Table

of Contents
Squat Attire
Warmup
Technique
Setup and Walkout
Cues
Jump Training
Programs
The raw squat is one of the purest measures of total body strength and
power, earning it the moniker of the king of all lifts. In August 2011, I
became the 14th man in history to break the 900 pound squat barrier and
only a belt and the wraps by squatting 905 pounds, at the SPF Powerstation
Pro/Am, it not only broke the American Record in the 308 weight class, it
also represented a 105 pound PR from my 1st powerlifting meet, less than
10 months earlier. Squatting is simple, bar on your back, bend your knees,
standup, with a few finer points thrown in and there’s no reason that your
training needs to become overly complicated either. I want to take you step-
by-step through my approach to performing the squat and some of my
training philosophies that have helped me reach success so quickly in my
powerlifting career.
Check out Chad’s 905 pound American Record squat!
Great squat training must be built on the following tenets…
-Great Technique
-Strength from Head to Toe
-Explosive Power
-Mental Toughness
-Aggressive Mindset

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Squat Attire
Maximizing your squatting abilities begins before you get under the bar.
Choosing proper footwear is the starting point for moving huge poundage in
the squat. At my first powerlifting meet, I squatted 800 pounds while
wearing Nike Frees, which garnered me many negative comments from
various an anonymous tough guys, need to worry more about their
technique and training their footwear. And while I still support that type of
thinking, if you are going to train to squat big, you should invest in a good
pair of shoes to do so in.
The type of footwear you select is dependent on your squatting style. I wear
Olympic lifting shoes, with a raised heel and hard sole, these type of shoes
are ideal for a lifter with a narrow to medium stance who allows their knees
to have some forward movement. Lifters who use a slightly wide stance and
focus on forcing their hips back as much as possible, will be well served to
squat in shoes like Adidas Sambas or Chuck Taylors. The Sambas have a
very slight heel, which will aid lifters in getting to proper depth despite poor
ankle mobility.
Learn More About Choosing Proper Footwear for the Squat
The other piece of equipment to consider for the raw squatter are the belt
and knee wraps. When looking for a good belt, I would suggest a single
prong powerlifting belt. Single prong belts allow for more adjustments to be
made in the placement and fit than either double prong or lever belts, while
offering just as much stability.
Knee wraps are often debated in the lifting community as not really being
raw. My stance on the matter is that I’m chasing records from All-time great
lifters like Jon Cole and Don Reinhoudt and their records are considered
with wraps, so I’m going to wear wraps, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.
When looking for knee wraps, finding wraps that offer more rebound, as
opposed to stopping power, is preferred for the raw squatter.
Learn how Brandon Lilly wraps knees
There are some things that all great squatters will have in common
regardless of body type or technique. Here are 7 of the most important…
1. IMPROVE YOUR MOBILITY- A lack of mobility will make it difficult to for
you to hit proper depth and if you are able to hit depth, it will be difficult for
you to maintain your strongest body position. This inability to maintain
proper body positions is more likely to lead to injury and if you are injured
you can’t squat. Consistently stretching your hips, quads, hamstrings will
help you maintain better squatting positions and stay healthy so you can
train hard.
2. SQUAT TO DEPTH ALL THE TIME-If you are going to be a great
competitive squatter you must squat to depth all the time. Do not fool
yourself into thinking that you can squat high in training and then will hit
legal depth in a meet. I have always made it a motto to “Leave No Doubt” in
my squatting. I don’t want to have to even look for 3 white lights when I
finish a squat because I should already know that I hit proper depth. Film
your squats from the side to check your depth or having your training
partners assess your depth for you and remember, friends don’t let friends
squat high.
3. SPEED, SPEED, SPEED!-The best way to squat big weight is to squat fast.
Generating great speed and force is the best way to drive through sticking
points. Focus on imparting maximal speed to the bar all the time. From 135
to your max, you need to be trying to drive the bar through the roof. When
you are looking to develop great bar speed you need to jump and do speed
work. Jumps of all kinds (box jumps, squat jumps, jump for distance, depth
jumps) will all help improve your Rate of Force Development so make sure
you are jumping at least once per week. Jumps will also serve to activate
your central nervous system prior to a heavy squat session. When you are
doing speed work for the squat, I suggest you use straight weight (no bands
or chains) in the 55-70% percent range for sets of 2-4 reps and focus on
performing at least 1 rep per second. Get out a stop watch and time your
sets.
