Squatting Every Day?

I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Both my front squat and back squat suck shit. Is squatting everyday the best way to improve my squat quickly? I’ve read a fair bit about the Broz method, curious on others’ opinions.
Ps. I currently squat around 3 - 4 times a week.

There are a few other threads about this but squatting 5-6 days a week is quite common and can be recovered from if you vary the intensity etc.

Didn’t really answer your question, sorry. What sort of programme are you doing overall? Bodyweight, age, experience, squat numbers etc? Any technical issues? I like and advocate frequent squatting but you can and should improve significantly with 3-4 squats a week. Increased frequency does not necessarily guarantee gains, especially if the overall programme is flawed; it may have a negative effect.

[quote]Charlietr wrote:
Didn’t really answer your question, sorry. What sort of programme are you doing overall? Bodyweight, age, experience, squat numbers etc? Any technical issues? I like and advocate frequent squatting but you can and should improve significantly with 3-4 squats a week. Increased frequency does not necessarily guarantee gains, especially if the overall programme is flawed; it may have a negative effect.[/quote]

Thanks for the reply, at the moment I’m sort of just playing around with full body splits squatting 3 times a week, as for the personal details; i’m 17 years old, weigh 75 kg, been lifting seriously for about a year, maybe even less, and max back squat is 130 kg (sorry if you use pounds not kilos, but I think 130kg would roughly be around 280 - 290 pounds?)
Cheers.

If you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. Your stats sounds good to me! Are you training for olympic lifting or bodybuilding? Is 130 your 1 rep max? A typical olympic programme consists of lift, pull and squat 5 days a week eg mon-fri.

Classic periodization involves a few weeks of 5s, then 3s, 2s and 1s, intelligently varying %1rm (light, medium, heavy, max) eg over 2-3 months, alternatively change the reps weekly or daily. (not to mention numerous other methods/nuances…). At your stage I would say focus on 3s and 5s, and technique; still test your 1rm regularly and over time shift the focus onto 3s and 2s and eventually 2s and 1s ie next year or 2.

I’m in London, so I talk in kgs and PBs, not lbs and PRs :slight_smile:

What sort of reps sets, %, exercises are you doing?

[quote]Charlietr wrote:
If you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. Your stats sounds good to me! Are you training for olympic lifting or bodybuilding? Is 130 your 1 rep max? A typical olympic programme consists of lift, pull and squat 5 days a week eg mon-fri. Classic periodization involves a few weeks of 5s, then 3s, 2s and 1s, intelligently varying %1rm (light, medium, heavy, max) eg over 2-3 months, alternatively change the reps weekly or daily. (not to mention numerous other methods/nuances…). At your stage I would say focus on 3s and 5s, and technique; still test your 1rm regularly and over time shift the focus onto 3s and 2s and eventually 2s and 1s ie next year or 2.

I’m in London, so I talk in kgs and PBs, not lbs and PRs :slight_smile:

What sort of reps sets, %, exercises are you doing?[/quote]

Thanks, I’m not really a body builder or Olympic lifter, I’m more so lifting to improve my general strength, although I’m considering getting serious about Olympic lifting in future, which is why I’m squatting Olympic style and thought it’d be appropriate to ask this in the Olympic lifting forum. And yes, 130kg was a very difficult, grinding 1RM.

I follow nothing special to be honest, a basic 3 x 5 set up focusing on linear progression, but the gains are really slowing a lot, which is why I’m thinking of trying something new, and squatting very frequently seems like something that’d suit me, I really enjoy lifting, having off days actually annoys me!

Most squatting issues are related to bad form. This includes slow or no progress. Try watching all the “so you think you can squat” videos. That should get you pointed in the right direction.

And for ferks sake, make sure you are squatting below parallel. If you squat high you are not fully activating your glutes and hamstrings, which is where all your power potential resides.

I agree with Tricep (that doesn’t sound weird at all…), maybe post a vid so we can check form as well as programme? if you’re training for general strength then maybe do a mix of powerlifting and olympic lifting? eg lift, squat, pull, deadlift and bench? to expand, lift, pull, squat most sessions and add in deadlifts and bench twice a week, one heavy session and one light session each? Mon: sn, sn pull, f sq, light deads - Tue: c&j, c pull, hbb sq, heavy bench - Wed: Pwr sn, pwr c&j - Thu: sn, sn pull, f sq, light bench - Fri: c&j, c pull, heavy deads, hbb sq.

maybe look up ‘training for the super total’ on pendlay

here’s another interesting thread:

[quote]Triceptaurus wrote:
Most squatting issues are related to bad form. This includes slow or no progress. Try watching all the “so you think you can squat” videos. That should get you pointed in the right direction.

