20 Rep Breathing Squat
Welcome to this edition of the 2 Minute FitBit, brought to you by Phaze One Fitness, and me, your host Jerry Bacall. I had to take time off for some personal issues but we’re back on track and ready to get after it again. A shout out to my workout buddy Victor who has patiently waited for this episode.
Getting back on track I’m going to go off script a bit and talk about a specific exercise, the form involved, and the mental required to be successful
The 20 rep breathing squat has long been a favorite for those who want to train past plateaus in their routine. So what exactly is a 20 rep breathing squat. Well, it’s exactly what it implies and then some. It will take you places in your mind and body that you may have thought you could never get to.
Like any other exercise it begins with set up and form. For setup…as you know in the squat the wider the stance the more the hamstrings and glutes are activated, while the narrower the stance the more the accent on the quads. You’re gonna want to go with a stance that’s comfortable and will activate both the quads and hams fairly equally, usually around shoulder width. The main thing to keep in mind in the squat is to keep the knees out over the toes in the downward movement for optimum stability and safety.
Like any other new exercise you should start off light to ensure correct form. 20 reps is the goal and you need to keep your eye on the target…. so start off with a weight you know you can be successful with and then keep moving up each workout which should be done 3 times per week. For the first several weeks you should be able to raise the weight each workout. When you finally get to the weight where actual building will happen, you will probably want to start with a weight on Monday and use the same weight for the following 2 workouts, with the intent of raising the weight on the following Monday.
I’ve had people do this workout and tell me it was no big deal…I would then tell them that they weren’t doing the exercise the way it was intended. What I found with the exercise is that when I normally did ten rep sets my body was in tune to 10 rep sets. Makes sense! When I moved to 20 reps with a similar weight I noticed the same fatigue at the 10 rep point but was now needing to push it to 20 reps. As I struggled through the next several reps I noticed the movement getting a little easier. At 10 reps I felt fatigued because I had somewhat exhausted the muscle fibers that had been firing but I had not ignited all the muscle fibers.
As discussed in a previous episode, muscle fibers either fire or they don’t…there is no half way. As I pushed through to the 13th and 14th rep I was now firing more muscle fibers therefore feeling stronger than I did at 10 reps and I wasn’t done yet.
At 14 there is still 6 more reps to do. Now you have to keep in mind that the weight I was using was a weight that I had only been doing 10 reps so at 10 I felt fatigue. Now at 14 I’m firing more fibers but the journey is far from over. As you progress in the exercise and get yourself to the level that getting to 20 takes every bit of mental and physical strength, you’ll appreciate what I’m about to tell you.
Firing on all fibers means you have to make the best of what you’re working with because there is no more. At higher levels of creatine intake you stand a better chance as that allows for a quicker conversion of ADP to ATP allowing for faster energy regeneration and every little bit helps.
Ok…you’re at 14 reps into a 10 rep weight and on the way to 20 reps. Rest right now is a double edged sword….stopping to rest and catch your breath is weighed against the treachery of carry the weight on your back any longer than you have to. And all this with 6 more reps to go. Now your thinking your legs and back are the most important aspects….but actually it’s your mind….as discussed in a previous episode using your mind to deceive your body is a pathway to success. When I had 6 reps to go I broke it down into 2 sets of 2 and then, 2 sets of 1….remembering how we discussed turning a long term goal into short term goals and always going back to 1 in your mind…a number your body and mind associates with fresh energy, not to mention the satisfaction of mentally reaching these short term goals.
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The elation of reaching that 20 rep goal is a feeling you will want to emulate in other exercises. Just one more example of how the mind drives the body and how short term goal setting drives you towards your long term goal.
Thanks for tuning into this edition of The 2 Minute FitBit brought to you by Phaze One Fitness. Join us again when we discuss another interesting topic. Remember you can always email me at “info@phazeonefitness.com with any questions or comments and I will be sure to respond. Until then I’m your host Jerry Bacall wishing you success and above all please stay safe and healthy.