The CRAZY Program I used to Squat 300kg (don't try this at home)

[@clarence0]

My Programs and new Ebook: weightliftingfix.com/

[@chickenuggetfighter]

Amazing

[@KjC121396]

@clarence0 I forget the period you said you were using PEDs. Are PEDs necessary to build up your squat with this program?

[@dontreadmyname4396]

@@KjC121396 no dude, he said many times he did it natty before

[@KwisBwown]

please more videos on old programmes you ve run. great vid mayne!

[@harrispj4205]

post 310kg squat.

[@cruzsanta2252]

After following this program for only 2 weeks I set a new ER

[@AyanokoG]

hahahah

[@Carbon-lifeform]

Lmao😂😂

[@Zlaterrr]

Honestly, this kind of program could work in very short bursts. Any longer and you will most likely injure urself.

[@petertwiss356]

LOL

[@kcbm225]

OKayyyyyyyyy 😅😅

[@zekrinealfa1113]

I felt the CNS fatigue just from reading the program, christ.

[@iker8010]

Me too man. I felt that sensation of dreading every workout and being tired all the time 😂

[@paoloh885]

Cns fatigue is mostly a broscience thing lol. It's only a real thing in ultramarathon runners. What people think is cns fatigue when lifting is simply lack of recovery of the muscles themselves. Your not "frying" your cns by exerting yourself for maybe 15 total minutes of actual lifting time.

[@imhassane]

@@paoloh885 I don't know but whenever I lift close to my max, I automatically fall asleep when I get home after the gym and feels tired af after.

[@soy1700]

@@paoloh885 You're mistaking CNS fatigue with CNS fatigue syndrome. It's not broscience that lifting heavy makes you tired and that being tired lowers your nervous system activity and ability to do work, that's all people mean by CNS fatigue

[@paoloh885]

@@imhassane That's just your body going from an active state to a resting state. Your body is tired and the stress hormones go away. A lot of people also take preworkout with tons of caffeine which makes it even worse.

[@mariomolnar3184]

Bulgarias said "just because it will injure 99% of lifters doesn't make it a bad program" Just gotta find the right specimen who can recover and get that gold medal, even if you sacrifice 50 other elites in the process

[@logomarkz]

That's most of the competitive pro sports unfortunately.

[@restless1118]

Bulgarians say 'Brother if you have a problem and you can't solve it with money. Solve it with a lot of money'

[@steveb6718]

yip.... I train every muscle every 10 days.... and I'm stronger than 99% of gym goers, in my 40's. Deadlifted 600+, row 300+, shoulder press the 110's for 8+ reps... training very infrequently and with very few sets. Relax and enjoy.

[@mariomolnar3184]

@@steveb6718 far from optimal, but it's a safer way to get progress in a longer time-span

[@MyLegsAreKindaLong]

Basically, a program only for the genetically gifted or those on drugs. More often than not, both.

[@joaopedrosa9060]

I'm 100% sure my spine would not survive this much squat volume, you're truly another kind of human

[@baseballstream174]

I dont think your spine would be the limiting factor, more like fatigue and mental willpower

[@alexstrasza4938]

@r6hm3re1r and lack of "supplements"

[@joaopedrosa9060]

@@baseballstream174 my spine would 100% be the limiting factor, because it has some injuries

[@joaopedrosa9060]

@@baseballstream174 I'm 100% sure my spine would be the limiting factor, considering I have I have a chronic injury on it

[@Ja-rz9fq]

TRT dude

[@DangerousStrength]

dam mark rippetoe is going to love this. "DO YER FIVES"

[@iker8010]

Hahahaha FAHVES. Although he'd rather have a 3x5 just as the book says 😉

[@Lavabug]

No he hates clarence because he doesn't squat face down ass up

[@xXKillaBGXx]

Mark Rippetoe advocates 3 x 5 squats thrice a week.

