Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational read - a routine that is tried and true
Review: Dr. Strossen is a knowledgable and inspirational writer and after reading this book you will want to rush out to the gym and start the 20-rep squat routine he champions in this book. The author describes how he used the routine in his youth and gained 30 pounds over a summer by focusing mainly on one exercise, the squat, using progressively heavier weight for a set of 20 reps.
The 20-rep squat program is based on weight training routines used back in the day when muscle was developed naturally without artificial anabolic enhancers or fancy machines. Men who wanted to develop abnormally huge physiques and muscle had to use what was at their disposal and experiment on their own to determine what worked and what didn't. There were no chrome bars, protein powders, Mr. Americas or muti-faceted fulcrum point training machines and only a very rudimentary knowledge of exercise and execrcise physiology - these men were truly pioneers in body building.
The 20-rep squat routine was touted for many years, long before this book, by one of my personal favorites, Perry Rader, the orignal publisher of Iron Man magazine, who often wrote how he used 20-rep squats to build a muscular physique after trying and failing with conventional training programs, and before him Joe Hise, who eventually gained up to 300 pounds in bodyweight.
This routine is NOT for long-term use, as Dr. Strossen would tell you himself. It is to be used for perhaps a 6-8 week period during which a trainee will really buckle down, eat good wholesome foods, get plenty of rest and get physically and mentally prepared and psyched up to complete those 20 reps at each session.
I do not agree with his advice to drink a gallon of milk/day especially if you are lactose intolerant. As a young lifter I did drink around 3 quarts of milk/day much to my digestive system's despair - but I persisted and gained lots of weight - weight that was mostly fat, not muscle. Not knowing about 20 rep squats I used a more conventional training routine and gained 36 pounds in 9 months time - not stunning, but for me at the time a real transformation.
Some years later I did give 20 rep squats a try but did not understand the importance of recuperation and pushed too hard too frequently and soon lost the willpower to continue, but I surely did benefit - it was shortly after that I put up my best all time squat poundage. If I were to try them again, now in my forties, I would give myself 7-10 days, or perhaps more, between sessions to ensure full recuperation and fresh legs.
If you do choose to follow this tried and true routine, DO NOT start out as is explained in the book, i.e., "...use a weight you can get 10 reps with but instead do 20"! Back up a bit - as another reviewer here mentioned - to a comfortable weight and add 5 pounds per session. The progression is what sets up a gaining momentum - not necessarily grinding out 20 reps with a weight that you can't handle in good form. You can learn more about progression and its importance in weight training from Stuart McRobert's excellent books. Also, one set is more than enough if you are truly working hard and in good form. You leave something in reserve at the beginning of the cycle and by the end if you feel that you can do another set you are not working hard enough.
Replace the milk drinking with a few good protein shakes per day including a good diet of wholesome foods - the idea is to give your body the nutrients it needs to recuperate and grow muscle - not gain a spare tire around your waist.
There is nothing quite as satisfying, both mentally and physically, as racking the bar after completing a set of 20-rep squats with a weight that you previously believed was impossible, your mind focused on only one thing - to set that bar on the pins and collapse on the bench - it hurts so good!
Incorporating this very effective training routine from past years with the current science and understanding of nutrition and physiology you can have the best of both worlds. Both phsically and mentally satisfying - 20 rep squats will build your body as well as your mind and this book is an excellent source of solid information.
Rating: 
Summary: Hardgainers
Review: Hello everyone
I am also a hardgainer but with plenty of protein and creatine and haphazard training I managed to gain 2 stones over two years. I attribute my gains solely to following the MaxOT work out http://www.ast-ss.com/max-ot/max-ot_intro.asp remember overload equal gains because your muscle has to grow to adapt the amount of stress that is being placed on it. Therefore it of paramount importance that you use compound exercises that allow you to lift the most within the 4 - 6 rep range for your heavy set visit the link and read all about it. sign up to the FREE twelve week program believe you'll find its worth it. And by the way I don't work for AST or gain any commission
Rating:
Summary: This works
Review: Here's where I'm coming from when I tell you to buy this book: I'm an ectomorph (hard gainer), physician who understands physiology and tried just about every legitimate plan out there to get strong. For a young person determined to stay away from anabolic steroids this is the best program I've seen to put on the mass. Just be careful and read the book several times following every detail. Squats can be a rush--partly because they can be very dangerous if done improperly. Fully understand the risks involved, then if you've got the courage and the drive...go get big and strong.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely works - excellent advice.
