Tempo Back Squat / Tempo Front Squat (De-load)
Tempo Back Squat (31X1):
2 x 4
Tempo Front Squat (31X1):
1 x 4
2 sets of Back Squats, followed by 1 set of Front Squats. Use the same load as in Week 1’s sets of 8. These should feel light and crisp.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8
_____________________
Every 3 Minutes for 5 Rounds:
21 Squats
7 Handstand Push-Ups
3 Deadlifts 315/225
Score fastest and slowest times. You should be pretty warm from Squatting but don’t just jump to work weight on the Deadlift. The load on the bar should be heavy for you and require 3-4 jumps in weight to get there. Similarly, don’t kick up to a wall for the first time for your first Handstand Push-Up. Warm them up with a few kick ups, then do a few reduced ROM reps, then a few full ones. If you’re doing Box Piked Handstand Push-Ups, then warm those up similarly.
Post fastest time, slowest time, and Rx to comments.
You know we love Spikeball at CFSBK. We even had a Spikeball tournament last summer. But did you know we love it this much?
The CFSBK Guide to Cues: Knees Out
By David Osorio
Originally posted on 6.29.16
Knees out! Chest up! Flat back! The verbal cue is one of the most important tools in a CrossFit coach’s repertoire. You likely have some sense of what these commands mean, but in this new blog feature, we’d like to take a look at some common cues. From time to time, we’ll be offering these short guides to explain what these mean and why they’re important. First up is one we’ve probably all heard: knees out!
When might you hear it in class, and what does it mean?
You’ll usually hear it during some sort of squatting activity, but it can apply to any movement that requires you to bend your knees (e.g., the take-off in a Box Jump or the Olympic lifts). The intention is to keep your knee over your midfoot by shoving your knees out, rather than letting them cave in. In the photos below, note how Lauren’s knee is aligned over her midfoot (left) rather than drifting inward (right).
Why is it important?
When you align your knee over the middle of your foot and maintain that position throughout the movement, you are aligning the muscles of your leg to most effectively produce force, as well as minimizing soft tissue stress. Put simply, if your knees are over the middle of your feet during a Back Squat, you’ll be moving the weight upwards in a straight line. If your knees cave in or splay out, the force you exert won’t be used efficiently to move the weight back up. Instead, it will be absorbed by your soft tissue in a counterproductive way. Pushing your knees out reduces wear and tear on your joints, and who doesn’t want that?
What can I do to fix it?
As far as Squats and the Olympic lifts are concerned, the first and easiest thing you can do is buy weightlifting shoes. An elevated heel allows you to maintain more dorsiflexion of your foot, which is especially useful if you have tight ankles. Lifting shoes provide a stable platform on which you can more effectively engage your feet and give you a better tacticle sense of what your feet are doing, creating a better connection to the floor.
Second, simply being aware of the issue and mentally cueing yourself will go a long way. Many newer CrossFitters simply lack this awareness and aren’t quite sure how to fire some external rotators or activate their glutes. If you’re an experienced CrossFitter and your knees tend to cave in at heavier weights, be your own manager and take some weight off the bar if you can’t maintain good positions. In any case, make sure your set up is correct: your stance is the right width (for you), your feet are active and creating external rotation, and your belly is braced.
Finally, if you’re struggling with keeping your knees out because of mobility issues or muscle weakness, don’t hesitate to ask a coach to watch you Squat and suggest some accessory work. One possibility is the Banded Squat, which will “feed the weakness” and reinforce better positioning.
What cues would you like to see next? Let us know in the comments!
___________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Alex Parker Demos Strongman’s Fear CrossFit
The Enduring Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles Atlas Obscura
6am with RoDO… DORo?
Squats:
95×4
135×3
205×4
205×4
185×4 (Front Squat)
Metcon: Rx’d with strict HSPU. Rounds were 45-47-49-55-46
I seem to be a tourist in 6 AM more often lately. Nothing against the fine *people* of 6 AM, but the decidedly un-fine hour of 6 AM is not my favorite.
BSQ 135, FSQ 115. Thank you back off week! Calves are still pretty dang sore from hiking and double unders.
Did 4 or 5 HSPU to 2 abmats per round, and kept getting cued to stay tighter. At least now it’s not *quite* so terrifying to travel downward while upside down, so I should be able to give a little mental energy toward squeezing my legs together 😛
7am with Ro and David. I think my first ever class with David!
BSQ at 95, FSQ at 85. These both felt great.
Partnered with the EXTREMELY speedy Shawn on the WOD; HSPUs on a box with an ab mat + one weight (2 mats was too easy, 1 mat was too hard, this was juuuuust painful enough) and 135# on the DLs. Fastest round was :55, slowest was 1:20 when I was sorting out the too easy / too hard abmat situation. Most were right around 1:00. This was a fun one!
Hopefully not the last! I’ll be coaching Wednesday mornings with Ro moving forward…. except next week when I’ll be in Aruba.
7 am with Ro and DO
95 LBBS and 85 FS working with Christine. We took an extra set of front squats. I super paused the bottom of these – trying to hammer in the position. This was heavier than week 1 because I might have started too light so I just took 10 lbs off last week’s work.
