CrossFit South Brooklyn

Established 2007

Front Squat

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1-1-1-1-1
(E8/8) Max Effort

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compare to 10.30.10 and 7.10.10

3 Rounds Not For Time:
12 Knees to Elbows or 25 Sit-ups
12 Dislocate Lunges
Wall Quad Stretch, 1 Min each Leg

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Yoon S pulling from blocks

David working his Hang Snatch Technique

Video Analysis
We've just completed our Hang Snatch cycle and were pleased to see lots of PR's and technical improvements in our athletes.   Successful Snatching requires aggression on your ascent and a quick turnover followed by a rapid descent.  Observe how these two athletes quickly pull themselves under the bar.  How comfortable do you feel pulling yourself under the bar during snatches?

Comments

  1. David, I’m so psyched to see you working on going overhead again! Your form is freaking fantastic!

    Snatching is still my weakest lift by far, but I’m working on it. Overhead squatting has helped a lot, but it’s still going to take me some time. Very inspirational to watch two masters do it!

  2. I noticed Yoon uses a Snatch technique that makes it appear as if he’s bouncing the bar off of his torso at the pocket, I’ve seen a few people do this with great success. Is this a Snatch form variant or am I not seeing it right?

    Thanks

    P.S. I’m doing about 6 – 8 months of Texas Method to get to pre injury Strength Levels. Hope to see you guys in the Spring.

  4. I love the slo-mo sound on David’s video.

    I think a better question for me is how UNcomfortable do I feel pulling under. It HAS improved for me though and what I now notice is that I pull under fairly effectively until the bar is at about forehead level and then my feet hit the ground hard before I’ve descended past thighs parallel.At that point, I kind of press it out while descending into a deeper squat.

    I’ve been doing a lot of tall squat snatches which really seem to help with the descent past my face, but since they have to be fairly light, I think I tend to press them out.

    Now, I really want to work on having my feet strike the ground as my elbows lock rather than well before. Perhaps heavy snatch balances? Or some drill I don’t know of?

    I’m also curious to see how I clean the next time we try it as locking out the arms is not the issue. The last time we cleaned, I had a very hard time getting under the bar despite pulling it pretty high.

  5. Warmup–19 Double unders (pr)FSQ45x3145x1165x1175x1 pr185x1 pr195x fail–going down on that last one I couldn’t tell if I was too far or not far enough and that hesitation was all it took for me to bail.

  6. I also love the slow-mo on David’s video, and the video that follows of Steph P is worth it just for the sound bites alone. Man, are we a peanut gallery or what?…Also love Yoon’s coach: “what kinda crap is that?!”

    I got much better this cycle at jumping the bar, and a little better at getting under it. I think heavy(ish) snatch balances are in order, same as you, Willie Dog. There’s no reason to not be able to get under and then stand up a weight that’s far less than my OHSq. I’ll keep that in mind regarding my front squat to clean as well.

  10. “I noticed Yoon uses a Snatch technique that makes it appear as if he’s bouncing the bar off of his torso at the pocket, I’ve seen a few people do this with great success. Is this a Snatch form variant or am I not seeing it right?”

    Jacob, that is how you correctly snatch or clean; it contacts the body at the top of the thighs/hip. That is what people call the “brush,” it adds to the upward momentum of the barbell. Without this brush there is no transfer of power from your legs into the bar, and you have no choice but to have a slow transition underneath the barbell and lift it with your arms and upper back.

  11. I’m planning to cheer for our marathoners (Jess, Jen and Meghan) on Sunday at Degraw and 4th. I have bib numbers and an iPhone tracking app. Initial estimates have our runners passing by between 10:30am and 11:30am. I’ll probably get to the gym early to put together a poster, maybe around 9 or 9:30am. Anyone want to join me? (Anyone else running that I missed?)

  12. Sarah,

    It’s going up on the blog tomorrow but i’ll let you know since you mentioned it. The Brooklyn Triathlete Club and lululemon will be at 4th and Degraw from 9:30am-12:00 cheering on the Marathoners. SBK will be their home base for bathroom breaks, a place to eat and chill. Feel free to bring out some whiteboards, boxes and or the ladder for a better view!

  14. W/U: Tabata :20 runs :10 off. 10minutes FSQ band stretch, wall calve stretch, squat jumps

    FSQ: 45×3 115×2 135×2 150×1 160×1 170×1 185×1(pr) 175

    3 rds NFT: 10K2E 12 dislocate lunges, quad wall stretch.

    Feel good, work on calve flex so i dont round my back on fsq

  15. Jacob,What Brian said! 🙂 Also, if I remember correctly, the combination of bumper plates I was using was kind of loose and noisy, so it probably sounds a lot more dramatic than it really was.

    Brush is good, but banging the bar off the hips isn’t so good; doing so will cause the bar to kick forward and result in a greater chance of missing the lift. Plus, IT HURTS!

  16. Wille,Regarding the pullunder, the first thing to evaluate is the lifter’s comfort in the bottom of the Overhead Squat position. If one has trouble attaining a comfortable rock-bottom position, that is the first thing to address. By comfortable, I mean that you should be able to hold an empty bar or light weight and sit in that position without physical/mental discomfort. Adequate stretching and mobility work — and just simply more time spent in that position –should help.