4. DOMINATE THE WEIGHT-Do you know how I put 905 pounds on my
back and smashed it for the American Record (raw w/ wraps-308 class)?
Confidence. One of the most common mistakes I see people making when
attempting a max squat is to slow down their descent. This happens for 1
reason…fear. There can be no fear when getting under heavy weight. This
supreme confidence comes from proper preparation, both physically and
mentally. If you have trained to the best of your abilities there is no reason
to have a doubt in your mind when stepping on the platform. Not only must
your training be great, you must also prepare your mind. 905 was a number
that was constantly in my mind leading up to squatting it, mentally I owned
905. I had squatted it hundreds, if not thousands of times in my mind. Fill
your mind with positive mental imagery and know that you own whatever
weight is going on your back, unrack it powerfully, descend with it
confidently and then explode with it out of the hole; be on a mission to
lockout.
5. BUILD STRENGTH OUT OF THE HOLE-The most common place for a
raw lifter to miss a max squat is right out of the hole (ie. The bottom portion
of the lift). Putting extra attention to this portion of the lift is what I believe
is most responsible for improving my squat from 800 to 905 pounds over a
10 month period. The two best exercises to improve your strength out of
the hole are dead squats and pause squats. Dead squats are performed by
placing the pins in a safety rack at 1” above parallel, getting under the bar in
that position and squatting up from there. Try this 3 week training cycle of
dead squats…
Week 1-10 sets of 1 at 60% with 30 seconds between sets
Week 2-7 sets of 1 at 67.% with 45 seconds between sets
Week 3-4 sets of 1 at 75% with 1 minute between sets
Pause squats are another great option to improve your strength and power
out of the hole in the squat. Pause squats done with 1, 3, 5 or a 7 second
pause will not only help you build strength by diminishing or eliminating
the benefits of the stretch reflex out of the hole, they will also build static,
supportive strength in the lower back, hips and abs, teach you to stay tight
and help your body find its strongest position. Try this 3 week training cycle
of pause squats…
Week 1-3 sets of 5 reps with 50% using a 7 second pause
Week 2-3 sets of 4 reps with 60% using a 5 second pause
Week 3-3 sets of 3 reps with 70% using a 3 second pause
6. BUILD UP YOUR BACK-Bill Kazmaier, arguably the strongest man of all-
time, said that “A strong back equals a strong man”, I don’t argue with Kaz
and neither should you. Back strength is often the limiting factor in
someone’s ability to squat. If you back (upper and lower) is weak, you won’t
be able to support heavy weight. Your hamstrings, quads, hips and glutes
may be strong enough to squat 500 pounds, but if your back can’t support it,
you aren’t going to squat it. A great starting place to improve your lower
back strength is to avoid wearing a lifting belt as much as possible. Not
wearing a belt will make your midsection work much harder to support the
weight and in turn, make it that much stronger when a belt is worn. Another
great exercise to build the static supportive strength necessary in the lower
back for a huge squat are deadlift hypers. A deadlift hyper is a combination
of a 45 degree back raise and a deadlift. Set up the bar on the floor, take a
snatch grip on it and do a back raise while holding the bar. I have personally
gone over 300 pounds on this exercise for a set of 5. Adding in a 1-3 second
static hold at the top of each rep will also be effective. When looking to
strengthen your upper back to improve your squat, all type of rowing and
pulling variations will help. My personal favorite is the chest supported row
and again adding in a static hold at the top of each rep for 1-3 seconds will
be of tremendous benefit. Front squats or safety squat bar squats are also a
great way to build up your upper back in a very specific manner. I would
definitely encourage you to include these variations in your training.
7. HONE YOUR TECHNIQUE-If your technique in the squat is poor you are
wasting your strength. Great technique is what allows great strength to be
expressed effectively. Not everybody’s technique will be the same,
individual body dimensions, leverages, strengths and weaknesses will
dictate what technique is most effective for you. From an empty bar to your
max, you must practice great technique on every rep. Great technique starts
with a great setup so get TIGHT and create a good shelf for the bar while
driving your sternum up and your head into your traps. Technique can only
be perfected through practice, so make sure you are turning the volume up
on your squat training. I have had squat sessions with as many as 18 work
sets of squats and squat variations. With that being said, if you want to be a
great squatter and have great technique, you must practice that skill, you
must squat. The Barbell Back Squat must be the foundation of your training
and front squats, box squats, pause squats, dead squats, etc are there to
supplement that work. I start every squat session with the back squat and
work on other things after. If you want to be great at something you have to
do that thing, not just something similar to it. I can confidently say that my
best squat ever, 905 pounds, was also my most technically proficient squat
ever.
