Wednesday, November 20
Tuesday, November 19
November 18, 2013CFDC Shout-Outs
November 20, 2013
Warm-Up
2 x 5 Push-Ups, 10 Spider Lunges, 5 OH Band Pull-Aparts, 10 OHS w/ Bands
Prep Sets
3 x 1 Pause Extension Hi-Pull + 1 Hang Power Snatch + 4 Pause OHS
Work Sets
4 x 2 Snatch; 3 x 1 Snatch (up to 90% of max)
Accessory
50 OHS in as few sets as possible
Guidelines:
- weight options = 45/65/75/95/115/135;
- must have a partner watch all your reps (Depth Judge!);
- no more the 4 sets (and 10min timecap)
- Bonus: if you achieve 50 reps in 2 sets of fewer, may continue on for max reps, including a 3rd set
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This morning we had 2 lively classes with 13-14 people in each class. I received the same question from a few different people so I thought I’d share my response on the blog. The question was “My wrists hurt when doing overhead squats. Is there something I should adjust?” Overhead squats for reps tend to feel more harsh on our wrists than any other part of our body. There are a couple things I have noticed that helps relieve the pressure on the wrists.
1 – Really reaching up towards the ceiling with active shoulders and extended arms can take some of that pressure off the wrists, and as an added bonus it will help you stand up out of the hole (bottom of the squat).
2 – We often talk about externally rotating when the bar is overhead and sometimes use the cue “pull the bar apart and show me your armpits” that means to rotate your arms so that your shoulder blades are pulled back and armpits are facing the same direction that you are looking when overhead squatting. At the same time you should be pulling the bar apart like you are trying to stretch it.
For the 50 OHS, I used 95#. Set 1: 17 reps; Set 2: 17 reps, Set 3: 12 reps, Set 4: 4 reps. Biggest issue for me was wrist soreness. I could have squeezed those last 4 reps into set 3 had my wrists not given out. Julia was nice enough to lend me her wrist straps for Set 4, and they made a huge difference. I can only assume she waited until then to offer them because she enjoyed watching me suffer. Either way, I’ll employ Sara’s tips above the next time this lift comes up.
For the snatch work, I still haven’t mastered pulling under the bar yet, so I wasn’t really able to catch any of them in a squat position, but am satisfied with my progress nonetheless.
Nice work, John! I know last time when we did OHS you had trouble with the position because your lower back and hamstrings were so tight that it was difficult for you to stay in that position. Getting 50 reps at 95# is a huge improvement!
And yes, Julia likes to watch people suffer.
Correction. I used 75# on the OHS. I swear that typo was an honest mistake.
Nah, you were just going strong, John! Awesome work!
Sigh. Steph, I have no response.
Keeping Coach Sara’s cues in mind for next time!
Worked on Snatch form up to 95# felt light, but needed to try to work on getting under the weight correctly.
OHS: Used 73# did it two sets of 25, first set my right shoulder was a bit shaky the second set felt stronger. I think I could have done #83 but thought #93 was too big of a jump. But hey just last year I couldn’t do more than three @ #73 so #93 here we come!
Her first time doing snatches after coming back from a shoulder injury and does 95# easily. I hate her. Just kidding! Nice work, Dev! You’ll be doing sets of 50 at 93# in no time!
It’s true that it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done something, there’s still always room for improvement.
Tried snatches today for the first time in 3 months. Thanks to Coach Chris for the reminder about pulling back in the set-up position to activate my glutes and hamstrings. The better setup allowed for more explosion from the hips and not having to loop the bar around my knees, and as a result made high elbows and the final turnover easier.
I have started to work on pulling under the bar when we do snatches so I was happy to get a chance to work on this and also work on doing the snatch from the floor instead of the hang position. This is very challenging but I feel the progress and enjoyed working with it.
For the OH squads I used 73# and this was definitely a tough “accessory” work. When I got to the fourth set I had 6 reps left but rushed it too much and failed the first rep. But I tried again and got the 6 last reps done.
Inge, awesome work on the snatches. Going light and learning to pull under the weight will definitely pay off in the long run. And don’t worry, you were not the only one who had trouble starting the last set of OHS. Quite a few others would try to rush the first rep of their last set, only to quickly find the bar on the ground. Glad you didn’t let that deter you though – way to regroup and finish things off!
I had major issues with pain in my left wrist this morning. I appreciated Sara’s coaching on how to relieve the pressure but it hurt so much I couldn’t keep the bar overhead. I was disappointed only to get to 35 reps. I look forward to working on OHS again.
I worked up to 135 on the snatches this morning focusing on using my hamstrings to bring the bar from just below to above my knees (thanks Chris) and keeping my shoulders back (thanks Steph). I also was frequently reminded to keep the first pull from the ground slow by working directly behind Jay and Ben, who were both very patient with the bar. I still need to keep the bar and my arms closer to my body throughout.
I did 95# for the OHS over 3 sets (15-18-17). I was too wide with my feet on the first set, and can always work on depth focusing on driving my knees out. Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow…
Phil, great work this morning. It was impressive to watch you absorb the cues given to you and then apply them pretty quickly. Looking forward to seeing those numbers continue to climb.
Thanks Tom and Chris for creating subs for this workout for me. I hate snatches (mainly because I’m not good at them :/), but I hate not being able to work on them tonight due to injury infinitely more. $!%& you snatches; eventually I’ll own you (w/ CFDC yoda wisdom and all…).
I didn’t do the snatch portion of this workout cause I worked on snatches last night. I did jump in for the 50 OHS (a favorite of mine). I worked at 43kg which is 4 tenths of a pound short of 95. I got 16-14-12-8. This is way better than any other time I’ve done 50OSH in as few sets as possible. I am usually struggling with 12-13 reps each set just to finish in 4 sets and it has always been at a weight less than tonight. Today all of the sets felt good and stable. Not as wobbly as they have in the past.