Getting to a 500 lb squat?

[TherealMJ]

Best way to lose the fear of heavy squatting is to get good at bailing out. I’ve seen multiple videos of Chad Wesley Smith bailing on 850+ lbs. squat misses. When you’re good at dumping the bar, you don’t need no stinking spotter.

I try to fail at least once a week when I’m going heavy. It’s what the racks was made for.


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[Test Monsterone]

blasphemy!!!!

(And coming from someone who hurt his shoulder doing DB militaries with a reported 115 lbs none-the-less....)

Squats and deadlifts done properly will only make you stronger in the long haul IMHO.

OP is talking about 500 lbs. I’m on amazon right now about to buy a hex bar so I can do deadlifts and semi-squats at home. I’m not against them complete. This is all within the context of OP trying to deadlift 500 lbs. I’ll deadlift up to 2 45’s on each, and same with squats. I can gain 90% of the size I want using just that. I’ve read that leg muscles grow well on high repetitions.

The fact that I messed my shoulder up was how I threw up the dumbbell with my knee. I twisted my shoulder during that motion, and still did 10 reps without putting it down, then a drop set and 4 other exercises.

But to make my point - yes, it was stupid and I am no longer going to be doing that. We live we learn. However, our legs and backs are something we use all the time. You can live with a bad shoulder. You can’t walk with a bad knee/hip/back. It’s a whole different ball game.

[99JT]

This is all within the context of OP trying to deadlift 500 lbs.

I pulled 500 lbs on a deadlift almost a year ago it's a 500 squat I'm going for now. The thought of a serious injury scares me a little bit but it's all part of the game. I plan to take it slowly, and strengthen my lower back and core along the way to try and prevent injuries.

[99JT]

Might as well give up now. Could only Squat 225x5 today can't focus, or push myself anymore. Ive been like this for 3 weeks and just can't shake it. I've been told I'm never going to make it, and forced to leave the gym i loved to lift at.

[balance]

Might as well give up now. Could only Squat 225x5 today can't focus, or push myself anymore. Ive been like this for 3 weeks and just can't shake it. I've been told I'm never going to make it, and forced to leave the gym i loved to lift at.

Seriously take a breath. You can do this. Yes it’s going to be hard work to earn it. Be reasonable it’s going to take time and not every squat session will be better than the last. If a squat session is only mediocre go find another auxiliary movement afterwards that you don’t normally do and kill it there that day. This approach can help physically and mentally.

[almostgone]

OP, there are a ton of tools and techniques that may help you.

You may want to squat 2x/ week. A heavy day and a speed/volume day.

You may want to attach bands at the top of the mono to the bar so you can "overload" and get used to walking out heavier weight and let the band kick in and assist you in the hole. You can also accomplish this with chains. The unsteadiness when you are at the top will work your core and the weight will lighten as you hit the hole and kick back in on the way up. You may want to go lighter than your 3-5 rep Max and attach bands from the bottom of the rack to the bar so you have to work harder at the top of the movement.

Auxiliary exercises.....good mornings, band pull throughs, hypers. Other forms of squatting...Zerchers, cambered bar squats, safety bar squats.

As BG stated, 20 rep squats are a great tool and one I incorporate. They are a real challenge, but soooo satisfying.

As mentioned several times above.....spotters, spotters, spotters. Spotters that know what they are doing, not someone focused on everything but your safety.

[GearHeaded]

just to put it in perspective . even for the most elite powerlifters things take a long time to progress. even if they are hitting numbers they've already hit.

example- ask powerlifter Joe how much he bench presses. he says he has done 555. your average gym bro then says 'oh wow lets see it' and Joes experienced response is "ok give me a year to prepare" .. the gym bro is like what do you mean give you a year, I thought you said you can bench press 555.. well Joe has hit 555 but it takes months to prepare to hit those numbers even for someone as strong as Joe . you don't just randomly hit numbers like that. it takes months of preparation.

and thats even for numbers you've already hit . let alone going for new PRs all together. big numbers take a lot of time and a lot of practice. you have to build up to it with multiple Meso cycles (training blocks) planned out over months and months of progressions.

as we've discussed in private. starting out with a hypertrophy phase with a strength focus is the first step imo . putting on some more size first and then going into a full fledge strength program with that new found size will get you stronger overall. but its going to take time. but stay focused and it will eventually happen

[Cuz]

just to put it in perspective . even for the most elite powerlifters things take a long time to progress. even if they are hitting numbers they've already hit.

example- ask powerlifter Joe how much he bench presses. he says he has done 555. your average gym bro then says 'oh wow lets see it' and Joes experienced response is "ok give me a year to prepare" .. the gym bro is like what do you mean give you a year, I thought you said you can bench press 555.. well Joe has hit 555 but it takes months to prepare to hit those numbers even for someone as strong as Joe . you don't just randomly hit numbers like that. it takes months of preparation.

and thats even for numbers you've already hit . let alone going for new PRs all together. big numbers take a lot of time and a lot of practice. you have to build up to it with multiple Meso cycles (training blocks) planned out over months and months of progressions.

as we've discussed in private. starting out with a hypertrophy phase with a strength focus is the first step imo . putting on some more size first and then going into a full fledge strength program with that new found size will get you stronger overall. but its going to take time. but stay focused and it will eventually happen

And then Larry Wheels casually strolls into the gym....

