Quest to the 500 lb squat

Hello Steemit community, today is my first day on the long road to success and I would love nothing more than to share my progress and victories with all of you. As you have probably read in my title today I begin my quest to a 500 lb squat.

Some background:

My name is Basky and I am from the Canadian prairies(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), I had made a makeshift introduction post regarding my year off if you would like to learn a bit more about my mindset and interests but decided to start a consistent blog about something I am truly passionate about, fitness. 

Lets get started on a bit about me, I am a 21 years old and up until my year off last year have lived in the same city of Saskatoon my whole life. I was raised in a family that valued sports and exercise which nurtured a very strong competitive spirit in both my two sisters as well as myself. My dad was a competitive body builder in his early twenties and since then has kept up his fitness by jumping from sport to sport. He has completed marathons, Iron mans, power lifting meets and recently has started cross-fit(ew!). To be honest my father was and always has been my biggest motivator. Starting from my humble beginnings in lifting weights to try to one day to be as strong as him and now training beside him as well as there watching me in my power lifting meets. He has always been there to help me dig deep and push harder than I once thought possible.

I started working out in grade 11 which would have made me about 16 years old, my first exposure was in in a phys ed free period where me and my friends would goof around in the weight room. After the term was completed and summer began I started to miss the gym and with an upcoming football season upon me my dad suggested I come to his gym and train with him a few days a week. Little did I know that going to his gym would eventually spark something inside of me, a feeling that would drive me to that exact gym day after day, to struggle and sweat and push myself to be the absolute strongest me I could become.

Here is a photo of me and the old man enjoying a drink.

My current gym and lifts

As I hinted to before it is 5 years later and I am still at that first gym my dad took me too, Iron Works Gym. A real dingy dark and old school gym riddled with old worn equipment and chalk staining the black rubber mats which have not been replaced since the gym opened its doors 1984. The owner,  Pat Mallough has tended to this gym as if it was his own child, pouring his blood sweat and tears into the place to really make it feel like home. The gym houses a combination of powerlifters, strongmen, and body builders with everything in between making it a truly unique and friendly environment. There is not a single thing I would change about this gym and if any one of you are ever in town I recommend you stop in and say hi so you can truly see just how awesome Iron Works is.

I will be using the numbers put up in my last meet as my baseline, and although this blog will mainly be focusing on my squats, I will keep updates following the other main lifts as well:

Weight: 92 kg or 203 lbs

Height: 5'11'' or just under 1.8 m

Squats: 185 kg or 408 lbs

Bench: 151 kg or 333 lbs

Pushpress: 84 kg or 185lbs

Deadlift: 205 kg or 452 lbs

These will be the primary lifts but if interest holds I may begin making videos on technique and different exercises you at home may want to try out.

My program

I will be starting using the Texas Method which came highly recommended by a number of  lifters I have encountered in competition which will have me lifting three times a week, additionally I plan devote a day or two a week to cardio and accessory lifts because it is beach season and we all gotta look good right? The basis for the Texas method and a spreadsheet containing the lifts and explaining the program can be found here. I will be avoiding cleans as they are not currently something I incorporate into my workout so technique will need to be adjusted before I work them in.

Where Steemit comes in

I have always wanted to start a blog or video log following my fitness progression but felt I missed out on reddit's Fitness community. Seeing as Steemit is brand new and the fitness community may not be as large, I would like you all to join me on my blog. As a community we can help each and everyone of us become the strongest we have ever been through help with programs and technique. I will aim to be posting two or three times a week depending on my schedule and will begin video logs as soon as I figure out how to make them. If you have any questions or would like to see anything else on my blogs feel free to comment and I will sure to reply to the best of my abilities.

Now that I have said all this its time to get to work, dig up your old gym shorts, throw on some runners and lets hit the gym. You can expect to see a post or video later this evening documenting my first lift and my initial impressions of the program. 

Lets get sweaty steemit!