Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The Death of Super Squats?

Today started out just like every other day since we've been on our stay at home order due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I sat down with my morning dose of cold brew coffee and started thumbing through my news feed trying to sift through all the bullshit articles to try to find some actual real news updates, but stumbled upon an article on building muscle using the 20 rep squat program.

After reading the article it was obvious that the author was putting his own twist on the program to "WOD it up" and in doing so was drifting away from what was actually written by Randall Strossen in his classic text from 1989, "Super Squats".

The ORIGINAL 20 Rep Squat Program.
In a nutshell Mr. Strossen's program recommends performing three weekly workouts, all of which begin with a set of 20 reps in the squat. Interestingly this article recommends four workouts per week and two of the days are back to back, which will interfere with the lifter's recovery. This makes me doubt the author has actually performed Mr. Strossen's program himself. Now the key to selecting the appropriate load is to use something you can get a comfortable set of 10 reps with on day 1 and making yourself get 20 reps with it. Whatever it takes, you do not rack the bar until you've completed the 20th rep. This is where the term "breathing squats" originated, in order to get all 20 reps the last half of the set is usually done in the following manner, one rep followed by a few deep breaths. It is brutal. Then you add 5lbs per workout. A little quick math shows that three weekly workouts over six weeks will have you squatting 90lbs more than you did on day 1 for your 20 rep set. 

You follow your 20 rep squat set with a set of 20 dumbbell pullovers, a classic exercise recommended for expanding the rib cage, then an upper body press and an upper body pull exercise. This isn't the time to focus on driving up your 1 rep max in the bench press, let alone your Olympic lifts as recommended by the article I read. The upper body work should be performed as maintenance as the goal is to put everything your have into your squat set. A couple of sets of abdominal work and you're done. Go eat and rest.

This program is not meant to be repeated throughout the year. It is meant to be a six week "punch in the face" for those looking to gain muscle mass, fast. The other key to this program is rest and recovery. You have to slam calories and not engage in other activities that interfere with your ability to recover. This program is about building muscle mass. If you are worried about your six-pack or improving your wall-ball accuracy, this isn't for you.

While there are no rules in training, and anyone is free to train any way they prefer, it is disturbing too see the classics being bastardized. Perhaps I am a curmudgeon, but to see the modern day fitness industry talking about 20 rep squats and making documentaries on stone lifting without tipping a hat to Randy Strossen, Steve Jeck, or Peter Martin pisses me off.

That is one of the things that makes me sad about the current state of the strength world, so many young lifters do not know the history of their sport, or worse, the names of the people associated with it.

If you are interested in the real 20 rep squat program, I strongly encourage you to visit ironmind.com and grab a copy of Mr. Strossen's book, a book that Steve Jeck suggested should include the warning of "for mad men only!"

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Home Gym Essentials.

One thing I have realized in the short time the coronavirus has been an issue is the effect it is having on the strength training and fitness industry. With more and more gyms and training centers shutting down temporarily, more people are looking for a way to get their training done at home.
My basement gym circa 2007!
One of my clients in my online coaching program, currently living in NY, got to the gym Monday morning for his squat training session only to find the place empty and closed sign in the window. He just placed an order with Rogue for some gear for the basement.

After leaving work the other night (fortunately I am still able to keep the doors of my private training center open) I passed by Dicks Sporting Goods and saw three SUVs out front with people loading treadmills and other gear into them. I also heard from a reliable source that Peloton sales are doing very well.

I've always thought having some basic equipment at home was a good idea in the event that you can't get to the gym.

For around $1,000 you can get set up with enough basic equipment that will provide you with everything you need to not only weather the coronavirus storm, but allow you to permanently cancel that gym membership.

Here is a list I put together of gym equipment I found with a 10 minute Amazon search that will more than handle anything you will be able to throw at it. There is no need to pay top dollar for the big name manufacturers like Rogue, unless of course you want to. Don't get me wrong, all the equipment I have in my gym is from Westside Barbell, Elite Fitness Systems, Rogue Fitness, Legend Fitness and Promaxima MFG, but my gym is my full time business. I have to have durable equipment that can take a beating from some damn strong lifters and athletes. But for those of us who aren't training for the World's Strongest Man contest, the equipment I found on Amazon will more than suffice for a solid basement or garage gym.

Keep in mind, this was just a quick 10 minute search on Amazon, you can likely find even better deals searching places like Facebook Market Place, Craigslist, and consignment shops in your area.

The Essentials: $665-$970

Power Rack: $275-$500

The power rack is the cornerstone of any good strength program. Make sure to get one that has a pull-up bar and if you are lucky a dip attachment. I found many models that have these options that were all rated to 1,000 lbs or more. Power racks allow you to do squats, bench presses, rack presses and deadlifts, military presses, rows, pull ups, dips, arm work, and more. In addition they have spotter pins to ensure your safety when training alone.

Olympic Bar and Weight Set: $240

A barbell and weight set is a must have as this is what you will be lifting. I found a decent set with standard 7' barbell and plates that allow for up to 300 lbs. As you get stronger you will need to add pairs of 45 lb plates to accommodate your strength gains, and currently I have found most used plates to run about $0.75 per pound. Look on places like Facebook marketplace, Craigslist and consignment shops and you will likely find even better deals on weights. All you need to make up every possible increment of 5 lbs is a pair each of 2.5 lbs, 10 lbs, 25 lbs, 45lbs, and 2 pairs of 5 lbs plates. Again, as you get stronger you will just need to keep adding pairs of 45 lbs to accommodate for your progress.

Flat or Adjustable Bench: $100-$180

The adjustable will give you more options but plan to spend between $100 and $180 depending on which you choose.

Horse Stall Mats: $50

Horse stall mats will be needed for flooring. This will allow you to do deadlifts and protect the garage or basement floor in the event of dropped weights. You should be able to find two 4' wide x 6' long x 1/2" thick mats for around $25 each.

The extras: $164-$267

Kettlebells: $48-$116

Kettlebells are a great addition, particularly to add some conditioning exercises that are great for circuit training as well as strengthening generally weak areas like the low back, shoulders and grip. I found a 16kg kettlebell for $48 and a 24kg for $68.

Dragging Sled: $70-$100


Sleds are great for conditioning work and with an upper body strap will allow you to do any upper body or lower body strength exercise that can be performed with dumbbells or cables all while providing cardiovascular conditioning.

Loadable Dumbbell Handles: $36

A pair of loadable dumbbell handles will greatly increase the variety of your training. For $36 you can get a pair that will hold the same plates you will use on the Olympic bar as the collars are the same size. You will likely want to add multiple 2.5, 5 and 10 pound plates to give you more options for the dumbbells, but spending around $0.75 per pound or less is far better than shelling out $1,000 or more for a full dumbbell rack!

Jump Rope: $10-$15

An old school conditioning tool that provides and incredible bang for the buck. Jumping rope is a great way to train the cardiovascular system and build coordination simultaneously. There is a reason they are a staple in a boxer's training program.

There you have it, for $829 to $1237 you can have all the equipment you need to wait out the coronavirus quarantine and when the dust settles you will probable be loving the home gym so much you won't go back to the big box gym ever!

If you have any questions about setting up a home gym or are interested in any of my program design or consultation programs to help you set up a home-based training plan, email me at scott@eptsgym.com.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!
-Scott