[@DanielMOFO]

nah he'd go apeshit seeing RPE in his program

[@Firepowered]

Rippetoe would say this program is trash for three reasons: - you're training every day with no days off to recover, leaving your body with no time to recuperate and grow - being 5x5 instead of 3x5 you're adding more work, which (along with the lack of rest days) means you have to train with less weight than your possible maximum, just to keep up with the volume of training you're doing - because of these two reasons, you're not pushing your body against it's ceiling of growth as much as you could, and you're also stunting your recovery. Essentially, you're wasting effort. In short: YNDTP, SS + GOMAD

[@keon3503]

This video has come to me at a critical point in my life. Very insightful. Thank you Clarence. You have no idea how useful this is to me. 🙏

[@Hossak]

Great video, thank you as always Clarence! When I first saw you squatting, I was amazed at your range of motion and knew that was what I wanted to achieve. It has taken me many years and finally at age 53 I can do my version of it (not nearly as deep but to my maximum limit) and I have never felt or performed better. Thank you!

[@93Beefcake]

clarence i just love your content throughout the years you are a great ambassador to the sport of lifting

[@LatimusChadimus]

I couldn't imagine resting only one minute between sets

[@pessumpower]

It's 3x10 with 50%1RM, a weight that can usually be done for 25-30reps. You can view it like a single set of 30 reps with two 1 minute rests in between, to avoid being limited by cardio/lungs.

[@Thanatossssx]

@@pessumpowerYeah but after a 5x5 at 75-85%? I’d prob faint on the spot lmao, especially if done 5/7 days 😭💀

[@Vladyboy95]

I mean, its total bullshit. You cant tell me, that you are doing your ~80% for 5 and only after 1min again 5reps. Repeat that 5times. Yeah. For shuuuure. Wont be his true 80%@@Thanatossssx

[@PhilippeSarkis]

He is not natural, that's why.

[@nicktaylor1902]

@PhillipeSarkis meh meh meh

[@MattMasters-t6r]

That squat is so deep"! I don't think I can get that deep without a bar. Wonderful stuff.

[@jaspervanbrian]

Babe wake up, Clarence just posted a new video

[@mr.oppenthunder2527]

Bot comment

[@RevanDuvalcane]

I’m glad you’re putting this video out to show people how NOT to program. It’s easy when you’re young to be over ambitious with your training, but it can be extremely risky, and I’m sure Clarence would agree that longevity in sports is much better than high risk/high reward training.

[@debaronAZK]

especially if an injury leads you to being out of the gym for days, weeks, months. you will literally see all your hard work fade away and turn into soft blubber

[@reidcasteel1127]

this is meant for people on drugs, but your sentiment is good

[@signs80]

​@@reidcasteel1127 As far as I know Clarence didn't start using until 2014 when he was 20. In the videos he was 19 so it was right before he actually began on the gear

[@tired4432]

​@@reidcasteel1127 in the video he stated he wasn't on PEDs yet. Just 16 years old which is kinda like being on drugs considering how resilient children are

[@fsub9834]

i do 3x5 almost every time i go into doing my squats and just try to add weight on the days that i feel good but never go down in weight. I do NOT do it everyday though, so far it has been working VERY well for me. I've seen my squat go from 129kg to 152kg over the course of about a year. not stupid fast progress but it is progress. but my goal is not to be a freak just feel good and be stronger. I love this video man makes me feel good about my own program design choice that i do a similar style just not nearly as agressive because im not competing!

[@55cleon]

Lots Of Highschool Volume Work Is Ok If You're Recovering Well, And If Your Drug Cycle And Caloric Intake Is Up To Par. Too Many People Overlook That 99.876% Of Guys We Watch Are On Gear. Drugs Make A Huge Difference.

[@davidnordqvist5749]

@@55cleon wtf is up with you capitalising the first letter of every word?

[@richardhunter9779]

I would not survive this protocol. Clarence is truly built different.

[@Salman.khan786]

I’ve been squaring every workout day the last 3 months and it’s been helping me a lot. I do full body each day. Been lifting for years and I’ve done the chest day, leg day….etc. I’ve also done an upper and lower split. Got bored of both of those types of splits. So I decided to change it up a bit. With the full body workouts each day I’ve hit a squat PR each month. Was finally able to hit 315 lb on my squat. It’s different for each person. Squatting everyday will not work for everyone. But I do recommend it, it really pays off.

