The Squat Nemesis Program: An Introduction To Volume, Load, And Intensity Zone Training
There are no secrets and yet everything always seems so mysterious. It is the irony of the iron sports: We know what to do, and yet we are clueless. We can’t stick to the basics for they are far too complicated to understand.
You want to get stronger, you want to get a lot stronger. And so you have spent years hunting down articles and books and coaching from the smartest people around – and some of the not as smart people! – who all tell you roughly the same thing: stick to the basics and work them hard, and don’t ever stop.
So, you did just that … And yet you are stuck.
Damn. What did you do wrong?
The Not So Basic Basics
The trouble with the aformentioned advice – taken in isolation – is that it presumes that the basics are self-evident, or close to it. Sadly, they are not.
In an article I wrote recently for the online magazine site, Breaking Muscle, I pointed out that there are plenty of grown-assed men who have been working extremely hard at CrossFit for nearly 3 years, and yet can’t even do sets of 5 reps with their bodyweight on the back squat.
That should never happen.
If you work your tail off, you should get results. If you are not getting the results you want, your plan sucks.
“Plan the work, work the plan.” – Dan John
We tend to overemphasize the second part of that Dan John quote, and drastically undervalue the first part. Today, we’re going to talk about your plan.
There are really only three key ideas that you need to wrap your brain around when it comes to strength training.
- Volume
- Intensity
- Load
I’ve talked about each of these before, but I want to discuss them within the context of an example – my Squat Nemesis Program. I think it often helps the learning process to simply work through examples. And this particular one is nice because it encompasses all of them at once.
A Quick Explanation Of The Squat Nemesis “Program”
Let me first outline the “program” for you, then we can discuss why it looks the way it does. It was named by my friend Cliff Dyer (who I also coach through our new online coaching site and who I tag in a few too many of my facebook posts). He was one of my first Guinea pigs when I began experimenting with variations of it.
NOTE: it should be made clear that there is nothing magic – or even unique – about my little squat program, here. It is just something that I stumbled on, partly by accident, partly by hunting around to see what worked – and why – in other programs, and slowly it got pieced together into its current form. I know it will change again.
I put the word “Program” in quotes for a reason.
A workout is NOT the same as a program. A workout is just that, a single thing you do in the gym on any given day. A program is a series of workouts put together in a particular way designed to elicit a physical adaptation of some kind in the body.
Given that, The Squat Nemesis could be easily taken just simply as a workout, not a full-bore program. And you could plug that workout into any number of other programs.
However, I use the term because a program has indeed evolved out of it and is being used on a rotational basis by the members of my gym. In other words, I have both a Squat Nemesis Workout AND a Squat Nemesis Program … sorry for the confusion.
The Squat Nemesis Workout
The workout is simply the sets and reps and weight used. It can be done with either Back or Front Squats.
Here is what I would write on the white board at PDX Weightlifting.
1RM
Hvy 3
2×5 (for speed at 50%+)
Let me now explain that drivel in more detail!
First, you work up to a 1 rep maximum. That can either be a fullblown miss, or just the heaviest rep you can do with good form.
Second, you drop the weight down to about 70% of what you hit for your 1RM and start working back up in 3 reps at a time. If you get all 3, then you add a little weight. Keep going till the weight gets heavy enough to be your last good set without a miss.
I prefer that you never get less than 3 total sets. And if that means you can’t add weight to the bar to get them all, so be it.
I also prefer that you add weight slowly. Don’t take 20 kilo jumps! I like 5k jumps or less (especially if you are a female or male with a 1RM less than 100 kilos). Your jumps in weight on each successive set shouldn’t be more than 5% of your 1RM. But down to 2% or 3% is even better.
Lastly, you do 2 sets of 5 reps at 50% of your 1RM for the day. You do these for speed. If you do your first set, and you think you can go up in weight a bit, do so. But follow the same rules we used for the 3′s.
The goal here isn’t the weight on the bar (per se) it is the perfection of the lift. Go down under perfect control, and then explode out of the hole like your life depends on it. Go so fast that the bar pops up a bit at the top of the lift. Reset yourself, and do your next rep. Slow(ish) down, fast as hell on the way up. Every rep picture perfect.
You can do more than 2 sets – I won’t stop you! But I have found that 2 sets is usually plenty if you worked hard enough up to this point.
EXAMPLE: You are a female who just hit 75 kilos for your max back squat for the day. So you drop to 70% of that, which is about 56 kilos. You do 3 reps with 56k. Not too bad. Given that 5% of 75k is about 4 kilos, you take 60 kilos for your next set. That was harder, so you go 62k next. You feel fiesty and take 65k but that was a real struggle, so you stop.
When I write “Hvy” (Heavy), I don’t mean “max”. I just mean that I need you to need to go up the a weight that is heavy enough that you aren’t convinced you can add any more without it going badly.
Finally, you drop down to 40 kilos to do your two sets of 5 reps. 40 kilos felt very easy. So you go 45k. Not too bad. You go 50k and stop there.
The Squat Nemesis Program
I will now explain the basic squat program I am calling the Squat Nemesis Program that is based upon the workout above. I am still playing with this, so don’t take it as written in stone. But this should give you a rough idea.
I particularly like to use small month-long blocks where we go heavy for about 2 or 3 weeks (like my 21-day Squat Challenge ) and then unload for 1 week. I might extend that to more loading weeks followed by a 2 week taper leading into a contest. But most of the time I keep it simple.
Loading Weeks (Do 2 or 3 of these)
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday = Back Squat Nemesis
- Tuesday/Thursday = Front Squat Nemesis
Unloading Week (only 1 unless you are truly in the throws of Hell)
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday = Back Squats: 1RM
- Tuesday/Thursday = Front Squat: 1RM
Wow! Simple, eh?
The point of this program – most of my programs – is to accumulate fatigue for a few weeks until you start to feel like crap. Then you back off a bit to allow for your body to adapt. Repeat.
In other words, you don’t just do an endless stream of Squat Nemesis workouts forever!
