We’ve now seen how almost every aspect of fitness is enhanced by increasing your maximal force production – increasing your strength. While some activities and sports require a higher amount of absolute strength than others, there’s no doubt that every single one benefits from increased strength. And we’ve also established that for increased strength, there’s no tool as useful as the barbell.
The squat rack in your local gym is probably unoccupied right this very moment. What are you waiting for?
Earlier this month, I spent a week traveling. Thousands of miles spent crammed into airplane seats or riding in an SUV over gravel roads made my hips and back hurt like hell. I realized that it’s been years since I spent so much time sitting. I stand all day at work, even when I eat. At home, I at least have more comfortable chairs to sit in, but even then, I still spend a good amount of time on my feet doing one chore or another. I have no idea how sedentary people can stand it. Are they not even aware of how uncomfortable they are? Anyway, for my birthday today, I gave myself the gift of a new squat PR: 395. We followed it with a hybrid of Bulgarian squats and one-legged deadlifts. My glutes are quite tender right now, but it’s a good kind of hurt. It’s the feeling of all that forced-seating trauma leaving the body.