New Squat Program - Please Critique

His everyone, I haven’t really been an avid poster, but I am an avid T-Nation reader. I was hoping to get a few opinions on a new workout regimen I’ve been doing which is my own design.

Day A - Squat Day
A1: Back Squat -
2x10reps@Bar; 1x5reps@40% of work set; 1x3reps@60% of work set; 1x2reps@75% of workset; 5x10reps@workset
B1: Dumbbell Reverse Lunge -
3x10reps/side
C1: One Arm KB Swing -
10x10@24kg (5sets right arm, 5sets left arm, 1 set of 10 every minute on the minute for ten minutes)
D1: Ab Wheel Roll Out-
3x10reps

Day B - Pull Day/Upper Body 1
A1: Strict Chin Ups -
5x10reps
B1: Suspension Trainer Horizontal Row -
5x10reps
C1: Suspension Trainer ‘W’ Fly -
3x10reps
D1: One Arm KB Clean and Strict Press -
Ladder sets 1-5 then back down 5-1 @16kg
E1: Ab Wheel Roll Out -
3x10reps

Day C - Push Day/Upper Body Day 2C
A1: KB Halos -
3x5/side@12kg
B1: One Arm KB Strict Press -
Ladder sets 1-5 then back down 5-1 @16kg
C1: One Arm KB Clean and Strict Press -
Ladder sets 1-5 then back down 5-1 @16kg
D1: Suspension Trainer ‘W’ Fly -
3x10reps
E1: Ab Wheel Roll Out -
3x10reps

NOTES:
The Squat is the Bread And Butter of this prosram, Performed every Monday Wednesday and Friday. I add weight every workout until I fail to get all 5sets of 10reps. Once I fail the first time then things get interesting - the program changes once I go up in weight in the squat.

The first time I tackle the new weight I will be hitting it for 3x3reps then one set of 20reps@60% of the work set weight, then the following workout I will hit it for 2x5reps then one set of 20reps@60% of the work set weight - then the following workout will be 5x3reps and one set of 15reps@60% of the workset weight - then the following workout will be 3x5reps and one set of 20reps@60% of the workset weight - then 5x5 plus 20reps@60% of work set weight - then 10x3reps and 20reps@60% of workset - then 10x5reps - then 8x6reps - then 7x7reps - then 6x8reps - then 5x10reps and then move up in weight and start over.

Pull days are done every Tuesday and Thursday and Push Day is on Saturday.

Please take some time and critique this. I realize the notes are really confusing.

How much are you currently squating?

First and foremost, I didn’t see you mention your actual goal for this program. By squatting three days a week and with the set/rep scheme you mostly talked about, I’m guessing you want “size and strength”? A vague and non-descript goal if ever there was one, but plenty common.

Secondly, what’s your current height, weight, general fat level, and current strength on all the main lifts? If, like, you’re 6’0" 160 pounds and squat 185, then a plan this complicated is very unnecessary.

[quote]Curious_Primate wrote:
2x10reps@Bar[/quote]
Real quick: Two sets with the bar is one too many unless you have some serious form or mobility issue you’re trying to correct. But if that’s the case and you’re having form/mobility issues, then I’m not sure this funktastic plan with high-rep squatting is the right path anyhow.

So your week will be:
Sun - Off
Mon - Squat Day A
Tues - Pull Day B
Wed - Squat Day A
Thurs - Pull Day B
Fri - Squat Day A
Sat - Push Day C

When you’re squatting that often, unless you’re well-conditioned to it, you really need to check the volume of everything else you’re doing on that and the other days. I’m not sure hitting EMOM swings after squats and 1-arm clean and presses on non-squat days are the right choices.

That’s an understatement. There’s very, very little rhyme or reason with your programming. There’s only two exercises different with your “push” and “pull” days, they’re identical otherwise which means it’s not a “push day” and “pull day”.

Your squat plan is all over the place. I can understand wanting to use the 60% work as back-off sets, sort off. Back-off sets can be plenty useful, but the wayyou’re using then, very high rep after heavier, low-rep stuff, is much more of a muscle growth-emphasis even though the rest of your work isn’t designed for growth. If you were going for strength, then I’d “back off” with a few sets of doubles at 85-90% the day’s working weight.

I also don’t understand the rationale of going until you fail at the 5x10 sets and then dropping way back to 3x3. That’s a huge drop in training volume that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Bottom-line: I don’t think you should be programming your own routines just yet. Run a well-designed pre-written plan that’s appropriate for your specific goal, squeeze progress out of it for several uninterrupted months, and read up more about the whys and hows of program design.

Take that back. Don’t matter how much you are squatting. That’s just too much. No one natural would be able to squat 8x8 three times a week. If you wanted too do a squat cycle, there are plenty out there. If you want to something like that by all means go kill yourself but your progress will be slower than it should be.

texas method

[quote]jtamez17 wrote:
That’s just too much. No one natural would be able to squat 8x8 three times a week.[/quote]

Bullshit.

OP: Forget about your silly set&rep plan - just squat HARD 1-3x/week. Goal should simply be to put in ENOUGH work to force adaptation. When in doubt, do MORE work. It is a myth that there exist magical set&rep schemes and progression methods that will deliver “better” results. If you have the right attitude, this shit gets very simple.

OP that routine is NOT sustainable
If you wanna squat 6 or 7 times a week, it’s fine, just cut the volume sets… And keep only “money” exercises for the upper body. Kinda like a bro split with only 1 or 2 lifts per session after the daily squats