Yowzah

Yeah I'm not sure max efforts on box squats was the best idea ever.

As things got heavy, they got a little desperate and I was having trouble holding my technique together.

Anyway: High point of the night was when I got to the counter at the gym where a sign informed me that GRADUATE STUDENTS who were not yet registered for the spring semester would not be allowed into the gym.

What the fuck? I've been a student here for the better part of a decade and I don't get denied entry to the gym until about a week before classes start. Though rest assured, the signal for me to register for courses has always been when they deny my entry at the gym.

It just came earlier than expected this year. I pleaded with the dude at the desk. "C'mon man, I'm here 4 times a week. I see you all the time. Just let me slide and I'll register tonight."

"No. Sorry. You can sponsor yourself for 5 dollars for a day pass."

"Fuck that dude, I've got three dollars. Just take the three dollars I've had a long day."

"Do you have a charge card?"

"(sigh) Yes. Fine. Charge it."

Max test, dudes. Given how convoluted my night had been (I meant to workout right after work, but I forgot a change of clothes and there was no way I was squatting in blue jeans so I had to bike home and then drive back to the gym during which time some damn poacher stole my spot. They've been on me every night. I think the neighbors have a long term house guest parking there, which is totally uncool as I pay for that spot as part of my rent. But whatever. I digress and I don't like to confront households across the hall where there are roughly 4-6 people living all of whom are of ill enough repute to steal my parking spot when the snow starts falling. Anyway) I paid my five dollars and went to the rack where I warmed up and felt really stiff.

I had a roughly 14" box that set me up with the femurs parallel. So I went to it:

2 doubles at 135
1 @ 155
1 @ 175 (fast and flawless I was feeling good)
1 @ 195 (way more than 20# harder than 175 was)
1 @ 210 (ungodly effort on my part with a total technique fail)

I'd previously managed a double at 205 and 210 was gasket blowing.

So I assessed the box and my leg position. I vaguely recalled that back in september I was having trouble keeping my back arched so I was doing my heavy sets with a taller box. I added another plate to it to make it a ~15 or so inch box.

It looked more right.

Manged

1 @ 220 (again, gasket damage)

Set up and half heartedly tried 230, but I was getting scared about having a near max load on my back and sitting on a box where there wasn't a great option for bailing.

So yeah. Hard night. But 210 down to parallel is way the hell more than I've ever squatted before in my life. And 220 @ slightly above parallel trumps my old best lift of 205 @ that height.

I thought the box would provide a nice way of keeping me honest in terms of depth for the max test, but it turned out that I had a lot of trouble keeping my form as the weights increased.

Rest of the night was easy

2 x 6 of

Y-T-W @ 2.5
Pull ups, WG @ BW
Pallof Press, @ 70,90
Push Up @ BW

Tonight I shall register for the spring semester. I don't actually know if I'll still be a student in the spring semester, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay to use the universities weight room when I'm working 60 hours a week for them.