Build Monstrous Legs With The Infamous 20-rep Breathing Squat Routine
Few gym-based endeavours inspire quite as much fear as the legendary 20-rep breathing squat challenge, even among experienced lifters. The epitome of ‘simple but sinister’, this old-school strength training routine is a rite of passage for those looking to break through plateaus while sculpting a mammoth set of legs.
Dating back possibly as far as the 1930s, the concept of heavy, high-rep squatting is often attributed to Olympic weightlifting coach Mark Berry. Over the years, some incredibly lofty claims have been made about the efficiency of the 20-rep breathing squat routine, including an entire book on the protocol that featured the strapline ‘How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in Six Weeks’.
Dubious claims aside, 20-rep breathing squats are undoubtedly a time-tested method for breaking through lower-body strength plateaus, building mental grit and seriously spicing up your leg day. But be warned: this is no light-hearted endeavour nor a quick fix or hack. This infamous protocol has a reputation for making even the most hardened lifters question their life choices.
How to Perform the 20-Rep Breathing Squat Routine
Centred around just one lift — the barbell back squat — the 20-rep breathing squat routine is remarkably simple in execution. But you know what they say, 'simple ain't easy'.
After a thorough warm-up, load the bar with a weight you could squat for at most 10 reps (10RM). Now, keep the bar on your back until you’ve performed a total of 20 reps of barbell back squats.
How exactly are you going to perform 20 reps with your 10RM? You’re going to ‘rest’ in the top position of the squat with the barbell across your shoulders, deliberately taking deep recovery breaths, filling up your trunk with air and slowly exhaling until you feel ready to perform more reps.
You can either take the entire challenge one rep at a time, pacing yourself from the start and performing 2-3 deep, diaphragmatic breaths between each rep, or you can push straight through with back-to-back reps until you hit failure at around 10 reps, then start the deliberate protocol of breathing and resting from there.
Either way, the bar stays on your back until you’ve completed all 20 reps.
We know. Horrific.
Barbell Back Squat
With your feet shoulder-width apart, secure a barbell on your back across the top of your shoulders, gripping it firmly (A). Maintain an upright torso and push your hips back, bending your knees until the crease of your hips drops below your knees (B). Stand back up explosively, take a breath and repeat.
What Are the Benefits of the 20-Rep Breathing Squat Routine?
Research has shown that this style of rest/pause training, very similar to cluster sets and other methods for pushing beyond failure, is brutally effective for building size. Although, new research suggests that pushing to failure may not be as effective for building strength as it size, the mental fortitude gained from pushing beyond your limits in this fashion undoubtedly has a positive impact on your ability to shift heavy loads, even if it’s merely psychological.
Studies have also concluded that these long ‘time under tension’ efforts can significantly affect muscle protein synthesis and growth, beyond what you’d expect from training movements with straight sets.
Beyond these benefits, 20-rep breathing squats also work to increase muscular endurance, promote metabolic conditioning and provide a serious workout to the muscles involved in both breathing and bracing your core.
How Do I Incorporate the 20-Rep Breathing Squat Routine into My Workouts?
Although many variations of this challenge have emerged over the years, most involve a concentrated period, say 4-8 weeks, during which you focus on performing 20-rep breathing squats 2-3 times per week as part of a full-body training regime. This typically includes just a few movements, such as the bench press and pull-ups, performed after you’re finished in the squat rack.
It must be said that this type of high-intensity training requires serious diligence in your recovery and nutrition to avoid overtraining and injury. Sleep, high-quality food — including ample protein — and other recovery measures should be employed by anyone undertaking a programme involving regular 20-rep breathing squats.
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