I’ve tried 20-rep squat programs several times, and I’ve made every mistake one could make. So I thought it might be useful to detail my experiences, and my
approach to 20-rep squats.

Where do I start? Or rather, where do YOU start?

The first time I tried the 20-rep program, I'd just bought Randal J Strossen’s book Supersquats, and tried to follow the routines in that book. Such as "Take your 10-rep Max, and do 20 reps with it" is the oft-quoted method. And do that three times a week. Plus add 5 lb each workout. That was just too much for me, and I gave up after about three weeks.  I couldn't recover, I couldn't do 20-rep squats three times a week, it was a disaster, my CV system wasn't ready for it.... It was just a demoralizing mess.  I didn't adapt the routine to suit my recovery ability.

What I suggest you do, and this may well fly in the face of general 20-rep opinion, is to find a weight you can do 15 reps with comfortably, but not too comfortably, and try to get 20 reps with that
weight.  You want to be fairly tired after about 12 reps, but not so tired that you're sure you're not going to make it to 20.
 

 If you can get the 20 reps, you've found a starting weight.  If it's totally killing you, I'd suggest you back off a little, reduce the weight, and try again next time. You will have time enough getting totally destroyed, over the two or three weeks time, when you work out the breathing, how long you need to pause, and how to force yourself to do that next rep, when the red clouds appear, when all you want to do is lie down, curl up in a ball, and whimper "I can't do it....I can't do it...."

  The problem with destroying yourself first time out is that old bugbear of form.  It's so easy, when you're tired, to let the knees collapse inward a little, or the back to round a little, or the heels to lift up a little. And, you don't want to kill any motivation you may have, before you get right into the 20-rep mindset.

I discovered a few little mental tricks to get through the last six or seven reps of the set. Remember, you WILL reach a stage where you're trying for 20 at your 10-rep best, and then some, so you will be pushing yourself unbelievably hard as the weeks progress.
 

First, it's ONE SET.  That’s all.  Just ONE set. When you hit 20 reps, you can collapse, cry, throw up, whatever, without having to even think about a second set.  Keep that thought during the set - you'll need it!

Second, it doesn't matter how long you feel you need to pause before doing the next rep.  Wait until you're ready.  Bear in mind, of course, that you still have the bar across your shoulders while you wait!

Third, breathe.  (Yeah, obvious, I know!)  Big, huge draughts of air.  Get as much in as you can when the going gets tough.

Fourth - once you get past about twelve or thirteen reps, think in mini-sets of three, two, or even one rep.  For me, this subdivision helped a lot. At fourteen, you've two sets of three to do.  Or three sets of two.  Or one set of three, one of two, and a single. Or a set of two, then four singles.  Get the idea?

Fifth, don't be afraid to make some noise.  Let them look.  I grunted, puffed, swore and groaned through the last 7 or 8 reps for quite a few weeks, I amused a few, and got the respect of the gym owner and a couple of others who knew what was going on.  Puff, groan, count aloud, swear, whatever it takes.  It's once a week, for a few minutes - let them look, the spider-legged wee nobodies!

Sixth, get a good spotter. I'd never have made it through some of the sets without the encouragement of a great guy in the gym who knew just what to say at the right time.

I have to say, twenty-rep squats are easily the toughest physical thing I've done in my life.  Everything else just pales into insignificance in comparison.

I've been digging through my old Excel workout log, and can give you the nuts and bolts of what I was doing last time I 20-repped.

My previous best was 20 at 200 lb.  (Hey, I never said I was Rickey Dale Crain!)

I had actually spent longer at 2 X 15 than I thought I had.

I started with the pre-20 rep idea, 2 X 15, at a weight of 160 lb, and worked up to 2 X 15 @ 194.3 lb over a period of 7 weeks.  The increments were (bare in mind some of the plates aren't standard, so some of these increments look a little strange) :

160
166
170
175
180  (two weeks - had a bad workout first time)
188.8
194.3
Then 200 X 20 to take me back to my previous PB.

Not all the 2 X 15 workouts went fully as scripted, either - a night on the beer with a few friends messed one of them up a little!

For the 20 rep squat sets, the increments I used were
(lbs) :

200

205.5 two weeks - bad workout first week.  Yes, I do
have them, y'know. :)

210

215 Two tries at this - 17 reps first week, 20 the
next.

220 Again, two attempts - 18 on week 1, then 20.

222.2 I made 18 good, deep reps, and knew I was finished with 20 rep squats for another while.  I did try 225 the next week, as I has sort of set my heart on reaching it, but only made a few reps.  Next time, baybeeeeeee!

So, in total, there were 9 weeks of 20-rep squats, not 7, as I'd thought, and I made what I thought were great gains over those weeks.

Strossen reckons on a gallon of milk a day, and 20-rep squats three times a week, adding 5 lb each time.  Not for me!  That's where I went wrong first time I tried it, I didn't have the sense to modify the routine to suit my requirements and abilities.

Last thing - forget any thoughts of dieting while you're doing this!

Another last thing - don't be afraid to use a pad across your shoulders for this.  You've enough to think about without worrying about avoidable pain and discomfort across your upper back, it can really put you off badly from rep 16 onward!

I didn't do any hamstring work during the 20-rep squat program - I'd normally do hamstring stuff hard and heavy, but I had a target, and didn't want to eat too much into my recovery ability, so I figured my hams wouldn't fall off if I left them for a few weeks.  And they didn't.  Fall off, that is.

All this is just my personal experience.  You may well have better recuperative powers than I may.

If you want a new challenge, try 20-rep squats.  They’ll separate the men from the boys.

Stephen Mulholland
Recreational lifter, see my bio on the Regulars page