Guest post by Daniel Scherwitzel
Almost everything these days revolves around speed and instant solutions. Modern man wants results and he wants them now! In terms of strength and mass gains, you inevitably miss Wolfgang's squat vacation. For this reason, I have decided to present you with a few results from practice.
The name suggests comfort and relaxation, but that's not what it's all about. You have to leave your comfort zone to exploit the full potential of this holiday.
This consists of 6 days of squats 3 times a day and then 3-4 days of real vacation.
All workouts of the YPSI Squat Holiday:
workout 1
Barbell Squat, 10 sets of 3 reps, 50×0, 240sec rest
workout 2
Barbell squat with heels elevated, 6 sets of 4-6 reps, 4010, 180sec rest
workout 3
Barbell squats with heels elevated, 4 sets of 8-12 reps, 3010, 180sec rest
These 3 workouts are performed every day for 6 days in a row
My personal daily routine during the training days
06:30 Get up
07:15 Breakfast
09:00 1st session
Intra-workout: 40g YPSI AminoElectrolyte Complex
Post workout: 80g whey
11:00 Lunch
12:00 1 hour afternoon nap
14:00 2nd session
Intra-workout: 40g YPSI AminoElectrolyte Complex
Post workout: 80g whey
3:00 p.m. Snack
15:30 1 hour afternoon nap
17:30 3rd unit
Intra-workout: 40g YPSI AminoElectrolyte Complex
Post workout: 80g whey
19:00 dinner
20:30 Snack and then go to bed
To sum it up I was just trying to sleep and eat as much as possible when I wasn't working out and believe me you need all that good food and sleep!
The results
A total of 6 squat holidays have been carried out at Strength and Health - Graz and each time with great success. Of these, two were my own vacations—the first was the basic version, which you'll find in this article, and the second, an advanced version of the front squat vacation.
Basic version (with back squat):
Marc Rabl
- 1RM from 100 kg to 122 kg (+ 22.0% after 10 days)
- Body weight from 78.3 kg to 80.6 kg after 6 days
Daniel Scherwitzel
- 1RM from 121 kg to 140 kg (+ 15.7% after 10 days)
- Body weight from 86.4 kg to 92.1 kg after 6 days
Ganya K
- 1RM from 75 kg to 102.5 kg (+ 36.7% after 10 days)
- Body weight from 78.8 kg to 79.8 kg after 6 days
Advanced version (with front squat):
Oliver F
- 1RM from 95 kg to 107.5 kg (+ 13.2% after 6 days)
- Body weight from 66.2 kg to 66.7 kg after 6 days
Daniel Scherwitzel
- 1RM from 105 kg to 135 kg (+ 28.6% after 10 days)
- Body weight from 90.0 kg to 95.1 kg after 6 days
Paul T
- 1RM from 118 kg to 130 kg (+ 10.2% after 6 days)
- Body weight from 67.1 kg to 69.8 kg after 6 days
To the results
Boosts range from a minimum of 10.2% to a whopping 36.7%, all in less than two weeks!
The increase in mass hasn't always been that great, but of course the amount of food is crucial. If you eat too little, you will not build muscle.
During the second squat vacation, I measured other values in addition to body weight to illustrate how favorable the hormone balance is developing due to the many squats, lots of good food and lots of sleep.
| 1 day | 6th day | difference | |
| thigh circumference | 61 cm | 65 cm | +4cm |
| upper arm circumference | 38 cm | 39 cm | +1 cm |
| calf circumference | 38 cm | 39 cm | +1 cm |
This shows very well that not only the legs, but the entire body benefits from the squat.
Conclusion
– The sore muscles are second to none. So far everyone has agreed that you have to have done the squat vacation to know what it feels like.
– You have to go beyond your limits in every single training session to reach your full potential. After this week, if someone asks you if you gave it your all, you better be able to answer with a resounding YES.
– It's an extremely exhausting 6 days but it's a great experience that I recommend to everyone.
If you want to improve your squats and do it as quickly as possible, then the YPSI squat holiday is just right for you!
You can find the YPSI squat holiday articles by Wolfgang Unsöld here