Yesterday was Yesterday and Today is Today

"I was never talented and nobody will call me talented, I am just a workaholic." 

Dmitry Klokov, 2005 World Champion, 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the 105 kg weight class.

One quickly learns when squatting to a daily maximum that yesterday's results do not necessarily guarantee greater, or even equal, success today.  Now, that's not to say past work isn't valuable, it is certainly, but progress will not be linear under this type of training program.. Moreover, you will inevitably experience what some people call "the dark times."  Grappling with these physical and psychological strains is normal.  Push on and accept each workout's results for what they are – just another day.  To quote Rocky Balboa, "that's how winning is done!"

With respect to my own training, a few changes have produced positive results (to date):

First and foremost, I quit squatting to an absolute max every workout, i.e. up a miss, especially in the back squat.  I made this change simply because I don't think "absolute" maxing is sustainable, healthy or terribly productive over the long-run.  I also found that repeated misses in the back squat left me drained for at least twenty-four hours (central nervous system recovery may be a factor here).

Second, I reduced both the volume and the intensity of my back-off sets.  Three to four sets, with 5 percent jumps, is usually the order of business, and the final triple is often between 84-87 percent.  Thusly, most days the work falls between 70 and 85 percent (as a reminder, percentages are based off that day's best single).

Third, I started front squatting at the beginning of every workout, usually up to a heavy single – this is not a one-rep max.  This progression usually takes 11-12 total reps and all of 15 minutes.  In the beginning rest periods are sixty seconds or less, while the final 2-3 intervals are several minutes.  A more robust squat workout comes after the classic lifts or powers.

And finally, I started voodoo flossing my knees before every workout (see example video below).  There is some variation day-to-day in the wrapping technique, but often I cover the entire joint, then proceed to do 10-12 squats with just my bodyweight.  I now consider this squat progression just another part of my warm-up, and it really helps open my hips up for snatches or cleans.  My one-rep max front squat has also gone up 20 pounds over the last three weeks.  I’ll take those gains any day of the week.

I'm experiencing some serious quad envy, broseph.