These 7 tips are only a glimpse into what is necessary to become a great
squatter and strength athlete but they will give you a great start on the road
to success and building a legendary squat.
Warmup
Once you are properly equipeed to squat with the right shoes, wraps and
belt, it is time to prepare your body for maximum performance with a
proper warmup that improves mobility, prevents injury and primes your
central nervous system to move explosively. A well organized warmup, will
increase core temperature, enhance mobility, improve stability, activate the
musculature needed for training and excite the central nervous system. A
proper warmup is also a simple way to improve the lifter’s general physical
preparedness, if you are left gasping for air from a warmup, you are either
being excessive in your pre training routine, or you are tremendously out of
shape, my guess is the later.
My squat training warmup is as follows…

1. Incline Treadmill Walk-5 min

2. Join Circles-10 reps of each direction for the neck, shoulders, arms,
hips, good mornings.
3. Quadruped Hip Mobility-10 reps of each, bent leg raise, straight leg
raise, donkey kicks, forward and backward knee circles.
4. Skipping, shuffling and high knee drills-1 to 3 reps of 10 yds for each
5. Glute Activation Drills-10 to 20 reps of either band resisted walks or
glute bridges. Properly activating the glutes will stop your knees from
collapsing during the squat and keep them pain free.
6. Box Jumps x5-15 total: Jumps will provide a post activation
potentiation effect to your squatting through the stimulus it provides to
the central nervous system.
Watch Chad demonstrate his regular squat training warmup
While this amount of warmup may seem daunting to someone with low
GPP, it would serve many lifters well by improving their aerobic capacity
(which will let them perform more high quality work within a training
session, not be huffing and puffing while approaching the bar and have
some gas left in the tank at the end of a long competition), enhancing
mobility (which will aid in injury prevention and allow you to hit depth
easier), increasing athleticism/kinesthetic awareness (which will make
technical adjustments simpler) and enhancing your explosive power.
After completing this this general wamup, I will get under the bar for a
specific warmup. If I was working up to 765x3 in wraps, my warmups
would be…
Bar x15-20, 135x8-10, 225x5, 315x3, 405x2, 495x1, Add Belt, 585x1, Add
Wraps, 675x1, 765x3
Technique
Setup and Walkout
One place that too many lifters miss squats, is before they even begin the
lift, in the setup and walkout. A good setup is critical to squatting big
weights. A simple rule when setting up is that if you are comfortable holding
your position, it isn’t tight enough. My process of setting up is as follows…

1. Set your hands, I use a thumbless grip with my thumb covering the
rings. This is a relatively narrow grip for a bigger lifter, because the
closer your hands can be, the tighter upper back position you can
achieve.
2. Pull your shoulder blades together before you duck under the bar and
then try to wedge yourself under, while digging the bar into the meat of
your traps.
3. Force your chest up as you bring your hips underneath you to bring the
bar out of the rack with your hips, not your legs. Keep your eyes up
throughout the walkout.
4. Walk your dominant foot out, in my case right, then in one step set your
opposite foot and in one more step set your dominant foot. You should
need no more than 3 steps to walk out a weight and have your feet
properly positioned. You made need to make some small adjustments
from here but not full steps. You don’t need to walk several steps back
from the rack, that is just a waste of energy.
5. Pull as much air into your midsection as possible. Try and brace your
core out in all directions, not just abs into belt. Create cirumfrencial
pressure to maximize your performance and keep your low back
healthy.
Every great lifter has different accessory movement they like to help
build their squat. Here are some of Team Juggernaut’s favorites
Cues
To be elite in any power/speed discipline, your technique must become
automatic. If you must think about every aspect of your technical execution,
you will not be able to maximize force production due to the slower neural
firing patterns. For this to happen, you must master your technique in every
rep of training from an empty barbell until your final rep of your session, so
that when you are on the platform you can shut your brain off and just
perform. There are five technical cues that I think about during every
training squat. 1) Get Tight, 2) Commit to the Descent, 3) Chest Tall, 4)
Knees Out and 5) Accelerate to the Finish.