Doing workouts like this upwards of 5 days a week – like we do – will slowly pound you into the ground. But, then, that is the point! I am TRYING to pound you into the ground so that I can build you back up again into a better, stronger, and significantly more awesome version of yourself.
Why Does It Work? Or, The Stress/Adaptation Cycle
Programs like the above that incorporate a TON of volume and high loads work because the body only adapts when it has been given no choice. You need to give it an ultimatum. It has no interest in putting in all the work it takes to become stronger if it doesn’t absolutely have to. Becoming stronger is metabolically taxing, and should be avoided if it can be … or so the body is going to think about it.
Most lifters hit a platuau and end up staying there for years primarily because of this basic reality. You have to force the issue. If you don’t, it won’t happen.
“More is not always better, but it usually is.” — Nick Horton (Yes, I just quoted myself!)
The more you force it, the better the results … the only caveat to that statement is that you need to give yourself the chance to adapt after you have beaten it down into submission.
Here is the recipe I like:
- Force the issue with a ridiculous amount of work
- Pull back and allow for adaptation
There is some anecdotal evidence that if you stay in the overstressed state for long enough your body will start adapting anyway, and you don’t really need to taper off completely. Guys like Ivan Abadjiev, John Broz, and Jim Moser, as well as others have discussed this at length.
I MOSTLY agree with this, but I want to be very careful about how I approach my explanation. What I don’t want you to do is avoid deload weeks altogether in your effort to reach maximum adaptation! Most people will mess this up, do it wrong, and end up hurt. With a good coach watching you it is far easier to do such things safely.
One method I have found is to have my lifters only partially deload, then go right back onto a stress cycle. I will do this for a few months on end, compounding the fatigue, then do a full 2 week taper that leads into a contest.
In other words, you have created a giant 3 layered cake out of your Stress/Adaptation cycles.
The first layer is just the single workout and the 24-hours (or so) rest until the next workout. The second layer is the base program above. The third layer is a series of those mini cycles back to back leading to a big taper at the end.
Going Deeper: Volume, Load, and Intensity Explained
That was the more general explanation of why programs like The Squat Nemesis work. I’m now going to go one level deeper and explain HOW to stress yourself properly to gain the strength you are after.
As I said at the beginning of this (increasingly long) article, hard work by itself is not enough. You can run a marathon every single day – and that is undeniably hard – but it won’t help you squat double bodyweight or more.
First I will quickly explain the basics of Volume, Load, and Intensity. Then I’ll jump into the concept of Intensity Zone training and why I think that is a big key to the success of most good programs.
The two main ones are:
- Volume = Sets x Reps
- Load = Sets x Reps x Weight lifted
Intensity when used in the context of strength training is usually just another name for weight lifted relative to your 1RM. So if your max squat is 100 kilos, and you lift 90 kilos, that is 90% “intense” … bro.
Intensity Zones
None of that is complicated, and we’ve looked at it plenty of times before – like in my Pump Up The Volume article.
What we have NOT covered yet is the idea of Intensity Zones.
Every coach, every sports scientist, every weightlifting program seems to have their own variation of how to split up their “zones” that they like to have their lifters do work in. Why would I be any different!
Here is how I do it, many do it similarly. But even those who have different numbers, are running on the same underlying principles – it is underlying principles we care about here.
Intensity Zones
- Zone 1 – 90% of max to 100% of your 1 rep max
- Zone 2 – 70% to 89% of max
- Zone 3 – 50% to 69% of max
- Zone 4 – 49% and lower
The way your body adapts partly depended on the total work done – was it hard enough? – and just as dependent on the TYPE of work done.
If all you do is rep after rep in Zone 4 (like many CrossFit WOD’s have you do, for instance), then you are not going to increase your 1RM much at all.
Why not?
Because your body will be trying to make itself better at working in Zone 4 … not Zone 1.
“You get good at what you do” – Chris Extine (lifter at PDX Weightlifting, math teacher, cool cat)
**When I was in “Bulgaria”** (read: California, at the gym of Ivan Abadjiev and Alex Krychev) a few weeks ago, in addition to having the time of my life in the sun with great people and weightlifting, Ivan Abadjiev gave us a private lecture about just this concept. The primary point of which was that if you want to get good at maxing out, you need to max out.
In future articles I will discuss the details of how this works in the body – the details he was explaining – but the essence is that the body will only adapt to meet the stresses you put on it… no more.
Improving your heavy 1 rep maximum on the squat requires certain – and very specific – kinds of adaptations. You must attack each and every one of them if you want to get stronger at the fastest rate possible.
Among the stresses your body needs to deal with in order to be bothered are:
- A CNS adaptation to feeling heavy loads on the body. This can’t be understated. Your central nervous system must learn how to squat/lift heavy. It isn’t just about being stronger.
- Get generally stronger – duh.
- Improve explosive power.
- Perfect technique generally
- Perfect your ability to MAINTAIN technique when the weights get heavy enough to scare you.
There are more, of course. But these are the big ones I am always worried about with any lifter I coach.
Not all of these are capable of being trained at the same time or in the same way. That is where the concept of working in different intensity zones comes in, and makes sense.
To understand all of this, lets use my Squat Nemesis workout as the example again.
First
You go to a 1RM. That puts you in Zone 1. Working above 90% is imperative for gaining strength at the high end. This zone is great at working the CNS and causing general strength gains.
This is also the place were you work your brain. By that I mean your brains ability to shut down the fear response. It isn’t as bad in squatting as it is on the Olympic lifts, but it still exists.
If your form breaks, you will miss your heaviest weights. When you freak out, your form breaks. When the weights are heavy, you freak out.
See that chain of events?
You gotta attack the last part of it. It is the driver of the entire domino effect.
The weights being heavy and feeling heavy is not a reason to freak out. But that is easier to say than actually put into practice.
And that is the point. You must PRACTICE the act of chilling out with heavy weights.
Second
Back off set time! You go down to the low end of Zone 2, 70%, and you start working back up in sets of 3 reps (some other programs might have you doing 2′s, others up to 5′s … the point is: do work, son/daughter).
