[Old_Fart2]

My most effective squat routine was this:

I did 2 working sets of eight. I started at 315. The next week I added 10 lbs. to each side, did 2 sets of 8 again.

Each week, I'd add 10 lbs. to each side and shoot for eight. If I didn't make it I'd stay at that weight for the next week or the next until I did.

Eventually it's impossible to get 8, so you drop the number to 6 and keep going. Then to 4, then to 2.

My goal was to hit 550 by my 40th birthday. I made it three weeks before, 550 for one rep, at a bodyweight of 185. And, by God, it felt great!

For my squat workout, I still use a variation of this, although I'm not hitting 550 anymore. The best I've done lately (at age 52 and 195 lbs.) is 5 reps at 435.