Squats, Allergies and Breathing...

Another day of squatting today 425 x 2,2,2,2,1,1 - the last time I was under 425 it was a maximum double and an ugly one at that - so there has been great progress made in my squatting.

Allergies - I have felt the old allergy bug the past two days (including today) and it has my breathing a bit off and as a result - even though I had a good day of training - I felt "weaker" than I felt I should have. That whole breathing thing as it turns out is VERY important and if you don't include some form of breath work into your overall routine you are missing out on an essential piece of the health puzzle.

The old time strongmen and physical culture people included deep breathing exercises into their routines because it had a profound impact on health and strength. Yoga includes the practice of pranyama (sp?) which is breath work. Martial arts, Tai Chi, Qui Quong all include breath as an integral part of the system they teach. And you are not including it in yours?

The classic Super Squats book by Randall Strossen (available at www.ironmind.com) includes a section where he talks about a variation of the routine where "lighter' weights were used for the 20 rep squats but the focus was on three huge deep breaths between each rep. The results were just as good as on the program where heavier weights were pushed but the breathing was not emphasized. Breath matters!