[@KM_4991]

How many days?

[@MrKarlozz]

Clarence, you absolute divine being. Long time no see

[@ada0015]

bro I used to see you very often in clarence0's comment section lol

[@mickrockhard1100]

That 5x5 260kg was the first video i ever saw of you... I was like what the actual fuck is this!!??? I must have watched that video at least 10,000 times after it dropped. I was obsessed, and all i did for moths after that was squat everyday lol. Definitely one of the most badass lifting videos on yotube. Was such a game changer too since at the time, the norm was wraps, belt, low bar just parralel powerlifting squats that saturated youtube.

[@curiosity8494]

Baby, drop everything you're doing, Clarence just uploaded a new video

[@garrettbaratheon567]

I started tracking AMRAPs and “volume PRs” a year and a half or 2 years ago, and honestly I’ll never go back. It’s a little annoying to log everything but it’s nice when you haven’t done a variation in months and you have some idea of where you were and where you should be. Ideally you’ll start near as strong and then surpass your previous records. I’ve been researching Conjugate a lot recently and i guess that’s the whole idea behind it.

[@dohertysdespair]

The 5*5 followed by 3*10 is promoted for the back squat in quite a few squat class videos on the black ships gym channel. Both from Toshiki and another coach. It seems to be popular in the Japanese weightlifting circle.

[@eggggg00]

Welcome back king!

[@janedoe2509]

was rewatching some old clarence videos just now and this just came out lol

[@JFlprr]

What a great video, thanks! After finishing your weightlifting program i was doubting what to do next. I will take the info of this video into consideration.

[@KATABOLIST]

I tried this program and holy, it works! As Clarence said, the first three sessions are becoming harder each time, but the fourth session after the pause you feel so much stronger. I only do four sessions though because I’m throwing in some bench press and rows on non-squatting days but I will continue this program until I hit 220

[@theycallme_tanner]

I’m totally trying this at home.

[@goncalotome1791]

You are amazing,Thank you very much for sharing this program whit us, Although I won't use it, I like seeing how you organized your programs and built all your strength, I like knowing your story, thank you for sharing it with us!

[@LBernardinello]

This program definitely works. I did a very similar program and in 5 months my squat went from 140kg to 180 for 5 reps. But of course, I ended up having an knee problem.. If even with the warning of Clarence you want to try this protocol i suggest you to listen to your body and just take a day off if you fell too much fatigue, you are not Clarence!

[@SonGoku-zr9nc]

How were you able to train the same muscle group 5 times a week?? I want to try this programm for benchpress but i can only bench once every 5 days my chest would be too sore to bench more often

[@tappajaav]

@@SonGoku-zr9nc Embrace the sore

[@edi6722]

@@SonGoku-zr9ncyour body will adjust and get less sore overtime. If you’re only ever trying to bench once ever 5 days then your body will have not much reason to try and recover faster

[@SonGoku-zr9nc]

@@edi6722 so i have to put myself into overtraining for a few weeks so that my body will adapt to it and overtime i will get less sore muscles?

[@SCUD7005]

Damn. Recently started back squatting once a week on leg days and I barely recover in time for the next week doing 3x10 reps. I consider adding a second lighter day in the week for technique. I can't even imagine doing that much volume. Some people are truly build different. Respect!

[@iker8010]

Yeah man I do a heavy day and a light day. Usually leaving a higher rep scheme for the latter... Works fine

[@lance-biggums]

Damn I remember your old basement videos from like ten years ago who knew you were still at it. I used to powerlift too but now I dont even bother training leg. They get enough work just supporting my huge upper body.

[@LordLegender]

Clarence has had a crazy CNS even when he was natty. I remember once reading on a website that interviewed him that back when he was natty, he did a routine that was something like 6x2 snatch, 6x2 backsquat and 2 accessories in the morning, then 6x2 clean and jerk and 6x2 front squat with 2 accessories in the afternoon. Of the same day. 5 days a week. He is inhuman, i swear.

