You've probably heard either "20-rep squats", "super squats", or "milk squats" around before. The claim is the same everywhere - gain 30 pounds in six weeks.

What the hell are super squats? Why are they called milk squats? How do they help you gain THAT much weight?

Answers: They are 20-rep squats. You drink a ton of milk. You gain a ton of muscle.

Super squats ARE: you do 1 set of 20 reps. That's it.

Okay, well that's not QUITE it.

You take a weight that you normally would do 10-reps of in a training set. You put it on your back, and bust out 10 reps. Then you bust out another one. And another one. And another one. At the top of the squat, you stop and take deep breaths, to gut yourself up to doing one more rep. You repeat, and you take as many breaths as you need in order to eke out 20 reps.

What principles do this work upon? Time under tension - squats + breathing deep = a LONG time spent under a barbell consecutively. Rest-pause. High intensity.

You do this workout 2-3 times per week. Each time you do this, you add 5 pounds. So if you 20-repped 130 pounds on monday, you do 135 on wednesday, and 140 on friday.

What do you eat and drink? Eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. Drink at least a gallon of milk a day. My personal preference is half-a-gallon immediately following my workout. Get tons of protein, and tons of calories in general.

Where do you get them from? Anywhere possible. Obviously, real food is preferrable to processed calories. Eat tons of grains, legumes, nuts, meat, bread, fruits and vegetables. Just eat everything in sight.

Do you need supplements? Not really. Creatine helps but it's not required. Same with glutamine, NOX, etc. You can even do this without protein powder, if you have enough other sources of calories to eat.

Will you gain thirty pounds in six weeks? Maybe. This guy did: http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/222/

Did I gain 30 pounds in 6 weeks? No, I did not. I modified the routine to include too much volume, and screwed up royally. I burnt out after 4 1/2 weeks, but I still gained 19 pounds.

Should beginners do this? NO. Do this only if your squat form is down pat - if you doubt your ability to keep good form for twenty reps, keep working on your form before you attempt this. Better you not do this routine, than attempt this routine and get injured.

However, if you can squat, do this routine. You will gain FAST, even if you're a "hardgainer".