This is the zone where I want the majority of your reps to be. That is because you are again working the CNS some (though not to the same level), you are improving general strength, and you are causing substantial fatigue to the body – which as I said above is the point.
These are also reps you can use very good technique on. They should NOT be ugly. You might have had to grind out a few of your heavy singles leading to your max. But that should not be happening here.
Third
You drop to 50% of your 1RM and start doing sets of 5 reps for speed and technical perfection. You are improving explosive power, you are making technique more ingrained. You are adding fuel to the fire of your overall stress that is pushing your recovery capacity down = good.
You see what I did there?
With just one workout, we covered all your bases.
Variation for the Olympic Weightlifter
What I wrote above as the Squat Nemesis Program works great, and I wouldn’t change it up too much unless you are already doing a ton of work already.
Sometimes I have lifters do what we call Mini-Nemesis which is the same, but you drop the 5′s at the end.
That kind of variation makes sense when they have already done 2 hours of work on the Olympic lifts, and will be doing heavy clean/snatch pulls as well after they squat.
The olympic lifts cover much of what the 5′s are there for – except better.
That said, the 5′s still show up a lot.
Comparison to Other Squat Programs
I know this is bound to be a question, so I figure I will attack it now. What is the difference between Squat Nemesis and something like Texas Method? Or Smolov? 5/3/1? Or something similar … (I am not going to explain what these are here. If you don’t know, google is your friend.
Fundamentally, they all work for the same reason: Lots of work at the main Intensity zone ranges: Zone 1, Zone 2, and a little in Zone 3. At the core, they all work well, and have for a lot of people.
Just for fun, lets look at the differences. (Keep in mind these observations are exclusively based on my personal experience using them with my own lifters and the way in which we used them. It is more than possible for people to NOT share my experience.)
Texas method squatting has a lot of benefits, especially for beginners. However, it does have the drawback of not being variable enough to work for lifters who advancing. There ARE variants, don’t take me too harshly here. But I feel as though more work with singles is important as you advance as well as some kind of built in autoregulation. Plus, heavy 5′s do start to get in the way of your Olympic lifting, in my opinion, and should be used sparingly.
Smolov is awesome … but we have found it works best for those early intermediate lifters who aren’t squatting THAT much yet. For instance, I had most success with Smolov on male lifters who were not yet squatting over 300 pounds consistently. Once they were pushing that 400 pound Olympic squat, it started to be less effective.
5/3/1 is really a great programming concept. Of the three, this is my favorite. The reason is that it has built in autoregulation! I strongly believe that as you progress, the ability to autoregulate is a must. And if you don’t have a coach with you at every workout that can take over for your brain (and do this for you) … your program needs to have stop-gaps built in. This has that, has work in all intensity zones, and is something you can use as a rank beginner or a more advanced lifter.
My Squat Nemesis program is like 5/3/1 in those two ways: Autoregulation; Multiple zone training.
How it is very different than 5/3/1 is its “Bulgarian” esque tendencies: Lots of maxing and daily work (I know, I know … those are myths! 
.
This variation between 5/3/1 and what I have lifters do is largely grown out of the fact that Wendler is a powerlifter, and I am an Oly lifter. The WAY we squat is even different. I don’t want to get into this, but the way we squat in weightlifting makes maxing out daily an option that simply doesn’t exist for a powerlifting squat or deadlift – you’d die.
In short …
Other famous squat programs work because they have very high volume and loads, and they spend their training time in the most important intensity zones.
My own program is only different in that it is highly autoregulated (daily), and that allows for it to be used by anyone with the exception of true rank beginners who have no business maxing.
But I work with very few true beginners who have no strength training background whatsoever. Most people who come to me are either CrossFitters or Athletes from others sports.
So a rank beginner program isn’t appropriate most of the time. They need more.
I MAY have them ONLY do the 3′s and then 5′s for a month or so if I don’t believe they can safely max out on singles just yet. But that is becoming more rare.
I used to be far more hesitant … I am becoming less so through experience.
Almost pointless side note
It is funny how I have become LESS timid as I learn more, have coached far more people, and progressed as a coach. When I first started, I avoided maxes like the plague, I kept the overall volume down, the load was even lower, and we did all kinds of “pre-hab” and “corrective” exercises.
I now push people to the brink of death.
- Results are up.
- Injuries are down.
- And everyone is having more fun.
Crazy how some things work out …
Go Deeper …
This stuff can get far more complicated, and as you progress … it should. Just another one of those annoying cases where sticking to the basics is far harder than it looks.
Click Here when you are ready to get serious
Got Questions, Comments, Random Thoughts, Jokes? Post Them Below In The Comments Section
Pure bad assery Nick! Now can we PLEASE front squat some more at the gym?!
hahahaha! … hey, why aren’t you in the squat rack right now?
Have you ever encountered anyone that simply responds better to higher reps?
When it comes to the slow lifts I have always progressed the best when I do sets of around 10 reps. When I did Westside style training I gained the best when first assistance exercise was the same as the main exercise, but for 3-4 sets of 10. When I did doggcrapp style training I was strong as a bull (relatively to my strength of course) in 1rm as well.
When I have focused more on 1rm’s, 3rm’s and 5 rep sets however I stall fairly quickly and then go no where. Reps quickly turn into butt ugly horrible grinders. On contrast when doing 10 rep sets even the failure rep usually feel technically sound.
I can also add that when I did texas method my volume day ended up at 3 sets of 5 with 91% of my 1rm, I guess that indicates I am slow twitch dominant :/
So my question I guess is, is some people just better of doing higher reps in squats?
Well … sort of.
It isn’t that I have had lifters respond to higher reps, per se … but even higher volume.
The struggle is that if you are doing reps in a range that are TOO high as the base or focus of your training, you can’t be in a high enough Zone to do any good for serioius 1RM strength gains.
What “too high” means is very individual, so in that sense, yes, some people need higher reps. So back off sets at 70%+ may be better with 5′s than 3′s. Even 8′s if they feel feisty.
