Killer Squats For Bad Ass Strength, Conditioning & Muscle

In the past, squats were my go to method for rehabbing and building strength back into my legs after my injuries. Did all kinds from Sumo Squats, Hindu Squats (mainly), Side Lunges, Isometrics & Hindu Jumpers. They worked and I was stronger and completely healed up within 6 months after walking again. It was painful but I did it. For brief periods off and on since then, leg work was a priority but not much of the squats per se. I would come back to them every now and then and always believed that if you did extremely high reps, it would keep you in solid condition which is true to an extent.

I was doing up to 500 Hindu Squats for brief time in the summer years ago and it was fun for a while but it got boring and I got burnt out from them. Some people do very well doing them consistently and it's a great exercise no question about it. However, if you're someone who's got some form of ADD and doesn't always have the capacity or interest, it's not going to work out for you because it's going to feel like a drag and a chore more than just doing a workout. 

As I got older, I started learning various ways to work my legs beyond just the squats and Isometric stuff; do loaded carries, sprints, walking with a weighted vest, animal moves, a quarter to half squat while working with sledgehammers, horse stances and step ups. I will always be convinced that Step Ups are incredible for conditioning, strengthening the legs from another perspective and a great alternative to jogging and running. One of the best athletic stories I ever heard was a Marathon Runner believing he could keep up with Bob Backlund in a step up workout because after all, 26.2 miles sounds much harder than Step Ups (to be clear, it isn't. It's just different styles of training) right? Barely 20 minutes in, the marathoner stops and walks out the door to never be heard from again and Backlund just keeps going.

Not to go into talking about my personal goals, I can say however; the squats are being done differently this time around with a different mindset. Not going to do 500 Squats everyday any time soon but every now and then do them with the deck of cards because for one, the idea of most training should be around stimulating the muscles along with strengthening the tendons and ligaments for strength, growth and conditioning. Doing 500 Hindu Squats is a great goal and will challenge anyone's cardio to an extent but IMO, start with a smaller number and build up to it but as you do so, make the road to them different in some aspects meaning, shoot for certain amount of sets until you reach a certain number and go from there. Another idea is to make it interesting and not always going the same route to get to 500 once you can do them. If you can do them nonstop that's freaking bad ass. Once you understand the steps taken to do them nonstop, change certain around so that type of workout doesn't become stale like the cards, you're still doing a full deck but the way to get to 500 is always different so you're stimulating the legs while doing those high reps. 

Do you absolutely need to do 500 Squats on a daily basis? Unless that's what your goals, interests and if you're a high level athlete, I don't see the need to do THAT many all the time. You can do 100 one day, 200 the next, take a day or two off and do 300 or just do 50 for the day, that's your choice, there's no limit, the idea id to train for stimulation. You can even do a mesh-up of various squats to keep things interesting and consistent. You should never get bored in your training, it's meant to be adventurous, challenging at times and making it work for you, no one else. 

As of late, I've been doing squat workouts where I do 100 or more a day with my 50 lb Sandbell. I would hold it and do an X amount of reps while Bear Hugging it or switching from shoulder to shoulder or just yesterday, did multiple sets of 30 where I would do 10 on my left shoulder, 10 Bear Hugged and 10 on my right shoulder without putting it down until the last rep. I would rest a bit until I can almost breathe normally and do another set. I'm still doing the "minimum" of the amount I want to total but I'm getting there differently each workout so it gives me the stimulation my legs need and I'm not bored out of my fucking skull. It's challenging at times and one day I might do a full squat workout without ever putting the bell down. Wouldn't that be an ass kicking workout?

It's about taking small steps to create the big picture you want and being creative so you can make your training work for you and to keep coming back more and more. I would do other things throughout the day like Isometrics, animal moves, cables, step ups or whatever springs up in my head. If you're more on pure bodyweight, you can go for extremely high reps if you wish or you can program them into a different plan for building more muscle and strength while staying in top condition doing RDP's Grind Style Calisthenics Training. It's about taking simple approaches and formatting workouts that don't take a ton of time and be able to stimulate the muscles from another perspective. I use this format myself from time to time and it can be tough as hell. You can even make them into Micro Workouts so you're saving even more time. You can find a ton of workout ideas on Red Delta Project's youtube channel and dig into the heart of realistic approaches and progressions that will keep you coming back for more. Really valuable stuff.

Below is the Squat Exercises I've been doing with the Sandbell. You can grab one or more here if you're interested in them.

As you can see, I do these practically in a full/deep squat to really get into the muscles and hips. Doing them up to 100 or more in a workout can have you breathing hard like a madman which can target your natural HGH Levels. These are just ideas you can do, there's all sorts of ways you can use squats to target your lower body. Brooks Kubik is also a fanatic on Leg Training especially since he's now in his mid 60's and going at it in a way most men his age would be baffled by. He does log carries, drags, squats and some bodyweight stuff down at the beach frequently and still looks like a fucking beast. He does teach older trainees how to stay consistent so they can stay strong and healthy for as long as they can which you can find here. His Dinosaur Strength Training books are still great ideas to keep that old school style alive and all under $10 on Kindle. From progressions to workouts to testing your strength and plenty of exercises to choose from, you have a plethora of awesome ways to get your ass in gear.

Keep trying new things to not just train your physical body but working the brain as well. The Sandbell Squats are amazing to do and they test your cardio, your balance, control and can build some phenomenal strength for the long-haul. You can use other things but I highly recommend these because of the shifting of the weight and so many exercises you can do with them. It's a new year, get something new for you and get cracking. Fuck resolutions, set new goals and make them work to your advantage, not against you. 

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