Overhead Squat: "Death on a Stick"

This is a great video from Glenn Pendlay and Jon North, both formerly with Cal Strength.  The latter  provided the subtitle for this post, "death on a stick."  Funny.

The overhead squat is a useful diagnostic tool for assessing an athlete's mobility as hip, ankle, thoraic, shoulder and even wrist flexibility all come into play.  An added benefit is the limited margin for "cheating" this movement due to its emphasis on positions.  Other benefits stemming from the overload squat include strengthening the trunk and overhead position, reinforcing the vertical torso position, challenging maximum depth on the squat and building confidence for heavier snatches.  Despite the value overhead squatting provides, I rarely see people in the gym training this movement, let alone going heavy.

Critics argue the overhead squat is a poor movement for building strength as a result of the lighter loading when compared to the back or front squat.  I agree with this argument.  The overhead squat is inferior to the aforementioned squat varieties.  However, that does not mean the movement should be discarded completely.  It still has its place in a well-balanced training program.  For instance, the overhead squat fits nicely into a four-day-per-week training schedule (Monday - back squats, Wednesday - front squats, Friday - back squats and Saturday - overhead squats).  This is the way I organize my own squatting when training four times per week.  I want to reiterate greater emphasis is placed on the back squat days.

Much like the front squat, I think fives or threes are a good place to start once an athlete has developed a working competency with the overhead squat.  More advanced athletes can progress to, and benefit from, singles or doubles as the lower number of repetitions allow for near-maximum loading.  Taking a page out of Bill Starr's book, I think an athlete should be able to overhead their bodyweight for a set of five before progressing to lower rep schemes, but this standard is not set in stone.  "Supers” – men weighing over 105 kilograms (230#) and women weighing over 75 kilograms (165#) – may need a lower benchmark, but it all depends on the athlete and their mobility.

Some years ago, Dan John challenged athletes everywhere to try and overhead squat their bodyweight for fifteen repetitions.  The best way to train an athlete for tackling this challenge is to push up their back squat and press/push press numbers; continue to improve their thoraic and shoulder mobility and perform higher-repetition sets of overhead squats once a week.  This can be accomplished as either "back-off" sets after training the snatch or as part of a Crossfit-style "couplet."  My favorite couplet is pairing overhead squats with strict toes-to-bar, possibly three rounds of ten overhead squats plus twenty strict toes-to-bar (I don't have a problem with an athlete kipping the latter movement, but I, personally, suck at kipping due to lack of coordination).  The load for the overhead squat should be challenging, but not too heavy, as the athlete needs practice staying tight during higher-repetition sets.  Something like 75 percent of a three-repetition-maximum strikes me as reasonable.  I have also found Prilepin's Chart to be a valuable tool when self-programming.



Road Trip!

It’s summer time here in the Nation's capital and that means two things – humidity and road trips.  And as much as I love sweating through my dress shirt before nine in the morning, this post will focus on the latter.



Road trips pose obstacles for the nutrition-minded athlete, but all are surmountable with proper preparation.  The recommendations below are divided into two categories: training protocols and steps that can be taken outside the gym.

Training

Do Your Homework.  Before departing, check to see what facilities may be available to you. Crossfit gyms are great, especially if you want to continue Olympic lifting, but a run-of-the-mill Golds Gym can suffice in a pinch.  Commandeer a squat rack and get in a higher volume of strength work.  A few extra sets of squats and presses are good for the metabolism.  Should you choose to drop-in at a Crossfit affiliate, though, call ahead and ask about the daily schedule. Don't be "that guy" who shows up and interrupts a class.

Prioritize Strength.  This point dovetails, to some degree, with the one made earlier, and is especially relevant for the athlete who is pressed for time.  Focus on barbell lifts (squats, presses and pulls), and leave the conditioning for another time.

