Over 50 guys. How many times a week do you squat?

[Sackett]

I use to be able to squat 3 days a week but recently my knees feel like they just can not handle it any more even rotating in medium light and heavy days.

How many of you over 50 still squat 3 days a week with no problem.

[Karl_Hungus]

I use to be able to squat 3 days a week but recently my knees feel like they just can not handle it any more even rotating in medium light and heavy days.

How many of you over 50 still squat 3 days a week with no problem.

Three times per week is a lot if you are going heavy. I'm not 50 and there is no way I could squat 3 times per week. Once per week is plenty for me.

Newbs can sometimes squat heavy-ish 3 times per week, but eventually, with increasing strength, they'll get to the point where their joints, connective tissues, and muscles can't recover from that kind of frequency.

[Guinea-pig]

I use to be able to squat 3 days a week but recently my knees feel like they just can not handle it any more even rotating in medium light and heavy days.

How many of you over 50 still squat 3 days a week with no problem.

Once every two weeks for the same reason.

[TrainLegsBrahs]

know this thread was for 50+ but thought i'd chime in anyway

i'm 19 and i only squat once per week, i could probably manage to do it twice, but i think 3 would definitely be over kill, for me legs take the longest to recover.

why so many squats?

[Nikonguy]

On my current program I'm doing back squats twice per week but in a few week I'll change up and try adding front squats twice per week. Granted the front squats will be pretty lite for a while.

Just to clarify, that will be squats 4x per wk.

[boathead]

48 here. i squat 3 times. twice heavy, once light (but still heavy enough).

[Old-Time-Lifter]

Twice.

[Old_swole]

I don't do any lifts three times a week.

[CaptChip40]

Once.

[ProfBush]

On leg day I do squats, deadlifts, hack squats, and leg curls. I do seated and standing calf raises on another day. I'm 60 and a heavy leg day once a week is plenty for me.

[Ironbrah]

I used to have same problem, then I started using fish oil.

lets just say it worked wonders for me.

[AKMass]

I'll tell you in about two weeks.

[Fifty+]

I still incorporate fullbody routines somewhere within my yearly workout plans. It's Mon-Wed-Fri schedule and ya gotta squat! You have to use common sense (as if enlarging muscle size is commom and makes sense) to make it happen and keep progressing. If you take your normal weekly set totals and divide by 3, and for some reduce that, it works quite well. Your body adapts quickly and you actually look forward to the 3-4 working sets....and then deads are next..

[IronCity151]

I'm only 40, but I can't imagine squatting 3x per week. I work legs hard one day a week and that's plenty for me. They get some extra light work on cardio days as well, but that doesn't really count.

[yakabebe]

Once

To tell ya the truth...if you are hitting them hard more than twice is in my view likely to be counter productive. Three times...cant see it

You grow in your rest time.

[ddeacon22]

In my opinion, it really depends on the overall volume you are hitting your legs with in any given week. If I'm doing a split, I'll have one day for legs in total so I'm doing squats once a week in addition to other exercises like RDL's, Leg Extensions, Calf raises etc. If I'm doing a strength or full body routine, I'm doing squats 2-3 times per week but I'm not doing all the other leg exercises so total weekly leg volume comes in around the same (not accounting for changes in rep range and stuff like that).

D

[diveshades]

In my opinion, it really depends on the overall volume you are hitting your legs with in any given week. If I'm doing a split, I'll have one day for legs in total so I'm doing squats once a week in addition to other exercises like RDL's, Leg Extensions, Calf raises etc. If I'm doing a strength or full body routine, I'm doing squats 2-3 times per week but I'm not doing all the other leg exercises so total weekly leg volume comes in around the same (not accounting for changes in rep range and stuff like that).

D

I have changed my leg routine including squats from once per week to twice. One power (heavy/low reps) and one volume (lighter/higher reps) and this seems to be improving my my thigh size and cuts. Everybody is different but I certainly would not think that 3 times per week would be good for a natural over 50 bodybuilder. Just my opinion for what it is worth. Best of luck and don't forget to squat until you drop! Just kidding!! :-)

[ddeacon22]

I have changed my leg routine including squats from once per week to twice. One power (heavy/low reps) and one volume (lighter/higher reps) and this seems to be improving my my thigh size and cuts. Everybody is different but I certainly would not think that 3 times per week would be good for a natural over 50 bodybuilder. Just my opinion for what it is worth. Best of luck and don't forget to squat until you drop! Just kidding!! :-)

Right now I'm doing a fullbody and doing squats twice a week but I have done Madcows in the last 6 months and it is squats 3x per week of varying intensity and sets. Yes 3x per week is difficult but I find a lot of people confuse legs 3x per week with squats 3x per week and there really is a big difference between the two. No way I could ever do a full leg day 3x per week (or even 2x probably) ;-)

[philipj]

I do squats on friday or saturday night. 3 sets of 25 reps, with a goal of 3 sets of 30 reps.