Review: I must admit I was a serious doubter when I first read this book, having been the stereotypical hardgainer all my life. But I figured I had nothing to lose in trying it. 2 months later my parents pulled me aside and asked if I was taking steroids - what more proof did I need! If you truly have the will to do this program properly, it will bulk ANYONE up. A couple of pointers:
- Don't use a weight belt, you need to do the breathing properly. If you can't do 20 reps with proper form, or you get injured, then you are trying to go too heavy, too soon. Start light - I started with 60 pounds for 20 reps (my legs were really skinny!).
- I started gaining more fat than I wanted to, so I cut back on the amount of milk I drank. 1 gallon a day is a bit much!
- Don't underestimate how hard this program is!! There is a reason that people gain so much from it; it requires so much damn effort and pain! The author is pretty much right when he says your gains are proportional to the effort you put in and if you don't gain, you aren't doing it properly.
So if you are prepared to put yourself through the pain, you will see results you won't believe. I went from 159 pounds to 185 pounds over a 2 month period, and I'm about to start my second course.
Rating:
Summary: A Book That May Help...
Review: I read Super Squats a long time ago and have now decided to review it based on several of the negative reviews I have read. Super Squats is a program based around the Squat (no surprise there). The purpose of the book is not really to build 30 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks but to emphasize the importance of the squat in any serious muscle building program. If a novice weight trainer followed the program and ate like a horse he could gain a substantial amount of weight. His main point is to use exercises like the squat along with your mind to take you to higher levels of development. Anyone who has done sets of 20 REP squats with anything more than about 225 pounds knows they are very very intense. When done properly squats are a tremendous growth stimulator. This book is really trying to get across the point that in a world where hype and glossy magazines and infomercials promise you the world, only hard work and dedication to a brutally intense program is going to build the kind of muscle that most guys want. If you can squat safely and want to know how to use the squat more effectively this book is for you. As far as the gallons of milk you are advised to drink, I feel he suggested that because of his situation where he didnt have access to food every two or three hours and wanted to take in extra calories, milk is convienient and if it's there drink it, but if you have access to food you would be better off and I think he feels that way. The milk thing is just a convienient way to take in extra calories and protein (2 very important ingredients for building mass).
Rating:
Summary: See My Progress Below
Review: I read the book cover to cover and did the program- 20 squats twice a week, lot of milk (but not a gallon a day like he reccomends) I had never squatted seriously before- and I started with a 100lbs for 20 rps. It was tough but not my max. Slowly, with a lotta hard work (its DAMNED hard most of the time), I progressed over about 2 months to 200 lbs for 20 rps, and I gained a good 15 pounds of muscle (mostly in my legs) I did the next workout too early and my progress sort of halted- I'm off the program and doin lower reps (current 3 sets of 10) but i'm thinkin of gettin back on it. I'd definetly recommend it to a anyone whose never done the 20 rp squat before, as in 2 months on the program, i went from sqatting a weight 20 times that i couldn't squat ONCE when i started. Hows that for progress?
Rating:
Summary: Soopa Squats
Review: Like many muscle builders, I have avoided doing squats. My bench was always busy while the squat rack stood solemnly across the room, waiting for me to stop procrastinating and do what needed to be done. Now I realize that the squat is the true Grandaddy of mass building movements. The 20 rep, single set squat routine has made a believer out of me. I don't drink all the milk listed in the routine, I don't know if I could if I wanted to. I'd have to contract my own dairy tanker. But yes, keep your protien high and get plenty of sleep. I start preparing a day in advance to squat, I make sure I'm rested and mentally prepared for my big set of 20. One thing that helped me tremendously was just starting light and slow. Practice your form and feel the involved muscles as you execute the movement. Many of the guys who have intimate knowledge in this will tell you Form and Focus and proper breathing (blocking)is critical. Stick with the program and see the results. I can say I now enjoy doing squats. I really enjoy them after I'm finished with my set. I swear, the endorphine rush stays with me all day. I'm tired and sore but happy. Make squats the foundational movement of your routine, you will grow.
