Ok,
So I'm not going to say I originally came up with this squat progression, but I haven't seen it anywhere else. Somebody feel free to correct me if theres another template out there for squats that is very similar.
So I came up with this progression about a year ago and have used it a few times and its been very effective in adding poundage to my squat, at a fairly rapid rate. I've seen a few guys go from squatting 2 plates to squatting 4 plates a side in under a year using this progression.
Prerequisites: You should atleast be squatting 225 for 3 sets of 5. This is very attainable for most people within 3-4 months of lifting. Your form should be solid, and hopefully you don't have a crappy back or knees. A solid foundation is important here. It won't work very well if you're already fucked up.
The plan
You start with your 5 rep max (lets say you can get 245 for a HARD set of 5), and you're going to do 4 sets of 3 reps with that weight. So your workout is:
Barbell Squats 245 lbs 3-3-3-3
Thats it, just the four sets.
After 3 days of not training legs, (so if you did the first workout on monday, your second will be on friday) you're going to repeat the workout except it changes a little bit.
Barbell Squats 250 lbs, 4-3-3-3
After 3 more days of rest.
Barbell squats 255 lbs 4-4-3-3
So you're basically going to be adding a rep to a set, and 5 lbs to the bar until you reach this.
Barbell squats 285 lbs 5-5-5-5.
After this period (which should take a dedicated lifter 6-7 weeks), take a week off from training period, then restart the cycle with...
Barbell squats 285 lbs 3-3-3-3. And continue on.
Now if you're eating/sleeping properly and running just a little test, you should be able to rock this cycle out quite a few times before it quits working and you need to do a stint of higher volume work.
Give it a shot, and watch the weight on the bar sky-rocket.
So I'm not going to say I originally came up with this squat progression, but I haven't seen it anywhere else. Somebody feel free to correct me if theres another template out there for squats that is very similar.
So I came up with this progression about a year ago and have used it a few times and its been very effective in adding poundage to my squat, at a fairly rapid rate. I've seen a few guys go from squatting 2 plates to squatting 4 plates a side in under a year using this progression.
Prerequisites: You should atleast be squatting 225 for 3 sets of 5. This is very attainable for most people within 3-4 months of lifting. Your form should be solid, and hopefully you don't have a crappy back or knees. A solid foundation is important here. It won't work very well if you're already fucked up.
The plan
You start with your 5 rep max (lets say you can get 245 for a HARD set of 5), and you're going to do 4 sets of 3 reps with that weight. So your workout is:
Barbell Squats 245 lbs 3-3-3-3
Thats it, just the four sets.
After 3 days of not training legs, (so if you did the first workout on monday, your second will be on friday) you're going to repeat the workout except it changes a little bit.
Barbell Squats 250 lbs, 4-3-3-3
After 3 more days of rest.
Barbell squats 255 lbs 4-4-3-3
So you're basically going to be adding a rep to a set, and 5 lbs to the bar until you reach this.
Barbell squats 285 lbs 5-5-5-5.
After this period (which should take a dedicated lifter 6-7 weeks), take a week off from training period, then restart the cycle with...
Barbell squats 285 lbs 3-3-3-3. And continue on.
Now if you're eating/sleeping properly and running just a little test, you should be able to rock this cycle out quite a few times before it quits working and you need to do a stint of higher volume work.
Give it a shot, and watch the weight on the bar sky-rocket.