Why Force Myself to Squat Heavier?

[Athenaum]

Hi everyone.

I got my squat up to 3x5x125kg, and I feel like I've hit a plateau. I'm wondering whether its really worth it for me to push myself beyond this point, or whether I should just try and maintain the ability to squat this much.

I mean, what difference will it make in my life/body if I can squat 3x5x150kg? Will I be that much harder to kill? That much more useful in general? And what about my aesthetic goals? What difference can I expect in my body if I push forward?

After having reached a level of strength which I think is more than sufficient to satisfy my practical needs, I wonder why I should continue to add weight to the bar. Why should my goals be anything other than aesthetic after having achieved this level of strength? Why shouldn't I just do exercises for muscle hypertrophy, which, after all, are less demanding than SS style.

I expect to be flamed somewhat for this post, but I just want to say that I've had lots of fun working through SS these past months, and I have the utmost respect for all you guys who push themselves everyday to accomplish your goals. I am admittedly ignorant, but curious on this topic. Maybe I just need some extra motivation now that I've stopped being fat, which is the main reason I started SS the first place.

[skipbeat]

if SS made you less fat, why the fuck wouldn't you continue? it's obviously helping your aesthetic goals

and yes, you are still easy to kill with a 125kg squat

[tzanghi]

and yes, you are still easy to kill with a 125kg squat

This is awesome. Anyways, I find SS to be fun. There's something about getting in touch with your testosterone and launching a heavy bar from the ground onto your shoulders to catch it(PC). There's the fight or flight body response when you know you're dropping into the hole with a heavy bar on your back. There's also the fact that you get to eat more without gaining excessive fat. Probably best is the fact that you can look around a room and say, "I'm stronger than you," to anyone in there. But to each his own.

[stonerider]

if you just want to look like a bro, then strength is irrelevant


just do a typical bodybuilder split... sets of 10-15 are going to get you the results you want quicker than sets of 5

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

With his strength levels, body builder splits and rep schemes aren't likely going to do much for him.

Gyms are full of skinny guys doing 4 sets of 8-12

[stonerider]

With his strength levels, body builder splits and rep schemes aren't likely going to do much for him.

Gyms are full of skinny guys doing 4 sets of 8-12

that's bullshit

i got ripped without having a lot of maximal strength

[Dwayne_KONG_Wint]

if you just want to look like a bro, then strength is irrelevant


just do a typical bodybuilder split... sets of 10-15 are going to get you the results you want quicker than sets of 5

Agree.
Athenaum, either way, you are still going to have to bust your ass and you will incidentally get stronger too. So it all depends on the route you want to take and which one is more rewarding to you.

[Athenaum]

This is awesome. Anyways, I find SS to be fun. There's something about getting in touch with your testosterone and launching a heavy bar from the ground onto your shoulders to catch it(PC). There's the fight or flight body response when you know you're dropping into the hole with a heavy bar on your back. There's also the fact that you get to eat more without gaining excessive fat. Probably best is the fact that you can look around a room and say, "I'm stronger than you," to anyone in there. But to each his own.

Thanks for your comments. There is definitely something to be said for getting in touch with my testosterone and for being able to eat more without gaining too much body fat. Definitely need to spend some time thinking about my training goals.

[forgeforth]

You don't need to force yourself to do anything. However, if the reason you don't want to progress on the squat is that it's getting too hard, then I would reassess why you go to the gym in the first place. If you're not interested in gaining maximal strength as quickly as possible, you can progress at a much slower rate and still see results in the long run. If your goal is general health and fitness, there is nothing wrong with that. I find that progress in the gym is associated with a goal-orientation and being challenged by the weights you are lifting. If your training satisfies these criteria, then do whatever you want.

[njs23]

I'm confused as to why OP thinks anyone cares how much he squats, except for himself? Do whatever you want to do, why should anyone have to convince you of anything? You are not special, you don't need to be babied. You don't want to squat heavy, don't do it. Jesus christ this isn't very complex...