The 20 Rep Squat program is well known as one of the best mass building programs in all of weight training. It’s responsible for huge gains in muscular size, strength and a lesser talked about quality, mental strength.

If you do it right, it will build an indomitable will, because it takes such to do it…

A lot has been written about 20 rep squats over the years. From Peary Rader, founder of Iron Man magazine in 1936, to more modern authors like Brooks Kubik in his classic Dinosaur Training. Randall Strossen published an entire book devoted to the subject, SUPER SQUATS: How to Gain 30lbs of Muscle in 6 Weeks. And though each person has their own variation of this time tested and battle proven system, the basic program is pretty simple. Not easy, but simple.

First, figure out what your 10 rep max is in the back squat. That is, 10 consecutive reps that can be done without excessive rest (3 or more breaths in between reps is what I consider “excessive”) It might take a couple weeks to get a true 10RM.

Once you have your 10 rep max, do it for 20+.

Simple.

Not easy.

Every rep north of 10 becomes a single. Stand there, with the bar resting on your back, doing 1 rep at a time, until muscular or technical failure; squat until you can’t come back up, or until you can’t maintain good form.

Chances are, you will quit mentally before your body does. The fatigue throughout your entire body will make you think it’s unbearable. But it’s not. You can stand there and “rest”.

[Be sure you have good bar placement. Too high and it’ll hurt your neck; too low and it’ll start to slide down your back. It’s a good idea to wear a t-shirt and to chalk your shoulders where the bar will sit.]

Fight through the discomfort, it’ll take some true intestinal fortitude. Don’t quit!

The whole idea is your best absolute effort. After every set, ask yourself, “Could I have done more if my life depended on it?” If you answer yes, then it wasn’t your best effort.

This is ‘next level’ perseverance. It’s going to take you a while to discover just how much potential you have here. By the time you do you’ll be squatting 300-400lbs for 20.

I find that the 20 rep squat program is best done in short cycles around the year. It’s tough to push through much more than 6-8 weeks at a time; the mental fatigue is considerable. You’ll know it when you start having dreams (both day and night) about your next squat set. A unique mix of excitement and anxiety; breathing squats will take its toll on you.

So deload weeks are important. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re working hard with the “beginners gains” that you get every time you start a new program. Some people start a new program every two months essentially quitting when the going gets tough. It takes YEARS to get seriously strong.

And that’s ok. Strength is a worthy pursuit.

The 20 Rep Squat Program MINIMUM

Squat –

• 1 set 20+ reps

Pullover –

• 1 set 20+ reps

Do this once or twice a week and add 10bs each week until you can no longer do 20+ reps. If you get, say ,17 reps, the weight remains the same until you can do 20+.

Do this for 6-10 weeks, and then deload for a week or two. Start the program over with 20lbs less than you finished your first cycle with.

Most people will want to do more than 2 sets to failure, but that is the program minimum. As long as you do at least once a week, you will grow. However, you might get better results with the following:

Squat –

• 2 or 3 sets of < 5
• 1 set of 20+ reps

Pullover –

• 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps
• 1 set of 20+ reps

Your first 2 or 3 sets of squats will work ABOVE your 20+ rep to failure set. Go 10-25% heavier than your 20 rep set. Important that you don’t fatigue yourself with these heavy sets so that it negatively impacts your work set. Just do a few reps and in contrast when you reduce the weight your body will think the 20 rep set is lightweight. Alternate each set of squats with a set of pullovers.

The 20 Rep Squat Program FULL BODY Workout

Squat – 1 set 20+ reps
Pullover – 1 set 20+ reps
Upper Body Push
Upper Body Pull
Full Body Lift

Choose any of the upper body pushes – press, bench press, push up, dip; and any of the upper body pulls – pull up variations, row variations, shrugs, cleans (quick lifts for advanced lifters only). The set and rep scheme you use doesn’t matter so much, just work each exercise as heavy and as hard as you can for 25-50 total reps.

The full body lift should be deadlifts or clean and press/jerks. If you decide to deadlift consider using the straight-leg deadlift; your quads will have done enough work squatting and a little more love to the posterior chain is appropriate here.

If you decide to clean and press/jerk, I’d recommend using kettlebells. Barbell clean & press/jerks are very technical, and doing them at the end of this workout is not a good idea unless you are an experienced weightlifter. Kettlebells will allow the use of 1 or 2 hands, as well as better mechanics for high reps, which is what you want to do for this last set. Again, go for 25-50 total reps.

The 20 Rep Squat Program FULL BODY PLUS

Squat – 1 set 20+ reps
Pullover – 1 set 20+ reps
Upper Body Push
Upper Body Pull
Full Body Lift
Neck
Grip
Abs

Neck/grip/abs will have been worked indirectly even with the program minimum, but if you really want to step your strength game up you should always include them with targeted exercises. People often shrug off neck work like they don’t need it (did you see what I did there?) but strengthening the structure around the cervical, the most exposed part of your spine, is a good idea. Not only will you have a stronger area near where the bar rests while you squat, but your head & neck will be better protected from impact forces that might occur in competition or in the case of an accident.

Long story short, do shrugs or neck extensions with a head harness. As for the grip, crushing and wrist extension/flexion are the basic movements of the lower arm, so do them – squeeze grippers and do a set of wrist rolls. Finally, the abs – toe-to-bar, leg lifts, sit ups, medicine ball, twists, whatever. Just pick one and work it hard. Or, do it on a separate day.

I have been intentionally vague about what to do after squats and pullovers, because it really doesn’t matter that much. The 20 rep squat program is about squats, first and foremost. We add the pullovers because they’re like an “upper body squat” (as said by Arthur Jones). But some people like to be told exactly what to do, and if that’s you, here you go:

The 20 Rep Squat Program SAMPLE

Squat –

• 2 or 3 sets of < 5
• 1 set of 20+ reps

Pullover –

• 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps
• 1 set of 20+ reps

DB Bench Press

• 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps

DB Bent Over Row

• 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps

Straight leg Deadlift

• 2 sets of 15

Shrugs

• 2 sets of 15

Hanging Leg Raise / Toe-to-bar

• 2 sets of 15

Wrist Roller

• 90 seconds

Superset Squats and Pullovers by alternating each set. Same for DB Bench and Row. SLDL, Shrugs and Hanging Leg Raise also group together nicely.

Rest as little as possible between sets; it helps to have your stations set up before you begin.

Work hard like a maniac.

Wear headphones to eliminate distractions.

Utilize a training partner to ensure you don’t die.

Train hard, eat a lot and sleep as much as possible.

Add weight and/or reps each week and you can’t go wrong!