1. Get Tight-Creating tightness throughout the entire body is a product of

three things, proper set up-which I have already addressed, getting big
air into your midsection and trying to brace against your abdominal
wall/belt in all directions. There is a reason that so many great
squatters have large waists, because a larger waist provides a greater
base of support for big weight on your back, so expand your waist as
much as possible with big air. The 3rd key to tightness is to squeeze the
bar down with your hands. You want to squeeze the bar in your hand
which will send a neural response of tightness throughout your entire
body and pull the bar down into your back, as if you are at the bottom
position of a lat pulldown, this will also flex your lats and give your
stronger support for the weight on your back.
2. Commit to the Descent-Too many lifter seem to be intimidated by big
weight on their backs and thus slow down their descents as compared
to earlier, lighter sets. This causes them to waste energy during the
eccentric portion of the lift and not exploit the stretch reflex as well as
possible, diminishing their power out of the hole. You have to figure out
how fast you can descent and still maintain your tightness and
technique and this is a skill that must be practiced. I’m not necessarily
advocating a dive bomb style of squatting here, rather just that if you
go down at X speed during your warmup sets, you need to continue to
practice X speed at your top sets.
3. Chest Tall-The most frequent way that athlete’s miss squats is by falling
forward due to their chest collapsing. This could be an issue of upper
back weakness, poor setup or not properly anticipating the reversal of
the weight. Two main things will help you stay tall throughout the
 squat and react well when reversing the weight. 1-Push your head back
into your traps throughout the lift and 2-Driving your elbows under the
bar. These two cues will combine to keep your chest up and maintain a
neutral back position. If it is a matter of upper back strength that is
inhibiting your ability to stay tall you need to up you work in shrugs,
rows and chin-ups. Since static/isometric strength is what is being
expressed by the upper back during a squat, try hold the contraction on
your final rep of these exercises for a 5 to 10 second count.
4. Knees Out-Between the meets where I squatted 865 and 905, I decided
to slightly widen my stance and as your stance widens, a common
physical/technical breakdown is knees collapsing inwards or valgus
collapse. Valgus collapse could be a symptom of poor glute
strength/activation or just a lack of focus on this aspect of your
technique. On the downward portion of the lift, your must externally
rotate your feet to open up your knees, so you can sit between them. At
the reversal of the weight, your knees should be in line with the feet, to
improve quad drive and acceleration out of the hole and as you rise up,
push your knees out again to reengage the hips and glutes to finish the
lift.
 
World Record holder Dan Green gives you some more insight into
knee action in the squat
5. Accelerate-I have often joked that the reason I squat so much isn’t
because I’m so strong, but rather because I’m so fast. A conscious focus
on accelerating the bar through the top portion of the lift is the simplest
way to avoid sticking points. The more force you can generate at the
beginning of the lift, the easier each of the following parts will be.
During every rep of your training, blast the weight out of the hole, all
the way to the top and when you are in a meet, your body will know
how to accelerate through your sticking points.
Jump Training
The seated box jump is my favorite method of developing explosive lower
body strength for the squat. These do a great job of breaking the stretch
shortening cycle and will force you to turn on as many motor units as
possible, as quickly as possible to rapidly generate force.
Learn more about jumping variations to help improve your explosive
power
Here is a 12 week jumping program to enhance your squatting power…
Week 1-Seated Box Jumps wearing heavy vest (relative to strength, this
would be 50-75# for me) for 6 sets of 3 jumps to 75% of your maximum
height
Week 2-Seated Box Jumps wearing heavy vest for 5 sets of 2 jumps to 85%
of your max height
Week 3-Seated Box Jumps wearing heavy vest for 4 sets of 1 jump up to new
max.
Week 4-Deload-Seated Box Jump for 3 sets of 3 reps to 70% of your new
maximum
Week 5-Seated Box Jump wearing a light/medium vest (25# for me) for 6
sets of 3 jumps to 80% of your maximum
Week 6-Seated Box Jump wearing a light/medium vest for 5 sets of 2 jumps
to 90% of your maximum
Week 7-Seated Box Jump wearing a light/medium vest for 4 sets of 1 jump
to a new max
Week 8-Deload-Seated Box Jump for 3 sets of 3 reps to 70% of your new
maximum.