[@kblkbl]

I mean, that's a VERY reasonable way to structure a 2-sessions day for a natty. 6x2 is very doable unless we're talking about lifting up to daily maxes on every lift every day.

[@LordLegender]

@kblkbl 2 sessions a day for 5x a week with high sets is undoable for 99% of the population, even if the the reps are low and intensity is reasonable

[@kblkbl]

@@LordLegender Experiences may vary, I presume. I'm far from having his recovery ability but splitting my working volume into a looooot of sets worked wonders to work around my knee tendinitis. Just to add: It doesn't really work like that, if the reps are low enough and the intensity is reasonable enough, any number of sets, sessions or weekly frequency is doable. I feel like that's more of an issue because we both probably know for a given that Clarence's approach probably wasn't reasonable at all. hahah

[@griffingeode]

For a simple program, it's different from what I've tried. Interesting because i thought I'd tried the basics and my programming was becoming more complex. Thanks for sharing so others can learn from it.

[@zemm9003]

This might help someone. For me these 5x5 programs would always leave me dead even when I was on Dianabol. If you are like me it pays off to reduce the volume to 3x5 and then add extra work via exercises like leg presses/leg curls/leg extensions/calf raises at the end of the workout, to avoid getting all your volume through squats, this improved progression while greatly reducing injury risk (which was always my biggest problem with these classical high volume programs).

[@manueleferrari3954]

I feel a great esteem for you! Keep it up! You are unique👌🏼

[@DennisDuda]

Already did this program for a couple weeks. I did not get very fatigued or injured, but also did not progress as much. Started with 135kg 5x5 and ended with 150kg 5x5, all paused. My brother also does the program. He started with 135kg and does now 147,5kg 5x5, but not paused. Clarence uploaded this video already a couple months ago on his patreon.

[@mossoconnor4417]

Dude that’s massive and very fast progress. I think taking a period of time away while trying to maintain your 150x5x5 is the key to getting more out of it. Have a month or a few weeks or 2-3 times per week squatting without less consistent hard efforts and then try to ramp back up

[@sevensevenalways7995]

What he said ^. 15kg gai ns in 1 cycle? Bro...

[@DennisDuda]

@@mossoconnor4417 Yeah, will try it out later again. I'm currently doing smolov base cycle, right after Clarence's program. We will see how that goes...

[@DennisDuda]

@@sevensevenalways7995 I already could do 150kg for 5, maybe not for 5 sets. At some point, you can't increase the weight as much as Clarence did.

[@mossoconnor4417]

@XoratorPL bro, you may be a little slow but I’m hoping it’s not that, it’s just that you have already reloaded and are back at the high frequency and effort Take a big break between bouts of this stuff

[@harrymc523]

hahah my squats are at a similar level to the starting point of that 3 week block and the idea of that volume makes my brain explode. Clarence is a freak for sure :D

[@radreynolds8978]

I don't think you being a genetic freak or being enhanced are the main takeaways here - moreso that when you weren't, you were 16. Being 16 is literally like being enhanced. You recover _sooo_ quickly compared to when you get older

[@Feastalisk]

love to see more content from you man!

[@randalgordon8822]

My chest was always lacking and I did fly DB press 5x5 and 3x10 before work out. Next day incline DB press 5x5 and 3x10 before workout. I did decline BB press 5x5 and 3x10 before next days workout. I would just keep repeating and take day 7 off totally. In 6 months my chest blew up which is what I was going for but what shocked me is I didn’t do any flat bench the whole time I did this and when I put it back in my workout my max had gone up from 405 to 470.

[@JinxGoat-xz1cm]

I squatted 675 for 3 High bar ATG pause squat. When I build my lifts back up I will film it all. You are more of an ambassador of the Vegan movement than I will be and for that you have my utmost fancy and respect. I will still - with a busy body, will work to one day within 12 years end animal agriculture.

