T-Nation: Okay, so why squat in cycles?

Tate: One reason is because although the squat is one of the best exercises for mass, it's also one of the main exercises that people stick to way too long.

Let's say you hit an overtraining state. Diagnose that however you want: lack of progress, morning pulse rate, feeling like shit, whatever. If you're in that state and you're continuously putting a bar on your back, which is a load on your spine (and your spine is your central nervous system), then you're inhibiting your ability to recover from other training.

T-Nation: You know, a lot of hardcore people wouldn't think of not squatting for a period of weeks!

Tate: I think it's important. It's very apparent that there are times when you need to get the bar off your back. Every time I went through a phase where I took the bar off my back, my muscle hypertrophy increased significantly. Now, keep in mind the overtraining state was in effect, there were injuries in effect, and there was probably a year when I didn't have a bar off my back.

But I think that for every 12 to 16 weeks of squatting, you should go through a three week phase where you take the bar off your back. Now, with that three week break, I'm not saying you don't squat; maybe you use the belt squat, which we use a lot of. It's a belt squat machine that allows you to squat but there's no loading on your spine.

Also, when you're going through that phase, there are no good mornings or safety squat bar lifts either - no bar on your back whatsoever! What you're reduced to is a lot of glute-ham raises, a lot of hamstring and quad work, step-ups, lunges, and belt squats.

What you find is that your leg mass increases for two reasons. First, your body is able to begin recovery like it normally should. And second, you're using exercises that you probably haven't been using for the last 12 to 16 weeks.

T-Nation: Interesting stuff. Now, back in the day

T-Nation: You know, I was watching some EliteFTS DVDs the other day and I was struck by most of these guys' calf development. Any bodybuilder would kill for those calves. Let me guess, they don't even train calves directly do they?

Tate: No. It's a side effect of squatting heavy. Plus, a bigger guy is always going to have bigger calves. Look at your football coach. You've got your old lineman coaches with like 50 inch calves! It's just the nature of having the extra bodyweight - and walking around is going to develop that.

But the calves are partially responsible for supporting the knee. Just the nature of walking the weight out of the rack, squatting and pulling, you're training your calves.

What you gonna do now, Jones?
Just becareful of point 5.

Reading 2 pages back, I thought someone is bashing someone for screwing with some program?

Advanced Lifters:
After a while, linear progress doesn't work so well.  You want to do this for as long as you can.  And I mean, resetting and running at your records, changing some exercises, rep ranges, whatever, just keep trying to get some linear progress as you want to milk this kind of progression for all it's worth.  After a while it will become pretty obvious this doesn't work for you any more.  Welcome to periodization.

If Jones were to do HST,
he'd fail miserably SDing cos you're supposed to sit on ur ass the whole day
and order around people to get you stuff from the fridge.

Uh dun do leg pressies to subtitute squatting. Did that. Regretting it. Hamstrings lacking big time thus resulting in major inflexibility (harder to ATG, cant run properly etc). Unless you know how to leg press properly to stimulate hammies (use teh heel to press), I really wouldnt recommend it.

Erm Suddenly I feel too tired to type. Nvmlah. Go have a good rest la Jones.

Yeah, learn how to be lazy like syd, jones    ^