Squats are one of the few exercises that train the lower body effectively and one of the favorite exercises of the legend Tom Platz. Increasing your squat numbers will help you deadlift more easily and also help avoid injury so that you can train more efficiently. In this article, we will learn how to increase squat weight fast. We’ll learn about different methods like bracing, programming, and other techniques that powerlifters use to enhance their squats. Let’s dive in.
Powerlifting Methods on How to Increase Squat Fast
There are various methods powerlifters use to blow up their squats. Some of these methods are technical and some of them are physical.
- Increase Body Weight
- Improve Your Brace
- Program Your Squats
Increase Body Weight
The first method of increasing squat weight is to increase your body weight. Now you can have a clean or a dirty bulk because both will help you improve your squats. Many powerlifters add weight because higher body fat helps reduce the range of motion during squats. On the other hand, clean bulk will take longer but your squat will increase slowly. If you want to improve your squats in a matter of weeks you will benefit from going on a dirty bulk.
Improve Your Brace
Bracing is one of the fundamental techniques for doing any compound movement whether it be deadlift, squat, or overhead press. Bracing is one of the most crucial techniques for any lifter with any experience in increasing squats.
So to put it simply to brace you need to tighten your core like you are about to be punched in the stomach or you need to tighten your core like you are pushing hard on the toilet and filling in air into your stomach.
Program Your Squats
One of the most common mistakes people make is squatting close to their one rep max and hoping they can hit a pr. That is not how to increase squat weight safely, not only is it not safe there are also better methods to help increase your squats.
The first step to building a huge squat is to accumulate volume so that you have the necessary muscles to help your squats and after that, we need to train those muscles to generate a lot of force which is called strength training. Furthermore, we then have to prime those muscles to hit the pr which is called peaking. It is also recommended to train your squat at least 2 times a week.
How to Increase the Squat Weight With Different Repetition Ranges
Hypertrophy Block
To improve your squat we need to accumulate volume first which is generally 10 to 15 reps per set to accumulate volume. It is recommended for heavier lifters to hit a 10 to 12 rep pr before moving on to the strength block. For lighter lifters, it is recommended to hit a 12 to 15-rep pr before moving on a strength block.
Strength Block
The strength block is where you will learn how to increase the squat weight on the bar by using your muscles efficiently. In this block, you will train in the rep range of 5 to 7 reps and then eventually hit a 5 rep PR. In the strength block, it is to be noted that you should be in a calorie surplus to help you keep up with the intensity you are training.
Peaking Block
In the peaking block, you will be training at very low volumes and barely doing any squat variations or leg exercises. This allows the body to be primed to hit a pr by removing all the fatigue accumulated in the previous blocks. In this block, you will train in the rep ranges of 1 to 3 and hit a 1 rep max at the end of the peaking block or on your competition day.
To further help you increase your squats there are many other squat variations and exercises. Here’s how to increase your squats with the help of squat variations. You can also download my free powerlifting program.
Squat Variations
Squat variations are the most underrated methods one can use to increase their squat. Here is how to increase squat with the help of squat variations. These movements target the weakness of your squat and for the most part, help you improve your technique
- Paused Squats
- Tempo Squats
- Low Bar Squats
- High Bar Squats
- Zercher Squats
Paused Squats
Paused squats are a great way to increase your squats if you have trouble staying tight in the hole of the squat. This variation of the squat can help those who are either unable to maintain tightness at the bottom of the squat or are unable to hit proper depth in the squat. Overall this variation of the squat is grueling to perform but very beneficial.
Tempo Squats
The second variation on how to increase squat weight is tempo squats. In this variation, you will go down slowly in the hole of the squat and push up fast. This variation is great for
people who have a hard time holding a tight position and are unable to have proper balance while squatting. Most of the time powerlifters will mix both paused and tempo variations.
Low Bar Squats
Low bar squats are what you will see most powerlifters do. This variation of the squat engages the posterior chain and helps give better leverage to the squat. This is a very simple variation to perform. You just need to rest the bar on top of your delts instead of on top of your traps. Overall if you have never tried to do a low bar squat you should try it out and see if it helps you in your squats.
High Bar Squats
The Fourth variation on how to increase squat weight is high bar squats. This variation of squat targets the quads and can help you maintain a rigid and upright torso. High bar squats are generally recommended for people who lean a bit too far forward while squatting.
Zercher Squats
Zercher squats are an underrated squat variation that can help you increase your squats. This squat variation is great for people who have difficulty keeping their torso rigid. This variation helps by demanding rigidity or else the bar will roll out of their hand. Overall zercher squats are a go-to if you have trouble maintaining a neutral spine.
You should train at least one variation per week so you can target your weak points effectively.
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Exercises to Help Build Strong Legs
You cannot have a strong squat without strong legs. Here are some exercises that will help you build strong legs and help you in your strength journey.
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Hamstring Curls
- Leg Extensions
- Adductor Abductor Machine
- Hack Squat
- Sumo Deadlift
The effective rep range of these exercises is 8 to 15 reps.
Conclusion: How to Increase Squat Weight With a Powerlifting Approach
There are several ways to increase squat weight on the bar. But here is why a powerlifting approach can help you to increase your squats. You can gain weight which can reduce the range of motion, you can also use a better bracing technique and make use of
proper programming to help increase your squats. Squat variations such as the paused squat and tempo squats will help you build a solid technique and variations such as the low bar squat and zercher squats will help build stability.
Exercises that help you build leg strength should also be included in your training routine. Exercises such as the Bulgarian split squats and Leg curls will help build your hamstrings and glutes, and exercises such as the leg extensions and hack squats will build your quads.
To summarize how to increase squat weight, you can combine variations of the squats and improve your bracing technique so that you have really good technical prowess in your squat. Moreover you should have a proper training program so you could progress effectively and safely.
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Author Bio
This article is written by our guest contributor, Matthew. Mathew is a professional powerlifter who competes in the 120kg+ weight class. He has won first place in a national meet and is aiming for International competitions.
FAQs on How to Increase Squat Weight Fast
Q1. How to increase squat with progressive overload?
Ans. Progressive overload can be used to increase squats. You can progressively increase the volume on a hypertrophy block and increase the intensity on a strength and peaking block. A jump of 2.5kg to 5kg is optimal for most people.
Q2. How to increase squat weight after hitting a plateau?
Ans. Progress after hitting a plateau will be slow but possible. To break from the plateau you need to bulk up and accumulate even more volume than before. For example, if you had an accumulated volume of 25 reps you need to increase that to 30.
Q3. How to improve squats with the help of squat variations?
Ans. Here is how to increase squat weight with the help of squat variations. Squat variations are useful for people who have weak points in their squats and squat variations help to strengthen those weak points by targeting them directly.
Q4. How to Increase Squat With the Help of Proper Bracing?
Ans. Bracing can help you improve your squats by a lot. A lot of people learn the improper way of bracing which then causes issues while squatting heavy weights.
Q5. How to Increase Squat Depth With Heavy Weight?
Ans. To increase your squat depth with heavy weight you need to squat deep with light weights and then move on to more intense work.
