Squat PR & Taking Better Care of Myself

This post is in partnership with Danskin Now!

I’m no spring chicken. 🙁

Over the past few months I’ve noticed that I’m sore for longer post-workout than I used to be. I wake up every morning with a crick in my neck or a tender trap muscle. It takes me longer to stand up from sitting than it used to. Where did all this come from?!

I’d also been having trouble doing single-leg exercises because one of my glutes felt weak and my lat pull-downs didn’t feel balanced because I couldn’t engage my left lat in the right way.

Because of all this, and because competition prep season was upon me, I decided to use some of my Christmas money to buy a session at a sports massage place in town.

The initial session was an hour long, and my massage therapist Bob worked on my hips, glutes, chest, and lats. He showed me how tightness in one area could refer pain and/or weakness to other areas, and also pointed out my anterior pelvic tilt (my pelvis rocks forward, causing my lower back to curve too much). I’m going to keep going back to Bob for sessions to work on the pelvic tilt and some other ongoing issues, but hearing that from him made me realize that I need to prioritize stretching and recovery waaaaay more.

For the past few days, I’ve been trying to get into a mobility routine by using my mobility tools to work on loosening up my lower back and hip flexors. The first day it was extremely painful, but I’ve been noticing less and less pain each day!

P.S. Here’s a better look at those knee cutout leggings I’m wearing in the gif above. Get a pair here!

Aside from all the recovery business, I am very excited to say that I hit a squat PR I’ve been (mentally) chasing for quite a while! I squatted 200 pounds! It was more of a mental hurdle I couldn’t get over than a physical one, but it was extremely rewarding nonetheless.

I was alone when I hit my PR, but the pics below show me squatting 175 – I can usually squat 175 for two or three reps. It’s hard to see, but in the photos I’m wearing these mesh panel leggings. Love these for squat day because they have a drawstring to keep everything in place! (Actually now that I think about it, I was wearing Danskin Now leggings when I hit my PR too! These ones.)

Here’s to more PRs and a better mobility routine to keep my body in working order for as long as possible! If you want to grab the leggings I’m wearing in this post, you can shop the Danskin Now line in stores at Walmart or here on Walmart.com.