    As far as snatch balances, those are a great assistance exercise. In terms of how heavy to take them, I wouldn’t even be concerned about the amount of weight at first. The dynamics and crispness of movement is the first priority. Get a handle on that, and the rest should fall into place. Anyway, that’s my take on them.

  21. WU: DU practice. Then Tabata sprints barefoot. It never fails that if I leave my shoes off when changing, we start with running. Then squat jumps, FSQ arm stretches, and calf stretches.

    FSQ with JMD:(45×5, 95×5, 145×3, 165×3)175, 185PR, 190PR, 195PR, 200PR

    Then: dislocate lunges, quad stretches, knees-to-elbows.

    200# was definitely a challenge. I was on my game until then but, maybe it was the special figure, but I got myself psyched out for 200. I took the bar off the rack, stepped back, took a breath, then didn’t go. I took another breath but you know when you have to reset like that it’s not going to be your best. I managed to tough it out anyway but just goes to show how much of this is mental.

    Great FSQ cycle!

  22. FSQ230 PR240 PR250 PR

    Previous PR was 225. Super happy with the progress I made this cycle.

    ———————

    SOOOOOOPER happy with all the PRs that went around in the gym tonight and the support you show for each other. Y’all make a boy pretty happy about his job 🙂

  23. OMG! I stayed up last night watching Team Rogue versus Team Again Faster. WOW, the hotness is unbearable (me smiling, and drooling).

    @Sarah, I would love to join in the spectating. I will try to get to the gym by 10am.

    Fun class tonight, I think the highlight of the night for me had to be Margie “encouraging” Becca on with her front squat. It was priceless 🙂

    FSQ 125-135-145-150F

    It wasn’t a PR but I’ll take it.

  25. Front Squat Finals (man, was I looking forward to this after a SHITE day at work)

    WU: 45×5, 95×5, 145×3, 175×2, 195×1

    Work: 205(PR), 215(PR) – this latter lift was in the infamous category “if it was a baby, no one would kidnap it”. Yeah, that ugly. But Fox said it counted, so I’m taking it. Fox also made a throat-slitting gesture, which (I think) meant “You’re done”. Or he was gonna take me out. Or stick a fork in me. Either way, I was done, and so I just did a rep-out at 135lbs.

    Did PVC sit-ups instead of K2Es because of my sore shoulder.

    Later, weighted chin-up PR: 10 chins at 20#.

  30. Front squat: 45×5, 95×3, 135×3185, 200(pr), 215(pr), 220(F), 185 rep outI think I totally psyched myself out on the 220. I was expecting to only get maybe 200, 205 and when the 200 went up easy and the 215 felt good I suddenly started thinking too much with the 220. I got to the bottom and pretty much bailed immediately (hurt my friggin wrists doing it). The mental aspect to lifting is so huge but we never really address it (hint). Anyway, I’m happy with the results. Previous PR was 185.Accessory work was enjoyable, especially the quad stretch (although knee on cement is not the best).

    Mobility work – 12 minute yoga lunge routine (Sage Yoga download series); five minutes each side of shoulder openers with lax ball; pigeon sequence, 10 minutes total on each side; 3rd world squating.

  31. Tonight’s meal of the day is basically the same as yesterday… breakfast for dinner:

    3 Eggs over easy, Bacon and a pear washed down with fish oil and agua

    sorry that I missed so many PRs tonight while I was working in the office. It was fun to hear the outbursts of “GOGOGOG STANDDD UPPP!!!!” Followed by either cheering or a loud metallic THUMP.

  32. Had a good time tonight with front squats.

    Mazes at 275, which isn’t a PR’s but it felt good and I’m happy to be able to move that kind of weight still. Felt the need to prep my body for future work, so Antoine and I did some heavy walkouts — 315 for 30 seconds, and then 335 for 10 seconds.

    Very taxing just holding the weight, but helpful as my body gets accustom to supporting it. Must have turned several shades of red/blue, and looked as though ready to passout. Which wasn’t far off the mark as the damn barbell cuts off the air supply in the rock position…

    Nice work on the Front Squats everyone!

  33. Took it easy today.

    Warmup:-tabata row instead of run-10 mins of: 6 squat jumps, front squat rack stretch, wall calf stretch.

    FSQ:(45×5, 65×5, 85×3)work: 105x3x3-purposefully light because of marathon. Happy to have hit 165 this past Saturday as my PR last week.

    Acc work:3 rounds nft of: 12 k2e, 12 dislocate lunges, 1:00 quad wall stretch.

  34. 10 min. DU practice as per my November goal. Nothing too remarkable there.

    FSQ 1-1-1-1-1(45×5,65×3,85×2) 105x1PR, 115xF,115xF,110xF,110xF,110xF

    Kept revisiting the 110 convinced I had it in me, but too shallow on the depth each time.

    The PR was nice, but I got overwhelmingly bummed that I couldn’t get the 115. That was my goal. It is what I had been thinking about and what I really saw myself doing. Next time.

    3RNFT Muscle up rows 6 overhead lunges with 35# plate.

    Thank you Shane for saying what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it.

  35. 155, 175*F, 165F, 165, 167 (PR)

    Little bit of a hitch on that second set, when I unknowingly had an extra 10-pound plate on the left side. That kinda got in my head for the next set, but after that it felt good.

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