[@anubislockward3750]

I followed Candito's old Squat program for 5 or 6 weeks, at 40, and my Squat shot up past my Deadlift when it was lagging behind when I started. I was following it until Candito said he doesn't recommend his old programs anymore 😅😅😅😅 but it was quite fun, specially the low frequency/high volume parts. The first 4 weeks of that program are squatting everyday. People often tell me that I wasn't training while doing that, but surviving

[@npzninja]

I'm entering week 3 of my every other day "widow-maker" program. 20 rep Super squats are so brutal man. After I finish that set I need at least 15 minutes before I can even think about what's next. if you haven't yet, try it

[@bearzercher]

It's stupid

[@PML720]

5x5 is where your true power comes from. Did these while doing cross fit. Aww man the days

[@IswearIwasBatman]

from my own experience: 5 x 5 is great and i have seen results. i followed the program Stronglifts 5x5 for 7 months and boosted my bench by 75lbs, deadlift by 140lbs, squat by 125lbs

[@neal520]

That’s called noobie gains

[@RogueLifter-nx1qz]

Curious to see how you squat now. I remember how you blew up your knees back in 2014 lol. You always will be my idol!

[@jaymwalsh102286]

Just getting back in to working out after a few years of laziness My routine is 4-5 days a week, 3-7 mile run then rep pyramid squats at 225lbs no weight change during workouts just longer or faster runs and add to the rep pyramid or do it with less rest my best workout so far was 6 mi hr and rep pyramid up to 15 which is 120 reps nothing crazy just routine. been adding lan average of 10 lbs every 2 to 3 weeks and resetting the rep pyramid to 10 or 12 and working to the previous rep max or higher rep max. takes like 75 minutes usually pretty solid. The squat rep pyramid is nice to because its acts as a cooldown for the run in the beginning and warm up for higher reps in the pyramid. set 20 is like 200+ total reps so whatever the weight your gettin it. Thanks for motivation

[@yamchimovits9227]

Clarence says to not try his program at home so I go to the gym. Now i have exploding knees. Thanks Clarence.

[@devyriffs]

I did something very similar to go from ~380lbs to over 500 in a relatively short amount of time. It did eventually catch up, and I had to dial it back to 2-3 days per week with very undulating intensities/volume. Currently doing something similar again, and I’m feeling really good.

[@ShinDMitsuki]

I have never taken a drug in my life and am not Clarence0 but I have also done similar programs and every single time my squat shoots up. Basically I would squat 3x5 instead of 5x5, 5 times a week, and do some light accessory work. Each time my squat would go up 50-100 pounds. Got over 250kg this way. Also never got an injury from it. It definitely works in my experience.

[@TheNameIsFreddy]

Sure

[@322aareyn]

Feel like this could only work if you are bulking hard. We're you putting on a lot of weight?

[@ayda2876]

highbar ?

[@TheNameIsFreddy]

youre wrong 250kg is insanely hard to achieve as a natty@@322aareyn

[@FitnessSheriff]

The two months around when I PR'd my all time squat, I had broken a finger and couldn't do any pull/deadlift days, so it was just all squat patterns and rests. Boom.

[@SeanOBrien-ip3hn]

I now have patellar tendinopathy after seeing that squat volume/intensity

[@exterminador0do0futuro000]

6 days of training a week is mind-blowing, it's a lot of determination. His diet must have been excellent to withstand so much training.

[@dyloak6450]

I LOVE CLARENCE!

[@hesehali5042]

Thanks for the content maker for warning us about this kind of training. I didnt need the warning though. I have trained weightlifting for years and powerlifting for decades. Have had enough injuries to not even concider this kind of program 😆

[@stewartmcentire2852]

I also didn’t really make huge progress in my squat until I squatted 3-4 times a week and did a lot of tempo work. Helped me go from 220-290 in about a year and a half

[@Biolo-G_KJ]

For me it's the opposite. I get stronger and bigger legs if I train them less frequent. Less than 3x per 2 weeks.