But I’d rather see more sets, than more reps, so that you can push the weight higher. but keep the volume the same, AKA increase load.
So if you were someone with a 100k max (for easy math!), and were doing 4 sets of 10 with 80k then that’s 4x10x80 = 3,200 kilos for your load for the workout
But if you did 10 sets of 4 reps with 90k that’s 10 x 4 x 90 = 3,600 kilos for your load for the day.
Now, that is a silly example, since most people will have an even greater difference between a 10 rep vs 5 or lower rep set. But it makes the point.
You need total work. Not necessarily going to true failure or something on every set.
What is interesting is that many of the mid-range muscle fibers can be made to ACT like faster twitch muslce fibers over time if you work them correctly.
I’d rather you recruit these fibers in Zone 2 and 1 with set after set of weights you can move hard and fast, and do low enough reps that you can do more sets and keep the speed up.
In other words, you can make yourself MORE fast twitch over time with work. Will you be like the Olympic sprinters? No. But you will be faster. And that is worth fighting for.
Thanks for the reply.
The problem I have I think is that because the spread between my 1rm strength and rep strength is so small I end up being in zone 1 for my 3 rep sets, I was doing the mistake of grinding reps as well and that combination just toasted me right away. Next time around I will do 5′s instead of 3′s and keep the reps snappy or do 3′s but limit myself to around 85% of 1rm and do more sets.
What is your take on Poliquins ideas about different types and how they should train? If one cuts through the meta-physical bs this article is quite interesting, when I do his “1rm followed by max reps at 85% of 1rm” test I am spot on an “earth type” lifter for lower body dominated lifts.
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/384/The_Five_Elements__A_New_Training_Paradigm.aspx
I think there is something to what he is saying … my problem is that it doesn’t take seriously enough how much control you have over your ability to change a good chunk of your muscle fibers to ACT LIKE fast twitch fibers.
You do want to train fibers in ways that they respond to best … that is ONE of your goals.
The other is to get any fiber than has any ability what-so-ever to change and become “faster” to do exactly that.
This goes back to that “you get good at what you do” principle. Olympic lifts. box jumps, etc, work because they are doing exactly that. They are altering your “type” to some varying degree or another.
I can see how this programme works and think I may try it out, see the results I get.
As Johan suggested above, I also believe high reps can be good for back squats. This is more so for a lifter who requires greater hypertrophy, as the glutes are suggested to be predominantly slow twitch (therefore respond to high reps a little better). However, as I do not want a lifter trained more so in muscular endurance (although it is good to cover this) I would move them onto a strength based programme like the Nemesis, after achieving appropriate muscular size.
I was interested to know if there is a minimum amount of sets used finding your 1RM that works best, and also where in a days programme this would be used (specifically for an Olympic lifter). It suggests midway through the article that possibly after technique work, prior to derivate strength movements (pulls, etc)? As the CNS may be completely fried, would it not be best used at the very end, or is this the whole point?
I think anything less than 5 attempts to get to max is a mistake. That isn’t universally true, AND, most of my lifters are doing this after 2 hours of Olympic lifting, so they are WARM. But it seems to be a rough guide that works for a lot of people
But squatting requires its own neurological groove. And if you jump up to your max weight too early, you won’t find it, and you will miss a weight you could have hit easily.
I think of your warm up (or more accurately, “lead up”) weights as being spaced apart logarithmic curve. Big jumps at first, then smaller and smaller as you get near your max.
Like, if your max is 100k, then: 70k, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 or even add in 92, 95, 97, 100 … the slow jumps often make you better rather than tax you so long as you are recovering well between sets.
Oops, forgot to finish answering you other questions,lol
Yes, we do it at the end of the workout – before Pulls.
Basically, Oly lift forever … then squat forever … then pulls for about 5 minutes
Awesome article.
ive been playing around with multiple zone training and believe it to be very effective.
Awesome, Harry!
Nick,
I really like the program. But I was waiting the whole time for you to get to the “expected results” part!
So, my high bar back squat 1RM is 300lbs and my front squat max is 240. If I go through three cycles of this program what kind of increases could I expect?
Honestly, that is the kind of thing I like to shy away from. I know it is common practice in the fitness/strength industry to give people “expected results” … but I find it remarkably misleading and almost impossible to be truly honest about.
You could have high end resutls or low end. That will be based on all those things that are highly unique to you.
But If I say a number, a high end number, that is the number people EXPECT to hit. most won’t. Most aren’t at tthe high end.
But, just for shits and giggles, this is a rather a normal range:
10k to 40k in 3 months IF you are not truly advanced, you are doing everything else right, like sleeping and eating well, and all that shit.
My lifter Erik went from 160k to 195k in about 8 weeks on the BS
Dave (who is 42) added 20k to his back squat in about that long (might have been shorter)
Neither were beginners … far from it.
Many other lifters did almost as good, some do more like 2 to 5k per month for a while. My goal is no less than a 10k to 40k increase on a liters total (on the oly lifts) per year depending on age, gender, genetics, etc. And the BS, FS, pulls, etc are there to be pushed up in support of that goal
clearly, there comes a point of diminishing returns. Erik will never again add 40k to his BS in 8 weeks. He is already at 195 at a BW of 82. So, that is totally unrealistic.
All I’m saying is that I try to avoid such discussions if I can help it on purpose. I’d rather explain HOW and WHY it works, how to implement it, and let the results you get be the results you get. And do all of that without unnecessarily high (or even low) expectations getting in the way.
Excellent article. I think this program is exactly what my squat has been needing. Thanks for sharing!
Sure thing, Keith! Let me know how it goes!
