So after a year and a half of powerlifting... I have learned how to squat. Squatting has gone from being absolutely miserable to something I actually look forward to now and here’s how I got there. 

For the last 5-6 months before I actually committed to my next meet, I was in a slump. For those months that I was battling with staying motivated in the gym, I took that time to work on some things. I was killing myself with hypertrophy work, I was keeping it super conservative with the weight and higher with the reps. For months I stayed around 240-255 (a light enough weight for me to work on bracing and my form) and really perfected my squat. I found the perfect squat stance that I didn’t have before. Anyone who thinks they are too good for “rep work” is wrong. You don’t always have to ego lift, take some weight off the bar. I don’t care how long you have been an athlete, we all benefit from some good hypertrophy work. Some good TLC. I also stopped being lazy and started spending 20-30 mins stretching my hips, doing banded exercises, and foam rolling pre squat session. Making sure my hips were really open and I was warm. Afterwards cupping, massaging, muscle recovery CBD oil, and Epsom salt baths. These were the little tricks that helped me.

When I started putting just as much effort into my warming up and recovering it was a game changer for me. So what I’m saying is be patient, take some time to treat your body right, get comfortable with your stance, and practice practice practice. Work on those weaknesses. Always remember progress, not perfection. 

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