Dr. Randall Strossen's 1989 classic Super Squats boils muscle and strength gain down to one thing: one set of 20 breathing squats per session. Start with your honest 10-rep max weight, grind out all 20 reps in one set without racking the bar, and add 2.5 kg each session; pair it with overhead press, bench press, bent-over row, stiff-leg deadlift, curls, calf raises, and other whole-body basics. Over 6 weeks and 18 sessions, that one set of squats climbs from a 10RM to a weight that turns your legs to jelly. It is one of the harshest and most effective short-term weight-gain sprints ever devised.
Origin and philosophy
Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks was published by Dr. Randall Strossen in 1989, systematizing the "20-rep squat" training method long circulated in the old-school strength and bodybuilding circles of the mid-20th century into a complete program. Its philosophy is extreme and plain: rather than splitting training into fancy splits and percentages, put all your will into one inescapable set of high-rep squats. The whole-body metabolic shock, hormonal response, and mental stress that 20 squats bring are hard for any low-rep set to replicate.
Strossen repeatedly stressed that the other half of the method is eating: you must create a clear caloric surplus. This school has always been tied to aggressive eating like "a gallon of milk a day." It does not aim for fine sculpting, but for piling bodyweight and strength up together in 6 weeks in the most primitive way possible.
Who it's for
- Experience level: Mainly intermediate. The plan itself is minimal, but that one set of 20 max-effort squats requires a stable squat pattern and the ability to hold position under deep fatigue. Complete beginners should build solid squat fundamentals first.
- Prerequisites: You can safely perform a barbell squat with meaningful weight, know (or can estimate) your approximate 10-rep max, and train with reliable safeties or a spotter.
- Main goal: Fast muscle and strength gain, mainly gaining weight and building muscle, with strength improvements alongside.
- Best for: A bulking phase, or a period when you are willing to eat a lot and guarantee sleep. Not suitable for a fat-loss phase or caloric deficit, or for times when you cannot guarantee time and energy.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Minimal: the whole plan has just one real progression variable, which is that one set of 20 squats gaining +2.5 kg each session, with no percentages, no tables, and no training max (TM) to calculate.
- That one set of 20 breathing squats hammers the legs, cardiovascular system, and whole-body hormonal environment at once, and is widely regarded as one of the fastest short-term muscle and strength sprints.
- A full set of compound whole-body movements (overhead press / bench press / row / stiff-leg deadlift / curls / calf raises) gives balanced size development rather than training only legs.
- Frequency-friendly: 3 sessions a week with a rest day between, each session about 30-45 minutes, so the time cost is low.
- A fixed 6 weeks gives a clear endpoint. Knowing it's only a short-term sprint, you can grit your teeth and train harder.
Cons
- That one set of 20 squats is extremely difficult both mentally and physically, and Weeks 5-6 are nearly terrifying; it demands a lot of willpower.
- Heavily dependent on eating and sleeping: without a clear caloric surplus and enough sleep, you can neither squat nor grow.
- Recovery stress is concentrated in the lower body and lower back: every session has one set of high-rep squats plus one set of stiff-leg deadlifts, and fatigue accumulates quickly.
- If you get greedy with the starting weight, you'll fail quickly in the second half and be forced to repeat the same weight over and over (the plan says repeat rather than reduce the weight).
- Not suitable for fat loss or a caloric deficit, nor for beginners new to barbell squats whose form isn't yet stable.
- A single squat set taken to failure needs reliable safeties or a spotter, and going it alone carries higher risk.
Program structure
- Split: Full-body training, with every session being the same set of 8 exercises.
- Periodization: No fluctuation, no deload. The sets and reps are identical across all 18 sessions of the 6 weeks, and the only thing that progressively increases is the weight on that one squat set.
- Schedule: A fixed 3 sessions a week, every other day (e.g., Mon / Wed / Fri).
- Core feature: One set of 20 breathing squats starting from an honest 10RM, +2.5 kg each session; the other exercises follow a simple linear progression of "add weight once you hit the target."
What to do each session
All 18 sessions have exactly the same sets and reps, the set below (the order is the order in the app):
| Exercise |
Sets x reps |
Notes |
| Barbell overhead press |
3x12 |
Pick your own starting weight, add weight once you hit the target; the original book defaults to behind-the-neck press, switch to a front press if your shoulders are uncomfortable |
| Barbell bench press |
3x12 |
Add weight once you hit the target |
| Barbell bent-over row |
3x15 |
Add weight once you hit the target |
| Barbell high-bar squat (breathing squat) |
1x20 |
The core of the plan; start = honest 10RM, +2.5 kg each session, 20 reps in one set without racking the bar |
| Dumbbell pullover |
1x20 |
Done right after the squat, light dumbbell, paired with deep breathing to stretch the rib cage, not chasing weight |
| Barbell stiff-leg deadlift |
1x15 |
Add weight once you hit the target |
| Barbell curl |
2x15 |
Add weight once you hit the target |
| Standing calf raise |
3x20 |
Add weight once you hit the target |
Each session has 17 working sets in total, but only that 1 set of 20 squats truly decides success or failure. In order, a few sets each of press, bench press, and row first warm the body up, then you go into that set of 20 squats, and finally finish with pullovers, stiff-leg deadlifts, curls, and calf raises.
