First 20-rep squat experience

[MetalFortress]

I did it for the first time on Monday. I did about 6x3-5 power cleans (reps depending on weight) and 6x2-4 jerks first, and my lower body wasn't getting worked near as hard as my upper body was. So, spur of the moment, I decided to give em a shot.

Result? Well, I did them with 160 lbs, my max being about 275. I didn't get the whole "watch the walls melt" thing or whatever that I've heard so much about. I actually felt like I could keep doing more squats. However, when I sat down on the bench to start the pullovers, my quads felt like they were ripping and nearly gave out!!! After the pullovers I did some leg stretches, and walked around rather abnormally, until a baseball game a little bit later on actually gave me a bit of active recovery and allowed me to walk normally. Next day, my quads weren't too sore, but as they day progressed they actually got even more sore. My inner thigh muscles were sore for 4 straight days (I squat slightly wide to avoid aggravating achilles tendon bursitis). And from the power cleans and the jerks, my traps were perhaps even more bombed than my quads and inner thighs. Now I know why NFL players have such huge traps.

Also, I looked at some HIT routines on BB.com, and a lot of them have a 20-rep squat or deadlift, which leads me to believe that the hormone release associated with them is the main reason why 1 set per lift works well for growth with HITers. One guy did two 20-rep squats and two 20-rep deadlifts in ONE WORKOUT when he started his routine (he split it up later), and reading that part, I nearly crapped my pants reading that (assuming he squatted heavy enough to actually do something, because he gained 8 lbs of muscle in 3 weeks with his routine).

 

[NMMWCR]

Once a month I do 20 reps on squat, deadlift, barbell shrugs, and leg press all on the same day. It gives me a buzz sort of like doing tequila shots a couple hours later. I make more progress on that one week than I do all the rest of the month. I wish I could do that every week but you get overtrained that way fast. There is some kind of crazy production of HGH or something from the overload. I eat like a horse for a week and make strength gains on everything I do that week. I'll never go back to the old way!

 

[MetalFortress]

Oddly enough, I played better baseball the next two days after doing this routine. I'm guessing it's a combo of the hormones and the soreness causing me to be more muscle-aware.

 

[MetalFortress]

It just gets worse

Here's my second routine in this vein:

sets x reps
BB Hang Clean 60K 1x5
BB Jerk 60K 1x4
BB HC 70K 1x5
BB J 70K 1x4
BB HC 60K 1x5
BB J 60K 1x4
BB HC 62.5K 3x5
BB J 62.5K 3x4
BB Squat 75K 2x10 (both were botched attempts at 20-rep squats, but the first one I cut short due to some tightness in the right quad, and the second one I cut short because the first one drained me too much for 20 reps)
BB Squat 65K 1x20 (lighter than my last 20 rep squat but still a good deal, especially after the first two sets)
DB Pullover 35lb 1x20

Despite the botched 20-rep squats, my legs are SCREAMING.

 

[wheelin&dealin]

Besides the 20 rep squats, you might also want to try rest-pause sets of squats. Where you do about 12 reps until fatigued, then you wait about 5 - 10 seconds at the top then try to squeeze out another 2 reps, then wait again for a 5 - 10 seconds and try to squeeze out another and so on... until you can't do any more.

 

[MetalFortress]

Originally posted by wheelin&dealin
Besides the 20 rep squats, you might also want to try rest-pause sets of squats. Where you do about 12 reps until fatigued, then you wait about 5 - 10 seconds at the top then try to squeeze out another 2 reps, then wait again for a 5 - 10 seconds and try to squeeze out another and so on... until you can't do any more.

Actually, 20 rep squats are rest-pause style. I don't like going to failure though...

TODAY's WORKOUT

No 20 rep squat today, still a bit sore/tight in the quads. Instead, I upped the clean and jerk volume.

BB POWER CLEAN 60k 1x5
BB JERK 60k 1x4
BB POWER CLEAN 65K 4x5
BB JERK 65K 4x4
BB POWER CLEAN 60K 3x5
BB JERK 60K 3x4
BB BENCH PRESS 60K 2x5
BB BENCH PRESS 65K 1x3

Yeah, the bench press numbers completely suck, but that's cuz the cleans and jerks SMOKED my whole upper body. Basically all that wasn't fatigued was my chest.

 

[FBGangsta]

You know why you did better in your game? Because of the power cleans. Yup, power cleans are the best thing to do for athletes. They work on your speed, quickness, and strength. You said your lower body wasn't getting much of a workout? False, power cleans is mostly lower body. Unless you're doing them wrong, most of the work is your lower body.

Even if you do clean+jerks, your lower body should do most of the jerking movement (thats why you dip and drive, so you get a push from your legs). Your upper body is helping too (of coarse) in the jerk, but unless you're pressing the bar, it won't get a huge workout. That's why when you do the jerk movement after the clean, the bar should barely even move up, until you take your recovery steps. You should basically almost be getting under the bar, but not quite.

As for the squats, I've done sets of 18 before, nd they're damn hard! But usually I only go up to sets of 12 rarely 15.

Anyways, just remember to do your power cleans on game day, you will do better, but don't try to max out. 80-90% of your max should be as high as you go on game day.

 

[MetalFortress]

My lower body is stronger than my upper body already, which is probably why my upper body gets hit more (first time I deadlifted, I maxed out at 308 lbs) My hamstrings got hit hard by the high volume workout I did, and the quads got hit pretty good too, but that doesn't usually happen when I'm working with lower volume.

 

[MetalFortress]

Finally the tightness in my right quad stopped popping up, so I did a bit more of a smoker today. Here is what I did:

BB HANG CLEAN, 60, 62.5, 65, 67.5, 70K (in that order) 5x5 (added weight for each set)
BB JERK (ditto for weight) 5x4 (ditto for sets)
BB BACK SQUAT 72.5K 1x20
DB PULLOVER 37.5lb 1x20
BB PC + JERK, 80K, 1x1

The clean and jerk went up as easily for that weight as it's ever went up, as far as the power clean. The jerk was tough because dipping down was hard due to the previous back squats. But I'm probably going to try maxing out the next time I workout, and see if I can break the 200 LB barrier.

 

[MetalFortress]

BB HANG CLEAN, 62.5, 65, 67.5, 70, 72.5K (in that order) 5x5 (added weight for each set)
BB JERK (ditto for weight) 5x4
BB BACK SQUAT 80K 1x10

Weight room seemed to get locked early (either that or I just got their late) so I'm going back to squat more tomorrow.

 

[MetalFortress]

Wasn't sore AT ALL from the cleans or jerks, so I decided to add something else today...

BB SQUAT 72.5, 75, 72.5, 70K 4x10

Then, in circuit/superset fashion

BB SQUAT 72.5K 4x5
TWO-DB CLEAN AND JERK 37.5 lb each 5x5

 

[MetalFortress]

Highest volume workout so far today.

BB HANG CLEAN 60K 1x5
BB JERK 60K 1x4
TWO-DB CLEAN AND JERK 40lb+40lb 1x5
BB HANG CLEAN 62.5K 7x5
BB JERK 62.5K 7x4
TWO-DB CLEAN AND JERK 40lb+40lb 7x3
BB BACK SQUAT 75K 1x20
DB PULLOVER 37.5lb 1x20

Finally I didn't forget to increase the weight on the freakin 20-rep squat. Due to the 24 sets I did BEFORE the 20-rep squat, rest-pause was put to FULL use, although my form stayed straight, which is good.

 

[MetalFortress]

Crap, I'm overtrained. CNS burnout sucks. Time to cut back the volume ...