Stella's Adventures in Squatting Journal

The 12th squat workout in the series

We're skipping past one workout now to arrive at the day when I told Bill I was ready to hear what I would be doing on the the big day (this was one of those times when I nearly fell out of my chair at a first reading). After the shock wore off, I spent the next days visualizing what plates would be racked and "feeling" the the heaviness and the firing of many muscle fibers to support it. He anticipates some of the self-doubt (an ongoing saga for us) and prepares me for the biggest push of all.

Bill: Ok, tonight is the 12th squat workout. To get ready for Saturday, don't go beyond the 5x3 forthe last weight tonight. No 10 rep sets.

What you're going to do on the 17th is get something close to a max!!

That will entail a couple of 8 rep warm-up sets with 135. Lots of rest between sets, 3 - 4 minutes. Based on your last workout, progress like this:

10 x 165 7 x 195 5 x 225 3 x 265 2 x 295

The double is well within your capability and is really just to get used to the heavier weight. 3 - 4 minutes between sets.

Now for the next ones, you'll need to go a lot by feel. Have a spotter handy.

Singles with 315 then 330. If you're feeling good, try a last one with 345.

With the heavier weight, it is an even more deliberate process. Off the rack and settle. Let the bar stop moving. Then it is your steps back to your 'spot.' If you don't like it, re-rack. Take a few and try
again.

I believe you can do this. Your last workout extrapolates to a 370 single. This means you've got the *power* to do this much. The 'wild card', though, is how it feels once you get it off the rack. It's a lot more than you've handled in the past so the feel and balance are critical. It's not going to be a question of strength, but form. This is 7% below the theoretical max, so the reserves are there.

As I recall, it is a young lady in the Denver area who keeps on doing these 10 rep sets with 3 rep weights, "just to see." Hm-m-m-m.

[Addressing the issues of those who have tried discouraging her:]

As I mentioned earlier, one of the principles of success is to
associate with positive minded people who are also goal-oriented. Naysayers, even those rare ones who think they are looking out for your interests, seed self-doubt.

Analogy: Put one or two lobsters in a big pot and you'll have to put a heavy lid on to keep them from crawling out. Put four or more in the same pot and no need for a lid. As one tries to escape, the others will pull him back in. People are the same way.

Bill

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