Hey Nick, your site rocks, mister. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. i used to believe i wasn’t “built” to squat after many years of medical treatment, where the prescription included “staying away from squat racks”… Anyway, to make the story short, i decided to include squats in my own training regime, against all the overprotective medical advice. First part of my plan was trying to learn how to do it properly and started reading the books of Mark Rippetoe and going to great strength courses, such as Mark Buckley’s FMA. Anyway, best decision ever! It has been a year since I started my “squatting journey”. I’ve been working in my joint mobility, fascia realise and nerve system activation. Once i made myself suited to squat with a decent ROM, i began squatting with an empty barbell and gradually i started to add plates. Mi initial goal was to perform 10 reps with my own bodyweight. This morning i bet my PB with 10 with 120% my bodyweight (ass to grass or using a low-box or a kettlebell as a point of reference)… Now i can honestly say i feel proud of making the decision of proving wrong that bunch orthopedists and physios who prescribed rest instead of movement as the solution for my lumbar and hip issues. Tonight, i want to say “thank you” to you and other guys like Michael Boyle, Gray Cook and Bret Contreras for showing me how tackling dysfunction is the best way to facilitate real functionality and performance. Being healthier, fitter and stronger is much more than jumping on plyo boxes, doing burpies, juggling kettlebells or hammering tyres. Nothing against Crossfit, by the way. In fact, I find it great as long as the performer doesn’t butcher the mechanics of the lifts, which sadly is not always the case. However, working in cruise control (50-50% between cardio and resistance) never is going to elevate maximum strength levels. It is great to see you validate that point very clearly.
Finally, what i want to express is the fact that thanks to blokes like you, the “iron Samurai”, today we can have access to straight forward education. Thanks, Nick (Before internet, it was all about Joe Weider and Kennedy mags). And thanks for reading me. From Melbourne (Australia), Will Arias.
PS. Oops, sorry, i forgot to ask you: After reading “Starting Strength: and “Strong enough?” , i got clearly how Rippetoe definitely prefers Low-bar squats over High bar squats. His main reasons obviously are the facts the low-bar squat allows to manage a heavier load and more recruitment of the posterior chain. However he also says that Low-bar squats are actually better for the spine. However, i find difficult to agree in that last point. I believe the high-suats are perfect combination or the junction of two different worlds: Front Squats and Low-bar Squats. Being yourself and Oly lifter, may i have your opinion about it? Cheers, mate.
Hey Will!!
Thanks for the feedback, my man. I really appreciate it!
As for you question on Low vs High bar squats … I think people make too big a deal about it. If you are an Oly lifter, it matters. Otherwise, it really doesn’t.
I DID have a discussion about this with Michael Hartman on our Weightlifting Academy show once, here is the episode:
http://www.weightliftingacademy.com/2012/02/29/ep-3-pick-a-squat-any-squat/
Great article Coach Horton!
Is it normal for back squat to stall while Front squat increases? I.e been stuck on the same daily max for BS for a month now while i set pr’s (5 ibs )weekly on FS. Does this happen with your athletes? I max on BS in the morning and max on FS in the afternoon with back off sets 90% of 1rm for 30 reps.
Also how do you deal with nagging pains from daily squatting? sore calves, hips, vatus medialis etc…
Look forward to more articles
Hey Sulayman!
Yep, that is normal. Especially if you have yet to become a truly efficient front squatter. Most people just haven’t front squatted enough to have the lifts they are doing be a true reflection of what they are capable of given what they are back squatting.
Also … if you are only doing back off sets with Front Squats, that will also make a difference. More volume on a lift will make that lift go up faster – most of the time.
We often alternate periods where we focus on BS for a while, then on FS for a while. It changes a lot.
As for your 2nd questions. More rolling out with Lacrosse balls is almost always good. Stretching when needed. But the rolling out religiously – daily – makes a big big difference for most lifters.
Awesome article, coach! I have used variations of this system with my own lifters for a while now, an excellent example is a 19-year old female powerlifter with only 9 months of powerlifting experience, who just broke two national records and qualified for the worlds. High frequency, singles, triples and some speed work – all auto-regulated.
Also see Christian Thibaeudaeu (sp?) using heavy work-ups and speed set drops over at T-nation.
I realize that olympic lifters want to stay in certain weight classes, but if someone is borderline – i.e. finding it increasingly difficult to make weight – how would you make them grow into a higher weight class? Would you still use a variation of this system, just adding more 5s or higher rep work for volume (with less frequency) or would you do higher reps exclusively?
I like the layering approach where you hit different qualities in one workout, that’s why I’m asking, but I fear that a volume approach for hypertrophy would make recovery from daily squatting/front squatting difficult.
Also – in line with your earlier back squat post – for a taller lifter with back issues, could this template work with front squats only?
Borge!
Finally answering this
I’ll answer your last question first because it is easy: Yes. It works with FS’s only. In fact many of my lifters do that.
Now for the Hypertrophy question:
I won’t alter to program much since it has plenty of volume for Hypertrophy – if anything, just do more 3′s and/or 5′s in Zone 2 and a few more 5′s in Zone 3
But really, most guys in my gym are also doing the Oly lifts for very high volume … and pulls … daily. So their volume is over the top. More than enough to grow on.
At that point, food is the issue. They just need to eat more and they will almost always get bigger.
If anything, high volume programs like this make it hard for me to keep my lifters small unless they are really into dieting (my lifter Brandon is a good example at 62k)
Most of my lifters will gain an entire weightclass in the first year if they are males and eating enough.
I’m a big believer that body comp of any kind is primarily driven by diet. Performance is driven by your workouts. To gain or lose weight requires 1st a dietary change. The workouts may not need to be altered at all – assuming they are smartly written.
And the converse seems to be true as well … you can perform and do amazing things with a shitty diet. You may not look like a bodybuilder, but you might snatch a house.
Obviously in an ideal world, you have both. But hypertrophy requires only two things really: volume + boatloads of food. This program has the volume … next up … food.
Well, this is indeed how I added 100 lbs to my front squat in 8 months. PDX Weightlifting RULES
True Fact my brother!
And (for those reading) Sheldon is the Autoregulation MASTER. He basically does whatever the fuck he wants, when he wants (I do what I want!) … but all with an eye toward what his body is telling hiim, and with the constraint of the basic programs I’ve outlined … and he has not only gained a crap-ton on his squats, he has also gotten all bulky and manly and shit
Great article, and lots of knowledge to be found on your site. Thank you.
