I popped into the gym every day this week to do my daily squat and bench. Yesterday, I accidentally squatted 195lb--I thought I had loaded the bar with 190lbs, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover otherwise. This is 1lb shy of my all-time PR, with the difference being that I wasn't using any special equipment (raised-heel shoes, belt, or knee sleeves). My bench was a bit all over the place, sometimes hitting 140lb, sometimes not.

I'm still looking for consistency in technique in both lifts. I've thought about the effects of hypermobility-- the need to concentrate on maintaining tension at all times, and to learn when you've reached the hole (bottom) in a lift. It's tough. The natural impulse is to relax, and with hypermobility, you don't have the same markers of tension that help give you a "spring" out of a lift. A well-regarded coach told me that I should incorporate whatever equipment makes me feel stable, but I'm going to try a wider stance in my squat to see if that helps.

In yoga terms, people with hypermobility tend to love yoga because they're naturally good at it. The challenge for them isn't to move into a position, but to hold themselves back from stretching too much; and to exit the position without injury.

How was your week?