Overhead Squat 3-3-3-3-3-15
3 Rounds For Time:
100ft Bear Crawl
20 Alt. Heavy DB Lunge
20 Sledge Hammer Strikes 10/8
Lately we have thrown out the good old squat stretch for the goblet squat hold. Adding a little weight to counter balance against and to force you into a better position really gets the most out of the stretch. Holding the KB also helps people keep their backs straight so they are practicing an actual lifting position and increasing mobility in the hips vs just a sitting in a paleo pooping position and stretching the low back.
To get the most out of this stretch, work on posterior hip capsule and ankle mobility first. Then with a 18-35# KB, take a shoulder width stance with your toes dead straight ahead. We want to exaggerate the narrowness and straightness of your stance to increase mobility demands on the ankles and hips. Squat down with a straight back until you can get your elbows braced on the inside of the knee joints. While maintaining a rigid spine, drive the knees out as much as possible with the elbows and push your hips forward over the ankles as much as you can while keeping your heels down. If your heels float up a little, it’s not the end of the world, just means you need to work harder on ankle mobility.
After holding this for a couple minutes, give your hip flexors some love with a couch stretch as they may feel tight after sitting in a short position. My favorite is the banded version of the hip flexor stretch where you pull the band up under your ass cheek and take a knee letting the band open up the front of the hip.
If you struggle with your squat, do these exercises daily and you will see improvements quickly. As your coaches we know that if we are not seeing the improvements, it’s because you aren’t practicing on your own. Also remember that you do not need a kettlebell. Most anything that has any weight to it will work just fine, small children and pets included. You can also get a similar thing going by grabbing onto some sort of post or pole.
