Squatting and Pittsburgh

No, that's not squatting "in" Pittsburgh, it's squatting AND Pittsburgh.

I squatted last night.  Pain free.  Felt good.  Did a lot of volume, but really light.

Went like so -

Squats -
barx10
135x5,5
225x5,5

315x5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 or 12 sets of 5

Stiff Legs -
315x5
405x5
500x5,5

Well, all I can say is, I'm sore as fuck today.  I mean, my ass feels like it was beaten by sumo wrestlers with canoe paddles.

I'm currently in Pittsburgh to see my buddy Rob Kreider compete in the North Americans.

Apparently there were dinosaurs here....or something

I'm not an avid follower of bodybuilding anymore, so the main reason I am traveling there is to see a long time "friend" of mine.  Rob Kreider, who will be competing in this show, at the hardened age of 42.

I put friend in quotations because, I've actually never met Rob in person.  However, we go back 15 years online.  Back in that time, I was just starting to switch from bodybuilding style work, to more powerlifting and strength oriented approaches, and Rob shared a lot of the same theories and principles about training as I did at the time.  1 or 2 big sets all out to failure, pushing for rep PR's on a constant basis.  We were both big Dorian Yates fans and adhered to that particular philosophy about how to train, and that was the common ground that brought us together.

Over 15 years Rob and I never lost touch.  We either e-mailed, or used a messenger, or something.  But we still talked fairly often.  When Facebook popped up, it made things even easier.  And the last few years we've become even closer, as as close as you can in an online friendship, as possible.

Rob has been competing since 92, and has faced a lot of ups and downs, as we all do, in regards to competing.  However, most of us feel this is his year.  That he has a great shot to win the overall and go pro. I think it would be ridiculously awesome to be able to say I met my online friend the weekend he finally realized his dreams of over 20 years.  However, the main thing I want to write here, is that Rob has never changed.  In the 15 years we have known each other, he's still the same guy he was 15 years ago.  Nothing has dented him or his beliefs so immensely as to change who he is.  At least, not through the channels we have used to communicate through.

So regardless of where Rob places, it will be nice to cement a REAL friendship in person, after 15 years of just using media to create one.  I think that, just like you can't REALLY date a chic online, you can't really have a true friendship if you never see each other.