If you want to kill two birds with the one stone, try one of the following workouts: (1) one snatch (or clean) every minute on the minute, for twenty minutes (you can either start with 75% of your maximum and work your way up or you can attempt all twenty singles with 80-85%) – try two reps per minute if performing either of the power variations; (2) timed squats (see pgs. 83-84 in Bill Starr's "The Strongest Shall Survive" for discussion of this training protocol); (3) power cleans complimented by max repetitions in the front squat afterwards – I have found a 5-7 minute-time domain with 80% of your maximum to be optimal for skinning both the “strength” and “conditioning” cats (a good goal is 30 reps total) or (4) barbell complexes (my personal favorite is 1 Power Clean + 2 Front Squats + 1 Push Press + 1 Jerk).

Trade Intensity for Volume.  The stimulus provided by a change in training environment can have a peculiar effect on the athlete's workout.  A different backdrop for snatches or cleans, larger J-hooks in the squat rack or the simple math of converting kilograms to pounds can all affect that day's training.  Having learned these lessons the hard way, I have found success in trading intensity for volume.  By reducing the percentage used for working sets, the athlete can compensate for the additional stimuli while continuing adaptation.  Five-by-five across is my preferred set-rep scheme for squats and presses.

Take Advantage of Your Surroundings.  Time spent lifting weights or conditioning indoors is great fun, but sometimes you need to go outside and mix it up.  Go for an open water swim.  Hike a mountain pass.  Traverse a new rock face.  Pitting yourself against Mother Nature is "fitness" in the most primal sense.  In the immortal words of the band Alabama, "Swim across the river. Just to prove that I'm a man."

Outside the Gym

“The Best Damn Cooler in the Business.”  John Welbourn said it best in his "2010 Recap" when he wrote, "Don’t be lazy.  Pack a lunch .  . . We are adults and can plan ahead."  Indeed.  Here are a few prepared items I have brought with me on assorted road trips: 

(1) Cheesy Bacon Egg Cups.  (Insider Tip: pre-cook the bacon for ten minutes in an oven at 350 degrees.  Food poisoning is no dice on a road trip).

(2) Grilled Flank Steak. (Insider Tip: once cooled, cut the meat into bite-size strips to allow for hand-to-mouth feeding.  Be forewarned, this style of eating is not always popular with female passengers).

(3) Paleo Meatballs.

(4) Spinach Salad with Red Onions, Grape Tomatoes and Blue Cheese Crumbles and dressed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (Insider Tip: pack the dressed salad in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and use a plastic fork for eating. The plastic fork will not puncture the bag, unlike a metal fork).

Water Consumption.  Water consumption is important, too.  Urine should carry a diluted lemonade color, nothing darker.  The best way to stay hydrated while spending hours upon hours in the car is to pace your liquids consumption with the gas gauge.  The closer you get to an empty tank, the more you are allowed to drink.  Be sure to drink an extra glass of water before bed that night.

Multiple Choice is My Jam. Aside from the aforementioned prepared items, here are some store-bought foods that are most excellent for travel: (1) whole milk cottage cheese (my "go to" brand is Kalona SuperNatural, it’s the bomb-diggity), (2) any of the hard cheeses made by Kerrygold, (3) berries of all kinds (Insider Tip: remove the tops of the strawberries to avoid a mid-drive nuance), (4) raw nuts (cashews are my favorite, but almonds and macadamia nuts are good, too) and (5) extra virgin raw coconut (it’s more solid than oil).

Additionally, if you are spending six-plus hours in the car, be mindful of your carbohydrate intake, and stick with low-carb foods like cottage cheese, raw nuts and raw coconut oil. A full belly is your best defense against junk food snacking.

Re-Mobilize. Spending hours upon hours in a static, seated position can wreak havoc on your hip and thoraic mobility. Shortly after arriving at your destination, go for a short walk and then spend a good twenty minutes un-fucking yourself.  I keep a thick pvc pipe and lacrosse ball in the trunk of my car to avoid last-minute packing debacles.  Mobility is an everyday task.  There are no excuses.  It is easy.