Squat

Saturday morning- squat day.

Actually let's back up to Friday. I am at Roy's and we re training shoulders, I have no energy. I think it's a culmination of really hard training everyday, and three of those days it's twice a day and it's been a long week. 

I am supposed to be doing German Volume Training, barbell shoulder press with 70 pounds. I did it on my own Tuesday, there is no reason why I cannot do it here with Roy, I have him to spot me so that makes it even easier!

He lowers the weight. I feel sort of like a failure, but he is explaining that we really need to de-load soon, I have been training way too hard for too long.

I look at him between sets and tell him: "At some point, there will come a time when the weights cannot continue to go up every single week you know."

He laughs and says: "Yea, but that's not for a long, long time!"


After I finish my 100 presses, and then my leaning lat raises (4 sets of 12 on each side, and I am supposed to be hitting a count of about 70 seconds for each set), I ask him what I should do for Saturday. I know it's still GVT- squats, but what weight?

120 pounds

100 squats

10 sets of 10

all the way down to the ground

90 second rest in between

I know I say this a lot, but I really don't see many people squatting low. Did you know that performing squats "half assed" (ha ha) is easy? If you don't squat all the way down, you don't hit the glutes nor the quads where you need to and you are not performing them correctly, so it's easy to do them that way! 

I can do it, it's almost my body weight, but it's still doable, and he seems to think I will just keep increasing weight.


Saturday I arrive at Gold's Gym at opening, 6:00 a.m. One thing I like about GVT is that it is a fairly quick workout, you do the 100 reps and maybe one other exercise to exhaust the muscle and poof! Done!


I like doing GVT squats, I get into a zone, I think you have to actually. I know people stare, and I don't mind people staring, it actually helps me continue. They are thinking that I am an absolute crazy beast. I talk to myself, I have to, it's the only way I can continue after the fifth set. I shake my head, I tell myself it's light, I have to convince myself I can do it.


I make my hash marks on the paper after each set. When I make the seventh, I think "only three more sets left, easy!" and then I realize it's not easy, it's hard as hell, but I won't quit, ever.


The feeling of accomplishment and exhilaration when I have finished that last squat, the 100th squat of the day, the 200th squat of the week, is nothing I can really describe to you, but it keeps me coming back for more.


I finish with four sets of leg extensions, sweat dripping down my back, now so wired I really don't even need coffee.


I am ready to tackle the day.