Advice please on plan to increase Squat TY

[magic15]

Hey everyone. I turn 35 this June (current weight 197lb) and I also haven't posted on the forums in a year or two. I hit some personal milestones for myself in 2015....finally got the 405 Squat and 500 pound deadlift. Anyway I was just wondering any adjustments you think I should make to this .....

I backed off in the middle of November to 245 and did around five sets of ten timed until last week where it finally dropped to five rep sets.

Last night I did 315 x 5 x 8 in 24 minutes (Belt/no sleeves)

My plan going forward was

SQUAT - all with belt

325 6 sets of 5
335 6 sets of 5
345 5 sets of 5
355 4 sets of 5
365 3 sets of 5
375 3 sets of 3
385 3 sets of 2-3
395 2 sets of 2-3
405 1 set of 2-3

420 1 rm
If I get and feel great go for 430-435 1rm same day or do a different day
If I fail go back to the drawing board

I was just going to do a leg day once a week with bodybuilding movements after squat being 1st exercise of the day. I'll be recording how long the sets take but it won't be my top priority. Top priority is getting all the reps. I also am going to use knee sleeves around the 375-385 pound mark. As the weeks go by I plan to eliminate more and more bodybuilding work.

Any ideas, advice/help would be appreciated thanks.

[jjchen330ci]

That is a lot of volume in one leg workout selection....

if you are looking to increase max weight, I would think you spend too much energy on the reps at lower weight.

but, if that is your normal back squat routine....damn, you are strong as hell.

[Jtbny]

Is that all one session??

[DuracellBunny]

If your focus is putting more weight on the bar, squat more than once a week.

[magic15]

That is a lot of volume in one leg workout selection....

if you are looking to increase max weight, I would think you spend too much energy on the reps at lower weight.

but, if that is your normal back squat routine....damn, you are strong as hell.

Thank You jjchen330ci...

I did the Squats that took me 24 minutes and afterwards I did Leg Extensions, Seated Leg Curl, Lying Leg Curls and Few Variations of Calve Raises

[magic15]

Is that all one session??

each ten pound increment is every week . I hope you didn't think that was one week Jtbny hahah

[magic15]

If your focus is putting more weight on the bar, squat more than once a week.

Ok I'll put some thought into this, TY.

[Jtbny]

each ten pound increment is every week . I hope you didn't think that was one week Jtbny hahah

Ahh. I was like and that's coming from a volume junky.

Although I don't know if your plan will work or not I do agree with DB that increasing frequency is a better option. However, unless you have a deadline to meet (i.e. A powerlifting event) I'd give your plan a shot and see what happens. Could be a good learning expereince to put towards future goals.

[magic15]

Ahh. I was like and that's coming from a volume junky.

Although I don't know if your plan will work or not I do agree with DB that increasing frequency is a better option. However, unless you have a deadline to meet (i.e. A powerlifting event) I'd give your plan a shot and see what happens. Could be a good learning expereince to put towards future goals.

OK as of right now I'm going to do like what you said and try my plan out, but if doesn't work I definitely will be increasing the frequency and either way frequency is something I will be paying more attention too.

[Jtbny]

OK as of right now I'm going to do like what you said and try my plan out, but if doesn't work I definitely will be increasing the frequency and either way frequency is something I will be paying more attention too.

Good idea. Remember, frequency doesn't necessarily mean intensity. For example, I've done macro cycles of 3 day a week squats where one day is intensity, the other is volume and the third is focused on pauses, 1/2 pauses, speed ect. There are many ways to mix it up.

[magic15]

Just wanted to update this thread (not that anyone gives a S H I T)

so my plan was the first post in the thread what I actually did for squats week by week was

1 -325x5x5
2 -335x6x5
3 -345x3x8
4 -355x3x6
5- 365x3x3
6 -375x2x3 and 375x2
7-385x1, 395x1, 405 x fail
8 - 415 x 1 new pr

Overall I set rep at weight pr's for myself all the way up to 385 pounds. At week 7 I had planned to do 385x2x3. Just felt incredibly flat, no aggression that day and after that I decided I needed to just go for a pr and cutoff the plan.

[drudixon]

Give reactive training systems a look. A review can be found on this forum.

[Jtbny]

Just wanted to update this thread (not that anyone gives a S H I T)

so my plan was the first post in the thread what I actually did for squats week by week was

1 -325x5x5
2 -335x6x5
3 -345x3x8
4 -355x3x6
5- 365x3x3
6 -375x2x3 and 375x2
7-385x1, 395x1, 405 x fail
8 - 415 x 1 new pr

Overall I set rep at weight pr's for myself all the way up to 385 pounds. At week 7 I had planned to do 385x2x3. Just felt incredibly flat, no aggression that day and after that I decided I needed to just go for a pr and cutoff the plan.

Good deal and grats on the 10lb PR. Guess I'd ask what you learned about this type of training along the way and what if anything would you alter?

[Flounderbout]

Congrats on the new PR!
The thing that stands out with that program to me is the way the volume drops away pretty hard. Doing 3 x 3 at 90% is not very much work if that is all you are doing for that week. But then I like volume.
It would help to have more context. Are you focussing only on increasing your squat? If so why?
If you really are on a mission just to increase your squat (at the possible expense of your other lifts), then consider running Smolov (http://stronglifts.com/how-to-add-10...-squat-smolov/). But I would read here first, it makes some good points as to why you might not want to... http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/smolov/
If you have a more rounded goal, or a more long term steady goal, then there are many better programs - actually that powerliftingtowin site has a very thorough discussion of most of the main ones.

[magic15]

THANKS Jtbny. I saw your post yesterday and gave myself a day to think about it. I think some of the faults of my plan was I was intent on trying to break PRs every week and I did for a while and it felt great every week but it kind of took a toll on me by the time I reached 90%+. I definitely felt not squatting 2x a week hurt me because a week off was just too long to not have any weight on my back and then all of a sudden I'm squatting 95% and the weight feels extra heavy and I haven't been practicing the motors patterns. So next cycle I squat heavy it will be 2x a week for sure. Also for me personally I know that 2-3 sessions above 90% would be as far as I go before attempting a PR now. I also would be just a little more aggressive with the weight jumps to shorten the program and maybe lock my head into a final PR # rather then trying to set some sort of PR every week and then a final PR, its just a lot to ask from my body. As of now I backed off to taking 20 rep squats as far as I can with a 2 "leg" days a week. I started at 250 x 20 in 1 minute and 7 seconds just two days after my max attempt and I'm focusing on doing two leg days and backing off the intensity for Squat for a little bit.

Drudixon I hope all is well, I am familiar with that, but I'll definitely revisit it. TY

Flounderbout THANK YOU, I was doing bodybuilding work with this program. I want to be good at all ranges in the squat and I know that isn't the best way to get great at any specific range, I just don't care its what I want to do. I'm hoping to take the 20 rep squat program to 300 this cycle and whenever I do again after I cycle through volume and intensity I definitely want 315 for 20. I wouldn't want to do Smolov because like Izzy says from Powerlifting to win says for me personally its just like I'm in this for the long run so I don't want to beat the crap out of my joints at this point over a very short period----just like you said. I am very familiar with Izzy site and posted a journal on there for a while but thanks for the help I really appreciate it.