I hit a 10kg back squat PB last week after 9 sessions of Dense Strength Method and I wanted to share with you my approach. First, here is some background on how I came to this outcome.
I made my way back to the barbell this year after a longer than expected hiatus of time spent going deepinto flexibility methods, three years to be exact. My intent was always to come back to lifting but I wanted to ensure I had the solutions to implementing what I had learned with traditional strength training methods.
Finding Keegan Smith last year and bringing together our ideas on flexibility and strength training methods was the key I had been looking for. While sharing my philosophies on flexibility with Keegan, hewas sharing his methods of barbell work through “Dense Strength Methods”. These were methods he had used in leading the Sydney Roosters to an NRL Championship!
I kicked off a new training cycle three weeks ago with the intent of hitting 160kg back squat by end of quarter with my goal this year being 2x bodyweight squat while maintaining extreme range of strength positions!
With the recent release of the Dense Strength Certification, it was clearer to me what approach I should take to hit this target. I chose to approach full body style Dense Strength sessions 3x a week keeping my flexibility and skill based work on the days in between. Using this layout I began each session with half block dense strength protocols for back squat.
Here was my approach over 9 sessions:
5D3 @ 110kg
5D4 @ 110kg
5D5 @ 110kg
5D2 @ 120kg
5D3 @ 120kg
5D4 @ 120kg
5D1 @ 130kg
5D2 @ 130kg
5D3 @ 130kg
Test – Ramp Load Single: 155 (PB), 160(Quarterly Target)
Simple and effective. I hit my quarterly target in 3 weeks only touching 85% of my previous max.
The big take homes from this was that you need to play the long game with strength. I was previously ramp loading too much and not keeping myself as fresh as I should have. Applying the variations I had learned in Dense Strength Certification to autoregulate my training and evaluate strength session to session has brought me to another level on my journey to 2x bodyweight squat!
