Yes they’re from Ironmind 
CCJ,
Could you post what an average leg workout for you looks like. Not so much the weights being used, but, mainly, the exercises, sets and reps.
Thanks
A squat suit
How much pounds does this add to your squat?
Originally posted by OorWullie
CCJ,Could you post what an average leg workout for you looks like. Not so much the weights being used, but, mainly, the exercises, sets and reps.
Things change a lot from week to week, depending on where I am in my training
at the moment during the high volume phases -
Jump squats 3x6
Oly lifts - type and sets change - 3 reps
Squats -
70% 8x3 is typical - adding 5lbs per workout or adding sets
sometimes its 50-60% 6x2 and 85% 6x2
glute ham raises 3x6
Reverse hypers 2-3x10
everything is done explosively, eccentric can be fast or controlled, sometimes I pause at the bottom. I will normally go for a new 3 rep or 1 rep max every 4 weeks, or just go heavy to stimulate.
During low volume periods I’ll do 60% 3x3 and then do either 5-6 singles with 85-90% or do some cluster sets ( rest pause), or do alternate sets of heavy singles and 60% 2-3 rep explosive squats - with or without bands.
I generally try and do around 20-30 total reps with squats. I rarely go above 5 reps. 3 reps is about average for me regardless of poundage. This keeps every rep clean, and fast - ie minimise fatigue influence on form and speed.
I like using Charles Staley’s guidelines for rest periods. Short to start with, and then longer as fatigues sets in.
CCJ,
Thanks, I was interested in the volume of work you were also doing for your hamstrings.
Well for one - Oly lifts hammer the hamstrings quite hard.
Also contary to popular belief, my rock bottom oly squats hit my hamstrings pretty hard, especially the lighter explosive squats, where I blast off the bottom. Man it feels like my hamstrings are gonna rip off the bone - in a good way that is, not unlike a box squat in feel
Maybe I’m one of those lucky dudes, that gets balanced stress from full olympic style squats.
then its just a matter of doing some higher rep hypertrophy work to finish off the job. Glute ham raises and reverse hypers are great. I’ll be trying single leg back extensions in the future as well.
In the past I did do Romanian deadlifts and stiff legged deads after squats, but these are far too taxing on the CNS and lower back for me, since I have already completed sets of cleans/snatches and full squats
Jumping box squats is another fine move I do straight after squats every 2 weeks. It gets me feeling dynamic again after squats. I do these with no weights, and my knee angle is > 90degrees. ie posterior chain explosivness! Again 3 sets of 3 with 1 mins rest between each set.
Why did Ben only sqat partially past parallel? Isn’t the oly squat the best exercise for developing explosion? Isn’t it far superior to the half squat?
Just squat with your hips back and you’ll get all the posterior chain involvement you want. You can go rock bottom like this as well.
You don’t need to squat wide or on a box to achieve this
When I squat like this as opposed to Oly style - sitting straight down - it feels like my hams are gonna rip off the bone!
Having said that I feel a good amount of hamstring stress from oly squats - sespecially right off the bottom a syou flex up and explode
I don’t agree with him about being too sore to squat often with oly squats, I squat twice a week easily - and I’m not that sore.
Keep the reps low and stay well off failure and you will be right.
Box squats can be a good supplementary lift, but its not something I’d go heavy on, its good when done light with bands for explosion.
An Athletic high bar squat where the shin and back angles are parallel is more than sufficent. If you need more posterior stress, then straighten up the shin a tiny bit more.
I don’t see what’s wrong with using the stretch reflex.
quote
“We are not trying to build muscles, but rather a huge squat. Your quads will sometimes get smaller, but your hamstrings and hips will grow greatly.”
all I know is that everytime my oly style squat goes up, so do my cleans and snatches, which one could argue are mostly posterior chain centred power moves :karate:
I do the same thing in my oly squats as well, I really ahve to flex hard off the bottom to bust through my sticking point. Believe me my hams and glutes really feel it.
It’s probably not the case for everyone, but for my structure and lever lengths oly style squats are it. I used to squat more hips back style, and my quads stayed small and weak. Now I get more even stimulation.
I do jumping box squats though - same loading parameters as jump squats.
Im sorry but I still cant believe those guys dont use spotters. I think the danger of not using a spotter while squating is not falling backwards but fowards. What I mean is the weight coming over your shoulders on to your neck and pressing you to the ground. I have had this happen to me with someone who wasnt very good at spotting and it hurts like heck.
Originally posted by Timothy Lane
Im sorry but I still cant believe those guys dont use spotters. I think the danger of not using a spotter while squating is not falling backwards but fowards. What I mean is the weight coming over your shoulders on to your neck and pressing you to the ground. I have had this happen to me with someone who wasnt very good at spotting and it hurts like heck.
Tim I have seen one of the Ironmind Tapes with the Bulgarian lifters - and there are several instances of these guys attempting near limit singles in back and front squats, and they just dump the bar onto the platform if they get stuck and then strip the plates, power clean the bar back to the stands and reload! :mrt:
Is there any reason why I shouldn’t do rock bottom squats with a 10 pd plate under my heels.
You probably need the plate due to a lack of flexibility. The plate will probably allow you to squat with better form , but it is a crutch and with a good flexibility program you can eventually get rid of it, in stages (thinner plates, or blocks of wood…).
Originally posted by fourthought14
Is there any reason why I shouldn’t do rock bottom squats with a 10 pd plate under my heels.
wear oly lifting shoes
Here’s a squat technique link that might be of interest:
http://www.t-mag.com/html/body_149squat.html