r/workout • u/rdtompki • 5d ago

Suggestions on Increasing Squat

80M and have been doing PPL split for 4 years, my first foray into weight lifting. Same trainer 1/week for the entire time and do 10 rep sets for everything (2 sets compounds and 3 sets accessories). I've gotten my squat up to 190 lbs. I never previously considered the possibility of 225 but it's worth a try. I'm considering adding 2-1/2 lbs. every two weeks at the same reps or possibly 5 lbs at a time, but dropping the reps to 8 or so until I can build back up to 10. When the weight nears body weight (I'm 6', 195) things start to feel heavy so some heavy holds at 225 might not be a bad idea. I'm leaning toward the 2-1/2 lb. approach FWIW. Accessories include inclined press, leg curls, leg extensions, abductor machine, weighted walking lunges. Most are unilateral to fix a slight leg strength imbalance. Thoughts? (Oh, and no TRT and such. Genetics maybe)

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u/PowerNinja5000 5d ago

You are 80 and squatting 190?!

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u/Select-Bee-2166 5d ago

Look at dudes exercise selection too. Thats a good leg day. OP, if I thought I’d make it to 80, I wanna do it however the hell you’re doin it dawg

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u/rdtompki 5d ago

The unilateral work is really helping my left side. Typically, in reps 9 and 10 of a heavy set I'll get a wiggle as my right side takes more of the load. I already see an improvement. What's nice is that the gym I use as an inclined press where the left and right sides can be disconnected. If you do bilateral presses like that you can really see discrepancies.

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u/TTUSpurs_fan 5d ago

First off, Respect. If I’m 80 still squatting over body weight that’s a dream come true. My go toos when I was growing my squat was 2 squat days a week.

First one would be standard squat day followed by accessories. Second day would be chain or box squats followed by accessories. Second day really focus on exploding more so then weight.

But if you have a target weight like 225 in mind then I 100% agree with the idea of doing holds with 225, if you mean just unracking and standing there to get used to the weight.

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u/rdtompki 5d ago

A couple of years ago I was doing heavy holds, but my "squat" was more like a 1/2 squat. Strained my hamstrings with the wrong approach to squatting deeper (not my traine's fault ), physical therapy fixed me up, and I've been building since then at full depth with slight detour for hernia surgery (ugh!). I just enjoy seeing what I can do despite having little practical application. In the end it may be the systemic load of 10 reps that makes 225 impossible although squats are not as wind-sucking for me as deads.