The one time in my life when I semi-seriously lifted weights, the guy that was teaching me had been a Division 1 football player in college. He was legitimately beasty. And his lift was the back squat – he worked on it, and on our squat day (at Gold’s Gym in Newport News, Virginia) people would come and watch him squat. He pushed me, and he taught me the technique. I fundamentally understand the back squat movement in a way I don’t most of the other things we do, because I’ve done it before.
We also don’t do it much in our gym. Crossfit focuses a lot on the front squat, and I’m sure there are good reasons for that. The front squat is much harder because of how you have to hold the bar. It requires a good front rack and a lot of grip. None of that on the back squat – put that sumbitch on your shoulders, drive through your heels, down and up.
We’ve had a drop-in working at Celebration Crossfit for the last few days – Dave from New Jersey. Dave from New Jersey looks kinda like Superman. He’s about 6′ 3″, six pack, runs faster and lifts heavier than everybody else. This morning, for squat day…
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…I was working with him, and that’s a good thing. Going heavy is easier when you’ve got somebody there that just assumes we’re adding weight. And I just decided that today was a day I was going to push more than my body weight. Some days are not the day – today was the day.
305!
After I get through the weight and the half marathons this winter, maybe my next goal is going to be to squat something absurdly heavy within a year.
Squat day!
A Constant State of Hunger 