Would you modify the program for a master lifter, especially in regard to the five weekly workouts? I’ve been Olympic lifting for 5 years, usually work out three times per week.
I’m glad you like the site! Thanks!
Your question: Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
I think with Masters lifters the REAL constraint is your LIFE, not anything related to your body. So with lifters who work a lot of hours and don’t sleep well, or have a family they need to be home for all time … yes. I will dial it back to whatever they have time for.
But … if you have time? I will kill you.
My lifter Cyndi is 42 years old and trains like a maniac 5 days a week and has been for 15 months now. She’s kicking ass. She IS a bit of an outlier (I admit) as she was a competitve bodybuilder before, so she had a great base coming in.
But, I have a lot of lifters in the masters classes doing WAY more than most believe is possible.
Hey nick, great article. Would you recommend the same approach for the olympic lifts (maybe doubles instead of triples)? How would you add clean or snatch pulls. Do you recommend those at all?
Yes, I like triples instead of 5′s most of the time for back off sets on Oly lifts.
It is VERY common to see on my White Board:
Snatch – 1RM + Hvy 3
Or
Snatch – 1RM + 3×3 @ 80% +
or something to that effect…
So it is like doing the first 2 parts of Nemesis, but dropping the “speed” sets … since EVERY set on an Olympic lift is a speed set, lol
As for pulls … I am very very careful with those when it comes to beginners.
I never allow beginner to go heavy at all. And a “pull” for them is just going through the motions of a snatch and stopping at the hip – with NO explosive hip extension. Slow, controlled, exact positions …
Now, for my more advanced lifters? They pull DAILY, and heavy enough to break form, and with a big explosion at the top.
Clean pulls twice a week, Snatch pulls twice a week, RDL’s once
That is a lot of pulling. And if I didn’t already trust their form, I’d never allow them to do this.
I think I need to do a video on my opinions about pulls, lol
Hi Nick,
I have done one day of the squat nemeis program and knowing my body as I do, I have a few questions for you.
I get the impression that I will be in a serious hole by day 3 of a week an I can imagine my 1RM dwindling as the week goes on. I am assuming that a couple days off will allow a certain amount of recovery and the 1RM bump up slightly week on week. But coupled with cleans in the same format my neuro muscular system (NMS) is goin to be fried. Giving myself 1 de-load week wud give me a chance to kick back and get the NMS re-juvinated, but if I am still 1RM lifting everyday it doesnt really get a rest from intensity at all??
From what you have seen with your guys do 1RM gradually decrease throughout the week, then bump up the following week?
If by week 2/3 you are super screwed and your 1RM lifts fall throughout the week. can you realistically expect much of an increase over the course of say 6-8 weeks?
Hope you dont think im tying to be a gob shite but I recon 2-3 days of heavy squattin and cleaning is my NMS fucked, so was wondering what the plan is then!!
Yes.
My GOAL is for my lifters 1RM to go down periodically.
Progress, real serious progress should look like a Sine Wave tilted upwards. The down cycles will always be there, but over time your down cycle will be higher than your previous up cycle.
At first, it is within the week. Many of my lifters do well Monday – Wednesday, Horrible on thursday, then bounce back big on Friday.
Others are on more of a bi-weekly cycle.
Still others on more of a monthly one.
Your level of “advanced-ness’ plays a big role here.
But the goal is to push yourself down into the hole so far that you MUST take a deload week or two.
Now, you could do the workout just 1 or 2 days a week and this wouldn’t happen. You’d likely make good gains, and progress would be more linear.
But I really don’t like linear progress for anyone outside of rank beginners because I am convinced it is slower than the multi-linear approach I am talking about.
I do like the practice of 2 to 3 weeks heavy as hell, followed by a deload week. During the loading weeks, your 1rm should go down. If it didn’t, you probably didn’t do enough work. And you honestly do not need a deload week.
The only reason you deload is because you are so pushed down that you are no longer bouncing back and hitting big 1RM’s at all …
I have had lifters go 12 weeks straight without a single deload, squatting 10+ sessions a week, Nemesis 5 of those days, maxing at every session … and they did great. Only at the end was the deload truly necessary.
The biggest issue isn’t your body, it is your psychological NEED to see a big 1RM all the time. Freaking out when you go a week of crappy singles is normal, but must be avoided. Push through, as long as your form is good, and you aren’t stupid about it, you will be safe and injury free … so that isn’t really a worry. The only worry is your ego …
Accept upwards of a 20% drop of your 1rm for days on end, even a few weeks on end.
The body will adapt 90% of the time and bounce back eventually much stronger, and you will hit PR’s.
But if you delaod to early, you are never forcing this serious adaptation to occure, and so it never does.
It is a very different mode of thinking about training – shifting from a linear mindset to a multi-linear mindset. But it works wonders if you are willing to put the ego up on the shelf for a while.
Again … I am NOT advocating stupidity. Form is king always. Your 1RM is the heaviest lift you can do with good form, not the heaviest lift you can do. There is a difference.
And… rant over, LOL
Outstanding stuff. Could I apply the same programming (1RM
Hvy 3, 2×5) to powerlifting in lifts such as the bench press?
Honestly, I wouldn’t do this with bench … but then again, I don’t work with Powerlifters, so I’m not sure.
I’m always worried that the upper body simply can’t take what the lower body can and stay injury free …
If anything, I’d not actually max out with bench, and focus on the back offs more.
Just a thought, but worth an experiment!
Hi Nick,
Awesome article. I just started this today. I’m doing a competition in 8 weeks (from this past Saturday).I was going to run this as is for the next 3 weeks, then de-load 1. Going into the last 4 weeks before the comp, I was thinking of running something similar, but with more of a focus on front squats. How do you usually set up squats leading up to a competition? I’ll be able to squat pretty much everyday, and do competition lifts 3 days/week most weeks.
Sean!
How is it going so far? Your contest should be coming up soon, right?
