The Segugio Squat Protocol

The Segugio Squat Protocol: Erection Training For Sport 

This program is designed to quickly restore strength, power, and work capacity to a detrained, offseason, or specialized athlete. Heavy compound lifts tend to take a secondary role during bodybuilding contest prep, in-season sports training, and periods of rehabilitation (or laziness).

This 14 week protocol is ideal for returning to peak performance before progressing to sport-specific refinement. I am currently using it with a comparable time allotted for pre-contest cutting. If you plan to compete (in anything) in the fall, this program may suit you. If you have less than five years of serious training history, it may not.

It's a 7-Day Split, which can be done on a 4x2-A-Day if absolutely necessary. It's loosely based on the Smolov Squat Cycle, which, until this article is published, remains the premier guide to the world of weighted sit and stands. I keep the frequency identical (MWFS), but with a much greater focus on power and workload, as opposed to raw strength. Smolov is specifically designed for powerlifters, and more specifically for competitors using gear (equipment, not anabolics). I believe this program to be at least equivalent for raw lifters, and possibly superior. If your goal is to produce maximal force, your training should be focused on acceleration (CNS), volume (hypertrophy), and frequency (form development). Size (accessible fiber count, not surface area) and efficiency (how many fibers you can meaningfully activate at once)  are paramount. Of course, if weight gain is a concern, there are other ways to develop strength.

Most programs begin with a 1RM test and incorporate weights based on percentages of that number. Those programs are universally applicable with variable results. This program is narrowly applicable with predictable results. Before I move on to the template, I need to unambiguously establish the prerequisites of this class:

1. You have five or more years of serious training experience

2. You are a cyclical athlete (your training varies during the course of a macrocycle)
3. You are in an early phase (>14 weeks remaining) of your offseason

Because you undoubtedly meet all of the above conditions, your starting weight will be 50% of your projected 1RM. How to project? Use a number +/- 10% of record 1RM based on resource (time constraints, changes in physical/professional status) assessment. If you had a 500 pound squat at 24, and you're now 57 with a replaced hip, you probably shouldn't use that number. If you're 22 with a 500 pound squat, and plan to move back into your mom's house after college, you might use 520. Not much useful data can be derived from the 1RM of a postseason football player, a post-contest bodybuilder, or a lapsed strength athlete. Instead of using 6-8 weeks of "recovery" time to gradually reincorporate heavy training, then arbitrarily testing 1RM (which is what most sports programs do), you can get right back to quality training. By your 8th week, you'll be focused on new progress and aspiring towards ever greater heights, while your peers are still recapturing lost ground, and telling anecdotes about "muscle memory" in the locker room.

Now that your imagination is properly aroused, I'm only too happy to deliver the pain.

Modus Operandi:

Initial Week:

Monday: 15x3@50%

Wednesday: 12x4@50%
Friday: 10x5@50%

Saturday: 6x6@50%

Each workout progresses incrementally with the latter 3 schemes (12x4, 10x5, 6x6). Increments will vary (you can't just add 10 pounds a week forever), but consistent growth at any rate will still achieve impressive results. Intensity increases only after the successful completion of all three schemes.

Correct: 12x4@250, 10x5@250, 6x6@250, 12x4@260, 10x5@260, 6x6@260

Stupid Idiot: 12x4@250, 10x5@260, 6x6@270

Strength athletes should test 1RM on the 7th and 14th week. The max can be performed on any squat training day, in lieu of that day's planned session. Progression is not in any way altered.

Correct: 12x4@320, 10x5@320, 1x1@435, 6x6@320, 12x4@330

Stupid Idiot: 12x4@320, 10x5@320, 1x1@435, 12x4@330

Tempo should indicate a controlled descent, brief pause, explosive ascent, and stability at full contraction. My personal preference is 2-1-X-2, but since this program operates on big boy rules, feel free to use any timing that matches the description. Interval is 45 seconds. As the weights get substantially heavier, 60 seconds may be acceptable to ensure the preservation of mechanics. This is a program for athletes. If you can't execute with brief rest intervals, stop reading, and work on your conditioning. It's not about fat/thin/slow/fast, it's about being able to sustain a high level of output.  

Assuming a projected max of 500, the first squat session would consist of 15 sets of 3 reps at a weight of 250. The timing of each set is N-N-X-N, with a non-zero value at every [N], and the [X] portion of the lift completed X-plosively. The consecutive number of seconds the bar is permitted to sit on the rack once you start your series is 45. The interval time (45 seconds, don't get lost now) is based on tension, not on when you step out of the rack, not on when you lock out, not on any other nonsensical measure. Any time spent supporting 100% of the weight counts as time under tension, and does not count against your allotted 45 seconds of reprieve. If you don't understand the contents of this paragraph, please refer to the works of Charles Poliquin.