And for ferks sake, make sure you are squatting below parallel. If you squat high you are not fully activating your glutes and hamstrings, which is where all your power potential resides. [/quote]

I feel like my form is pretty good, but i’ll definitely have a look at the ‘so you think you can squat’ stuff, thanks! And don’t worry, I squat well below parallel, I’ll try record myself today and post the video in this thread.

[quote]ChristNhero wrote:

[quote]Charlietr wrote:
If you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. Your stats sounds good to me! Are you training for olympic lifting or bodybuilding? Is 130 your 1 rep max? A typical olympic programme consists of lift, pull and squat 5 days a week eg mon-fri. Classic periodization involves a few weeks of 5s, then 3s, 2s and 1s, intelligently varying %1rm (light, medium, heavy, max) eg over 2-3 months, alternatively change the reps weekly or daily. (not to mention numerous other methods/nuances…). At your stage I would say focus on 3s and 5s, and technique; still test your 1rm regularly and over time shift the focus onto 3s and 2s and eventually 2s and 1s ie next year or 2.

I’m in London, so I talk in kgs and PBs, not lbs and PRs :slight_smile:

What sort of reps sets, %, exercises are you doing?[/quote]

Thanks, I’m not really a body builder or Olympic lifter, I’m more so lifting to improve my general strength, although I’m considering getting serious about Olympic lifting in future, which is why I’m squatting Olympic style and thought it’d be appropriate to ask this in the Olympic lifting forum. And yes, 130kg was a very difficult, grinding 1RM.

I follow nothing special to be honest, a basic 3 x 5 set up focusing on linear progression, but the gains are really slowing a lot, which is why I’m thinking of trying something new, and squatting very frequently seems like something that’d suit me, I really enjoy lifting, having off days actually annoys me![/quote]

If you’ve been squatting 3x a week already for a while you should be able to recover from adding another day. Also, if you squat 3x a week the alternative is to do something like:

Day 1 5x5 (current weight but for 5 sets)
Day 2 3x3 (heavy triples)
Day 3 3x5 (with a slightly lighter weight than Day 1, focus on speed and technical perfection)

Don’t increase Day 3’s weight until you’re just killing the speed on it. Just try to get faster week to week. Focus on hitting your reps on the other two days.

If you’re using good form and hitting good depth 130 kg for 5 at 75 kg bodyweight isn’t bad.

At this point squatting 5 days a week might not be necessary. On the other hand, if you hate days off there’s no reason not to do it! :slight_smile:

I suggest, however, doing 4 days a week for a month before going to 5. 4 days a week for 4 weeks, then deload the weights by about 40% on week 5 but still keep the frequency, then hit 5 days a week on week six.

[quote]Aragorn wrote:

[quote]ChristNhero wrote:

[quote]Charlietr wrote:
If you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. Your stats sounds good to me! Are you training for olympic lifting or bodybuilding? Is 130 your 1 rep max? A typical olympic programme consists of lift, pull and squat 5 days a week eg mon-fri. Classic periodization involves a few weeks of 5s, then 3s, 2s and 1s, intelligently varying %1rm (light, medium, heavy, max) eg over 2-3 months, alternatively change the reps weekly or daily. (not to mention numerous other methods/nuances…). At your stage I would say focus on 3s and 5s, and technique; still test your 1rm regularly and over time shift the focus onto 3s and 2s and eventually 2s and 1s ie next year or 2.

I’m in London, so I talk in kgs and PBs, not lbs and PRs :slight_smile:

What sort of reps sets, %, exercises are you doing?[/quote]

Thanks, I’m not really a body builder or Olympic lifter, I’m more so lifting to improve my general strength, although I’m considering getting serious about Olympic lifting in future, which is why I’m squatting Olympic style and thought it’d be appropriate to ask this in the Olympic lifting forum. And yes, 130kg was a very difficult, grinding 1RM.

