New Squat PR @ PF - 170 x 25

When we met over the Christmas holidays, my part-time workout buddy Matt and had I planned to do a "Leg Day" later in the week at Planet Fitness. When I got up today I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of performance, because last night wasn't exactly a "by the books" workout prep. (Last night included consuming 1/2 a bottle of cheap Australian red wine during band practice late into the night...)

In any case, after a good breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee I was ready to hit the gym for our 8:00 session. We started with some stationary cycling and stretching then headed to the squat racks. I decided to take my time and do extra warm-up sets, so it went something like this for me:

95 x 10
115 x 8
135 x 6
155 x 4
170 x 25

I got this crazy second wind around rep 19 - I probably could have hit 30 reps but was kind of scared by how many reps I did.

The rest of the workout included:
Leg Curls 3 x 15
Hip Abduction 1 x 15
Hip Adduction 1 x 15
Standing Calf Raises 3 x 12
Seated Calf Raises 2 x 15
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 2 x 12
Hanging Leg Raises 1 x 10

Frank's 20-rep Squat Program

High rep squats are something Rich introduced me to recently. I found they tax my endurance in a way I have never experienced before, and seem to stimulate overall growth. I have zeroed-in on 20-reps being the sweet-spot for the best benefits. This is not a new discovery, as 20-rep squat routines have been around for quite some time, with numerous testimonials to their effectiveness.

I have been liking them so much that I have decided to embark on a complete 20-rep Squat Program. The traditional 20-rep Squat Programs call for full-body workouts, 3-times a week. My routine is personalized to have alternating upper-body groupings with each squat workout. Workouts will be performed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Workout "A"
20-rep Squats
Calf Raises
Leg Curls
Seated Dumbell Curls
Standing Press
Tricep Extensions

Workout "B"
20-rep Squats
Calf Raises
Leg Curls
Bench Press
Seated Row
Shrugs

Today is the official start of my program. My bodyweight is 194 lbs, and my current Squat is 185x20, which was performed on Monday, Dec 25, 2006. I will continue to chart my progress with this routine.

Christmas Squats

One of the gyms I go to is open 365 days a year. Today is Christmas, and it also happens to be "Leg Day". Here's how it went:

Squats - Bar x 12, 135 x 8, 185 x 20, 185 x 6
Calf Sled - 90 x 12, 180 x 12, 270 x 14, 270 x 12
Leg Curl - 60 x 10, 70 x 12, 80 x 10, 80 x 8