I Squatted for 12 Weeks and Here is What I learned
july 13, 2021 | WORDS BY ryan blackwell
I wanted to get better at Squatting. I knew I wasn’t the strongest or the best, so I decided to take a more focused effort in the movement. I just wanted to get better. How did I do that? I decided to Squat twice a week for 12 weeks. During the process there were a couple big things I learned and wanted to share with you!
01. I Got Stronger
WOAH! What a shocking development. Well, not really. Obviously building consistency and staying with something over a course of time you are going to get stronger or better at the given task. What I wasn’t entirely anticipating is other movements getting vastly stronger as well. Yes, I know that doing anything will eventually build up other things. But, the vast growth in other movements was a pleasant surprise. We are talking gymnastic style movements also paired with weightlifting movements.
Strength didn’t only come physically, but mentally as well. Priming myself for lifts and workouts in a new capacity, because I was giving myself real life experiences to build off. “I did this weight this week so I can definitely do better this next week”. Strength isn’t always what we can see, but it can be what we feel as well!
02. Confidence and Pride
A noticeable difference that came a bit later on was the increase in Confidence. I noticed myself walking a bit taller and it wasn’t just because my legs were bigger. There was a new found confidence in all my workouts. Since I was getting stronger and already putting myself through a challenge, I found each workout an opportunity to showcase my new strength and push a bit more than I thought I could before.
Along with the confidence and obvious strength gained, I found myself being extremely proud in the commitment. It is hard to realize you need to work on something and get better. It may be for a job or may be for a lifestyle choice. Taking that chance to improve can be very hard to do. It was simple too! Only twice a week to find that opportunity for a little self improvement.
03. Hungry
Not food related. Well, maybe a little because food is great! However, I am more hungry for new goals and focuses. Not only in my fitness journey, but personal and professional. I have a stronger desire to find new things that I am not great at and make it better. The desire is almost addicting. It is an amazing feeling to see that growth from day 1 to whenever. That hunger was like a small fire and now with gasoline on it. All it took was a little spark of drive and then boom!
Setting a task, seeing it through and discovering results is just highly rewarding. You tend to get into a groove of continuing to want to find out more and develop along with it. It doesn’t even have to be fitness related. Setting a task to try and read a little bit during the week or cook one meal you aren’t fully confident in making. Getting comfortable with that uncomfortable notion leads me to be more hungry for success.
Final Thoughts
In the grand scheme of things looking at day 1 to now, 2 times a week for 12 weeks felt like it was going to take forever to achieve a goal. However, I am forever grateful for taking the chance. Just the ability to gain a bit more insight in myself was far more beneficial than any strength gained. I encourage you all to take a second to see what you want to get better at and commit to a small period of time to just focus on getting better. Put in the effort and good things will come!
