Some years ago I was performing a cycle of the above exercise. As the weights got heavier I decided that it would be sensible to incorporate static stretching of the hip extensors as an injury preventative measure.
For those of you not in the know I have important information. Chris Beardsley and Bret Contreras have launched Strength and Conditioning Research, which is a monthly publication covering scientific reasearch in strength and conditioning, biomechanics, physiology and physical therapy.
As per my post on Rate of Gain my partial squat from 1025 mm for 10 reps has improved from 203 kg to 213 kg in 42 days which is 42.8%.y-1.
That may seem massive… but from 12th August 2007 my partial squat from 1025 mm for 10/11 reps has improved from 183 kg to 213 kg in 1658 days which is 3.6%.y-1, which is an improvement from the previous 2.5%.y-1 Rate of Gain.
Gains may bounce around in the short term but the long term average is the thing to look out for.
My Deadbar lift from 385/390 mm has improved from 283 kg to 292 kg in 489 days which is 2.4%.y-1.
Over the Xmas period I had 10 days off, so I lifted 10 consecutive sessions. The squatting went like this;