King Joes Barbell Club

Take your current 1RM and subtract 20% from it. This will be your 1RM for the program. For example, if your best 1RM squat is 150kg, subtract 30kg and your 1RM for the Master’s Russian Squat Routine is 120kg. If you don’t know your 1RM max, I recommend you guess on the low side. Rest as long as you need to between sets. This program is intended for rock bottom Olympic style back squats. If you are a power squatter, subtract 15% from your 1RM to accommodate the difference in depth between the two styles. Belts and wraps are fine either style (we are Masters after all, use what you need to). Feel free to deviate from the written program and take an extra warm-up single or two as you ramp up to the work weights, especially for the loading days of the last three weeks.


Phase 1 - Volume: 4 weeks, squat twice a week

Workout 1: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 2: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 3 x 6 sets
Workout 3: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 4: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 4 x 6 sets
Workout 5: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 6: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 5 x 6 sets
Workout 7: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 8: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 6 x 6 sets


Phase 2 - Intensity: 4 weeks, squat twice a week

Workout 9: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 10: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 85% x 5 x 5 sets
Workout 11: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 12: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 90% x 4 x 4 sets
Workout 13: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 14: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 95% x 3 x 3 sets
Workout 15: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 80% x 2 x 6 sets
Workout 16: 60% x 3, 70% x 2, 100% x 1, (105% x 1) (110% x 1)
(Attempts in parenthesis are allowed extra PR attempts if the previous attempts were clearly submaximal.)

 All routines are suggested guidelines. You have to adapt the routine to how your body responds and as we get older we need to be even more attentive and responsive to our bodies’ warning signals. An eight week program is a suggestion…if you need 9, 10 or 12 weeks to get through this program to a new max, then that is what it takes.