Rating:
Summary: It works, but you'll also get fat!
Review: Like most of you, I am a hard gainer. At 5'10", I weighed 152 lbs. I did the Flex Magazine "Size Odyssey" for a year with no size results, though I did get stronger and built a solid foundation. In contrast, with the super squats routine, in two weeks I had gained 15 lbs (Using the short routine, I started out squatting 180 lbs on a Smith machine every fourth day, increasing the weight 10 lbs each time until I reached 4 plates per side.). Now none of my clothes fit, but I couldn't buy more, because I was still gaining! In two more weeks I had gained a total of 22 lbs (174 lbs from 152 lbs) and stayed there. Female friends were coming up to me, stroking my arms and asking "what happened to you???" Yes, I had put an inch on my neck and chest, but I had also put two inches on my waist! I now had a paunch! A big fat belly! And love handles! After six weeks of this, I stopped eating the requisite 5000 calories daily and immediately lost 7 lbs (167 lbs). 12 months later, I went on a strict vegetarian diet and dropped down to 154 in four weeks. So now I weigh the same as I did before, but I can squat press (on a Smith machine) at least 360 lbs 20x, and I can bench press my own weight several times. My recommendation? I don't have one. I don't think it will work unless you eat the 5000 calories and drink the gallon of milk daily, but be prepared to go on a crash diet afterwards to lose your belly. For a diet, try "The pH Miracle."
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but better than most anything else you'll read
Review: Most exercise books are a joke. Bodybuilding books are often written by or for steroid users. Aerobics books are afraid to ask the reader to work hard. Fitness books are written by celebrities no real knowledge except how to get an open line of credit with their plastic surgeon. Ab books tout the perfect exercises to reduce the size of your waist. (Sorry, only diet books can help there.) This book is the real deal. Time and again, people in the know, from Olympic weightlifters to elite track athletes, refer to the 20 rep squat program as the best strength and mass building program ever. Strossen's "Super Squat" book is the benchmark book on the subject of 20 rep squats. That said, there are some weak points in the book. While consuming milk may be one of the most simple, effective, and obvious protein supplements around, many trainees and nutrition experts question the wisdom of consuming as much milk as Strossen recommends. Some question the effect on cholesterol levels and many claim the 30 lbs. of weight gain will be a lot of fat gain. Another issue is Strossen's claim that the pullover exercise will increase the size of the rib cage. While the exercise itself is good, this claim is unsubstantiated. The worst flaw is that the book recommends squats - a lot of squats - without delving into the technique of what is essentially a fairly technical lift. Many novice or uncoached lifters perform the squat in a technically unsound and unsafe manner. In weightlifting, poor technique is usually the cause of injury; rarely is injury the direct result of the actual amount of weight lifted. A few diagrams and photos would have been very helpful. The average reader should supplement this book with another reference source on how to actually perform the squat safely.
Rating:
Summary: See My Progress Below
Review: There simply is no way around it - the proper foundation for any strength training program is 20 rep squats. I've written and used a number of 20 rep routines. The one I'm using now calls for 20 rep squats, 5 rep rest-pause deadlifts, Hise shrugs, pullovers (I alternate between Nautilus and db pullovers), dips, military press, and grip work. But, if you picked one exercise, it should be the 20 rep squat. I don't believe in forcing yourself to stop and breath between each rep. When you start and you're using a rather light weight, there's no reason not to go straight through without stopping. As the weight increases, 5 pounds per workout being quite a bit faster than your strength will increase, you'll need to add breathing rests between reps to allow you to continue. About making sure that your gains are muscle - I eat a low carb diet, and while I don't gain as much weight as I would with the recommended diet, I gain only muscle. If you want to ensure an injury, wear a belt. Otherwise, don't. Belts cause injury by preventing your lower back from getting stronger. Then if you put the belt on wrong, you expose your back to forces higher than it can cope with.
|
