Base Camp, 3/19/2016

Focus 1: Front Squat
Focus 2: Rowing
Workout: Rowing & Ball Slams

With a lot of this year’s Open focused on gymnastics movements, one could be excused for overlooking a movement that’s been far more thematic among three of the first four open workouts: the Front Squat. The Front Squat was a easily identifiable piece of 16.2 (squat cleans) and now 16.4 (wall balls), but also had a large part to play in the 16.1 (front rack lunges for the scaled division). And more than that, an Open without Thrusters is just, well, not really an Open!

As such, this is a great time to come to grips with the mechanics of the Front Squat, and while we’re at it, we’ll help you figure out how much weight you move. Specifically, this week’s Base Camp will include:

• Practical review of set-up and execution for the front squat (including lifts with just the bar and with added weight);
• Explanation of common coaching cues;
• Determining how much weight to use during class (and how to estimate a 1 Rep Max); and,
• Scaling and substitution options for the class workout, including how and when to choose a scaling/sub option;

To review before class, we highly recommend checking out the following information, the first from our own Coach Lance as part of our “Ask the Coach Series,” the second from the archives of Catalyst Athletics (along with demo video), and the third a review of proper rowing technique on the erg from Concept 2 (along with demo video):

Ask the Coach: Front Squat Frustrations

Front Squat (Explanation & Demo)
– note that there are some articles linked on the description page, among which we would recommend “Squatting, Valgus Knees, The Knees-Out Cue & Facebook Coaches” to help give you a better idea of what the “knees out” cue is used for.

Erg Rowing Technique (Explanation and Demo)

UPDATE: link to the EXRX One Rep Max Calculator