Day One, Week Three: Squats--Plus New Personal Best!

Well, I was a bit nervous going into this workout knowing that it was my last squat day before my competition in just under two weeks. Nevertheless, I managed to break my previous personal record, squatting 480 pounds! This was a really tough lift, but I went plenty deep and made consistent--albeit slow--upward progress throughout the movement. My goal originally was to squat 495 in competition, but that might be a tad bit lofty; it certainly will not be my first or second attempt.

With my last squat workout out of the way, it's time to start deciding what my attempts will look like in competition. My trainer suggested a "no-brainer" for my opening lift, one at which I'm sure to succeed so there's not much risk of facing the psychological setback resulting from missing my first lift.

With that in mind, I think I'll open at 205 kg., or 451 lbs., which I've basically lifted successfully for 3 weeks in a row now. Assuming I succeed in my opener, I think I'll attempt 217.5 kg., or 478.5 lbs., in my second lift. That's slightly less than today's 480, so I'm pretty certain I'll succeed, and yet it's heavy enough to be proud of. Finally, I might go for 225 kg., or 495 lbs. That will be tough, but it's within the realm of possibility, and I won't be upset if I fail.

Squat Day
Exercise	5/31 2010	6/7 2010	6/14 2010	Week Four
Squat	45x10	45x10	45x10
	135x5	135x5	135x5
	225x3	225x3	225x3
	285x2	285x2	285x2
	345x1	360x1	375x1
	375x1	390x1	405x1
	415x1	430x1	445x1
	435x1	450x1	465x1
	450x1	465x1	480x1