T Nation

John Broz Squat Everyday

Bodybuilding
#1

First I’d like to give some of my training history:
23 years old
185 pounds
2.5 years of real training
My diet is High fat, High protein, and very low Carb (45/45/10, most days)
Goals are to increase strength and mass and eventually compete in a bodybuilding competition

I just started doing Broz’s squat everyday for the last 2 weeks, mostly just to work on technique, I have switched from parralell to going ATG now. I have never intended to be an olympic lifter or powerlifter but am very interested in the hormonal response that squats produce. I do not train twice a day so I alternate between front and back squat.

The results: not only has my technique improved greatly just from practicing squats everyday
but I have added 10 pounds to my backsquat and front squat. Besides strength gain I have seen hypertrophy and seperation in my quads especially the medialis and intermedius.

Questions: Has any other bodybuilders tried something like this? And does anybody know by experience or literature if the hormonal impact produced by squatting goes down if the frequency is increased by everyday?

Thanks!

#2

I added 5 more pounds to my 3 rep max to my back squat today. I am only a little bit sore if any in the mornings in my quads any more and have really improved efficiency on the movement.

#3

How much are you squatting right now then?

#4

Um… I doubt there are very few bodybuilders who do that.

And you’ve just “seen” hypertrophy in these very individualized places after a week? Wow.

#5

[quote]SSC wrote:
Um… I doubt there are very few bodybuilders who do that.

And you’ve just “seen” hypertrophy in these very individualized places after a week? Wow.[/quote]

Could just be local inflammation resulting in the muscle appearing bigger.

#6

[quote]Carlito Gambino wrote:
How much are you squatting right now then?[/quote]

right now back squat is 245X3 and front squat is 205X3, I made a switch from parallel to ATG when I started this.

#7

[quote]BiP wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:
Um… I doubt there are very few bodybuilders who do that.

And you’ve just “seen” hypertrophy in these very individualized places after a week? Wow.[/quote]

Could just be local inflammation resulting in the muscle appearing bigger.[/quote]

@SSC- Yes, especially in the medial and superior parts of my thigh. For instance my teardrop always lagged behind the lateral region of my quad and it appears to be catching up.
I never thought to weigh myself until today and I have also lost about 3 lbs without even trying I have even added calories since I started squatting everyday.

@BiP- Is chronic local inflammation going to have adverse side effect?

#8

I wouldn’t call 245x3 back squat at 185 2.5 years of real training(assuming thats 245 lbs). unless you are 50 years old and a really slow gainer.

John Broz said that people need to BUILD up to that frequency and volume. If you had been training with 5x5 3 days per week for 4 months, then made it 4 days for another 3 months then 5 days for another 3 or so, THEN you could start squatting every day with high frequency and there would be a point to it.

You are free to keep trying it but you can gain more by doing less and slowly building up to every day heavy squatting. If I were to give a rough estimate for most people they probably could start it around the time they reach 2xBW back squat(full, no parallel crap)

#9

[quote]Seouldier wrote:

[quote]BiP wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:
Um… I doubt there are very few bodybuilders who do that.

And you’ve just “seen” hypertrophy in these very individualized places after a week? Wow.[/quote]

Could just be local inflammation resulting in the muscle appearing bigger.[/quote]

@SSC- Yes, especially in the medial and superior parts of my thigh. For instance my teardrop always lagged behind the lateral region of my quad and it appears to be catching up.
I never thought to weigh myself until today and I have also lost about 3 lbs without even trying I have even added calories since I started squatting everyday.

@BiP- Is chronic local inflammation going to have adverse side effect?[/quote]

In what sense chronic? If you’re constantly training the muscle, there will be some inflammation, but nothing to worry about. It’s simply a result of tissue damage due to exercise.

If inflammation was there without exercise, now that would be a problem.

#10

Get tons of omega 3’s and vitamin C along with an overall really great diet. If you choose to keep squatting daily with a ton of volume, its really not forgiving. You will need great recovery methods - massage, stretching, foam rolling, ice baths, contrast showers, SLEEP, DIET, supplements, omega-3s. Just average diet and ~7 hours of sleep won’t cut it. You’ll quickly crash and burn.

But for the question I quoted, I’ve found fish oil/omega 3s, make a huge difference with inflammation. If I was squatting daily the way Broz suggests I’d get a MINIMUM of 10grams of EPA+DHA combined. With my current fish oil thats 30 capsules.

#11

[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
I wouldn’t call 245x3 back squat at 185 2.5 years of real training(assuming thats 245 lbs). unless you are 50 years old and a really slow gainer.

John Broz said that people need to BUILD up to that frequency and volume. If you had been training with 5x5 3 days per week for 4 months, then made it 4 days for another 3 months then 5 days for another 3 or so, THEN you could start squatting every day with high frequency and there would be a point to it.

You are free to keep trying it but you can gain more by doing less and slowly building up to every day heavy squatting. If I were to give a rough estimate for most people they probably could start it around the time they reach 2xBW back squat(full, no parallel crap)[/quote]

Not trying to make an excuse for the number but I was doing 315X3-5, with shitty form before I started full squatting i am hoping to catch up to that number soon with better form and lower depth.
As far as building up to the frequency and volume, I have always trained high frequency 5-7 and was a little scared of the higher volume but my legs have been recovering very quickly which I attribute to my prior conditioning sprints, plyometrics, and speed drills.
I appreciate the criticism and advice thank you.