Exercise selection and rationale
The 20-rep breathing squat is the absolute core, and every other exercise either serves it or rounds out the whole body.
- Overhead press / bench press: Upper-body pressing volume. Placing them before the squat is both a warm-up and ensures the pressing chain gets trained. The original book defaults to the behind-the-neck press for overhead press; if your shoulder joints are uncomfortable, switch to a regular standing overhead press or a bench press.
- Bent-over row: Horizontal pulling, balancing the large amount of pressing volume and maintaining back thickness.
- Dumbbell pullover right after the squat: Very light weight with big breaths. The old school believed that pullovers right after squats "expand the rib cage"; the modern view doubts that an adult skeleton can really be expanded, but as deep-breathing recovery plus a chest and back stretch it is still valuable. In essence it is the transition that lets you catch your breath after 20 squats.
- Stiff-leg deadlift: Low-volume posterior chain work (hamstrings, lower back), 1 set of 15 is enough, avoiding too much lower-back fatigue stacked on top of the squat.
- Curls, calf raises: Direct reinforcement for arms and calves, for more balanced size.
How to do the set of 20 breathing squats
This is the soul of the whole plan, and the easiest place to go wrong:
- Weight: Start = your honest 10-rep max (10RM). Don't get clever and add more. It becomes frightening on its own through +2.5 kg each session.
- Reps: One set of 20 reps, never racking the bar midway. For roughly the first 10 reps, use your familiar rhythm; from around rep 11, after each rep stand tall, keep the bar on your back, take 3-5 deep breaths, and then squat the next rep. These short within-set breathers stretch one set out to 20 reps, and that is the "breathing squat."
- Mindset: The second half gets harder rep by rep, and what carries you is breathing rhythm and willpower, not a light weight.
- If you miss 20 reps: Record the actual reps honestly, and repeat the same weight next session, with no reduction and no step back, until you land all 20 reps in one session, then continue adding weight.
Progressive overload
The plan cuts nearly all complexity and leaves only one real progression engine:
- Squat: +2.5 kg each session. Starting from the 10RM of session 1 and running all 18 sessions for a cumulative 17 increases, the final session's squat will be about 42.5 kg heavier than the starting weight, and still for a set of 20. (The original book increases in 5 lb, about 2.3 kg, steps; this app rounds to 2.5 kg, a comparable magnitude.)
- Other exercises: All "add weight once you hit the target": if you complete the prescribed sets and reps, add a little next time, and if not, repeat the same weight. For overhead press you can choose an easy starting weight.
- No percentages, no RPE, no deload week: Not one sets-and-reps number changes over the 6 weeks, and the only thing going up is the iron on that bar.
Eating and sleeping: the other half of the plan
Strossen called nutrition and sleep the "other half" of the plan, and this is not mere politeness: one set of 20 max-effort squats plus adding weight every session digs a huge recovery deficit. To make it work, calories must be in surplus, protein must be adequate, and sleep should be 8+ hours where possible. The classic practice of this school is to drink a large amount of extra milk every day (this is where the "gallon of milk" tradition comes from). If you are cutting, or can't eat enough or sleep enough, your squat will stall quickly, and the problem is often not the training but your plate and your bed.
Training time and what comes next
Each session takes about 30-45 minutes. There aren't many exercises, and the real time and willpower go into that one set of squats. After running the full 6 weeks, take about a week of rest (light training or off), then decide the next step:
- Want another round: Restart from a new, higher 10RM and go through the 6-week cycle again.
- Want a different style but still high-volume hypertrophy: You can move to "Deep Water: Beginner (6 weeks)," which likewise piles on muscle through massive volume.
- Want to turn the new size into maximal strength: Move into a structured strength cycle, consolidating the weight and muscle into strength with low-rep, periodized work.
Signs it's time to end this round: Squats stuck at the same weight for several sessions in a row with 20 reps never reached; persistent lower-back or knee discomfort; or recovery clearly failing to keep up.
Rest between sets
The plan data itself does not prescribe rest between sets. Below is common practice, so adjust to how you feel:
- The set of 20 squats: It is itself a long set with deep breathing, and what you really need is plenty of rest before the set and to be fully fresh; resting 3-5 minutes or even longer before it is reasonable.
