Gyms are closed this year, but the backyard gym is always open. The backyard was open last year for Squatober 2019, but I did the whole month solo. This year Konrad did a few of them with me, still PR'ed on my own.
This year I got my hands on a new bar to celebrate and to keep in the rack solely for squatting. The Pendlay bar got to rest on the new pulling platform for cleans, and RDLs, and Snatch grip Deads. Also made a lightweight pressing stand out of scrap wood and moved the Bella bar over to it. This year's programming called for a lot of heavy BB curls by 5's, so any curling didn't happen in the Squat rack (it happened in the pressing rack, which is totally okay).
Gained three pounds during the month. Got at least 8 hours sleep, and ate right (I fasted one day, during the Shandon/Portland prayer weekend at the end). Workouts usually took 70 minutes. Took six days off out of the 31. Averaged 2600 calories a day, including the weekends, 474 exercise calories. Macros were Fat: 137, Carbs: 151, Protein: 265. All better breakdown than I'd been doing for the rest of the year.
This year featured a couple of the see saw days, a same-workout back-to-back Deja Vu day(s), and a couple of test days that required doing 21 reps in as few sets as possible, rather than max reps with 90%. These were set at the two and three week points; did the tests ["Party with" and "Party like"] and raised my TM after week two, but not after week three.
So many days this month I looked at the workout and wondered if I would be able to accomplish it. Found out each day that the program was just hard enough, doable but satisfying afterward. Someone online said that this is great programming at any price, and I agree.
As with last year (and with Deadcember) there was more pressing than pulling, and I'd try to make this up a bit. Some of that is how I feel since I make the pulling a priority. Also added in some RDLs as so much is quad-centric.
I really found that I love snatch-grip Deads this year. Never would have tried them otherwise.
Throughout the month, my right leg was feeling like it wasn't pulling its weight (pushing its fair share, I should say) and right tibial tuberosity was feeling sore to the touch, reminiscent of the trauma from Feb 2018's sprint MCL-strain. Initial measurements at the beginning of the month showed that the right quad and right knee were both smaller than the left. Some imbalance there, or some favoritism as maybe I'm subconsciously limping along. Lunges throughout the month were particularly painful when the right leg was doing work, so much so that if I wasn't warmed up well, I simply couldn't lunge.
I still feel persistent pain under my glute where the hamstring inserts, taking it easy to heal up for Deadcember.
Going forward, I'm going to continue to squat heavy! Sets of doubles and triples for the win in 2021.
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