Thanks for the response Nick. Training’s been up and down, I hurt myself a couple times and went on a last-minute vacation. I was thinking of not doing it until I hit a C&J PR at a coaching course. Aiming for 77/100 @77, went 67/92 at my first competition in Feb.
Right now I’m squatting 6 days/week, Back, front, front, repeat. Not doing the speed sets, and the second front squat day I’m doing jerk drives for triples after the max instead of full front squats
Ooh, body weight snatch! Hell ya
Hey Nick,
I was just wondering what other lifts you guys do while you’re on this squat cycle? Do you guys squat in the morning, and then do your oly lifts in the afternoon? Do you have it cycles, such as back squat, with cleans, front squats with snatch etc. Any other info would be much appreciated!
Ryan
As a rule, my lifters squat at the end of the workout after doing a full hour or 2 on the olympic lifts.
Our workouts are LONG, LOL
It is not uncommon for my more serious lifters to spend 15 to 20 hours a week lifting.
Hell … my lifter Cyndi is 42 years old and does 2 times a day workouts for a total of about 20 to 25 hours a week of lifting. She is HARD CORE
there are times we will front squat first, then Oly lift, the do the Back Squat nemesis
let me tell you, I get a LOT of death threats.
Hey, Nick,
I just started using your squat nemesis program. It takes me just over an over, with an active warmup, to get through a workout. That’s about all the time I have during the week for a workout. My question is: when would one make time for the Olympic lifts?
Well, there is no doubt that this program is at the high end as far as athletic training is concerned. And that is the point.
there are many squat programs out there that are good, but don’t work as fast … and part of the reason is they are scaled down, and my program isn’t.
My lifters tend to lift for about 2 to 3 hours a night, so yes … it is a bit nutters!!
If you are really struggling for time, then you either need to prioritize and just focus on one or the other for a while. Good option.
Or
alternate days
Or
Just snatch and squat (that’s a great option)
Or
cut the Nemesis routine short and do just the 1rm + a fast 3×3 sets as back offs, dump the 5′s completely.
Honestly, I like to either just focus on one thing at a time for a while … or do a snatch/squat combo for a while.
Hey Nick,
I was looking around online and stumbled upon this, and I’ve tried it out for the past 2 weeks (on my 3rd week, doing 1rm’s only) and sofar my backsquat has gone down
I was previously around 210-220lbs (I know, I’m horribly weak. 5’7.5 at 135lbs, which would be alright if I was a girl haha.) but I missed 205lbs today for a single after 2 days off and lots of time away from school and lots of sleep. Does the magic begin this week? I’d hate to bash on your program, but I’m getting a bit worried here, as many people who’ve done this have been increasing their squat for a while now. My front squat has gone up 15lbs (10lbs between 2 workouts, then 5lbs a week later)from 155lbs-170lbs.
What am I doing wrong?!? Haha.
I’ve been alternating Snatch/Clean Variation/Jerk Variation/Squat and Snatch Variation/Clean and Jerk/Squat during my time on this program.
Thanks!
LOL,
Here are my thoughts based on the hundreds of people who have done this …
1. Your goal is to get stronger, and your front squat went up quite a bit. So you did.
2. It may take a while for that strength to translate to the back squat. Totally normal. Some people have the opposite happen.
3. Progress on this is the OPPOSITE of linear… so just because your squat sucks one day means little. you are looking for STATISTICAL gains.
That is, take averages over the week and see if that has gone up. (This only works when you are squatting often. It doesn’t make sense to average 3 workouts. Average at least 5, but I’d prefer 10+ in each comparison group)
4. On a program like mine, taking a few days off almost always makes you weaker! (weird I know, lol) There is complex science behind this, but it is part of the point of the program and why my lifters (and every world champion) often train the day before a contest.
A proper deload/taper is NOT the same as “rest” … that is a key point
5. Different people respond on different time-lines. Some people see gains as quickly as within 7 days. Others it takes multiple weeks. No biggie, just keep plugging away.
If you were in my gym, and I saw an increase in your Front Squat like that, Id be very happy. That’s a great improvement and proves that you have indeed gotten stronger. You just need to keep at it so that it starts to translate over to other lifts.
WAIT!
Just went back and read your comment to make sure I didn’t miss anything … and I DID
Did you say you are ONLY doing the 1rm’s?
Because that would be the first thing I’d change. I’d make you do the FULL nemesis program with 3′s and 5′s every single day, 7 days a week, alternating front squat and back squat.
Minimum 4 days a week …
but no matter what, do the back off sets. The ARE the program.
I will often take a rank beginner and they will only 1rm for 2 or 3 weeks … but after that, it’s the full meal deal.
Sorry haha, I forgot to mention that I already did 2 weeks of the Nemesis program (with the heavy triples and 5′s) and I felt awful and tired every day so after 2 weeks I went to the slight deload/taper/week of only 1rms. On friday I managed to hit 215lbs in the backsquat again for the first time in a week haha. I was squatting to a 1rm 2 weeks prior to starting the nemesis program, when I finally got stuck at 215lbs.
So 5 weeks of squatting to a 1rm atleast 3-5 times a week the first 2 weeks, then 5 days a week (BS/FS/BS/FS/BS) for 2 weeks of the loading phase with the triples and 5′s, then one week of just the 1rms. So generally, I’d have to assume that if it takes 5-6 weeks for my backsquat to turn around and give me an increase, it really wouldn’t be the most optimal path for me, although, I’d assume it’d be the most reliable.
Being a student still in school, I find it super tough to squat + o-lift every day, get my work done, eat enough and sleep. So going to a 1rm every day burns me out a lot, especially after tons of lifting prior, and assistance exercises afterwards. Although I will still try at this next week and hopefully see some improvement sometime soon. Being 10lbs shy of a 225lbs/100kg squat for a month is never a good feeling haha.