The WOD was fast and fun but then I start wondering if I should have gone heavier on the lift or done the HSPUs with one ab mat. I was humbled by the difficulty of a no mat box piked HS so 2 it was and 135#. 1:01, :57, :49, :57, :47. Congrats on your progress Stella. Vanessa was killin’ the HSPUs today too!
thanks for the encouragement today, shawn! i wanna be able to do those hspus so fast like you someday. fun morning!
Don’t think I’ve logged all week :-/
Monday:
a. Bench: 3×8 @ 31×1 @ 85, 90, 90# – much better than last time
b. Snatch: some hang snatches and snatches … worked up to two singles @ 115# (about 85%), which felt AWESOME b/c I have not snatched other than barbell drills in… 3 months!!
c. for time:
20 clean and jerks @ 105#
with 5 burpees EMOM
4:55
Yesterday: PT exercises / heat up, then…
A. 5×8, single leg step up, 20″, 16kg, slower-down tempo – L side only
getting better, dare I say
superset with some chin up hangs, weighted shoulder CARs
…jumped in and approximated some of Brett’s workout with modifications…
B. EMOM x 12
even: 12 TTB (all done 8-4)
odd: :30 single unders (cycling 5 both feet, 5 left foot)
C. “for time”…
6-5-4-3 Strict CTB pull-up
8-6-4-2 DB power snatch @ 45#
I can’t remember my time… 5:22? Maybe?
Brett did something verrrrrrry different from this and was moving like mad on the DB snatches. Dang I am out of practice! But hey the strict CTB felt SOLID. set of 3 to start then all quick singles.
Today, squatting with 12pm group class:
BSQ 2×4 @ 31×1 @ 145#
FSQ 1×4 @ 31×1 @ 125#
-felt pretty good for not squatting for a couple weeks. no nerviness in the foot, hips feel much more even. FSQ was surprisingly not bad!
Superset with 3×8 each side strict single arm DB Press @ 25, 30, 30#
Then:
5×2 rings complex: :10 top, :03 eccentric, :05 bottom support / rest+reset
3×8 glute ham raises with green band — definitely on my top 10 least favorite exercises in the gym… will be doing it more.
Wrangled K-Love into joining me for some simple conditioning:
3x:
3:00 row, 20 s/m, sustainable effort (2:10)
1:00 farmer carry (24kg each hand)
nice lil grip burn and a good sweat!
4:30pm Class with Coach Snickers
BSQ: 185x4x2
FSQ: 155x4x1
E3MOM
21 Squats
7 HSPU (strict/unbroken)
3 Deadlifts 315
Fastest: :59
Slowest: 1:07
That was a fun one and really played to my strengths, haha.
Also, Spikeball Is Life
Strength cycle make up before a quick trip to Miami tomorrow/Friday
Paused LBBS: 125x3x3
Snappy, light, knees out!
Press: 65x5x3
Fast, easy. See last week when I couldn’t put up 3 reps total at this weight???
Chins: bw 2(!!)-1-1-1-1, blue&orange 7, 7
Did another pull up for kicks. Bye!
Woohoo!!!! Chin-ups!! Nice work!
Warm-up
3x
50 x singles/ then doubles
10 x assisted pistols
3-5 C2B
A1) Lateral box step-ups with kb goblet hold
20kg x 6 x 3
A2) Cuban Press
12.5 x 8 x 2, 15 x 8
A3) Rope Climb
3 x 2 ascents
60 secs rest between sets. Rope climbs were bad today.
B) EMOM 16 mins
Odd- 12 x GHD sit-ups
Even- 10 x push-ups
Getting used to the 608 GHD at last,
LBBS: 115x4x2
FSQT: 95x4x1
WOD @185# with 22.5# strict DB press
47s, 47s, 46s, 47s, 49s
Fun one! Sad I couldn’t work on HSPUs because I was a dummy and swung on the rings on Sunday and irritated my shoulder again.
Jumped in on Whit’s WOD:
3 min rowing at a sustainable pace
1 min farmer carry with 20kg KBs
Farmer carries got spicy in the last 10s
OG today
Pwr Clean
5*4 @ #165
Woah…can feel when I’m getting tired and letting the bar slam down onto my chest!
Pwr Jerk
5*3 @150
My core is definitely getting strong. No belt today and My upper body felt fairly strong and stable!
Push Press
5*4 @120…UGH. ALWAYS UGH
20 minute EMOM
1- 3 strict C-2-B pull-ups
2- 8 pushups: 1 second pause at the bottom, explode up
3- 8 30″ box jumps
4- :15 ring hold, then 3 second decent down
All these simple gymnastic/bodyweight movements are feeling so much more strong lately. Ever since Murph, I haven’t done any kipping and am really focusing on fixing this shoulder/rotator cuff issue. These strict movements are absolutely making me stronger!
Rock climbing tomorrow! Wahhooo! See you all Friday!
6:30 class today, lots of fun!
BSQ 95, FSQ 75.
Wod, scaled to 85 lbs for deadlift and knee push-ups. Maybe could have gone heavier on the deadlifts, it’s been so long since I’ve been in for a deadlift I wasn’t sure where to start. 58 seconds to 1:05, my push-ups were slow but I didn’t have to break any of them up which is always exciting.