Take as many deep breaths as necessary between reps. You must keep complete focus throughout the entire set. Medical Disclaimer. It was originally coined “Squats and Milk” because old school lifters would drink a gallon of milk a day while on it. Looking down will round your back and compromise your structure. Keep a fairly close grip on the bar and squeeze your shoulder blades together. There are tons of gimmicky machines that promise to deliver a "safer" squat. For example, the classic Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule works perfectly. People were wondering, "What the heck will I do on leg day? Chances are that a lot of you have heard of the 20-rep squat program at some point along the line. Customize your food intake to suit your personal tastes, but make sure you eat plenty of food and eat it often. Sign In. One of the reasons so much growth is stimulated on this program is that the muscles of the upper body are constantly working to support the weight and to fill the lungs with air. An old time routine consisting of 20-rep squats has been successfully used to put on size and improve strength in a short amount of time, even for the hardest gainers. There are several versions of 20-rep squat workouts. Pain and fear will be there with you, tempting you to stop, telling you to give up. So, if your current 5RM is 315 lbs and you are planning to train three times per week for 6 weeks (18 workouts), you should begin with 225 lbs, as 18 workouts x 5lbs per workout = 90lbs. Rolling a bar over the back of your head in the middle of a squat set does not make for productive training. Join today and unleash the power of BodyFit! You'll be plenty safe as long as you are in a power cage or have sturdy safety pins for your squat rack. For those who tend to recovery poorly, here is a more abbreviated program that has worked for everyone with whom I have ever used it: Notice the squats are first here. Step 1: Master proper squat form. You have to be mentally prepared or you will not make it. I am going to outline a 6-week program that has put slabs of muscle on everyone who has ever followed it. Each workout would start with a basic warm-up followed by the heavy set of 20-rep squats immediately followed by 20 pull-overs to expand the rib cage and to add size to the chest. Think of this as a recovery aid more than an exercise. On the last day, do the total-booty boot camp for your workout and feel the lower-body burn. Here is an example of a typical day's eating for this program back in the day: This is just a suggestion. Also, this squat workout has inbuilt rep measuring, so you don’t have to count them. Squats are like the LBD of your butt and leg workouts. I've had great success myself using the 5 x 5 program for my squat, so a little later we'll examine what this program did for me. Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? It was a huge component of the original 20-rep programs years ago—so big a component, in fact, that it was sometimes called the "Squats and Milk Program." After six weeks of this, switch to something else. Iron Tamer is about reclaiming our past by doing strength training without the use of supplements, or any type of machine! I have heard many different ideas concerning weight selection, and I believe that it is good to begin with the end in mind, especially for a first-timer on this program. All rights reserved. Wait at least six weeks before giving the 20-rep squats another go-round. 7 You may also add your favorite protein powder or MRP to your milk for a boost or for more flavor. You may substitute chins for the rows and bench presses for the dips. It is time to stop living in Tiny Town. Either way start saving up for new clothes, because by the end of the program, you will need them. In fact, old-timers sometimes called them "breathing squats". But this "warm-up" takes a while to do. should be done before you give it a shot. Push up on the bar slightly as if you were going to do a behind-the-neck press. It's so productive, in fact, that I have never ever heard of anyone who did a version of this program correctly and didn't gain size and strength. That's okay; next time you simply load the bar to the same weight and attack it again. Press behind neck – 3 x 12 Squat – 1 x 20 supersetted with Pullover – 1 x 20 Bench press – 3 x 12 Rowing – 3 x 15 Stiff legged deadlift – 1 x 15 Pullover – 1 x 20.