Squatober 2022

Juggled off days, took a little longer to finish than 30 days because of some family stuff. Probably a good thing, as I recall feeling beat up doing 5/2s in years past. I think I'm better off doing 3/1,2/1 or something like that.

A few doubles of the same workout this year, the workout variety was stale late in the program. There was a see-saw day, a 21 to party day, and only one day of front squats.
Most notably, slow eccentrics and paused squats worked early magic.

 
I didn't feel strong last year (after losing a whole month to Covidpneumonia, I was still bouncing back in October) and was just glad to complete the program then. This year, after 9 months of walking lunges, hip thrusters and extensions, with some squatting all year, I felt stronger. The slow eccentrics and pauses really gave me confidence. My bracing felt solid this year too, like my core wasn't flimsy and working against me.
Still don't have the top end that I would like, I only got 320 on PR day (missed at 330). However, my 75%-85% reps all felt good and doable throughout. In years past, they didn't. They felt heavy then, this year not so much. I'll take it.

Nutrition for the month:
2800 cals/day was goal, 2757 was actual. 
Fat: 117g/day, Carb 185/day, Protein 234 which is a win. 

A good month.

Squatober 2021.

 Well, this ain't the first rodeo. Same things as previous years still apply: 

- It's a lot of squatting, which I'm still not confident about, and in which I still don't feel like I have a lot of top end

- It's a lot of pressing, especially benching; more than I'm accustomed to, and not as much antagonistic pulling (so I worked in a couple of bonus pulling days to compensate)

- Macros and sleeping were good, did all workouts as Rx'ed, felt great, and felt sore 

- It's great powerbuilding programming at the right price

- Lots of farmer's walking was good for the core this year, forgot that these were so legit

Didn't PR or anything (some of that's thanks to covid all through July and the major setback that that was to all things muscular), but I felt solid in my form, depth, and didn't experience knee pain or glute insertion pain as I have for the last couple of years. 

On PR party day, I had an easy 305, and couldn't get 315 up out of the hole. Not what I want, but what is reality for me. I feel like I'm in a place where I have a basis for continuing strength here though. Deadlift has come along in the past couple of years, and I feel like the tide is rising. Just have to consciously put more weight on the bar than feels comfortable. On heavy days, I still had a sense of creeping dread that I would fail. But the bar was going up, and form was spot on this year — something that wasn't as true in the past as it was this go around. It's still a wonder that I can bench the same weight I'm squatting with ease and without hesitation, but the squat is always with trepidation and without confidence.

Gained 5lbs, but lost a half inch off of the waist. Felt throughout the month that the quads and boot were more solid, and true enough, gained most there. Knee gained the most, I really wish I had access to a leg extension machine.

Like I said, gained 5lbs, on 2734 cals/day average, and was using the creatine. Helped with recovery. 212g protein a day, 186g carb, 130 fat. 443 cals/day for workouts, which was the highest average for the year (I don't usually go for an hour lifting).

Another great month of solid programming. Good for my comeback from Covid weakness, good for my squat confidence.

Squatober 2020.

The bottom line: Adjusted up my Training max grid twice during the month, and landed on the final max test day at a +25# PR over last year's heaviest rep. All reps this month were deep and high bar. Reps felt a lot more solid and balanced too, compared to last year. 

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.