Today is day 14 in a journey of doing squats everyday. For the last several years I have neglected back squats in my training. Exercises such as Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats (RFESS), Front Squats, and Pistol Squats; along with Power Cleans and Snatches have been the majority of my leg work. As a result my ability to load a lot of weight onto the bar, put it on my back and bust out a big full depth squat just isn’t where I would like it to be. Several months ago I started adding Back Squats into my workouts and I simply was not comfortable in the the positions Back Squats put me in. Never one to just give up on something I started to obsess over improving my Back Squat numbers.
I started reading about how the Bulgarian weight lifters trained heavy most days of the week. I found articles from people like John Broz, Corey Gregory, and Dan John. All well respected lifters and coaches who have incorporated much higher frequency into their programs and found great success. The idea of spending more time doing the things you want to improve just makes sense to me. I haven’t been comfortable with heavy weights on my back for years, so why not just get comfortable with it by doing it more? I figure If I were to do heavy Back Squat 2-3 times a month its going to take much longer to be comfortable with heavy weight compared to doing it 4-5 times a week. Not only am I doing squats everyday but each workout I am working up to heavy triples and singles each workout. To keep boredom from setting in I am changing the variation of squats I do from day to day. Front Squats, Back Squats, Pause Squats, Narrow and Wide Stance Squats all get worked into the program so the weight I am doing for those heavy triples and singles can vary significantly.
Although it’s still early in this program I have already had a couple highs and lows. I have been able to add a good amount of weight to my front squats and I feel more comfortable doing squats. I have also had days when just getting under the bar was a chore and a heavy triple was only 185 pounds. I don’t know where this journey will take me but I invite you to follow along. To keep me motivated and honest I post “proof” to Instagram everyday. When I have the time I will also post “Squat Progress Reports” summarizing how my training is coming along.