I PR'd. Again.

This is a picture of me about to squat 405lbs.  This was the first time I had ever done so, and is 60lbs heavier than my best competition squat which was 340lbs on 10 December 2011.  After being rendered virtually useless for the first half of the year, I think this is decent progress. And since the next competition is not til December, I think I will shatter this mild milestone then too.

I did this the same way I always do. I do a shitload of box squatting with a safety bar and with a straight bar. I do infrequent amounts of squats without the box.  Why? The box tests well more often than it does not. On  27 August I managed to do two challenging singles with 375 on the box.  A month later--25 September--on the box, I did the same weight for four sets of doubles.  They were also much easier.

Actual squatting became more frequent in August.  Absolute best on that was 365 for three doubles on 21 September.  And now today. 405 for 3 singles.

Something that I tested that helped and could help you too is testing your squat stance and doing as many goddamn types you can do.  Some days squats from the bottom of the rack tested best.  Other days, it may have been the cambered bar, the safety bar or the straight bar.  And box or no box.  Something you can also test which may freak some of you out, is the amount of knee and hip flexion you use in your squat. Some days I would do a movement pattern which left me in a more upright position and with more knee flexion than normal, and other days I would flex the hips as much as I could for the movement.  Once these variables came into play, the volume took off, and apparently so did my max.

Before I conclude, I will relay a funny story. Two nights ago, while I was in the middle of my sets of doubles with 375 on the squat, my ex girlfriend was doing squats next to me in the other rack.  Yes, it is possible to remain good friends with an ex, if you aren't a retard and the ending wasn't murderous or otherwise terrible.

So we are doing our squats, and chatting and what not when up walks this short, fat, bald motherfucker wearing a Pantera shirt and most likely intoxicated.  Apparently, he was once a big time body builder, though his physique reflected nothing of the kind.  He proceeded to take his shirt off and flex.  To attempt to diffuse the situation, I ask my friend for a spot.  Now, her being 5'2, and lean does not mean she isn't strong. In four months of training starting as a novice, she can already deadlift 240lbs, and squat at least 185.  So, for spotting heavier stuff, I definitely trust her.  This guy did not trust her.  He immediately pipes in and says, "I got you, bro."  To which I said, "No, I would rather her do it."

At this point she walked away and this guy attempted to squat 375.  He claimed it was racked too high. Bummer. He then took her 175 lbs, and gave it a quarter squat, though it looked like an eighth squat.  On my next set, he then told me I needed knee wraps, which is where I lost it.

The last story was merely for humor, I hope the rest of this was useful.