What It Takes To SQUAT 500lbs 

I'm a 65 year old woman and was advised not to squat with a barbell by quite a few of the employed trainers at my local gym, stick with the squat machines. I wanted badly to enter the world of olympic lifting. So... I built my own garage gym this January of 2024. Its April and I'm squatting 145 pounds (started at 75). I do check my safeties, my form is good and its crazy cool to feel stronger then I did going to a gym. I am progressively loading every other workout with my change plates, the only caveat is the notion of gaining weight is not something I want to think about. I'm 144 pounds at 5'9" and my goal is 250 pounds. I'm going to do this.

Squat 485lbs yesterday. 500lbs is around the corner 💪🏾

I deadlifted over 500 recently and I am proud of my effort.

I started the NLP at 47 with a 95 lb squat. I finished my NLP (with a few resets) about 7 months later with a 365 lb squat. I continued to lift and got my squat up to 405 about a year later which is when I finally decided to hire a SS coach. A year and a half later I pulled and squatted 500 in a meet. I was 50. Today I'm 56 and I've only been back to those numbers three times. I'd say that most healthy males under 40 CAN get to 500 if they want to. It takes consistent effort over years to get there for most of us.

Wow finishing your nLP at 465 lbs is wild!

In my early 20s I was training for sports and squatted 540 for 4 reps. That was by far my best weight. Looking back, I would tell my younger self don't bench over 225, and dont squat over 315... more cardio and mobility work is better in the long term than big lifts, of course for a young man this doesn't matter but as you age your body will feel better than just throwing around huge weight. Stay safe yall! 🙏

I’m a 1,000 year old man. I didn’t start training until 900, so a little late to the game, but I hit a PR squat at 950 years old about a half century ago. Just gonna keep grinding and enjoying the process. It’s never too late.

When I was younger (I’m 63 now) by best was 615 at 211 bwt. It took 3 years to get 500, then took 6 more years to hit 600. More was possible as I squatted 720 to 4” above parallel but life intervened. Now at 63 my best is 418 and I’m going after 500 again.

Instructions unclear, I now weigh 465 at the end of my LP. But yeah, those post-novice diminishing returns can not be understated. You'd better find something you enjoy about the process and be ready to grind in more ways than one.

Solid instructions here. Seeing the Bruins shoutout in the video was a bonus. Let’s Go B’s!

The key is loading 500lb worth of Strength Co Plates and going to them...makes the lift feel 10% lighter.

Excellent breakdown here

went through SS, got to 460lbs by the end of it, but I have been stuck there for months. save me

There are freaks out there i watched my best friend squat over 600 as a high school freshman and that school record still stands almost 2 decades later 😂 and he was never serious about lifting

I wish I could run the NLP to 465 ...

500 is my all time goal.. its been a fight against being 6'5 & 200 lbs lol. Currently at 435. Attempting 445 this week 🤞

I plateaued around 440 but at a body weight of like 205-210. Gained 20 lbs and squatted heavy once a week and PR’d 510 within 6 months. 37 years old

I squated 502 back in my late 30s.

I'd say just about any normal male with consistent training could hit a 405lb squat to proper depth. Many could get to 500lb, but I wouldn't say all, as some luck with injuries and genetics can play a role.

Let's say.... I'm skinny. And ... I don't REALLY want to put in the work. But ... 500 bls sounds awesome, and I have wishful thinking that some might consider hope. Is that a good strategy?

Im at 465 but i think i need to focus on gaining weight first because im always about advancement without getting injured

I stopped at 500 with a 520 deadlift and 315 bench. I weighed 275 pounds. I was so damn fat. Started losing weight and never made those numbers again. At 195 bodyweight I made it back up to a 500 dead but I didn't have the belly to bounce off so squat only went to 420. Bench was 285 with terrible form. Best shape of my life. Bought a house and now I'm to busy and exhausted to concentrate on lifting.

