Day 12. Back to basics.

So now that Will's been helping me improve my squat form, I've completely forgotten how to squat.

Today I went to the gym on my lunch break to squeeze in Wednesday's workout, back squats at a 30x0 tempo. Even before I walked into the cage, my brain was racing - should I do a low-bar back squat? Or a high bar? Usually, I'm closer to a low-bar squat, relying heavily on my posterior chain, but Will's trying to force me to better engage my quads with a high-bar position. But I wasn't sure if I was always supposed to use high-bar or just in my training sessions with Will. Unsure, I opted for something in the middle with the bar lodged uncomfortably below my neckline.

As I lowered into my squat, I assessed every awkward movement. Was I pressing back with my hips too much? Were my knees too far out in front? I hefted the weight upward with the same uncertainties. Should I be pressing up with my quads or pushing back into my hamstrings? Was I coddling those lazy quads with too much glute action?

By my last set at 145#, my hips were shooting up well before my chest, my upper back curled inward. My knees were buckling. And my last reps were of dubious depth and even more questionable tempo. It was a humbling experience. The only bright spot was that I was still squatting more weight at a far lower depth than most of the men at 24 Hour Fitness.

Lesson learned. For the next six months, as I turn myself over to the amazing Karma CF trainers, I have to recognize that this is, in many ways, a re-learning process. Which means I can - and should - scale back, not worry about how much weight I'm lifting, and focus on technique. I've been trying to break through barriers on my own for months now, and it hasn't worked. I may as well try something new even if it means lifting less.

So that's what I learned today. Also, I had a dream that I was eating a cupcake with peanut butter icing. That must mean something.