Just a quick update on how the challenge is going, as I’ve had very little time to sit down and write as of late, but I wanted to make sure to keep everyone posted.
Day 14: 135 Squats
I missed the gym this morning, but still managed to get my squats in at home while my wife and kids were out for a bit. The whole routine took me around 20 minutes (I think) to complete and by the end of it my legs were pretty worn out so I stretched out and took a nice cool shower.
Day 15: 140 Squats
This day was pretty standard fair. I got up early, went to the gym, did some stretching and a little warm up before settling in. The first two sets of 10 were just fine, but during the 3rd set my right quad started cramping pretty bad. I’m not entirely sure why though. I suppose it could have been from doing my squats from the previous day later on thus leaving less time rest in between. Or maybe my form was off for that set? Whatever the cause, it almost caused a fall but I managed to recover and massage the knot out and finish up. By number 140 my quads were burning and were once again pretty tight and swollen. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like that’s fairly normal when pushing it and it seems to go down pretty soon after so I’m not too concerned with it right now.
Day 16: Rest Day
No squats today. Instead, I managed to go to bed early enough to wake up at 4:45am and still have gotten a solid 9 hours of sleep. Having actually gotten enough sleep I was able to get up and get to the gym right when it opened giving me an extra 30 minutes or so to workout before leaving for work.
I pushed myself a bit farther today with increased weight for my arms, chest, and back. I’ve been using weight machines (the kind that you add the plates to, not the kind that you flip the switch on) since I started lifting, but I feel like I’m ready to start working more with free weights. I’ll keep everyone updated on how that goes!
Day 17: 150 Squats
Another day where I missed the gym. I’ve just been absolutely exhausted lately which has been making it exceedingly difficult to get up in the morning with enough time to go workout before work. The logical conclusion would be to go after work, but right now my wife works in the evenings so I’m home with the kids in the evenings. Nonetheless, the great thing about this challenge is that I don’t have to go to the gym to do it.
This was the next big milestone I’ve been looking forward to since I started this challenge. When I started out I hadn’t done more than 10 or 20 squats at a time and jumping in at day 1 with 50 seemed like a daunting challenge. And now, a little over half way through the challenge, I am able to triple that! Today was also the first day that I think I really realized how much stronger my legs have been getting. I reached into my pocket for a USB stick and was surprised at how much bigger my quads have gotten in a little over two weeks, so needless to say, I’m really excited about it!
In it’s entirety, this wasn’t too tough. It wasn’t until I got to about number 110 that I really started to feel the lactic acid start to burn, but I pushed through and finished strong. I’m still feeling pretty good, but my legs do have some soreness overall that seems to be carrying over from day to day which I assume is normal. I haven’t had a chance to do today’s squats, so I’ll be doing them this evening, and I’ll post an update once I’m done.
Rants, Theories, & Random Observations 
OMG I started with a PT, ummm about three months ago. Our second (note… SECOND) session was a legs session. I nearly died! Legs all wobbly by the time the hour and a half was over. Got home, plonked on the couch, showed hubby the workout (on paper).. he nearly fell off his chair… 195 squats… first day I’ve ever done squats… I cried, knowing what lay ahead. It was an uncomfortable night of sleep to say the least, it felt like my legs were firing tiny little fireworks all over the place. The next day I could def feel it, but not too bad on the DOMS. LOVE them now, but do them in various ways, like with a bar, with a kettle bell, with a band… changing it up makes them less tedious. have fun x
Wow, that’s nuts for a second session and for a first time doing them. My first time trying them was with a bar +90 lbs. A power lifting friend invited me to go to the gym with him and I agreed. I could barely walk for 3 days afterward! But I’m glad you got through it and pressed on, that’s awesome. I’ve fallen off of he challenge this week with all the craziness of life, but I’m back to the gym tomorrow!