Lee Moran’s Squat Workout

Lee Moran was the first man to squat 1,000 lbs. in competition and an absolute goliath within the sport. The following source, from a powerlifting magazine in the 1980s – annoyingly I’ve lost the source which so rarely happens it is worth mentioning – details his thoughts on a 3 month training split to bring your squat up. Enjoy!

WORKOUT of the Month

A new concept in weight training instruction. A workout by workout, set by set, rep by rep workout plan, with exact training poundages specified over the entire span of a strength training cycle, laid out for you by a top Powerlifting Champion. Each month, a different lift is analyzed. For those at different strength levels than the training poundage specified, simply increase or decrease the training weights in direct proportion. For example, if your lift is 400, and starting lift for the program is 500, multiply the training poundage by .8 (400 divided by 500); if your lift is 600 multiply poundages specified by 1.2 (600 divided by 500).

12 Week Squat Routine
by 1984 World Superheavyweight Champion, Lee Moran

This is a 12 week program for intermediate lifters who can squat 600 or more pounds. The goal of the program is to squat 640 at the end of the 12 weeks.

For those not squatting 600, be sure to adjust the training poundages accordingly, as noted. You must do three sets on the squat days, one for the number of reps specified, then 2 additional sets for as many reps as possible. The squat schedule is based on contest attempts, then 10%, 20%, and 25% off, then repetitions based on those poundages.

Wear wraps and a suit beginning the 5th week. After that point, wraps are essential to finishing the routine. I do not recommend wearing belts until about one-third of the way through. For this routine I found out wraps at the 475-500 pound point.

Also, I do not wear my suit until the day of the meet. It’s my belief that you owe it enough miles to know what to expect, and a little surprise on meet day is always nice, especially when the surprise comes in the form of a 40-pound increase in your squat.

As far as form is concerned, I try to keep my knees directly in line with my ankles as much as possible during the descent. On the ascent, explosion and keeping your head up are important.

For assistance work, after finishing your squats, do hack squats, 3 sets of 12 reps each. Then do 5 sets of 8 each of benching, or 6-8 sets of curls, alternating between straight bar and dumbbells. Do bent over rows in this order. 5 sets of 12 reps will finish the workout for this training cycle.

On the 17th, 18th and 19th squat workouts, I recommend doing 1 or 2 sets of full squats with about 50 pounds over your best squat for that day. Or on the 9th squat workout, a box bench should follow. You use a bar and bench as a bench should be used with weight, standing underneath it as if you were squatting to the ground until your thighs hit the bench underneath you. The box squats are to prepare you mentally as well as physically for the meet day.

This routine is going to seem easy in the beginning stages. This is to help the body adapt to the ever increasing volume without burning out. After the third squat workout, however, you are going to require a lot of physical as well as psychological strength to finish it.

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Contest Calendar

Wk	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1	325×10					350×10
2	375×10				425×10
3	400×10				450×10		475×10
4	500×7				500×7		510×7
5	520×5				530×5		540×3
6	550×3					560×3
7	570×2					580×2
8
9	590×2				600×2
10	600×2					610×1
11						Contest

Meet Attempts: 573, 601, 639.

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Lee Moran… pictured below in one of his recent major competitions, will provide personalized training routines for $25 each. Send him full information on your present training lifts, supplements you are taking, how much sleep you’re getting, and a description of the level of your training cycle. Send the routine to that, Mail to Lee Moran, from Island Gym, 2306 Encinal Ave., Alameda, CA 94501.