405lbs X 4 raw squat.
I wanted to really push it today in the gym. (Well this was saturday) I loaded up 405lbs on the squat rack after doing a few sets to build up to the weight and got a spotter to assist me. He was very enthusiastic and his energy fed my drive to get this weight. Up to this point I had only done 385lbs x 6 reps (below parallel always). I was pumped when I unracked the weight and took my steps back. It didn’t feel as heavy as I thought. I started into my reps and managed to get 4 good reps! I’m happy to be part of the 400 club now and look to improve further and make 405 an every day occurence. 
One thing that I have really noticed is that squeezing my abs has really helped me increase the weight. I have always tightened my core during the lift, but lately when I feel like my upper body is falling forward a bit I will squeeze my abs as hard as I can and drive the weight up. I can usually increase my reps by 1-2 just by focusing on this simple technique. In this regard, I think a weight belt might help.
Post by: TPower81