#12

[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:

Get tons of omega 3’s and vitamin C along with an overall really great diet. If you choose to keep squatting daily with a ton of volume, its really not forgiving. You will need great recovery methods - massage, stretching, foam rolling, ice baths, contrast showers, SLEEP, DIET, supplements, omega-3s. Just average diet and ~7 hours of sleep won’t cut it. You’ll quickly crash and burn.

But for the question I quoted, I’ve found fish oil/omega 3s, make a huge difference with inflammation. If I was squatting daily the way Broz suggests I’d get a MINIMUM of 10grams of EPA+DHA combined. With my current fish oil thats 30 capsules.[/quote]

Pretty much. You should see what sort of shit Broz’s guys need to do to keep themselves going at the frequency they train with (or any oly lifter for that matter). Lots of food, lots of vitamins, lots of rehab work, etc (and most importantly, gear usage which changes everything altogether).
Really, I think you’ll burn out doing this or end up getting injured but feel free to keep going with it. Just keep in mind this sort of training isn’t meant for the average person that still has an everyday life.

#13

So you dropped the weight down and now you’re claiming to have added weight to your squat due to this system? Sorry, these are beginner’s gains. Like Lordstorm said, you don’t just jump into this full-bore. You need to ease into it if you plan on being able to continue doing this 6 months from now.

But then why are you doing it in the first place? This isn’t something bodybuilders do. And I can guarantee you aren’t seeing any local hypertrophy yet…that’s just your mind rationalizing.

#14

Thing is…you should not listen to anybody but Broz and your own body. Do what Broz says and then go from there.
Work up to the volume, frequency and intensity (weight used).
Read his blog and read what those who work with him say and do.
Be prepared for being tired and not wanting to go to the gym. Go anyway (that is, IF you really want to do what Broz says).
Do not make a hybrid program using bits and pieces from Broz and then something else. it just does not work.
Understand that there are times Broz has to physically pick up his trainees and make them come to the gym to workout.
It is quite the challenge to follow what he says but the rewards are outstanding (and I speak from experience). I brought my squat from 405x3 to 585x6 within 14 months with this type of training BUT it was not easy and it took it’s toll on my social life etc.

Also, plenty of guys do this without steroids. I did. They help of course but are not the end all.

Most importantly is you and your commitment. If you like high frequency training for bodybuilding then perhaps what Broz is doing is not the best for you. remember he has his trainees try for a MAX every day. EVERY DAY!
His focus is strength and speed not size.

If you really feel that this is a good path for you but want size over strength perhaps it is better to look at other coaches who have specialized in high frequency training. Waterbury has some programs where you do a squat movement 4-8 times a week. Coach thib’s programs feature at least 3 squat sessions. And there are plenty of others you can learn from.

Now of course, if you continue this, it is a good idea to load up on fish oil, vit C, b12 and other supplements that help you sleep better and recuperate faster. Going to bed before 11PM will help :slight_smile: odd advice but my old coach used to preach this and of course for the longest time we did not BUT when we consistently followed that advice we grew and got stronger faster. So: eat, eat and get quality sleep. If not, you will burn out and lose your gains. Also, remember he said it is better to do something instead of nothing. On the days you feel like total crap, squat the empty bar 30-40 times. But no matter what, try to learn from it as much as you can and use it for the future.

all the best

#15

^^ thank you for the advice, how much fish oil and other supplements were you taking during the 4 months? and what was your diet looking like at the time?

@Heavy triple- 90% agree that my gains are beginner gains from starting to go ATG, the other 10% I believe to be neurological. I am doing this mostly for experimentation purposes, squatting frequently when coupled with good diet and sleep should give me a better hormonal profile and improve more than just leg development. If squatting everyday is not stopping effort from being placed on the other muscle groups and leg strength and size continues to improve I do not see a reason why bodybuilders should not do this.
Thank you for your input.

#16

that’s the thing. Broz said that when he takes someone, it takes him about 1.5 years of REAL REAL training to get him to train twice every day. I’d imagine it takes at least half of that time before they are training once every day.

In any case, you will see hypertrophy. You better be willing to do as much (if not TWICE as much) about recovering every day as the effort you will put into squatting every day. Otherwise you’ll quickly get an overuse injury(not the same as overtraining). And I still think you can make similar gains with much less effort right now. Good luck with it anyway!

#17

I took your advice and spent almost an hour foam rolling, static, and PNF stretching. Then went home for a contrast shower. I really like reading your posts on the forums, you have a lot of good information and advice it is much appreciated.

#18

[quote]Seouldier wrote:
^^ thank you for the advice, how much fish oil and other supplements were you taking during the 4 months? and what was your diet looking like at the time?

@Heavy triple- 90% agree that my gains are beginner gains from starting to go ATG, the other 10% I believe to be neurological. I am doing this mostly for experimentation purposes, squatting frequently when coupled with good diet and sleep should give me a better hormonal profile and improve more than just leg development. If squatting everyday is not stopping effort from being placed on the other muscle groups and leg strength and size continues to improve I do not see a reason why bodybuilders should not do this.
Thank you for your input.[/quote]

I don’t disagree. I squatted 3-4 times a week for about 6 weeks this winter, and it wore me down. But if it works, do it…I’m just saying give it more than a week or two before you start attributing gains to the system.

#19

I think it is sensible to say even as an advanced trainee you would get beginner gains (again) from switching to such heavy stimulus. You can easily attribute gains to the system after 2 weeks, but true adaptation will determine whether you keep those gains or not. Anyone who hasn’t done every day training will be a beginner.

#20

FYI, this whole “hormonal response” thing, like it’s going to spike your test levels and all that jazz is a load of BS.