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The original was posted on /r/weightroom by /u/NadalsRightBicep on 2024-03-27 00:14:51.

I used to suck at front squats. I remember a super uncomfortable cross gripped 205 where my biceps felt like they were going to fall off. I got annoyed of having to modify programs. And my goal for this year is to improve my squat after putting ~130 pounds on my deadlift last year. I was inspired by the Press/Deadlift Every Day template I’d seen a couple times in this sub.

The basics are as follows, outlined in depth (plus a spreadsheet) here:

• Squat 4 reps at 85% Every Day.
• Squat 1+ Reps at 95% once per week.
• Squat 40/30/20/10+ Reps for Volume – EVERY OTHER DAY
• No hype, no grinding on daily reps.

I adapted the template for front squats as the focus lift. Secondary lifts were back squats, paused front squats, SSB, and belt squats, and I did box front squats as the overloaded variation. I did OHP and deadlift as the unrelated strength movements. The original versions of the template seem to imply not doing other lifting, but I added hypertrophy and occasional conditioning. I only partially got away with this. There were several days I didn’t go train due to general tiredness and soreness - though never in the quads or glutes. If I was focusing a lift that I was good at, and thus strength limited rather than technique limited, the extra work would have obliterated me.

Obviously, the front squat skyrocketed. I did some forearm, lat, and upper back stuff before every session and that helped me get a decent clean grip (I’ll work on adding the pinky someday). Initially, I had to use the cross grip for PRs, but the clean grip caught up around the 200 pound mark. Back squat and deadlift numbers are below but close to my December 2023 PRs of 405 and 500. Heavy belt squats feel fraudulent - either I don’t use hands and end up in a squat morning, or the arms assist some amount. I did PR my OHP, so I will incorporate heavy AMRAP sets again at some point.

My next step is to continue the squatting focus, reincorporate benching, and take conditioning seriously. I’m doing Nuckols’ 2x squat, 3x bench, and 10000 Swings.

Regarding the program itself, I’m quite satisfied. I brought up the weak link of my front squat and didn’t obliterate my joints in the process. Kind of - I have some pain under my right knee which prevents lunges/split squats (bilateral squats are unaffected), and no idea what I did to cause that. While I can recommend this for bringing up a weakness, I wouldn’t have recovered if I did this for back squats or deadlifts. I ate and slept normally by my standards, which I’m okay with because I’m not home and thus have limited kitchen access - but I would caution others from trying this on a heavier lift without maximizing those variables.

Excuse my somewhat disorganized writing - this has been sitting in my drafts for 2 weeks unfinished and I’d rather post it than let it rot like my unfinished writeup of adding 65 pounds to my deadlift in 20 weeks of Coan-Phillippi.