Week 9-Depth Jumps from an 18-24” box (higher box if you have higher
relative strength) for 2 sets of 5 jumps
Week 10-Depth Jumps from a 21-30” box for 2 sets of 4 jumps
Week 11-Depth Jumps from a 24-36” box for 2 sets of 3 jumps
Week 12-No Jumping
Squatting heavy can cause knee pain for some lifters, check out these
tips to help alleviate and avoid pain
Here are 5 tips to help the raw squatter succeed…
1. KNOW THAT YOU ARE SQUATTING RAW-There is tons of literature
regarding Westside style training, most of which promotes box squatting
variations almost exclusively. The box squat, particularly when a negative
shin angle is achieved, does not have a high carryover to the raw squat.
Sitting back onto the box is similar is akin to sitting back into a multiply suit
that will stop you in the hole, this position is impossible to achieve in the
raw squat. While there are many great things to be learned from geared
lifters, squatting with ultra-wide stances onto a box, is not one of them.
2. TRAIN YOUR QUADS-It is inevitable that your knees have some forward
movement during the raw squat and for this reason there will be much
greater quad involvement than geared squatting. There are tons of ways to
improve quad strength, high bar Olympic squats, close stance safety bar
squats, and barbell step ups are all great ways to build quad strength and
size. I have always been a proponent of high rep squatting and I feel like this
has played a big role in my quad development and strength.
3. COMMIT TO THE DESCENT-The most difficult aspect of the raw squat
for most people is reversing the bar out of the hole. A more rapid descent
will allow you to have more rebound out of the hole. Similar to using bands
as accommodating resistance, an overspeed eccentric will create a faster
concentric portion of the lift. You are also using less energy by bringing the
bar down faster. Watch myself, Robert Wilkerson, or Pat Mendes squat, all
of us drop rapidly and reverse the weight quickly.
4. GET TIGHT-This is true for raw, single ply or geared squatters, if you
don’t achieve great upper back tightness in your setup, you are doomed to
miss your squat before you even begin it. Work to maintain shoulder and
pec flexibility/mobility, as I think it is much more advantageous to have a
narrow hand position when trying to maintain upper back tightness. Not
only must you be able to achieve great upper back tightness to be a great
squatter, you must be able to create tremendous intrabdominal pressure.
Lack of pressure in your belly will cause you to break at the waist when you
are coming up, think about trying to stretch your belt as you fill up your
belly with air before beginning the descent. Train your abs and upper back
hard to improve strength and thickness and allow yourself to maximize
your tightness and give yourself the best chance of squatting huge.
5. WRAP IT RIGHT AND TIGHT-When wrapping your knees for a big raw
squat, take special care to place as much wrap as possible behind your
knees. Geared squatters need stopping power from the knee wraps, raw
squatters need rebound. The more wrap you can place behind your knees,
the greater rebound effect you will get out of the hole. Some people I think
get intimidated about super tight wraps, but the fact of the matter is that a
tighter wrap will add more to your squat, so suck it up and deal with the
pain for the minute or so you have them on. Besides, missing a PR squat
hurts a lot more than having on tight wraps.
Check out this squat training tutorial of me teaching the squat from
head to toe
Programs
Now that we have looked at all aspects of your technique and mindset, it’s
time to put it into practice with a great program. Here are 3 of my favorite
squatting programs that I’ve used with great success…
Program #1-This is a very demanding, 1x/week squatting program, where
each session will test you mentally and physically.