[@trevorkimm5272]

You should do a video detailing your time in Poland and how it differs from other “systems” or your own training

[@markjakab6635]

I cant sleep so i started watching clarence kennedy at 00 20 anyone else?

[@ZenKrio]

Yah man, that works, I took the 5x5 and merged it with the frequency of the Bulgarian method, so it was 5x5, 2-4 times a day, blew up my squat to mid 500's before my body started having issues from the overuse.

[@1TieDye1]

What weight were you using for the 5x5s? 😂

[@SmeekPeeky]

You could probably do this when u start out because the weight is so low. But I found that over 225+ pounds for squats and deadlift the load starts to be real and you need more rest. I did squats and deadlifts a total of 6 times a week at first, then 4, then 3. And now 2 times a week. Feels like a sweet spot right now. 300-400 pounds ish.

[@Yakushii]

5x5 of RPE 8-9.5 sounds gruelling to me. Did you ever dread going to the gym on training days because of that particular line?

[@number1gstar]

I’ve been doing 5x5 rpe 9 for the past few months. Every squat session is a mental battle before coming to the gym and during every set.

[@ictogon]

Does that mean RPE 9 on each set? I don't get how that works, I could probably do two sets at that level, then I'll just be fucked and do like 4 3 2 reps on the next 3

[@patronizingpuyol9844]

@@ictogon Means the first set starts off at rpe8, and by the last set it'll be rpe9.5 because of the accumulated fatigue throughout the sets

[@inkinky]

this is your best video yet! thanks a lot. A few questions: 1) 230 - 26X kg - how did you do it? since you seemed to put the cutoff there, but your 3xbw was from a similar era it seemed to me. 2) at which squat weight did your knees start hurting? thanks.

[@faizalmohammed9874]

My knees are tingling by just watching this.

[@nedflanders3395]

I’ve been doing 5•5 5 days a week for months now. It’s honestly not that bad. My max squat went from 405 to 525 in about 9 months

[@tappajaav]

What kind of broad long jump and vertical leap you can achieve with such massive tree trunk legs?

[@royercrafter]

​@@tappajaavprobably not that much if he isnt training for it. in the same vein as why someone could have a 405lbs clean and jerk but not a 400kg deadlift

[@Neekuyenduku]

Please post more often ❤❤

[@Yupppi]

Nuts! Speaks of your fitness and how advanced you were to be able to train like that. I kinda symphatise with the not tracking everything and writing it down. Like you have your plan that has a method and pattern and logic, then you just do it. You autoregulate as you should anyway and outside that, there's no real reason to micromanage the plan all the time. If you spend 30-60 minutes a day just thinking about your program that you're still gonna execute in a similar way, stressing out about your training instead of trusting the plan and spending the time recovering, I'm of the opinion that neurotic overfocus is a negative. That's the whole reason you constructed the plan: that you have a plan that you follow and trust, and focus in just training. You're doing something wrong if you put effort into making a whole plan and daily spend time managing it. Like how tough is it to remember where you started/did last week and adding 5 kg and doing another 5x5. And if it feels off, not going as high that day. I'm definitely one of those who easily go too far with things and obsess over details unnecessarily, it took time to learn that "just doing it" is like 90% of the results if you have the basics correct (which isn't that difficult to get), the rest is rather subjective differences in training styles. Funnily enough I as a very casual lifter also really found, to my surprise, higher frequency squatting was enjoyable and effective. High reps/higher volume wasn't as much to my liking as higher frequency. Or should I say higher frequency training, I think I squatted three times a week (which was an increase to me) and bicycled a lot during that time. I imagine it was a similar experience to being advanced and starting to squat five times a week. I feel like everyone should at least once experiment with their training frequency to find out their limits and what feels good to them. Higher frequency definitely keeps your technique fresh and might allow you to lower the absolute load. On the contrary it can become taxing to joints and other tissues around the muscles. I can't say anything with confidence, but seeing what your friend's elbows did when squatting, it's not a total surprise an injury happened with very intense training. If Sika Strength or Squat University has taught me anything.

