Poser
WKR
I’ve squatted 400+ before in a different stage of life, but, as noted above, it doesn’t seem compatible or realistic when combined with an extremely active lifestyle. When I get some time to focus on the gym between seasons, I’ll often push my numbers up a bit in anticipation of losing weight and strength when outdoor activities kick back up: snowboarding, summer backpacking, scouting, backcountry fishing etc. Maintaining a squat in around the neighborhood of 300 lbs for reps seems to be lifestyle compatible and around the upper end of what is practical for such pursuits. During the off-season breaks, I may push that back up to more low to mid 300s, but I don’t foresee squatting in the realm of 400 lbs again unless I hit a stretch of life where I’m only focused on strength training for consecutive months.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m always of the mindset that stronger is better and I’d love to be that strong and still be as lifestyle focused as I am, but it’s just too much cumulative stress. I snow board 80-100 days a year, spend 50-60+ out in a sleeping bag. I don’t foresee backpacking 10 miles with 4,000 feet of climbing on The Weeknd and then coming into the gym on Tuesday and squatting 395# for 3x5.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m always of the mindset that stronger is better and I’d love to be that strong and still be as lifestyle focused as I am, but it’s just too much cumulative stress. I snow board 80-100 days a year, spend 50-60+ out in a sleeping bag. I don’t foresee backpacking 10 miles with 4,000 feet of climbing on The Weeknd and then coming into the gym on Tuesday and squatting 395# for 3x5.