Sudden change to ID squat

Hello,

There have been some Covid-era changes to the gym I attend for the short-term. As the lone non-Crossfit lifter, I've been relegated to the oly lifting area which has a squat stand, but no safeties that I could locate last week. Squatting near-max loads here without a spotter is the wrong choice.

For squat intensity day, I'm thinking to do either dynamic effort, maybe 10 doubles, or some variation of a paused squat with submaximal loads. What do you recommend in my situation? I need something that will be challenging but with submaximal loads.

The gym owners have been very good to me and I anticipate that the old setup will return. In a way, this is a welcome rest of max loads, as I've been a bit beaten up lately and my bar tilt asymmetry (form creep) needs to be addressed.

Thanks for your suggestions. I loaned out my edition of PPST3 pre-Covid, but I've been perusing PPPST2 for now.

If you're in the O-lifting area, can you use bumpers in case you have to dump it behind you? I'm not a fan of that either but maybe it's better than not lifting heavy.

Otherwise tempo squats with a pause will definitely make submaximal reps harder.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Matt James

If you're in the O-lifting area, can you use bumpers in case you have to dump it behind you? I'm not a fan of that either but maybe it's better than not lifting heavy.

Otherwise tempo squats with a pause will definitely make submaximal reps harder.

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Thanks for the suggestion, Matt. I'm used to using the method shown on p. 64 of the Blue Book to fail a squat rep. It's true that we have bumpers, but I don't quite trust myself to safely dump it that way if a failure were imminent. I'm leaning toward the pause with submaximal loads, but remain open to other strategies.

I have on many occasions recommended against dumping the bar when a squat gets hard. If you give yourself permission to do this, you will find a way to do it in lieu of finishing a hard rep. Make better plans with equipment of spotters, but dumping the bar is for histrionic pussies.

Thanks for the reminder, Rip. True that it’s particularly satisfying to finish rep 5 when rep 4 was a real grinder. It definitely teaches you something to stay tight under a slow-moving bar. I’d only do that with the right equipment or spotters.

As an additional qualifier to the situation, there won’t be any spotters available.

Maybe plyo boxes, if they have them? You'd have to experiment to see if they are a height that would work.