[99JT]

Seriously take a breath. You can do this. Yes it’s going to be hard work to earn it. Be reasonable it’s going to take time and not every squat session will be better than the last. If a squat session is only mediocre go find another auxiliary movement afterwards that you don’t normally do and kill it there that day. This approach can help physically and mentally.

for the past few weeks every workout has been shit, and I've dropped 7 lbs all because some ass hole told me I'll never make it, and to top that off goes around spreading shit about me so I lost it with him again now can't even go back to the gym i love.

just to put it in perspective . even for the most elite powerlifters things take a long time to progress. even if they are hitting numbers they've already hit.

example- ask powerlifter Joe how much he bench presses. he says he has done 555. your average gym bro then says 'oh wow lets see it' and Joes experienced response is "ok give me a year to prepare" .. the gym bro is like what do you mean give you a year, I thought you said you can bench press 555.. well Joe has hit 555 but it takes months to prepare to hit those numbers even for someone as strong as Joe . you don't just randomly hit numbers like that. it takes months of preparation.

and thats even for numbers you've already hit . let alone going for new PRs all together. big numbers take a lot of time and a lot of practice. you have to build up to it with multiple Meso cycles (training blocks) planned out over months and months of progressions.

as we've discussed in private. starting out with a hypertrophy phase with a strength focus is the first step imo . putting on some more size first and then going into a full fledge strength program with that new found size will get you stronger overall. but its going to take time. but stay focused and it will eventually happen

I completely understand it's going to take a long time and I might not even make it but it's worth trying. My biggest issue now is trying to get my focus and motivation back.

[Cuz]

for the past few weeks every workout has been shit, and I've dropped 7 lbs all because some ass hole told me I'll never make it, and to top that off goes around spreading shit about me so I lost it with him again now can't even go back to the gym i love.

I completely understand it's going to take a long time and I might not even make it but it's worth trying. My biggest issue now is trying to get my focus and motivation back.

Its good to have goals. We all have them... but fuck man dont beat yourself up over this bullshit someone said.... godamn if you can get to squatting 500 then hell thats awesome you smashed your goal, if not...fuck life will go on buddy. You’re worrying about this shit wayyy to much and its getting in your head and now it’s breaking you down.
Take a step back, youre in a new gym. New and better things will come

[balance]

OP
I can’t help much with social behavior so that’s something you may need to work through. You mentioned losing weight. As far as compound lifts for me they require fuel (carbs). If my weight is not going up I don’t expect lifts to progress much if any, maybe harsh compounds help here but I don’t mess with those too much.


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[Gallowmere]

for the past few weeks every workout has been shit, and I've dropped 7 lbs all because some ass hole told me I'll never make it, and to top that off goes around spreading shit about me so I lost it with him again now can't even go back to the gym i love.

I completely understand it's going to take a long time and I might not even make it but it's worth trying. My biggest issue now is trying to get my focus and motivation back.

This is where a singular training partner with goals similar to your own (not a team of chucklefucks who are in the way half of the time) can come in handy. I’ve personally always trained solo, but it’s more because of my fucked up work schedule than anything.
It’s much easier to maintain said focus when you have someone walking the path right along with you. Bonus points if you can find someone running similar cycles as well.

[99JT]

OP
I can’t help much with social behavior so that’s something you may need to work through. You mentioned losing weight. As far as compound lifts for me they require fuel (carbs). If my weight is not going up I don’t expect lifts to progress much if any, maybe harsh compounds help here but I don’t mess with those too much.


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loosing weight wasn't intentional didn't even have motivation to eat.

This is where a singular training partner with goals similar to your own (not a team of chucklefucks who are in the way half of the time) can come in handy. I’ve personally always trained solo, but it’s more because of my fucked up work schedule than anything.
It’s much easier to maintain said focus when you have someone walking the path right along with you. Bonus points if you can find someone running similar cycles as well.

been trying to find a training partner with similar goals and that works out in the morning its not that easy. worked out with a good friend of mine who is actually the one who made me love lifting but his work schedule is pretty hectic, and i felt bad out lifting him on almost everything.

i honestly get way too worked up about this shit and cant help it. i love lifting and it just hurts to not be able to focus and push myself.

[Test Monsterone]

loosing weight wasn't intentional didn't even have motivation to eat.


been trying to find a training partner with similar goals and that works out in the morning its not that easy. worked out with a good friend of mine who is actually the one who made me love lifting but his work schedule is pretty hectic, and i felt bad out lifting him on almost everything.

i honestly get way too worked up about this shit and cant help it. i love lifting and it just hurts to not be able to focus and push myself.

Halfway into my cycle a bunch of bullshit came up in my life and I had to stop lifting for a while... that turned into almost a month of no lifting during which I didn't even take a shot. So I went from doing a little over a gram at the time to nothing. Felt all depressed and agitated halfway through.

Now I'm back, strength is the same, just a little rusty. My shoulder feels a lot better. I'm focusing more on my diet, etc. Guess what? I'm gonna fuck up again and turn into a fat slob for a few weeks, then come right back. That's how it goes. It's the long-term trajectory that counts, that you're moving toward the right direction. Having a goal that's far away is good, but you must forget about that goal for a while and break that up into small units that you can tackle. So make that extra 5 lbs a goal, then another 5 lbs. I had a friend who was always talking about what he wants to get, but never how he was going to get it. The in between is the work you have to put in. He never got any of it.