Tuesday 06/07/11

Note: Today's post has a squat video - it would be very beneficial to you to take approximately 2 minutes and watch this video. Some of you saw this video last summer, but it would still benefit your squat mechanics if you watched it again. I've posted a few comments below this video as well. Be sure to read all of the comments - you'll be glad you did!

Warm-up


Agility/Plyometrics - Vertical Jump Testing


Bottom-to-Bottom Tabata Squats
8 x 20:10 (8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off). We will score this by recording the total number of reps. For those of you who are new to MSCL, the 10 seconds of "rest" will need some explanation at the gym!

Some comments:

1. Good hip drive.  He sends his hips back to start the squat and drives up out of the hole with his hips.  The power of a back squat comes from the hips.
2. Because he sends his hips back when squatting, his torso must lean forward somewhat for counterbalance (this actually helps with hip drive too).  This is necessary - if you try to keep your chest too upright, you will lose power.  We like power.
3. Note how he shoves his knees out as he squats (yes, they might move in a little as he comes out of the squat, but this is simply because he's fighting a very hefty weight - he's actively pushing them out the whole time).
4. See where his gaze is directed?  He's looking forward and down.
5. Pay attention to his breathing.  Right before he descends, he inhales, fills his chest and sticks it out, and the result is a nice lumbar arch.  In other words, his back is either straight or slightly arched - it never even comes close to that "camel-back" look.
6. Today's warm-up will have multiple bear-crawls.  If you post a comment to the comments section of this post, your bear-crawl distances will be cut in half each time.
7. The socks are awesome.  He's probably twice as strong due to the socks.  Seriously, though, long socks or sweat pants are an excellent choice for deadlifting and power cleaning.  They prevent scraping the bar on your shins - this, in turn, means you don't have bloody shins, and it also means you don't have to clean the bar.  Food for thought.
8. All that chalk is there to keep the bar from slipping.  When you squat heavy, you sweat, and the chalk helps absorb moisture, both on your hands and, in this case, on his shoulders and back.
9. His thumbs are over the bar, and his wrists are straight.  This keeps his wrists from taking any of that weight (and with 485 pounds on the bar, that's important). Most of you do a good job of placing your thumbs over the bar - now let's start straightening those wrists.