“ . . . big hitter, the Lama . . .”

Mahatma Ghandi could have been a great squatter.  His lower body was "supple leopard-like" as Kelly Starrett would say, and he possessed great mental toughness, remarking famously,

"Strength does not come from physical capacity.  It comes from an indomitable will." Unfortunately, Ghandi's weightlifting career never materialized as he was preoccupied with leading the independence movement in then-British-controlled India.

But the idea of forging an "indomitable spirit" continues to swirl around in my head.  At the time of this writing, my streak of consecutive days squatting stands at thirty, and while progress has been alinear, my numbers are improving.  Last Monday, for example, my heaviest single was ten kilograms below my personal record (still over 90%), but four minutes later I set a personal record in the ten-rep max.  The daily challenge lies not just in squatting the heavy singles, but in performing the requisite back-off sets thereafter.  But when faced with adversity, I remember Ghandi's "indomitable spirit," and dig deep to finish the workout.

The next day, however, a new challenge awaits.  From my stool adjacent to the squat rack, I gaze upwards at the barbell, and whisper, "Hello, old friend. Care to dance?"

"Experts" – or “the keyboard samurai,” as I refer to them – routinely dismiss daily squat programs, pointing out most of athletes following such concepts are aided by performance-enhancing drugs.  In their view, this “revelation” undermines – and invalidates – the daily squat program in its entirety.  I have long disagreed with their conclusion, and rather than hide behind the safety of a computer screen and the anonymity of a username, I experimented.  The results were striking even without a seven-day-per-week commitment.

Cory Gregory of MusclePharm is preaching the gospel over at Bodybuilding.com, and his growing notoriety is well-deserved – the guy has squatted something like 500 days consecutively!  Take a look at his program with an open mind, and challenge your preconceived notions.

By happenstance, I caught an interview with entrepreneur Peter Sage who said, "A ship in a harbor is a safe ship, but that is not what ships are built for."  So true.  More men and women need to venture outside their comfort zone, and discover what Socrates meant by “the beauty and strength of which [their] body is capable.”  Only when faced with consistent adversity can an individual forge Ghandi’s “indomitable spirit” and gain true strength.