The 20-rep breathing squat is one work set of 20 barbell back squats. The bar stays on your back between reps. When you need extra time, take two or three breaths at the top, then take a fresh breath and brace for the next rep.
Set the safeties and choose your starting load
Warm up as you normally would for a back squat. Set the rack safeties just below your bottom position and check the height with the empty bar. After the last warm-up set, rest until your breathing has settled and you can brace comfortably.
For the first session, pick a load you expect to handle for 20 reps at a consistent depth. The first few reps should feel controlled. If you’re already grinding by rep five, you started too heavy.
Use the breathing pauses to keep the reps consistent
Start at your normal squat rhythm. When you need more time, finish the rep, stand tall and keep your feet set. Take two or three breaths, then take a fresh breath, brace and squat again. Early on you may get several reps done without a pause. Late in the set you may need to reset after each rep.
Control the descent and use the same depth you used on rep one. As fatigue builds, check that you can still hold your position at the top and brace before you descend. Rack the bar if you can’t get your brace back or you start cutting depth to get another rep.
Progress the set in the logbook
Record three things: the load, the number of clean reps and roughly where the breathing pauses began. Use the same squat variation and setup so the next session is comparable.
- 80 kg for 17 clean reps: Repeat 80 kg next session and aim to beat 17 at the same depth and standard.
- All 20 at the same depth and standard: Add a small amount of weight the next time you run it. If you needed longer pauses much earlier than in a previous set of 20 at the same load, repeat the weight first.
- The same rep count for several sessions: Reduce the weight and build back up to 20.
Place it in the A series
For an experienced lifter in a hypertrophy meso, I’d use the breathing squat as the main squat work in the A series. Leave room for that set when you write the B and C series. I’d start with less quad assistance than usual, then judge how much to keep by how the lifter recovers and performs in the next lower-body session.
