Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks

by Randall J. Strossen

"For the optical engineer it is an indispensable work." Journal, Optical Society of America "As a practical guide this book has no rival." Transactions, Optical Society "A noteworthy contribution," Nature (London) This two-volume paperback republication of A. E. Conrady's classic work presents his complete system of optical design. The only work of its kind in English, this set leads the reader step by step from the fundamental concepts of geometrical...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0926888005
• ISBN13: 9780926888005
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: Ironmind Enterprises
• Length: 107 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Age Range: 15 years and up

Customer Reviews

Absolutely works - excellent advice.

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.

No frills - just results

This incredibly simple and brutal program will work wonders for both beginners and advanced trainers. The 20-rep breathing squat technique has been around since the the early part of the 20th century, and probably has resulted in better total body results than any other weight training program. The only complaint that I would have is the somewhat overblown claim of "How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks" in the subtitle. While it may be possible for some new weight trainers to quickly add 20-30 lbs. of bodyweight (including some fat gains), most individuals will likely achieve lesser gains. The program is deceptively simple, but is painful and requires more mental discipline than most other weight training protocols.Randy Strossen makes no claim to have invented this classic program. Instead, he readily acknowledges the writings of other authors like Peary Rader and John McCallum, providing anecdotal proof that this program has been utilized successfully by generations of drug-free weight trainers. There are no glossy pictures in this book, just straight forward training advice that works for those who will apply and stick with the program.I was fortunate to have been introduced to this technique when I first began lifting 25 years ago and I can assure you it works. But it is not easy. Heavy squats have helped me to add over 75 pounds to my naturally ectomorphic frame. I still like to use this program in the winter to add a few pounds of muscle mass. If you have never done the 20-rep squat, you will be in for a unique exercise experience. With a minimum 3 deep breaths between reps, each rep takes about 8-12 seconds. Completing a 20-rep set in this manner takes up to 3-4 minutes, and the entire upper body will be completely exhausted and shaking from the effort of holding the bar on your shoulders for this time. This is the ultimate total body exercise. The other exercises in the program are basic compound movements. Beginners can probably follow the 3-workouts/week schedule, and the more advanced trainers will likely cut down to 2/week (as you become stronger and tax your recovery abilities to a greater degree.) Like any good training program, this protocol only works until your body adapts to it. In the book, Strossen suggests incorporating a 5x5 program - another classic training program - as an alternate program to the Super Squats routine. (I believe the program is will be most effective when it is "periodized" with various strength or hypertrophy-oriented programs.) Like any other bulking program, results are also very dependent on your nutrition. If you follow the book's advice of drinking up to a gallon/day of milk, you may end up gaining a fair amount of fat (unless you are a teen with a superfast metabolism.) It is probably better to eat good quality lean proteins and clean carbs throughout the day, and to take protein supplements as necessary.Get ready to squat big, eat big and grow big!

Super Squats work

I am pretty surprised at the reviews on this book. I was at a stuck point in training. I'm no one big when I started. I weighed 140 when I started lifting, and gained five pounds by myself training in a year or so. At 145, I couldn't gain no more. I was getting more definition, but size wasn't coming to me at all. Guess my body doesn't have the muscle fibers to get big, WRONG. I decided to read books and finally purchased super squats. I find this book fantastic. Let me explain. When you do your first set of 20 reps, make sure it is very easy that you breeze through it with ease, then increase by five pound each work out. Proper rest and nutrition you will be able to keep going up higher and higher, IF I repeat IF you have the heart and desire. You have to discipline yourself on this program. Also you must be very hungry to get big!!!! If not yes, this program is useless, but if you want to gain that weight, you can. I gained 27 pounds in 8 weeks on this program. I now weigh an amazing 172. Like I said to do this program you must devote yourself a 100%. Proper warm up is a must, otherwise yes you will get hurt. If you are getting hurt, your body is telling you things. One you haven't warm up enough, wear more warm clothes and drink tons of water, cause you will get hurt if you don't. Don't blame the book. One thing I had to do to do this program was to make a tape of songs that make me go nuts. You can't listen to some song that will put you a sleep. You must act like your going to war and get psyched up, otherwise don't train, you want it or you don't, SIMPLE. I gained great mass from this book... Good luck to anyone who buys this, and remember if you don't want to gain size don't buy this book!

Super Motivation + Super System = Superman

"Super Squats" espouses the revolutionary theory that if you lift huge weights for huge reps, you're going to get huge muscles. No exercise except possibly the deadlift works the body as hard as the squat does. The heart and soul of Strossen's system is the twenty rep breathing squat. Load the bar to a weight you would normally do ten reps with. Do twenty, taking at least three deep breaths between each rep. Next workout increase the weight and do twenty more. Keep the auxiliary exercises to a minimum. Using Strossen as a guide, I devised a three exercise workout: twenty rep squats, bench presses, and bent rows, and it proved a very satisfactory workout indeed. Do those three exercises and do them heavy, and you cannot help but get strong. A word of caution: Squats can be dangerous. If you want to lift heavy on squats, get Stuart McRobert's "The Insider's Tell-All Guide to Weight-Training Technique." The book is a gold mine of information on how to perform weight training exercises properly and without injury.

This was the most successful 6 weeks of lifting in my life!

I lifted year 'round as a high school student, but struggled to add size and strength. The football coaches said I wasn't lifting hard enough, the articles I read suggested 4 excercises per muscle group, etc. I read SUPER SQUATS, and applied the diet and program. I went from a 1 rep max (squat) of 240 lbs to a twenty rep max with 300 lbs in 8 weeks. For real. At the same time my bench went from 205 to 230 lbs. Shoulder presses went from 65 lbs to 115 for sets of ten. At the beginning of the program I weighed 155 lbs, at the end I weighed 165 lbs. Not quite what I hoped in terms of size, but I had impressive strength in the squat, for my size. I was a very skinny 17 year old when I started, and two months later I was showing some decent muscularity. I got complements from many people, including coaches and other lifters. One must get strong in order to get big, and this program will make you stronger than ever. This applies especially for hard gainers like me. If you can not drink a gallon of milk per day (I did), replace the equivalent protein with a meal replacer or other source of protein. It is very easy to drink a glass of milk where ever you are, at any time of day. All of my friends who stuck with the program also got much stronger.