Also, I had this crazy idea…
Could I do O lifts+Squats+Madcow as a 5 day a week workout? By that, I mean something like this:
O lifts and squats every single day,
Madcow for Benchpress, Row, and Push Press, Mon-Wed-Fri
And if you don’t know what madcow is, the format goes along the lines of:
Mon: Squat, Bench, Row (or powerclean) 5×5 (work up to a heavy set of 5)
Wed: Squat (lighter), Press/Push Press, Deadlift (or highpull) 5×5 (working up to a max set of 5)
Fri: Squat, Bench, Row/PC 4×5, 1×3 (5lbs or ~2% above weight of max set on monday) 1×8 (75% of heavy triple)
Then use the weight for the heavy triple on friday as the heavy 5 on monday for Squat, Bench and Row.
Now, would it be possible to do Madcow for the bench, pushpress and row, while O-lifting and squatting every day? I know it sounds crazy and it’d probably mean 10+ hours in the gym a week, but could I still increase my other lifts on a linear basis as well as squatting and o-lifts every day without completely destroying my body?
Thanks for all the help!
Really simple but so clever, started today I got 117.5 x 1 front squat then up to 100 x 3 for 2 sets
If you feel really tired on a certain day would you still go ahead with the maxes then the volume or what would you have an athlete do?
Would the rest negatively or positively affect the program in the long run in your opinion?
that’s an important question. And the answer is, always do as much as you can, no matter how you feel.
(Within reasons, of course! I don’t want you doing something stupid and hurting yourself.)
A program like this is DESIGN to cause you to have “bad” days where you feel like crap. Your goal is to push it anyway.
Yes, often that means the “max” will be rather low, but that isn’t the point. the point isn’t the weight on the bar, per se, but the EFFORT you put into your workouts.
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I started doing squat nemesis every day about a week ago and my knees have gotten incredibly stiff (at least it feels like that) at the point where it hurts to squat even without load before a thorough warm up. I do believe in the program, but is this to be expected?
Loving your blog btw!
Hey Anders!
It’s REALLY hard for me to know what is going on with your knees. I’m not a PT or anything. That said, it is usually the case the people have LESS knee pain and stiffness with this program.
So if you are having more, my first suggestion is to wear neoprene knee sleeves.
I personally have to do that, too.
I can’t squat worth a shit without them anymore.
BUT…
I can squat daily, twice daily, even 3 times daily (to a max at every session) without ANY pain when I DO wear them.
The difference for ME is THAT dramatic. Maybe that’s not true for you. But it’s my “goto” for people who are having knee issues.
Beyond that… it can also be that you aren’t doing something that is REQUIRED (and I should really make a “support” video about this) to do… which is to do an equal amount of added mobility and “prehab” work.
You just doubled, quadrupled, or MORE your squat volume… you will need to up the ante on your extra stuff too.
This usually means lots and lots of foam rolling on the ass, quads, hams, IT band, calves, etc.
IMO, you should do all of that daily or twice daily PLUS start wearing knee sleeves.
I do that, as do many of the people I train.
Hope that helps!!
OH, and thank you! I’m glad you’re digging the blog!
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Thanks for the advice, Nick!
I do have one concern about wearing sleeves though.
Isn’t it a possibility that I will get so used to them that I get “addicted” to them?
Not being able to squat without them doesn’t sound that good to me.
I didn’t do any foamrolling actually. Maybe that’s where I went wrong..
Or maybe I should ease a bit more into it the next time.
After reading an article about Knee Rehab on T-nation yesterday I started doing some glue work and intensely painful stretching. A bit of “foamrolling” with a tennisball as well.
That really helped. Although my knees are still pretty stiff, they don’t hurt.
Ya, certainly if you weren’t doing the foam rolling or other stretching stuff before, then that is a MUST. Glad to hear that it is helping.
I don’t believe in this idea that you’ll get “addicted” to wearing knee sleeves. They are not an assistance tool. They don’t help you lift more weight. And they don’t “take over” for any part of your body… they simply aren’t tight enough for that.
They are strictly for warmth.
Many people – especially as we get older – have a hard time maintaining proper (and healthy) levels of warmth in our joints during a workout. This is bad news.
Knee sleeves are not like belts or wraps. They are not a performance enhancer.
they are simply there to aid you in keeping your joints warm enough to prevent damage.
Not everyone needs them, but many many people do. I’m certainly one of them.
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Hi Nick,
Thought you would appreciate some positive feedback, and I had hoped that you might be able to give me some advice.
To start with, I’m really enjoying the programme. I’m a little pig-headed and generally too impulsive to adhere to a strict programme, so auto-regulation really is my kind of thing. Anyway – I’m just starting the third week of my second cycle (3 weeks loading – 1 week deload). I started with an 80kg front squat and a seriously ugly 105kg back squat. I’m currently up to 105 on the front and a much prettier 130 on the back. So its really worked a treat so far.
Up to this last week I had pretty much been setting a new max or equalling my max each session. However, since the 130 and 105 last week I have struggled with my maxes (interestingly my 3′s have been better). I’m not panicking, I knew I wouldn’t just keep hitting new maxes and I’m sure that I will build back up once I deload again. But my question is what should I do once I finish this block, should I just keep push the squatting?
To complicate things I have also been inspired to start working on the Olympic lifts. I had been lifting with the intention that I would make the effort at some point to start training the Olympic lifts properly, and I guess I have finally grown the balls. I have been power cleaning and snatching infrequently and my technique is shaky at best and, just plain terrible at worst.
I had a probably ill-advised play around with the full lifts a couple of days ago to see where I am and managed an 80kg clean and a 40kg snatch (The snatch was more too scary than too heavy). I’m not asking for complete programming advice because that’s not fair considering you offer personal coaching. I just want to make sure I am on the right track.
I am thinking of continuing squatting as I am, and adding in 3 days of ‘cleaning and snatching’ and 2 days of just ‘cleans’ or just ‘snatches’, obviously followed by my squat workout. I was thinking of following similar loading to the squats – a heavy single followed by heavy doubles or triples. Does this seem like the right idea or am I rushing things a bit? I think like yourself I prefer to jump all in and see what happens.
Apologies for the rambling account of my training, and thanks for all of the articles on your site. I really enjoy your writing.
Regards, Sean.