I’m 180 , 5’8” male about to hit 500, iv worked out about 10 years , I’m 25 , I only do powerlifting, did 485 yesterday it felt good and been able to get under it consistently daily , I’m about to hit 500, but minimum weight isn’t constrained to 200 , iv benched 385 at 190! … anything above I 180ish would allow more females and lighter weights to try to!

I shuffled things by adding another day so i am only adding 5lbs a week, and my progression has been much smoother, because i actually recover. A day. Squat, bench, row B day. Front squat, pullup, dip C day. Dead lift, OHP, chin up Still liner progression. i am moving weight through a greater variety of angles. I made it all the way to 140 on OHP without stalling. It is f*ing hard, but I am still improving every week. I bought 1.25 plates to slow it down even more when i cant handle 5lbs which is close. 225 is weeks away on my bench too. I am 47, and a bjj blackbelt. So i also train jiujitsu several days a week, and i am not young. Putting 15lbs a week on my squat was stupid and i was going to get hurt. I am fine with stretching out the noob gains because it seems like i am getting farther with them than most people i talk to. But, i am not an expert. Take my opinion for what it is worth which is probably very little...

I dont claim to be an expert or anything but its probably worth emphasizing that you needed to eat more to hit 500. Weight moves weight, if you want to be 170 lbs and have abs you should probably just be satisfied with a double body weight squat. For everyone else we need to eat.

i just hit 455 yesterday, on my road to 500

Got 550 at 25 years old only took 8 years to get

Stay in the hips!

513lbs at age 17 at 210lbs, played center as a football player. I really didn't work out a lot back then. I have always been unnatural strong. Now at 54 couldn't squat 250lbs don't think😁

Ask Lucic about working out with Gallagher! You would have gotten 600 in a Habs jersey!

Depends how much you weigh. Cowboys RB Duce Vaughn can squat 485 for 12 at 180 lb. Best i ever did was 475 lb at 210lbs. That said, ive deadlifted 3 times my bodyweight, so i am a hing lifter not a squat

No joke i literally stayed at 225 and increased reps in stead of weight.. I was up to 45 reps on squats for 3 sets all 45 reps...no drinking or smoking..took about 1yr. I never maxed out ever...to say the least 12 plates went up 8 times.... that was 16 yrs ago... I can still do 6 plates at 40. I dont think there are genetic freaks out there... I believe some of the high school guys stop growing at like 5 10 or 5 9... those guys can squat a ton and a few big boy freaks.... we had a kid that was the strongest lifter on the team but had no athletic skill. slow... endurance was low...overweight and just a 5ft 10 paper weight

Great honest feedback. No one at the gym does 325 bench, but me and a trainer. My issue is strains and pulls slowing me down. 3:04

It’s all about THE GRIIIIIIINNNNND

I've been trying for 11 years to hit 500. max ever is 395

I used to squat like 245 now im doing sets of 135 for 12

I'm stuck at 185lbs. Is 500lbs. squat in the cards?

👍

TRT helps

my goal is to high bar back squat 500lb at a body weight of 190lb to 195lb

Any healthy male over 200 lbs can make it to 500.

For the algorithm

Not a problem for me at 5'11 235.

4. A gallon of milk a day

I can squat 225 for 20 reps and bench 245 for 3 reps. Don't know what my 1rm is for squat. I weigh 157lbs. Is even a 400lb squat feasible for me? Also not trying to toot my own horn but I have always been significantly stronger than everyone else my size and many who are bigger than me.

All you need is knee sleeves and a belt, duh

At my age and BW (51, 185-190#), I think 500# is the world record. So yeah, 500 isn't happening for me.

eat bigger, squat deeper

500 pound squats are easy

Over 650lbs at 18. Didn't touch a weight dor years and still was able to do 500lbs. 500lbs is light. I felt and small when pushing 500lbs.

You look small.

why the fuck would anyone want to squat 500 lbs? who cares?

Starting strength is a joke. They take a basic beginning powerlifting program and slap a different name on the, and make it sound like its something special.