I follow nothing special to be honest, a basic 3 x 5 set up focusing on linear progression, but the gains are really slowing a lot, which is why I’m thinking of trying something new, and squatting very frequently seems like something that’d suit me, I really enjoy lifting, having off days actually annoys me![/quote]

If you’ve been squatting 3x a week already for a while you should be able to recover from adding another day. Also, if you squat 3x a week the alternative is to do something like:

Day 1 5x5 (current weight but for 5 sets)
Day 2 3x3 (heavy triples)
Day 3 3x5 (with a slightly lighter weight than Day 1, focus on speed and technical perfection)

Don’t increase Day 3’s weight until you’re just killing the speed on it. Just try to get faster week to week. Focus on hitting your reps on the other two days.

If you’re using good form and hitting good depth 130 kg for 5 at 75 kg bodyweight isn’t bad.

At this point squatting 5 days a week might not be necessary. On the other hand, if you hate days off there’s no reason not to do it! :slight_smile:

I suggest, however, doing 4 days a week for a month before going to 5. 4 days a week for 4 weeks, then deload the weights by about 40% on week 5 but still keep the frequency, then hit 5 days a week on week six.[/quote]

Just to clarify, 130kg is my 1 rep max not my 5 rep max… and I may have cheated a little on the depth, still hit below parallel but not as deep as my usual
Thanks a heap for the advice, I think I’ll start squatting 4 times a week and then move into 5 as you suggested, thanks heaps for your suggestions!

I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:
I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.[/quote]

From what number? Just wondering.

Koing

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:
I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.[/quote]

From what number? Just wondering.

Koing[/quote]

I forgot the exact numbers, but it went from like less than 200 pounds to 315 pounds. I think I started at 165 pounds.

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:
I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.[/quote]

From what number? Just wondering.

Koing[/quote]

I forgot the exact numbers, but it went from like less than 200 pounds to 315 pounds. I think I started at 165 pounds.[/quote]

Sick.

Where are your numbers now? I managed 147.5kg x3 on Wed at 86kg. 12.5kg down from when I was 91kg this year. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes me to do 160x3 :frowning:

Koing

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:
I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.[/quote]

From what number? Just wondering.

Koing[/quote]

I forgot the exact numbers, but it went from like less than 200 pounds to 315 pounds. I think I started at 165 pounds.[/quote]

Sick.

Where are your numbers now? I managed 147.5kg x3 on Wed at 86kg. 12.5kg down from when I was 91kg this year. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes me to do 160x3 :frowning:

Koing[/quote]

I haven’t lifted heavy in three years. That 315 front squat was three years ago. lol.

I have a separate concern regarding anterior pelvic tilt. I notice this happening when I do full depth squats. Are there any disadvantages, weaknesses, potential injury etc associated with this?

[quote]Triceptaurus wrote:
Most squatting issues are related to bad form. This includes slow or no progress. Try watching all the “so you think you can squat” videos. That should get you pointed in the right direction.

And for ferks sake, make sure you are squatting below parallel. If you squat high you are not fully activating your glutes and hamstrings, which is where all your power potential resides. [/quote]

I’m not advocating squatting above parallel, but if you are squatting NEAR parallel you will be getting the same activation if not more in your glutes and hips, but not your hamstrings from the heavier weight.

As for squatting everyday, a few things:

1: Check your ego. You are going for a daily max, not an all time PR.
2: You need good form. As soon as your form breaks down, back off the weight to doubles or triples.
3: You need time to adjust to the daily squatting. It will suck at first and it will suck a lot during “dark times.”
4: Eat and rest.

I am about to start squatting 6x a week just for the simplicity, but I will be alternating back squats and front squats. Unlike the first time I tried this, I will be backing off as soon as the lift stops being smooth.

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:
I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.[/quote]

From what number? Just wondering.

Koing[/quote]

I forgot the exact numbers, but it went from like less than 200 pounds to 315 pounds. I think I started at 165 pounds.[/quote]

Sick.

Where are your numbers now? I managed 147.5kg x3 on Wed at 86kg. 12.5kg down from when I was 91kg this year. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes me to do 160x3 :frowning:

Koing[/quote]

I haven’t lifted heavy in three years. That 315 front squat was three years ago. lol.[/quote]

Whys that?

Koing

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:

[quote]Koing wrote:

[quote]Bee_Brian wrote:
I have firsthand experience of frequent squatting. It works, even for a newbie like me. My front squat went up to 300+ pounds in under a year.[/quote]

From what number? Just wondering.

Koing[/quote]

I forgot the exact numbers, but it went from like less than 200 pounds to 315 pounds. I think I started at 165 pounds.[/quote]

Perhaps I’m missing something, but isn’t 165 to 315 lb a difference of 150 lb, not 300+?