Originally posted by: brikis98
Originally posted by: darkdiablo
Hmm, what about just doing a 20 rep squat once a week? Say every Friday for my last set of squats I go up to 20.
Again, I want to emphasize that 20 rep squats WILL produce strength/size gains, but for beginners, simple 3x5 linear routines tend to do it faster. So, to answer the above, it depends what your goals are.
* If your primary aim is to build strength and add mass as quick as possible, stick with a 3x5 style routine (
Starting Strength or
Stronglifts 5x5) for as long as you can and drink your milk. You simply can't improve any faster than 5-10lb increases every single workout and any significant changes you make to these routines will probably slow you down. For example, adding a set of 20 rep squats per week will hurt recovery. If that doesn't concern you and you have a good reason to do these sets of 20 (see below), go for it, just be aware of the possible consequences (overtraining, slower progress, etc).
* If your primary goal is to break through some kind of squatting plateau, build up mental toughness, or increase your tolerance for high reps, then do 20 rep squats. You'll still gain strength and mass from them, but if all your training revolves around sets of 20, don't expect your 1 rep max to increase nearly as much as if you trained with sets of 5.