Strengthening Those Glutes & Quads

My pull-ups are stronger, and it's really about consistency now. Coach has added a variation to my pull-ups with the resistance band. I'm now not allowed to step off on a bench in between sets. Doing those pull-ups with a loop and dead hangs in between sets is a killer. But it has to be so. Eeeeeeeeps. 

I end every visit to the gym with 1-minute dead hangs and hanging leg raises. I begin every gym session (with or without the Coach) with pull-ups. So it can be the same '8 reps X 3 sets', but with a lighter resistance band, or the same dense one but no stepping off in between sets. No wonder they're called 'dead hangs'.

My muscles were so so so sore that I caved in to an acupressure massage to ease them. They've been aching for weeks now. The culprit is back squats. I didn't pull any muscles or strain anything. It's just been...... aching. Super sore. I think the muscles are just growing and growing. I swear that my pants and jeans fit a tad differently now. I'm still the same size, but the fit is... like my butt grew rounder. 🤨

Say, back squats. I started with a 20-kg bar. Then 25-kg. I'm not weak to begin with, but I'm not going to be mad and tell him how much I can squat without some practice. Now that the Coach knows he can seriously push me for squats, he upped it to 35-kg, and incrementally till today's 50kg. I'm screaming. My glutes are crying. I'm literally only 161cm in height. I weigh only 53kg. I can't drop that weight or I'll lose strength. To be honest, if there's one exercise at the gym one shouldn't skip, it's squats. 

I never realized how weak my quads and glutes are till I began doing these squats. Ugh. Inner thighs (adductors) are crazy weak. Hamstrings aren't too bad. Pilates have strengthened them but not to the point of bearing 50-kg squat plates. 

I'll never laugh at the Hack squat machine again. It's the only one machine that's helping me keep my pelvic movements in check and not randomly shift my weight while doing squats. Otherwise I'd incur bad injuries while lifting heavy, and I would never achieve the smooth strength to lift heavy. Ironically, the pelvic shifts don't happen till I try to lift heavier than 30kg. The Hack squat machine keeps my back pressed against the bench, makes me squat properly all the way down and all the way up. Once the glutes and quads are comfortable with the weight, then I go onto the squat rack to do it with much better form.