Monday 1.9.17

1. OVERHEAD SQUAT
Take 10 Minutes to build to a Heavy Set of 3
This is not meant to be a max-effort triple. Stimulus here is to get some heavier weight on the bar and confirm sound positioning beneath in our squat mechanics. Percentages will not be assigned – go based on feel.

2.

“YELLOW TAIL”
15 – 12 – 9:
CTB Pull-Ups
Power Snatch (95/65)
Directly into…

15 – 12 – 9:
Box Jump Overs (24/20)
Overhead Squats (95/65)

We are looking for a barbell weight that we could do 20+ overhead squats with, unbroken, if we went for it when fresh. Reduce the loading to ensure we are hitting this stimulus. We are looking for intensity here, rather than heavy loads.
Expect the first combination to become grippy – it is a pull/pull couplet. In order to preserve our pulling strength, we want to take two thoughts with us as we game plan this workout:
1) Dial in an aggressive lockout of the arms on the power snatches. Not only is this workout grippy, but the opening couplet is fatiguing on the shoulders if we start pressing the bar to extension. Much like how we practiced in our snatch skill portion, focus on our catch position. Position yourself underneath the bar for each catch with a very aggressive lockout. We want to preserve our shoulder strength for holding the bar overhead in the second portion – the OHS.
2) Long legs and an active mid-line today on the pull-ups. Focusing on this cue today as technique starts to slide in fast workouts such as today’s. Even though the volume is on the lower end, we want to dial in our efficiency. This initial 15-12-9 is your buy-in to the second portion… if we are forcing our upper body to do excessive work to complete the repetitions, this will slow our ability to perform the overhead squats in the second portion. Long legs and an active mid-line will maximize our kip, and in turn reduce the demand on our upper body pull.
Break up the pull-ups into consistent sets here. The goal is not to go unbroken on the 15’s if it reduces us to 4-4-4 on the 12’s. Envision yourself on the round of 9 pull-ups, and how you plan on moving through those repetitions. That will give us a good starting point to think about for the 15’s.
On the second 15-12-9, the BJO/OHS, jump today if we can on the box jump overs. Step-Ups are always allowed (and will be during the Open), but we are looking for a unique stimulus today. Combining an explosive movement with a high skill squat is the combination we are seeking.
Focus on a smooth, but steady pace on the BJO as you transition from the first couplet to the second. This is not where we want to make our push. What’s more important than racing through the BJO is picking up the overhead squat bar without hesitation. Dial in a methodical pace on the BJO, and slow our pace just a touch as we approach the final repetition. This will buy us an extra breath to give us the ability to immediately get the overhead squat bar up.
Aim for large sets on the overhead squats. We can recover on the box jump overs with a slightly slower pace – we just need to get there first. Returning back to the BJO, over jump the first repetition. Expect the legs to feel off – we will overcome it after a few reps. They will come back. Just focus on continuing to move.