[@letransformateur6477]

I might try it sempai Clarence. To reach 180 kg at a bw of 75+ kg.

[@Morenooooooo309]

What height?

[@Morenooooooo309]

At what height?

[@ShinSuperSaiyajin]

you uploaded this after Gurph uploaded his 300kg back squat journey. INTERESTING.

[@thepeatboggy]

It seems everyone with huge performances in anything, at some point just have to do blocks of training of what other people can’t or whats outside of “sensible”

[@Lavabug]

yeah sometimes you gotta wonder if they're just keeping all the gains for themselves. I've never been stronger than on "stupid" programs and have developed tons of injuries with zero gains on "smart" programs.

[@thepeatboggy]

@@Lavabug I’d always say theres a style of program that is generally a good idea, where the aim is to “develop athletes” relatively slowly, which is sensible programming then theres a style of programming where the aim is to “squeeze diamonds” without regard for the athlete’s longevity or long term health or risk of injury etc which is usually to take a freak, or a talented athlete to elite level

[@TrayCaddyyy]

That’s so many reps of squats. That’s so much more practice than folks who squat once a week.

[@gageperez6261]

Nice bro very strong for your size

[@wesleybell4240]

He was stronger then most men when he was just 15yo!!

[@Blackstar1701]

I just squatted 315 for the first time last week!

[@kr9244]

5*5 stresses CNS for strength, 3*10 is hypertrophy to enlarge muscle fibers. Combining the two makes sense.

[@brandonlindley8697]

Drops a video right before I hit legs, can’t be a coincidence

[@drakescakes5629]

I followed smolov (similar intensity but only four days a week) when I was 23 (now 35 and don’t care about having a strong squat anymore). But, I went from a 350lb back squat atg with no knee wraps or belt to 425lb atg without any knee wrap or belt in just 8 weeks. The wild thing was I was only planned out to squat 400 at the 8 week point and in my final 10 sets 3 reps I just did 305. No steroids either or any ped. Just found a weight gaining diet that required me to eat somewhere between 280-300 grams of protein and carbs. Got my bodyweight from 205-240 also. And I only did half of the program (the second part requires 2 weeks of major Deload and hoping into the same intensity again and I gave up lol) Only issue with all that intensity is once I stopped and went back to a basic 5x5 program (only 3 days a week) I dropped back down to 350 in about 4 weeks. I’ll say it was cool to have experiences squatting more than 8 plates even for just a short period.

[@christophegroulx8187]

You went from 425 to 350? What happened?

[@drakescakes5629]

@ smolov was so volume intensive. It basically is a meet prep workout to boost your squat anywhere from like 75-120 lbs in a matter of a few months. From what I can remember, I’d squat 4 days a week. 4x10 the first day. 6x8 the next. 7x5 the next and 10x3 reps the last day. My numbers for sets on 10x3reps only ended up being 305 but I had put so many reps in through the first 6-8 weeks of smolov that I was able to squat 425 practically as bouncy as an Olympic lifter. So when I was finally like “okay my body can’t handle this type of squatting forever, I switched back over to a basic 5x5 program and within a months time I was back to 350. Lack of knowledge of maintaining that strength and lack of drive after that hardcore workout is what defeated me. I would’ve liked to have achieved a 500 lb squat naturally but it’s all good.

[@SchmidtyFilms]

I tried this for about 3 weeks and it definitely gave me a big boost in my squat but then my kid got a cold and i couldn't sleep for like 4 days and lost all my gains. I've worked a lot on my technique for like 10 years so I didn't suffer from any injury, it was just overall daily fatigue and trying to live life and have a family that makes it very difficult. Only do this if you're single and can control every recovery variable lol.

[@theartistbarber]

I'm starting to question the experts because I have always heard that you shouldn't lift weights every day, but when I tried it with my arms, they grew from 18 to 20 inches. I didn't use very heavy weight either.

[@TheBro2467]

Can you share more ?

[@zacholson4901]

Love this Clarence! Just a question about the back squat: assuming you're exploding up from the bottom, with regard to the descent of the back squat, is it best to bounce out of the bottom or slow your momentum to a pause to improve in the snatch & clean and jerk?

