Q & A featuring Squatober

Q: What are your thoughts on Squatober? Are you participating?

A: This is my first year as a Squatober participant. It is awesome! For the experienced athlete/lifter, it is a great opportunity to vary you normal programming and implement a fresh lifting cycle. The programing takes into account volume and intensity. You will work six days on one day off per week. The best part is you are hitting upper and lower musculature each day. Squats are the focus but balance is key.

Initially, I was presented with questions from individuals with less time under the bar as to “why the volume was so low and how would one make gains with such low volume?” I love questions like these - without a solid knowledge base of adaptations of musculature, muscle function, implementation of specific volumes and intensities for desired outcome, energy system demands and proper recovery (not to mention overall volume and average intensity)- to make true strength and/or power gains excessive volume is not the most efficient route.

It takes a lot of knowledge and skill to say the least to write a 6day/1day program with solid overall volume/intensity. A lot of first-hand experience coaching and under the bar experience is needed. On top of all the joy expressed above, almost all of the D1 Birmingham coaches are participating! There are a couple who are working toward competition goals and are understandably cheering us on this time, but most of us are participating. It is an awesome feeling to pick shit up and put shit down with your family, especially when we get to experience those 90% + days. The atmosphere is competitive, encouraging, just electric in general!  As I told many initially, don’t start it if you’re gonna bullshit, you have to buy in and attack it to reap the results. It truly gets me fired up!!!

Q: How do you avoid getting hurt?

A: Warming up properly is a must. My goal is atlas 10 min- 15 min warming up. I break it up into a quick dynamic to elevate temperature, fascial work, mobility specific to the day, and finally under the bar working toward the first prescribed intensity. Also before bed I soak my feet in epsom salt and finish with more fascial work. Proper Nutrition and hydration is a MUST as well.

Overall, I am loving Coach Aaron Ausmus’s (aka, @penandpaperstrengthapp, The Meathead Whisper,Double A) program. This is not the first of his I have used personally. I encourage you to check him out and have an AWESOME Squatober!