Squat 365 x 1

Great workout today! Really great. 

Started with squats. Did some things differently warming up today which I think really paid off! Went through my normal warmup, and I was already feeling pretty solid, but then I 1) really stretched out my calves/ankles before starting, and 2) worked in some front squats to my warmup sets. I think both things helped me to really keep my technique nice, my knees and hips forward and my torso more upright because I must say form felt GREAT today. Hit the bar for 5 regular squats and then 5 front squats, in 1 set. Then, hit 135 x 5, put it back, and hit it for 5 front squats. Hit 225 x 3 which were a little wonky and forward, so then I racked it and hit it for another single, really focusing on keeping my torso upright, and I nailed it. Went to 275 and again, focused on not rushing the descent and keeping my torso upright and my knees/hips forward, and smashed a double. Then, smashed 315 for a single. Up until that rep, I wasn't sure how heavy I was going to go, but after 315 I decided I wanted to hit 355. Either I would hit it for a single, and just be happy that I went heavier than last week, OR if I felt great I could try and hit it for a double, to beat last weeks double by 10 lbs. I jumped to 335 and hit that for again a very solid single - a bit tougher than I wanted, but still a great rep. So, I loaded up 355. Hit it, and definitely knew I couldn't get a double - however, the rep was great, fairly smooth, and strong. So I was torn - should I try and hit it again? but I decided that, hard as it was, I think I had a little more in me! So, I loaded up 365, rested, and hit it. Form was great, and what resulted was probably the hardest squat I have ever squatted in my life. Considering that, beltless, 365 x 2 is my PR, 365 for a single isn't half bad! especially compared to last week. Making gainzz already. Man that rep was hard lmao. Here's a vid. 

Next up, did some front squats. Felt so light after the 365 lol. Hit 135 for a quick set of 5, then loaded up 225 and hit it for 3 sets of 5. These were really great. Form felt awesome, back was strong and solid, only giving way a little bit on the final rep of each set. 225 is a really good weight for me to work at. Light enough so that I can keep rep quality and quantity really good, but heavy enough that I really feel like I am working my quads and back. 3 x 5 is a lot of volume at that weight for me. I feel like the more I hammer front squats, the better - the added quad and back strength, and the constant work on a more upright posture while squatting seems to address all my weaknesses. 

Lmao at this picture. 

Finally, did some deadlifts. I was playing around with form, trying to emulate mikhail koklaeyev's setup when he pulls, because I like the way it looks. When I pulled off the floor, my back still rounded, and because the form was pretty unfamiliar the heavier pulls of the floor looked pretty ugly. However, I actually like the way this kind of pull felt, and I feel like with some experimentation I could improve greatly. I might keep playing with it. Anyways, my focus was more on touch-n-go deadlifts today, to try and work my backside. I hit 135 x 10, then 225 x 10, and finally strapped myself to 315 and hit THAT for a set of 10. It was hard, but also a lot of fun. As I said, pull off the floor was pretty shitty, but on all the reps my back stayed beautifully flat and the weight moved nicely. DEFINITELY need to do more of these. Work on breaking the weight with a nice flat back, then keeping the back flat and repping it out touch and go... I will get my back and butt and hamstrings SO strong. Then, if I can just get my quads stronger with squats and front squats, and amp up hard when I max.... I think I will pull a TON. 

So, great day today. Awesome heavy squat, some really quality rep work with front squats, and a great set of deadlifts to crush my posterior chain. One thing I would say I feel like wasn't perfect today was speed... definitely felt a little bit slow on the squats. The more perfect my form, the more controlled, the slower I was. So maybe I will try to focus a bit on speed thursday. We will see. Lets hope tomorrow is as good as today! And as always, lets keep at it.