Thread: Two general question about 20 rep super squat routine and over training

I recently got my third injection of Synvisc lubrication in my 50+ year old arthritic knee and I am going to give the 20 Rep Super Breathing Squat Routine another try. The routine varies from program to program, but here is the general gist.

• Squat: 1x20
• Pull-Overs: 1x20
• Deadlift: 2-3 x 10-12
• Dips: 2-3 x 10-12
• Bent-over Rows: 2-3 x 10-12
• Bench Press 2-3 x 10-12
• Military Press 2-3 x 10-12

The two questions I have is this.

1. More recently a lot of trainers constantly caution against over training (in fact we often hear train a single body part only once a week). But the 20 Rep Super Breathing Squat routine is designed to be followed two to three days a week and is very intense (i.e., rest pause with heavy weights). Wouldn't this be over training? I guess the answer could be no because even though it is intense, each exercise is no more than three sets.

2. The second related and more important question in regard to over training is this. Assume we decide that training three days a week using the Super Squat program does not lead to over training (and if it does then we can just ask the same question for two days a week). Suppose we split the program up into six days and just do the squats, pullovers and deadlifts three days a week (every other day) and do the rest of the exercises the other three days. It's basically a lower body and upper body program every other day. Instead of working out 50 minutes three days a week, you are working out 25 minutes six days a week. Would this lead to over training? In other words, is the general idea to give the entire body (and not the lower and upper) at least a complete day of rest between workouts?

The idea of 20-rep squat is to focus purely on your squat numbers for the duration of the program. It should not exceed 3 days because the workload from that single squat is so incredibly high that recover time is crucial.

All the other lifts are performed only for maintenance. The sets should be brief and not particularly intense. If you perform the 20-reps properly you shouldn't have any gas left in the tank to do much else, if anything.

Keep in mind, you're not just squatting for 20-reps. You're squatting your 10-rep max for 20 reps. This is why the program is so demanding. To train an additional 3 days a week seems like suicide to me. It doesn't matter if you're in the gym for 30 minutes, or whatever, the full-body effort from the 20-rep set is enough.

Read Gaz's article on 20-rep squat on his site, getlifting.info.