Contingency Plans:

Failure of a rep, defined as the inability to independently complete the movement (the bar is on your shoulders and you can't stand up without assistance), results in immediate termination of the session. The failed series is reattempted on the next training (MWFS) day, and progress continues as normal.

Correct: 12x4@270, 10x5@270[F], 10x5@270, 6x6@270, 12x4@280

A consecutive failure results in immediate termination of the session. The program reverts back to the last properly executed weight in the failed rep/set scheme.

Correct: 12x4@270, 10x5@270[F], 10x5@270[F], 10x5@260, 6x6@260, 12x4@270, 10x5@270

Very important: If the failed weight is a known "plateau" (it's usually mental inhibition, but better to get your athlete over the obstacle than to give a psychology lesson), or readily identifiable factors (lack of sleep, missed meals, dehydration) can be attributed to have affected performance, series may be restarted at 1/2 unit decrement.

Correct: 6x6@260, 12x4@270, 10x5@270[F], 10x5@270[F], 10x5@265, 6x6@265

Degradation of form, defined as the inability to independently complete the movement to the outlined standards (your "explosive" contraction takes 8 seconds and has you constantly shifting and grinding), results in immediate reduction in intensity. Progression continues either as normal or at 1/2 increment. Below is an example of responding to form breakdown during the third set of the third series.

Correct: 12x4@270, 10x5@270, 3x6@270 + 3x6@260, 12x4@280 OR 12x4@275

Ancillary work is needs-based, but all athletes should target the major muscle groups and relevant motion patterns. Below is the plan as I use it:

Monday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Tuesday: Back, Biceps

Wednesday: Legs (non-squat exercises), weak point training

Thursday: Upper Back, Traps, Biceps

Friday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Saturday: Back, Arms

Sunday: Legs

If you prefer powerlifting:

Monday: Vertical Press

Tuesday: Vertical Pull

Wednesday: Leg assistance work

Thursday: Horizontal Pull

Friday: Horizontal Press

Saturday: Upper Body assistance work

Sunday: Leg assistance work

4x2-A-Day Split:

Monday: AM Press, PM Squat
Wednesday: AM Leg + Upper Body assistance work, PM Squat
Friday: AM Press, PM Squat
Saturday: AM Pull, PM Squat

Regardless of the template used, the squat session should be done after the day's other training (doesn't have to be dead last). The reasons for this are twofold:

1. Knowledge of an impending fast-paced squat session is likely to prevent overexertion in other exercises.
2. Engaging other body parts while fresh will facilitate high quality training for less frequently targeted groups. If the only time you worked a body part was after a punishing squat series, it would undoubtedly suffer.

Ideally, the framework will help you create brief and efficient training sessions that complement the SSP.  

Variance:

There are cases which would be better served by a modified approach. If a bench press specialist makes good progress by pressing 3x/week or 3x/month, then there is no reason to change that aspect of his/her training. In cases such as these, trainers should carefully track rate of gain, changes in form, or visible signs of fatigue/injury. They may be able to "complete" the assigned workload, but their physical improvement is much more pertinent than their ability to check the box. Due to the demands of the squat work, it is advisable for most athletes to moderate all other exercises. I recommend one foundational compound exercise (Military Press, Barbell Row) per day, performed at <85% intensity (unless you're a strength athlete), with assistance/isolation work comprising a sizeable portion of each session.

Nutrition:

The primary concerns in planning a diet are sport-specific and individual-specific considerations. A 100 pound increase in squat max doesn't matter to a wide receiver if the corresponding increase in body weight impairs speed. My recommendations (below) are based on what I find adequate to support this level of training.

1. Protein approximately 2g/lb bodyweight

2. Complex carbohydrate no less than 1.5g/lb bodyweight

3. Total calories ~BMR + 20% (3400 + 680 = 4080 for me)

4. Cardiovascular work compensated at 90% (consume 90 additional calories for every 100 expended through deliberate aerobic work)

Supplementation:

My suggestions are creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, and taurine. Peri-workout blends such as Purple Intrain (discontinued) and Surge Workout Fuel are good options. BCAA mixtures like Xtend and Chain'd Out may be better options for the weight conscious. Stimulants should be used sparingly due to increased chance of vertigo and irregularities in blood pressure.

Other Thoughts:

I prefer a slightly narrower than shoulder-width stance on most of my sets, as it allows me greater depth and better acceleration. I've noticed no impairment in the posterior-chain dominant (wide, straight) stance I use for max attempts.