- Upper-body pushing / pulling and stiff-leg deadlifts: Moderate compound movements, about 2-3 minutes.
- Finishing movements such as curls and calf raises: About 1-2 minutes.
The point is always to land that one squat set in full, and the rest for every other exercise serves that goal.
How to choose starting weights
The squat is the key to everything: pick a weight you can complete cleanly for 10 reps, with the 10th rep close to your limit but not failing, as your starting point. Err on the conservative side, because it gains +2.5 kg every session and will naturally become dangerous by Weeks 5-6, and greedy starting weights only make you collapse early and be forced to repeat the same weight over and over.
For the other exercises: pick a weight that lets you hit the prescribed sets and reps with a little left in reserve, then slowly climb with "add weight once you hit the target." For overhead press you can start from a clearly easy weight.
Common mistake: Setting the squat starting weight to the weight that "looks like it should be right" instead of your honest 10RM, which you'll pay for after 6 weeks.
Common adjustments
- Overhead press vs. behind-the-neck press: The original book defaults to behind-the-neck press; if shoulder mobility is lacking or you have discomfort, switch to a regular standing overhead press or a bench press.
- Safety first: Squatting a single set to failure must be done inside a squat rack with safety pins, or with a spotter; this is the precondition for training to 20 reps with peace of mind.
- Pullover can be swapped: If you don't have a suitable dumbbell, this "breathing" light pullover can be replaced with any light chest / lat stretch paired with deep breathing; the goal is to recover your breathing, not to train volume.
- Ease the stiff-leg deadlift: If your lower back is already very fatigued after the squat, choose a more conservative weight for the stiff-leg deadlift, or swap in a Romanian deadlift to reduce lower-back stress.
- Frequency tweaks: The standard is three sessions every other day; if recovery is tight, you can stretch the gaps between the three weekly sessions (e.g., one day on, two days off), but don't sacrifice the quality of that squat set.
FAQ
Is Super Squats (20-Rep Squat Program) suitable for beginners?
The program structure is minimal, but that one set of 20 max-effort squats demands a lot of movement stability and willpower. If you are new to barbell squats and your form isn't yet stable, build your squat foundation with a more basic plan first, then take this on. Intermediate lifters with some training background and a reliable squat pattern are the best fit.
How exactly do I do the set of 20 squats?
Start with your honest 10-rep max weight and do all 20 reps in one set without racking the bar. For roughly the first 10 reps, use a normal rhythm; from around rep 11, after each rep stand tall, take 3-5 deep breaths with the bar on your back, then squat the next rep. Use these short within-set breathers to push one set through to 20 reps, and that is the "breathing squat." The squat set gains +2.5 kg each session.
How do I set the squat starting weight?
Pick a weight you can complete cleanly for 10 reps, with the 10th rep close to your limit but not failing. Be sure to be conservative: it gains +2.5 kg every session, and a greedy start will make you fail quickly in the second half and be forced to repeat over and over.
What if I can't get all 20 reps?
Record honestly the reps you actually completed and repeat the same weight next session, with no reduction and no step back, until you land all 20 reps in one session, then continue adding weight. This is exactly the design of the plan: it forces you to grind at the same weight until you pass.
Can you really gain 30 pounds in 6 weeks?
The book's subtitle shouts "Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks," which is an idealized marketing slogan; actual results depend on training level, diet, sleep, and genetics, and most people won't hit that number. But if you eat seriously, sleep seriously, and land every squat set in full, considerable weight and strength gains over 6 weeks are a realistic expectation.
Do I have to drink that much milk and eat like crazy?
Milk is just one old-school way of creating a caloric surplus, not a hard rule. What matters is an overall caloric surplus, enough protein, and sufficient sleep. You can get there with any diet, but if you chronically under-eat and under-sleep, your squat will stall quickly. Weight gain and recovery are the other half of this plan.
Can I skip the dumbbell pullover after squats?
It uses a very light weight, and its main purpose is to let you breathe deeply, stretch your chest and back, and recover after the 20 squats, not to train strength. The old school believed it "expands the rib cage," and the modern view doubts that an adult skeleton can really be expanded, but as breathing recovery and a stretch it is still valuable. Skipping it won't affect the overall result, but keeping it helps with pacing and recovery.
Do I have to do the behind-the-neck press for overhead press?
No. The original book defaults to behind-the-neck press, but that demands more shoulder mobility. If your shoulders are uncomfortable or mobility is lacking, simply switch to a regular standing overhead press or bench press, without affecting the core of the plan.
What do I do after the 6 weeks?
Take about a week of rest first. Then you can run the 6-week cycle again with a new, higher 10RM; or move to another high-volume hypertrophy plan, such as "Deep Water: Beginner (6 weeks)"; or enter a structured strength cycle to turn the added weight and muscle into maximal strength.
