This past Sunday at Apollon was a full geared squat day.

I've been going back and forth between a couple of squat suits, trying to decide which one I will use at the Arnold. One is a new size 50, and the other is the 52 I wore last year (both Metal Canvas).

I feel like I'm a bit in-between sizes right now and my weight is still fluctuating somewhat, but with 8 weeks to go, it's time to make the call now and dedicate my remaining training time to the suit i think will work best.

So I warmed up to 5 plates with my brief, then put the 50 on for 6.

Didn't even get close to parallel. Now I never expect to hit depth with 150 less than an opener, but this wasn't even in the ballpark. So I switched to the 52 and continued on to 780 lbs which I made, although I was still a little high.

In the case of my last squat, I don't think the depth issue was the suit.  Since I'm coming off of a longer than normal layoff prior to this meet cycle, I feel like my core strength is still too low, which is why I'm not confident really sitting in the hole yet. This will get better with more assistance work and practice.

Overall, I feel really good, and although I'm not quite as strong as I'd normally be at 8 weeks out, I feel like I'm gaining it back quickly, and the extra rest will serve me well as training intensifies.