Thursday 6/3

“How can I fix my overhead squat?”

Lets talk about a couple of things that I see during classes and some things that will help the movement today (and without having to punish yourself everyday with it).

One of the first things I notice is that the knees are the first thing to move during the descent in to the bottom of the squat. This will certainly end with you shifting forward and onto your toes and then the bar coming forward, making it very difficult to execute the OHS. A fix to this is to consciously push your butt back first. Another way to get your butt back is to screw you feet into the floor (like tearing the floor apart with your feet). Doing this will allow your hips to go back easier and for you to drive your knees out and stay on your heels.

Another limiter that can cause anyone restrictions with just about any movement we do is mobility! We do a good job of focusing on the quads and hammies because it is necessary and for most the biggest trouble spots. Plus, you can just throw an abmat of the floor, lean against the wall and catch up with a friend. But primarily because we demand a lot of from our quads and hamstrings, we know they have to be ready. But lets talk about something we might miss, our ankles. We all sometimes tend to overlook these little guys. Why? Is it because we don’t know where to start? Tight ankles affect our squat and that may be a reason why you roll onto your toes. This may also cause you to squat with really wide feet or have a hard time getting below parallel. So next time you come in early before your class, grab a coach and ask what to do to improve your ankle flexibility (or any mobility questions you may have). We are all more than happy to help and show you how! To test your ankle mobility, check out this video from MobilityWOD.

Now lets talk about your midline stability. Staying tight while keeping our chest up is just as important as any mobility work we could do. It’s simple – if our core isn’t tight, you will lose the lift. When we lose our midline stability and the shoulders roll forward, the load will take us with it. So what can you do to improve this movement?

• Hips back, chest up – this will help if you are bending the knees first and rolling forward.
• Mobility – ask your coach for ways to improve overhead mobility or check out those ankles! Also check out these videos for mobility help:
  • Tight Ankles: Tight ankles by MobilityWOD ;
  • T-Spine: Best overhead tspine prep by MobilityWOD
  • Lats and Shoulders: The Simple Five Way Shoulder by MobilityWOD
• Tight core - this goes with everything we do in here! Practice rib cage down, butt tight (hollow body position) and the more you do this, the less you will have to think about it.

It’s not so scary once you get a little more experience with the movement so don't be afraid challenge yourself.

Fitness: 

A1. Snatch Balance + OHS ( 1 + 3 ) x 3 sets

Rest 1 Min

A2. Snatch Grip RDL x 6 x 3 sets

Rest 1 Min

+

For Time-

3 Rounds

500 m Row (or 10 Cal AB)

10 S2O (95/65#)

10 Burpees

30 DU's or 90 Singles

Performance:

A1. Snatch + Snatch Balance + OHS (1+1+3) x 3 sets

A2. Snatch Lift off + Snatch Pull (2+2) x 3 sets

+

For Time-

3 Rounds

500 m Row

10 Ground 2 Overhead (135/95#)

10 Burpees

50 DU's