465 x 1.1 = 511

If you go could manage a 3rm @ 95% your 1rm that would make it 14wks (520lbs) till you have nearly doubled your squat. That kind of strength gain is unreal.

[feces99]

Any thing with an ~10% gain per week will die fast. Which is about what a 3rm is of a 1rm. Could be 5% if you are geared more towards powerlifting muscle than speed.

Some math because I like math.

Wk 1 175 x 1.5 = 262.5 (using the standard for moving on from 5x5)
Wk 2 262.5 x 1.1 = 289
Wk 3 289 x 1.1 = 317
Wk 4 317 x 1.1 = 350
Wk 5 350 x 1.1 = 385
Wk 6 385 x 1.1 = 422
Wk 7 422 x 1.1 = 465
Wk 8 465 x 1.1 = 511

If you go could manage a 3rm @ 95% your 1rm that would make it 14wks (520lbs) till you have nearly doubled your squat. That kind of strength gain is unreal.

Makes sense. I guess ill be sure to change up my program when the gains stop. But, would you say that the premise of turning a 1rm to a 3rm before going for a new 1rm is a good basis squat programming?

[Iberian80]

Makes sense. I guess ill be sure to change up my program when the gains stop. But, would you say that the premise of turning a 1rm to a 3rm before going for a new 1rm is a good basis squat programming?

The problem I see for olympic lifts is that max lifts tend to be slow lifts. Even Reza when he is squating 300+kg for doubles still has pretty good pace on the lift. No struggling or sticking points. His 280kg fs is fast as well. In one of the Russian texts it mentions the best squat results are 2.5 sec.

As much fun as it is to push your max I think it is better to keep the lift tempo similar to your clean tempo. My max C+J come when I am able to bounce out of the hole and quickly get up to my sticking point and push through it with the momentum I have from out of the hole. I have never(well except when I sucked and was just starting) had a PR when my clean was 3+ seconds because I can't finish the jerk at that point. Though some of the SHW are able to pull this off it is a lot less common amonst lighter lifters because they can't afford the excess leg strength and still make their weight.

Short version: I save my max efforts for the snatch and C+J and match my squat tempo to my clean.

[pandaraper]

Man, I certainly wish you are my training partner, not just because I think you'd agree with me, but because you would understand my unconventional thinking in weightlifting in general.

move to new york then *******.

[ViKtoricus]

move to new york then *******.

Only if there are pandas I can rape.

[slowman41]

there is no reason why you can't squat every day.

period.

sure, you can't 5x5 @ 80% every day, but squatting every day is not that bad. Try it, I bet you come to enjoy it.

the OTC guys squat daily for most of their training cycles. From what I have seen, the front squat seems to be based on the clean max, while back squats go heavier. Usually its alternating front and back squats, 3-4 days front squats, 2-3 days back squats per week.

try something like what raffiki suggested. you could even focus on squatting heavy 3x week and the other days going lighter, doing front squat doubles with your clean 1rm or something.

personally, I would much rather squat to a "heavy single" daily then do volume 3x week

[feces99]

there is no reason why you can't squat every day.

period.

sure, you can't 5x5 @ 80% every day, but squatting every day is not that bad. Try it, I bet you come to enjoy it.

the OTC guys squat daily for most of their training cycles. From what I have seen, the front squat seems to be based on the clean max, while back squats go heavier. Usually its alternating front and back squats, 3-4 days front squats, 2-3 days back squats per week.

try something like what raffiki suggested. you could even focus on squatting heavy 3x week and the other days going lighter, doing front squat doubles with your clean 1rm or something.

personally, I would much rather squat to a "heavy single" daily then do volume 3x week

Thanks, ill take it up with my coach after comp.
I used to love doing heavy singles all the time, but i did some heavy ten reps for the first time a couple days ago and it was awesome (in an "im gonna die" way). I kinda wanna go for twenty with the same weight, test my will.

[crackyflipside]

Don't do Bulgarian routines, period. Though it has produced some awesome athletes, the number of lifters put into the hospital were much more (sourced from soviet lifters). Besides, the Bulgarian system was made particularly for athletes who who were already highly advanced in training and were already competing at an international level, and it will destroy a new lifter imitating it... even with strong 'restoratives'.

I tried it before just for the sake of trying it and ended up burning out in two weeks. At the end of it, I was lifting 70% of my old max.

Stick to thought-out periodized routines or make up your own (lots of guys here can help you), you can train every day as long as your routine is pretty well thought out and you know how your body behaves and reacts to different intensities of training.

Eww, I'm so embarrassed of my 2009 self. Bulgarian works great for front squats and snatches once you get past the hump of overtraining. Back squat I got better results doing more work volume and clean and jerks got better results doing it in parts and more 'assistance' lift versions.

[feces99]

Eww, I'm so embarrassed of my 2009 self. Bulgarian works great for front squats and snatches once you get past the hump of overtraining. Back squat I got better results doing more work volume and clean and jerks got better results doing it in parts and more 'assistance' lift versions.

Thank you for posting that. Gave me a ****load of ideas.

[Quarter Nelson]

Bulgarian works great for front squats and snatches once you get past the hump of overtraining.

Can you explain this? Thanks

[ViKtoricus]

Can you explain this? Thanks

He doesn't have to. It is what it is.

Once your body gets used to such rigorous training, you will reap great benefits from it.

[viperjax]

clean and jerks got better results doing it in parts and more 'assistance' lift versions.

Elaborate on the 'parts' and assistance lifts?

[Quarter Nelson]

He doesn't have to. It is what it is.

Once your body gets used to such rigorous training, you will reap great benefits from it.

Genuinely interested in the physiological mechanisms behind this. No need to troll.