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Squatober Challenge Week 3

For those of you who missed out on the action from previous weeks and need to catch up – you can still swipe the workouts from  Week 1 and Week 2 and get started.

Welcome back to the action.

We are now deep into Week 3 so if you are reading this right now it means you’re a true warrior.

So far we have completed 12 Leg Days in only 2 weeks time.

Just sit back and let that sink in for a minute.

Most folks out there hit legs maybe 3-4 times a month at best, but we have already out-worked that “average” monthly volume by roughly 400% and the month isn’t over yet.

When you think about it that’s absolutely insane…and you should be damn proud of yourself for making it this far.

But like I pointed out last week, we can’t get caught up with yesterday’s accomplishments.

There is still work to do!

With that said, before we get into the meat for Week 3, take a minute to listen to some words of encouragement from Nate.

SQUATOBER CHALLENGE WEEK 3

Week 3 – Day 1
1a) Pause Squat (2 seconds at the bottom. +1 means one regular squat)
60% x 3+1
65% x 3+1
70% x 3+1
75% x 1
80% x 1
1b) Front Squat (use 1RM Back Squat)
60% x2
65% x2
70% x1
1c)Pause Squat (2 seconds at the bottom)
80% x1
80% x1
80% x1
2a) Weighted Chins 5×2
2b) Dumbbell Shrugs 5×10

Week 3 – Day 2
Warmup: 2Pac on Pandora, Accelerate, Foam Roll
1. Zercher Squat 5×6 (1x – 1.5 times body weight)
2. Goblet Squat 4×12 (kettlebells or dumbbells)
3a) Z-Press 5×6 Ascending
3b) Pull to Face 5×12 (4 second eccentric + 2 second hold at face)
3c) Dumbbell pull-over 5×12

Week 3 – Day 3
Warmup: Kettlebell Swings + Squats x 30, Sit-ups x 30, lateral lunges x 30
1a) Back Squat: 2 reps at 50%, 60%, 70%
1b) Back Squat: 5×7 at 80%, then :90 second rest
2a) Pendlay Row
2b) Nordic Hamstring Curl
Superset 2a and 2b 3×12 each
3a) Barbell Rollout
3b) Kettlebell Swings
Superset 3a and 3b 2×20 each

Week 3 – Day 4:
Warmup: Accelerate/TKE/Barbell Setup
1a) Front Squat: 2 reps at 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%
1b) Front Squat: 7×5 at 60%
2a) Kroc Row
2b) Incline Dumbbell Press
Superset 2a and 2b (3×10 each, max reps each. 2:00 minute break at the end of a + b)
3. Bicep + Tricep dropset. 2 sets until failure.

Week 3 – Day 5:
Warmup: Foam roll for 10 minutes while watching old school Ric Flair interviews. WOOOO!
Work: 20 minute EMOM (Every minute on the minute)
1a) 3 squats on the “EVEN” minutes at 75%
1b) 5 pull-ups or chin-ups on the “ODD” minutes. (Weighted if you can)
2a) RDL to shrug 4×12
2b) Weighted V-Up 4×12 using 35 pounds

Week 3 – Day 6 (Weekly Challenge):
Work: Back Squat at 50% 1RM
1a) 3:00 minutes max reps – 2:00 minute rest
1b) 2:00 minutes max reps – 1:00 minute rest
1c) 1:00 max reps until failure
Note: record rep total for each round and tally it up for a grand total at the end.
2. Bodyweight Pull-Ups: Max dead hang pull-ups you can do in 5:00 minutes. Record your total reps.

Here are a few tips to help increase your squat efficiency:

(1) Squat as deep as you can without breaking form and maintaining the correct posture. (I usually squat down to parallel, but if you aren’t flexible and have a limited range of motion, aim for a few inches above parallel until you improve).

(2) Instead of letting the weight & gravity push you down, try to pull yourself down with your hip flexors instead. (This takes practice).

(3) Engage the hips and glutes by pushing out on the sides of your feet. Be sure to keep your chest up and back slightly arched. (Your stance and width of your feet should be almost the same as if you were guarding someone in basketball).

(4) Squat down as low as you can (parallel is optimal) while maintaining a neutral spine. (If you cannot do this, you should work on your flexibility & mobility).

Supplements used for performance and recovery during the week:

Morning (on an empty stomach): Greens Powder 
Pre-workout: Black Coffee, BCAA, Powder (optional)
Supplemental Protein: Ambrosia Planta
Post-workout: Overtraining Solution

Steal My Meal Plan: Download Here

Printable Meal Plan Template: Download Here

Thanks for reading and good luck with Squatober.

