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The 2024 Squat Big Plates For Reps Challenge!

My best straight bar back squat is 550lbs some years back. I've since suffered some injuries, always being knocked downhill after I just start getting back up. In any case, I've been feeling better for a while now, so the goal is to get back to it this year.

I have little idea where I'm at the moment. 450? I'm taking the sure and scenic route up so I don't know. It's going to be tough.

I plan on trying to squat twice a week the whole way. Lots of triples and some fives. When I'm sure I'm up to it I'll start doing a lot of singles as well. I love three week waves and lots of variation: box squat, front squat, zercher, bow bar, ssb, bands, chains, whatever.
 
Boris Bachmann said:
A Facebook friend suggested that, in the next zine, contributors talk about their squat goals and training plans. It's a great idea, so, if have some squat-specific goals, please share them and your plan to achieve them here!
Click to expand...
I'm shooting for 500lbs squat. I don't think it will happen this year, most likely July 2025.
The plan is the same as it was before. Build up some volume with the lift, build up some intensity with the lift, do a peaking cycle, do a meet, repeat.
Knock on wood, I'll stay healthy.
 
My objectives are to use squats to make the legs and body strong for weightlifting (snatch and C&J), but I would love to get 1RM back over 225 lbs again (highest was 260 lbs in 2018). Actually I think that's doable, and that would be 2 big plates. So there we go - a good goal! 225 lbs for 1 rep.
 
Boris Bachmann said:
A Facebook friend suggested that, in the next zine, contributors talk about their squat goals and training plans. It's a great idea, so, if have some squat-specific goals, please share them and your plan to achieve them here!
Click to expand...
Goal: get (back) to 315lbs x 5.

Plan: volume cycle for 6 weeks (2 3-week waves), deload, then a 3 week intensity cycle, followed by a 5-rep test week. See where that leaves me. I did 225lbs x 10 (easy) on Jan 9 and this 11 week cycle will test with reps at 265lbs (week 10) & 275lbs x 5 (week 11). No PRs, just building back up. Around Christmas I did 275lbs x 7 and irritated my back, so if I can end these 11 weeks with a strong and pain free 275lbs x 5 I'll be pretty happy.

3 week wave: Week 1 Medium, Week 2 Light, Week 3 Heavy. General structure is a Top set + Back Offs. Backoffs this next 6 weeks are between 51% and 62%.
 
My 100 week goal is to squat 500 (again). I did 405 in August, but on any given day my gym lift 1rm is probably 330-360.

My general plan is to alternate a month of GPP-ish work with a month of more intense squat-centric loading.

The GPP-ish month will focus on overall strengthening, pushing squat reps at around 80% (which I put at 275lb now), "conditioning" (circuits/complexes, kb snatch, hip and posterior chain, upper back, ab work), and mobility (for me this is Bulgarian split squats, cossack squats, windmills, ultra-wide stance squats, overhead squats).

The month of loading will focus on two squat variants (squat w. chains or box squat w. chains on DE day, and whatever squat variant I think needs the most attention on ME day).

We'll see. It sounds good to me now, but life can (and likely will) get in the way at times, and I can flub up the best laid plans.
 
My goal is reverse band squat 1015 lbs with 700 lbs of band tension by the end of the month. Idk if it's happening tho. Right now everything is iced over and the gym is closed.
 
Joel the Savage said:
Dude :oops:your programming is almost as awful as mine then ROFL
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On the other hand, it's in my experience more realistic than most detailed plans... because life is never 100% planable. I think it depends much more on the individual - some people need a laid-out plan to motivate themselves and eventually reach a goal other people are more motivated enough by the goal and know themselves and the process well enough to make adjustments as they go.
 
Joel the Savage said:
Dude :oops:your programming is almost as awful as mine then ROFL
Click to expand...
haha, well the details are pretty much "531 Variations" following that general theme. Peaking cycles are basic powerlifting cycles.
Period said:
On the other hand, it's in my experience more realistic than most detailed plans... because life is never 100% planable. I think it depends much more on the individual - some people need a laid-out plan to motivate themselves and eventually reach a goal other people are more motivated enough by the goal and know themselves and the process well enough to make adjustments as they go.
Click to expand...
Pretty much this. I have a general strategy and the tactics will change during the phases.
 
Period said:
On the other hand, it's in my experience more realistic than most detailed plans... because life is never 100% planable. I think it depends much more on the individual - some people need a laid-out plan to motivate themselves and eventually reach a goal other people are more motivated enough by the goal and know themselves and the process well enough to make adjustments as they go.
Click to expand...
This is me. And between the holidays screwing up everything and now an ice storm shutting everything down I wouldn't be able to stick to a program even if I wanted to. lol
 
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