[@watgoatse]

I enjoy seeing programs like this because it is a reminder that you can do some truly wild shit and make great progress. You can squat every day or once a week, or even once every 2 weeks and still make gains. It's highly idiosyncratic. Science based lifting is great, but it has not come even remotely close to exploring all the possibilities of training. That's why I think it's good to explore some crazy stuff at least once in your lifting career.

[@denisng7423]

Damn... thought you were back in japan for a second. Miss those videos.

[@xxFairestxx]

Starting tomorrow at Clarence’s advice

[@nelocarbon3284]

1:00 legendary UL gym💪🏼

[@harrison_caton]

Currently squatting 3x per week and it’s been excellent for me. I can squat 245kg so I’m not great but I’m decent.

[@IronHandsDan]

My knees feel like they are gonna explode if I squat more than twice a week

[@tarkkaplan4501]

Bro he really just casually said "I brought up my squat from 180kg to 190kg in 3 weeks".

[@wesleybell4240]

Did you see how strong he was at 15yo lifting crazy lifts.

[@CladGuy]

i threw up from reading the volume, wtf clarence this is sadism

[@heavywildrift]

Hi, I’m gonna try this at home, thanks

[@blauu1360]

Broke my thumb few weeks back, followed a similar program with just front squat it works wonders

[@Djehuty99]

I squat 3 times a week usually at RPE 7-9 ramping up thorugh weeks, doing 5s, 3s, 2s and working up to a peak workout where i feel confident to do a one rep max, thing is i have to do a week of deload right after going through e.g. last week of RPE9 5s before switching to 3s. I can't imagine lifting like this program ever, I'd be beyond fatigued by the end of week 2 XD To be fair I've never used PED-s, and gonna turn 36 in a month, maybe if i came across something like this 20 years ago when i started lifting i could have withstood it for a couple of months 🤷‍♂

[@Leonidas-eu9bb]

I think increasing volume is the last thing one should do for long term strength gains. It's not smart! Making progress is all about getting out of ones comfort zone by exerting more stress than before and recover from it. This could be done in many ways. More load (intensity), more work (volume), or a combination of both are the most common approaches. Things like more exercise variation, more power/speed are less common. Increasing volume is for sure the easiest progression.. and for sure the worst!

[@takeda780]

Legends say, that writing a program like this summons the 80s Bulgarian Squat angel.

[@AakarshanB]

I used to squat everyday during my back injury cause I couldn't deadlift at all. Basically squats everyday for 7-8 months straight. It felt so good.

[@marktuason418]

Squats at your level of strength at RPEs 8-9.5 is insane. I thought it could've been lower (at least 7?)

[@JamesAnderson-fw5ew]

Hi, I was wondering if you could make a video on tips for getting back to squatting deep after knee injury. I had a meniscus tear that I had a surgery for 2 years ago and from what I can remember, you had the same issue. It would mean a lot to me and thank you for your time😎

[@paweljankiewicz1383]

That’s so funny. I started doing 5x5 squats 2 times per week so that my squat catches up to the bench press. I thought it was a base building phase before jumping into more complex periodization. Think I will keep it like it is.

[@johnnyblaze5499]

I'm on 5x3 and 7x3 to prevent excessive burnout. So it just depends what the day feels like.

[@kirbyr558]

Instructions unclear. Left my home gym and tried it at a commercial gym. My spine is now broken.

[@kiffymanofficial2]

I tried this at home, and it worked. ❤

[@Hirooshii1]

New clarence video? How to squat 300kg? AND theirs a program, AND my left hip has felt like shit as if its shifted out of socket? Time to start squating 5days a week it is! Il report back when i squat 300kilo. Thanks clarence!

[@williamthomas5215]

OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD it’s happening?! It’s HAPPENING!! Everybody stay calm, EVERYBODY STAY FUCKING CALM. Clarence posted.

[@Kobe005]

Blud went from 180->190 back squat in 3 weeks. He is not human.