FINAL THOUGHTS

On the field and in life, mental toughness usually all comes down to self-esteem and attitude.

If you believe you’re a champion, you will think and feel like a champion.

If you believe you’re a loser, you will think & feel like a loser.

If you have a high self-esteem and a positive attitude you’ll be able to dig deep and persevere through most challenging situations.

On the flip side, if u have a negative attitude & poor self-esteem u can easily breakdown at the slightest hint of adversity.

As an athlete, mental toughness starts with having the right attitude & a healthy self-esteem – it is then fine-tuned through tough physical conditioning.

This means doing tons of of reps, sprints, laps, etc to increase your ability to withstand mental and physical pain – and conditioning your body & mind to adapt and push through it to reach the next level.

Squatober is a great “adaptation method” to help accomplish this.

For example, once you get through that tough training session today…mental toughness is the will to force yourself to workout even harder tomorrow – and then the day after that, and the day after that.

Even when you feel tired, sore, and mentally drained.

I often hear people say that they can’t push through the pain because have a “low pain tolerance”…or that other people were just born with a higher pain tolerance than they were.

Really? Based on what evidence?

In my opinion, pain tolerance is an intangible quality that you can’t really measure – and it’s usually 99% mental.

If you tell yourself u have a low pain tolerance, you will eventually accept that u have a low pain tolerance.

On the other hand, if you tell yourself that you have a high pain tolerance, you’ll start to believe & accept this as well.

Both of these self-fulfilling prophecies can manifest themselves in a variety of different ways.

Is Squatober rough? Yes.

Will you be tired and sore? Yes.

Will your brain try to convince you that it’s too hard and you should give up because you “tried hard” or “did good enough”? Yes.

On those tough training days when your when your legs are on fire and you are tired as hell – will that little voice in your head remind you that your pain tolerance sucks?

The more pain the louder the voice will get.

Will you submit to that little voice?

Look, that annoying little voice in your head will always be there…telling you that it hurts…telling you to quit.

So if u think u have a low pain tolerance you are correct.

If u think u have a high pain tolerance u are also correct.

The most important thing is knowing how much pain are you willing to endure in order to get what you want.

How bad do u want it?

How committed are you?

How much are you willing to invest?

How far are you willing to push yourself?

What are you willing to sacrifice?

If u want to reach an elite level you’ve got to train with a relentless aggression & push through the pain with an indomitable will.

You can’t really BEAT pain, you can only learn to ACCEPT it.

Learn to embrace the pain & use it as fuel for your journey.

Remember, there will always be struggles on the road to success, so if you’re feeling weak, tired, or sore right now just know that it’s all part of the plan.

It’s during these struggles that you will find your find your true power and greatest strengths – but only if you keep grinding and pushing on.

Look, there is always going to be someone who is bigger, stronger, faster, etc than you are…

…but this doesn’t mean you can’t beat them if you work your ass off and make a 100% commitment to being the best you can possibly be.

Remember, natural talent only determines where you start – it’s discipline, hard work, commitment and perseverance that ultimately determine how great you can be.

So whatever you’re trying to achieve in life, or whatever you’re trying to achieve in the gym – be willing to make the commitment.

Be willing to put in the work.

Willing to believe in unrealistic dreams.

Willing to persevere through hardship.

Willing to pursue your passion with a relentless aggression.

Nobody controls your destiny but you.

You are 100% in control of your life and future – so live your life on your own terms and never be afraid to chase after your wildest dreams or try something everyone else says is crazy.

Redefine your limits!

Never let anyone tell you that you’re too slow…too weak…too old…too short…too tall…too dumb…etc to do something.

You can be anything you want to be.

You can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

You can overcome any “challenge” life throws at you simply by standing tall despite being told that you can’t succeed.

By persevering, grinding and relentlessly fighting through the soreness and pain each day, and by not letting the voices of doubt be louder than your belief in yourself and your abilities, you can and will accomplish great things.

It’s all in your hands.

Go get it.

Happy Training.

Thanks for reading and good luck with the workouts. Be sure to follow to follow Nate @grind2shine365 (AKA The Creator) and myself @JaminThompson on Twitter and Instagram for workout updates and to get your questions answered. Week 4 will be dropping real soon. Stay tuned. 

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