Week 1 1-Box Jumps holding 25# dumbbells-6×3 at 75% of max height
2-Squat-Up to 80% of 1rm for 3 reps
3-Speed Squats-60% of 1rm for 5 sets of 4 reps, 1 min rest
periods
4-Narrow Stance 7 Second Pause Squats-40% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 5 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 15 reps
Week 2 1-Box Jumps holding 25# dumbbells-5×2 at 85% of max height
2-Squat-Up to 85% of 1rm for 3 reps
3-Speed Squats-60% of 1rm for 6 sets of 4 reps, 1 min rest
periods
4-Narrow Stance 7 Second Pause Squats-42.5% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 5 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 15 reps
Week 3 1-Box Jumps holding 25# dumbbells-4×1 up to max height
2-Squat-Up to 90% of 1rm for 3 reps
3-Speed Squats-60% of 1rm for 7 sets of 4 reps, 1 min rest
periods
4-Narrow Stance 7 Second Pause Squats-45% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 5 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 15 reps
Week 4 1-Box Jumps-3×3 at 75% of max height
(Deload) 2-Squat-3×3 at 60% of 1rm
3-Weighted Situps-3 sets of 10 reps
Week 5 1-Box Jumps-6×3 at 80% of max height
2-Squat-Up to 92.5% of 1rm for 2 reps
3-Speed Squat-65% of 1rm for 6 sets of 3 reps, 90 second rest
 periods
4-Narrow Stance 5 Second Pause Squats-50% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 4 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 12 reps
Week 6 1-Box Jumps-5×2 at 90% of max height
2-Squat-Up to 95% of 1rm for 2 reps
3-Speed Squat-67.5% of 1rm for 5 sets of 3 reps, 90 second rest
periods
4-Narrow Stance 5 Second Pause Squats-52.5% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 4 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 12 reps
Week 7 1-Box Jumps-4×1 up to max height
2-Squat-Up to 97.5% of 1rm for 2 reps
3-Speed Squat-70% of 1rm for 4 sets of 3 reps, 90 second rest
periods
4-Narrow Stance 5 Second Pause Squats-55% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 4 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 12 reps
Week 8 1-Box Jumps-3×3 at 75% of max height
(Deload) 2-Squat-3×3 at 60% of 1rm
3-Weighted Situps-3 sets of 10 reps
Week 9 1-Depth Jumps from 12” box-2 sets of 5 reps
2-Squat-Up to 100% of 1rm for 1 rep
3-Speed Squat-75% of 1rm for 4 sets of 2 reps, 2 min rest
periods
4-Narow Stance 3 Second Pause Squats-60% of 1rm for 3 sets of
3 reps
5-Weighted Situps-5 sets of 10 reps
Week 10 1-Depth Jumps from 18” box-2 sets of 4 reps
2-Squat-Up to 102.5% of 1rm for 1 rep
3-Speed Squat-80% of 1rm for 3 sets of 2 reps, 2 min and 30 sec
rest periods
4-Narow Stance 3 Second Pause Squats-62.5% of 1rm for 3 sets
of 3 reps
5-Weighted Situps-4 sets of 10 reps
Week 11 1-Depth Jumps from 24” box-2 sets of 3 reps
2-Squat-Up to 105% of 1rm for 1 rep
3-Speed Squat-85% of 1rm for 2 sets of 2 reps, rest as needed
4-Narow Stance 3 Second Pause Squats-65% of 1rm for 3 sets of
3 reps
5-Weighted Situps-3 sets of 10 reps
Week 12 1-Box Jumps-3×3 at 75% of max height
(Deload) 2-Squat-3×3 at 60% of 1rm
3-Weighted Situps-3 sets of 10 reps
Week 13 1-Box Jump-3, 2, 1 reps, increasing height each set to activate
Central Nervous System
2-Squat-Work up to a new 1rm
Program #2-This program is a rotating scheme between a speed, volume
and heavy week and is also excellent when you are trying to push your
deadlift hard.
Week 1 1-Speed Squat-10x2 at 60%, rest 45 seconds b/t sets. You can
add 40-160# of Chains if you want, if you choose to add
accommodating resistance, reduce by 5%.
2-Walking Lunges-3x20 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x15
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 2 1-3 Count Pause Squat-55/60/65/70/75%x5, ideally with no
belt. The safety squat bar is a good option here too.
2-Walking Lunges-3x20 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x15
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 3 1-Squat-Work up to 5rm, NO MISSED REPS, wear knee wraps if
you compete in them.
2-Walking Lunges-3x20 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x15
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 4 1-Squat-3x3 at 60%
2-Walking Lunges-2x20 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-2x15
4-Weighted Abs-3 sets
Week 5 1-Speed Squat-8x2 at 65%, rest 45 seconds b/t sets. You can
add 40-160# of Chains if you want, if you choose to add
accommodating resistance, reduce by 5%.
2-Walking Lunges-3x16 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x12
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 6 1-3 Count Pause Squat-60/65/70/75/80%x3, ideally with no
belt. The safety squat bar is a good option here too.
