A look back through the training log...

A question on the dragondoor.com forum got me thinking about my training log so I decided to take a quick look back through it since I started squatting.

March 29, 2006 - my first squat workout (3 sets of 3 reps @ 315) - What is of note here is that I had not been under the bar to squat since injuring my back during a bad squat attempt in March or April of 2003 which resulted in L5-S1 laminectomy in Sept. of 2003. So stepping back under the bar was a big deal for me.

It is now June 2007 and I am in the midst of a 15 week squat cycle to begin prepping for the AAU World's in October in Orlando, FL. My gym max is 495 (which I am confident is actually a good bit higher at this point) and I am aiming for 525 or so in Orlando.

So in the 14 months since I started squatting (1 to 3 times a week)- I have maybe taken 4 weeks off from the squat. And the only "special" exercise I have implemented for it has been the addition of Jumpstretch Bands (mini bands). Consistency is the key - hard work, cycling of volume and intensity and squatting. My only "gear" has been a PL belt. I have focused on grooving my form and squatting to legal depth on every squat.

I am much stronger as a result of my time under the bar. Thicker and a bit heavier (volume + heavy = weight gain) which may have me looking at competing in the 198's. (But we shall see) My deadlift has climbed without focus on it (we will see where it is this coming Wed or Thursday). And I have discovered that I really love to squat!

If you are not keeping a training journal - you are making a HUGE mistake. Whether on line or in notebooks you must have a record of your efforts.

Another Gem from the DD forum today - SSGlass posted about how an abbreviated program of Clean and Press and Swings was all you needed for your "fitness" routine. And I would mirror this in the PL world - Squat if you want to improve your squat, Bench to improve your bench, and DL to improve your DL - Consistency is the key!

Simple doesn't mean easy!