Since I came back from my gigantic trip, I’ve felt completely off – my weight is down almost 10 pounds, I hadn’t been weight training with any consistency in about 3 months between work travel and everything else, and I just felt like a complete and total mess.

I told all of this to my coach, and he recommended going on a squat cycle to get my numbers up, and then seeing where I wanted to go from there. I figured…. why not right? Increased squat strength should only help my oly numbers AND being on the new derby team, more strength for pushing and digging in would definitely be beneficial. So, I agreed and we embarked on this squatting mission.

And when I say mission, I mean it.

It felt like all I did was squat.

And squat.

And then squat some more.

It actually became comical by week 5, when anyone else would come into the gym and ask what I was doing, because my answer was always, “Oh, you know, same as everyday, just some more squats!!!”

How many squats? How heavy? I’m so glad you asked!!!

Here’s the 7 weeks of programming, along with some of my notes on additional work that I did. I didn’t capture EVERYTHING, but I’m doing better at that. All #s are based on my previous PRs (I definitely should have retested before starting this because I think my 1RMs were at a lower level…), which were Front Squat: 175, Back Squat: 215.

Weekly Schedule:

Monday: Lifting; (maybe CF class); Oly depending on how I feel

Tuesday: Derby

Wednesday: Lifting; (maybe CF class); Oly depending on how I feel

Thursday: Off

Friday: Lifting

Saturday: Derby

Sunday: Off (sometimes Derby bouts/workshops/practice)

Squat Cycle, Week 1, Day 1

Front Squat

Warm-Up: 6×60%, 6×65% [105, 115]

Working Set: 6x2x70% [125]

 

Day 2

Front Squat

Warm-Up: 2×70%, 2×75% [125, 130]

Working Set: 6x3x80% [140, last 2 sets were doubles]

 

Day 3

Back Squat

Warm-Up: 6×60%, 6×65% [130, 140]

Working Set: 6x2x70% [150]

+ 25 ghd situps

Squat Cycle, Week 2, Day 1

Front Squat

Warm-up: 2×70%, 2×75% [125, 130]

Working set: 6x4x80% [140] (I ended up doing 5×3 and 4×2 to accumulate the correct(ish) amount of reps)

 

**non CFN workout day **

2 min on 2 min off 5 rounds erg (stay under 2:30)

10 minute EMOM 15 situps

20 minutes recumbent bike interval workout

 

Day 2

Back Squat

Warm-up: 2×75%, 2×80% [160, 170]

Working set: 3x2x85% [180]

 

50 pushups, 50 situps, 50 airsquats (100 of each partner wod w Lori)

 

Day 3

Front Squat

Warm-up: 2×70%, 2×75% [125, 130]

Working set: 5x3x80% [140]

 

Oly

Hang Snatch: 5×65#, 3×75#

C&J: 1×75#, 4×95#

Snatch Balance: 3×65#

 

Squat Cycle, Week 3, Day 1

Front Squat

Warm-up: 3×60%, 3×65% [105, 115]

Working set: 6x3x70% [125]

 

Class

RDL Triples: Empty, 85#, 115#, 135#, 155#

50 pull aparts (blue band)

 

Oly

Clean Pull to Below Knee x 2 + Clean: 5×65#, 3×75#

Power Snatch + 3 OHS: 4×65#

 

Day 2

Front Squat

Warm-up: 6×70%, 6×75% [125, 130]

Working set: 6x3x80% [140]

 

Day 3

Back Squat

Warm-up: 3×60%, 3×65% [125, 135]

Working set: 6x3x70% [145]

Week 4, Day 1

Front Squat

Warm-up: 5×70%, 5×75% [125, 130]

Working set: 3x5x85% [150]

 

Class

7×8 C2B PullUps w/ Green & Blue Band

5k Row (27:31)

 

EXTRA DAY

Roller Derby Px

 

Day 2

Back Squat

Warm-up: 4×65%, 4×70% [135, 145]

Working set:  3x4x75% [160]

50 Blue Band Pull-Aparts

Day 3

Front Squat

Warm-up: 4×75%, 4×85% [130, 150]

Working set: 3x4x90% [157.2]

30 GHD Situps

Week 5

Front Squat

Warm-up: 2×60%, 2×70% [105, 125]

Working set: 6x2x75% [130]

50 Blue Band Pull Aparts

 

Extra Day: Derby Practice

 

Extra Day: Derby Bout

 

Front Squat

Warm-up: 3×75%, 3×85% [130, 150]

Working set: 2x3x95% [165]

 

Back Squat

Warm-up: 3×75%, 3×85% [160, 185]

Working set: 2x2x95% [205, hit one missed one, 195, hit one missed one]

OLY

Front Squat: 5×85#, 5×115#, 5×125#

Pocket Snatch: 3×55#, 3x1x75#, 3x1x85#, Missed 2x1x95#

Sott’s Press (behind): 2×55#, 2x2x65#

Week 6, Day 1

Front Squat

Warm-up: 5×80%, 2×90% [140, 154.2]

Working Set: 1x2x100% [175, X]

36 GHD Situps

12 Back Extensions

 

Day 2

Front Squat

Warm-up: 5×60%, 3×70% [105, 125]

Working set: 3x3x75% [130]

50 Blue Band Pull Aparts

 

OLY

Jerks off Blocks

65 x 2

85 x 2

105 x 2

115 x 2

125 x 2

135 x 2

145 x 1

 

EXTRA DAY

Women’s WOD

 

Day 3

Front Squat

Warm-up: 5×75%, 3×85% [130, 150]

Working Set: 1×95%, 1×105%, Up to a MAX FRONT SQUAT [165, 185 – 2 Miss, 180, 185 – 2 Miss]

6×6 GHD Situps

3×4 Back Extensions

Week 7, Day 1

Back Squat

Warm-up: 3×70%, 3×80% [145, 170]

Working set: 2x3x85% [185]

 

I probably did Oly but I forgot to write it down…

 

Day 2

Roller Derby PX in Morning

 

Front Squat

Warm-up: 5×60%, 5×65% [105, 115]

Working set: 6x2x70% [125]

5 Deficit PUs

50 Blue Band Pull-Aparts

 

Day 3

Back Squat

Warm-up: 2×70%, 2×80% [150, 175]

Working set: MAX BACK SQUAT [195, 210 (miss), 205, 210, 217.2, 220, 225, 230, 232.2, 240, 245, 250]

 

Cycle Results

+5# FS PR [180]

+35# BS PR [250]

 

Sooooooooooooo yeah. If you’re curious if this cycle worked for me… it absolutely did. My Back Squat PR was a bit shallow, but I believe my old one was too so I’m going to just be happy with it and keep striving for more. I think I would have done even better if I had retested beforehand and not had days where I had multiple failed attempts or had to break up the rep count, which would happen relatively often on the heavier sets. I’ll definitely be adding more squatting into my regular routines!