Today's Workout: 122313

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Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5
Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3
Overhead Squat 1-1-1-1-1
Then: “Annie Are You OK?”
50 double-unders
50 situps
40, 30, 20, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 of each
15:00 cap.
Squats Are Safe, But You’re Probably Doing Them Wrong – a Rippetoe article of substance
Proper Foot Position In The Squat by Greg Everett
Foot Position Test, with Kelly Starrett (below)

Finally, a bunch of kids in a third-world country who squat all day without knee problems:
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Your goal in the squats today is a simple one: use the same foot setup (toes out, same width) for every squat.
Every few years, with pendulum-like predictability, the “toes out vs. toes in” debate gets stoked up again. In times past, the arguments centred around isolating the quads; then the discussion shifted to knee safety. Rip’s article illustrates that partial squats are actually much worse for the knees, and that forward torso tilt (which he calls ‘horizontal torso’) shifts the bar forward enough to keep the pressure in the hips. Empirical observations suggest that the rate of knee injury in powerlifters has decreased dramatically since the late 1980s, even though loads have increased by up to 30% across all weight categories. This is predominantly due to a more hip-driven lifting focus (Westside and squat suits have together changed the setup of thousands of lifters.)
Relearning a motor pattern isn’t easy. But it’s worth doing: all of the CJ and Snatch PRs on Saturday confirm the benefits of a skill bias in your training.
Your air squats should be the same as your max squats. Practice that perfect line, and if you fail with a heavy weight, you’ll fail better. If you have one resolution in 2014, make it this: “All my squats will look the same.”
Tomorrow, we’ll do the 12 Days Of Christmas workout. Boxing Day will be Murph. Enjoy these Christmas traditions…and maybe allow yourself some extra time at the gym (and for travel – don’t drive WOD-drunk, please.)

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