2-Walking Lunges-3x16 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x12
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 7 1-Squat-Work up to 3rm, NO MISSED REPS, wear knee wraps if
you compete in them.
2-Walking Lunges-3x16 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x12
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 8 1-Squat-3x3 at 60%
2-Walking Lunges-2x20 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-2x15
4-Weighted Abs-3 sets
Week 9 1-Speed Squat-6x2 at 70%, rest 45 seconds b/t sets. You can
add 40-160# of Chains if you want, if you choose to add
accommodating resistance, reduce by 5%.
2-Walking Lunges-3x14 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x10
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 10 1-3 Count Pause Squat-65%x5, 70%x4, 75%x3, 80%x2, 85%x1,
ideally with no belt. The safety squat bar is a good option here
too.
2-Walking Lunges-3x12 steps
3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x8
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Week 11 1-Squat-Work up to 1rm, NO MISSED REPS, wear knee wraps if
you compete in them.
2-Walking Lunges-3x10 steps
 3-Hamstring Curl or GHR or Reverse Hyper-3x6
4-Weighted Abs-5 sets
Program #3-This is a high volume/frequency program that will add
tremendous size to your legs and groove your squat pattern. If your squat
needs a real kick in the ass, this program is it! I didn’t prescribe any
assistance work here because it really isn’t necessary.
Week 1 Monday-Olympic Squat (no belt)-10x5 at 60% w/ 1 min rest
Wednesday-Front Squat (no belt)-5x5 at 65%
Friday-Competition Squat (no belt)-Up to Heavy Set of 3-5 reps
Saturday-Front Squat (no belt)-Up to Heavy Set of 5-8 reps
Week 2 Monday-Olympic Squat (no belt)-10x4 at 65% w/ 90 sec rest
Wednesday-Front Squat (no belt)-5x4 at 70%
Friday-Competition Squat (no belt)-Up to Heavy Set of 3-5 reps
Saturday-Front Squat (no belt)-Up to Heavy Set of 3-5 reps
Week 3 Monday-Olympic Squat (no belt)-10x3 at 70% w/ 120 sec rest
Wednesday-Front Squat (no belt)-5x3 at 75%
Friday-Competition Squat (no belt)-Up to Heavy Set of 3-5 reps
Saturday-Front Squat (no belt)-Up to Heavy Set of 1-3 reps
Week 4 Monday-Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 60%
Friday-Front Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 60%
Week 5 Monday-Olympic Squat (no belt)-8x5 at 65%, 75 sec rest
Wednesday-Front Squat (no belt)-5x5 at 70%
Friday-Competition Squat-Up to Heavy Set of 3-5 reps
Week 6 Monday-Olympic Squat (no belt)-8x4 at 72.5%, 105 sec rest
Wednesday-Front Squat (no belt)-3x5 at 77.5%
Friday-Competition Squat-Up to Heavy Set of 2-4 reps
Week 7 Monday-Olympic Squat (no belt) 8x3 at 80%, 150 sec rest
Wednesday-Front Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 85%
Friday-Competition Squat-Up to Heavy Set of 1-3 reps
Week 8 Monday-Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 60%
Friday-Front Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 60%
Week 9 Monday-Competition Squat (belt and wraps)-Up to 3rm
Friday-Front Squat-Up to 80%xMax Reps -1, Olympic 3 ct Pause
 Squat-3x5 at 70%
Week 10 Monday-Competition Squat (belt and wraps)-Up to 2rm
Friday-Front Squat-Up to 87.5%xMax Reps -1, Olympic 3 ct
Pause Squat-3x4 at 77.5%
Week 11 Monday-Competition Squat (belt and wraps)-Up to 1rm
Friday-Front Squat-Up to 95%xMax Reps, Olympic 3 ct Pause
Squat-3x3 at 85%
Week 12 Monday-Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 60%
Friday-Front Squat (no belt)-3x3 at 60%
Week 13 Monday-Competition Squat-Up to 1rm
Learn more from Chad in The Juggernaut Method 2.0, a comprehensive guide
to strength, speed, power and endurance development for every athletes.
Also check out Chad’s webinar 4 Pillars of Great Programming. This 90
minute lecture and Q&A will teach you how to design programs to meet any
goal.
Finally, join Strong360, a one-of-a-kind social network dedicated to strength
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