Age 67, that will be my lifetime limit where I will intentionally stagnate.

[Old Bob]

I do squats twice a week in order to keep my metabolism in overdrive mode. My quads and hamstrings are big enough for now so I stay at about 80% of my max weight and do a lot of reps.

I take fish oil and glucosamine and have absolutely no knee or hip issues at the tender age of 58.

Old Bob

[Fifty+]

Right now I'm doing a fullbody and doing squats twice a week but I have done Madcows in the last 6 months and it is squats 3x per week of varying intensity and sets. Yes 3x per week is difficult but I find a lot of people confuse legs 3x per week with squats 3x per week and there really is a big difference between the two. No way I could ever do a full leg day 3x per week (or even 2x probably) ;-)

I agree with you.

[BrotherWolf]

I am not 50 yet.. 46 but I do squat 3 sometimes 4 days a week
I am going pretty heavy every time even on my so called light day .. you can see it in my journal my light day always turn into a freaking not so light day only because I feel I can

Those who can't squat more than once a week are just not trained and conditioned enough to do it .. we have members here who squat 6 days a week, it's though in the beginning but
it gets easier as time goes by.. really

If you have joint issues it's understandable not to want to squat too heavy or too often

[BrotherWolf]

You grow in your rest time.

You rest at night every night

[BrotherWolf]

I agree with you.

I agree with you agreeing with him...

[Old Bob]

I do squats twice a week in order to keep my metabolism in overdrive mode. My quads and hamstrings are big enough for now so I stay at about 80% of my max weight and do a lot of reps.

I take fish oil and glucosamine and have absolutely no knee or hip issues at the tender age of 58.

Old Bob

Quoting myself here to add to what I said before...

Yes... I do TWO complete legs days a week and I do all the exercises except the squats themselves with less than 30 seconds rest for each one. Squats usually get a 2-3 minute break.

It includes hack squat, leg press, face down hamstrings, leg extensions, lunges, seated calf raises and standing calf raises. We'll usually think of another leg exercise or two to add to the mix each week. Takes about an hour for this portion.

I start my legs day with 20-30 minutes of elliptical with heavy resistance and a fast pace. I end the legs day with several different kinds of abs for about a half hour. Total workout is usually right at 2 hours and I'll usually go through about 4-6 20 ounce bottles of water and a G2 Gatorade.

If I have time to take a nap after my protein drink I'll take a one hour power nap. I usually don't so by the time 8 or 9pm comes around I'm whipped and off to bed for 8 solid hours before getting up at 4-5am to workout something else.

I have friends that are trying to get me into the 300 exercise routine but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

http://www.menshealth.com/men/fitnes...20000012281eac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jsnoVyd3kM

Old Bob

[yakabebe]

I am not 50 yet.. 46 but I do squat 3 sometimes 4 days a week

we have members here who squat 6 days a week, it's though in the beginning but
it gets easier as time goes by.. really

Be that as it may, I cant see a BB using that approach and seeing gains.

And I'm unaware of any well-placed BB who advocates anything remotely like that - although I'd stand correcting.

Given I know squat (oopppsss) about powerlifting..maybe that is a viable training method - if you aspire to look like a PL and not a BB

[J.Ho]

I do ATG squats once a week on leg day. I couldn't imagine doing them more than once a week; I would think I wasn't doing them right.

[BergMuscle]

Once a week.

[Nikonguy]

Be that as it may, I cant see a BB using that approach and seeing gains.

And I'm unaware of any well-placed BB who advocates anything remotely like that - although I'd stand correcting.

Given I know squat (oopppsss) about powerlifting..maybe that is a viable training method - if you aspire to look like a PL and not a BB

Lol, I don't know anyone here who is training to "look like a powerlifter" but there are a lot of us who are training for strength sports including powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, strongman, highland games, MMA and self defense. In these areas, and others, multiple days of heavy lifting are a valid training method.

[groink]

Be that as it may, I cant see a BB using that approach and seeing gains.

And I'm unaware of any well-placed BB who advocates anything remotely like that - although I'd stand correcting.

Given I know squat (oopppsss) about powerlifting..maybe that is a viable training method - if you aspire to look like a PL and not a BB

What he said....I not aware of any BBer squatting that much...I'm a once a week man.

PLer's i don't know about..not my thing. i would think regardless of the discipline you won't recover from all that squatting....I know it would beat the S**T out of me