Old School Squat Program for Strength, Size, and Confidence

This is a slightly revised version of a post I made on another sub which I think will be useful for you guys. In this post, I’m going to share a workout program I’ve done lately with huge success. It’s a variant of the 20 rep squat programs that you can find online. Google “20 rep squat program” and you can find plenty of articles talking about the principles of the program. I didn't create this program but merely tweaked stuff that's been around for decades based on my needs.

 

This is not a program for someone brand new to weights. Don’t do this until you’ve been lifting at least a year or so. Also, for the love of all that’s holy, learn how to squat properly to full depth before doing this program. I’m a fan of EliteFTS’s “So You Think You Can Squat” videos on YT but there are plenty others as well. Just remember… if you don’t meet / break parallel, you are a vagina.

 

Before I get into the details though, I want to talk about why I think this is important. First, men need real struggle in their lives and squats are struggle. I'm convinced that a large % of the problems men face today are because we don't face traditional struggles like hunting our own food. That's a post of its own though. Second, if you are going to lift, don’t waste your time in the gym (only smith machines, biceps only workouts, no programming or planning, etc.). Third, this program just fucking works in terms of strength, strength endurance, hypertrophy, hormonal changes, and confidence.

 

Program Overview
So here is what I did. I do 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler's plan... which if you don't know what that is, look it up) 3x per week with a workout that looks something like this:

 

Workout A
Back Squat 5/3/1
Bench 5/3/1
2-3 assistance exercises
Finishers (1 set of 20 rep squats)

 

Workout B
Deadlifts 5/3/1
2-3 assistance exercises
Core work
Finishers (1 set of 20 rep squats)

 

Workout C
Overhead Press 5/3/1
2-3 assistance exercises
Core work
Finishers (1 set of 20 rep squats)

 

For the Finishers, I started with a weight that was ~55% of my then 1RM (410) so 205lbs. I then planned to do this program for 6 weeks and do the Finishers at the end of every workout (but before cool down / stretching / whatever). The key is that you add 5lb every workout to your Finisher weight. So 205 the first workout, 210 the second, etc. If you do 18 workouts over 6 weeks, you will have added 90lbs. I jumped weights a couple of times until I finished with 315lbs on my last set of 20. That means I started this cycle with a Finisher set of 205lbs for 20 reps and finished the program (took about 6.5 weeks) with 315lbs.

 

Good assistance exercises to include are stuff like front squats, dead hang pullups, weighted dips, Kroc rows, DB press (bench or overhead), face pulls, leg curls, hypers if you have the machine, lat & bicep stuff, etc. Don’t be johnny douchebag and just focus on iso arm stuff.

 

The Finisher aka The Actual Set of 20
Let’s talk now about the actual set of 20. It sucks. It sucks a lot. If you have a training partner, have them stand close to you and hold up fingers (that you can see in the mirror) to help count off because as that weight gets heavier, you will lose count in the teens. As you go, focus on breathing and bracing. If you don't know what bracing is, learn what it is before doing this workout.

 

Don’t rush. These are not continuous down & up squats like a set of 4-6 might be. It's perfectly fine to take a few breaths in between the reps to keep form and focus dialed in. I also found a good set of headphones with a rage song dialed all the way up works wonders. Just keep grinding and breathing and you’ll be done soon-ish.

 

Recovery
As far as recovery, this program sucks at first but isn’t bad after the first week or so. That make sound paradoxical but you get so much blood flow through your body and legs during and after this that as long as you have good nutrients in you, you shouldn’t get very sore. I had some DOMS the first week but none after that. I do recommend incorporating daily stretching / foam rolling though just as a matter of course. If you aren't already doing that anyway, fuck you and enjoy getting injured.

 

Other Tips
You have got to eat a lot on this program. This is not a workout to do while cutting. This is not a workout to do while cutting. Do this on a clean bulk with a focus on getting as much protein as possible. Old school guys used GOMAD with this (gallon of milk a day) and that’s not a bad idea if you aren’t lactose intolerant. So eat and then eat more.

 

You also need a lot of sleep. Aim for at least 8+ hours of QUALITY sleep each night and turn your fucking phone off (screen dark) at least 90 minutes before bed. You should be doing this anyway. This isn't rocket science.

 

Repeating the Program
As discussed above, you should only do this for 6ish weeks. After the 6 weeks, drop the 20s and go back to normal volumes, etc. for at least 6 weeks before you do this again. This gives your legs time to recover and not adapt too much to the higher volume (which enables you to shock your system when you do it again).

 

My Results
On this program, you can expect to get much, much stronger in all your lifts. I saw my 1RM squat jump from 410 to 475. My deadlift went up a similar %. My bench and OHP didn’t jump as high but definitely saw a good 10% jump or so over the 6 weeks.

 

I felt better in general. I got to where I started to really look forward to the Finisher set especially when it was a benchmark of some kind like 275lbs. Sure there were days I didn’t want to do it but I did and I strongly believe that type of commitment carries over to everything in your life.

 

My quads ballooned in size. I had some jeans that became useless to me because the quad area is uncomfortably tight.

 

My BF% tests showed I added weight but dropped my BF% by roughly 2.5%. Considering I was bulking and not counting calories, I’ll take it.

 

Finally, I just felt better. There was something very primal about these squats and going into beast mode to get them done. This will have positive effects on your hormones and your confidence levels if you do it right. That will lead to better smashing in all areas of life including with the chicks.

 

If you have any questions, let me know. Just trying to share what worked for me.