For Time:
10 Muscle Ups
15 Hand Stand Push Ups
20 Squat Cleans 155/100
Run 800m
Probably one of the toughest parts of squatting properly is maintaining
weight through the heels at the bottom of the squat. You hear us telling you every time we squat, "Weight on the heels! Knees out! Spread the floor with your feet!" Why is this such a problem you ask? If your feet look like the ones on the left, you are losing force on the posterior chain and causing undue stress on the knees.
The picture on the left is a perfect expample what we are seeing, and on the right shows what it should look like. There are many factors that play into the rolling in of the feet and knees. Quad dominance, infexible hips and ankles, and lack of focus are a few of the main causes.
When you set up your squat, make sure you are starting with pressure through the heels and that you are forcefully trying to spread the floor apart. Imagine that there is a sharp thumb tack pointing directly upward into the ball of your foot, and that if you step on it you are going to stab yourself in the foot. On the way down, at the bottom of the squat, and on the way up continue to drive the heels down and apart to maintain proper alignment.
Spend more time working on hip and ankle flexibility. Stretches that emphasize the groin and increase hip rotational mobility will help keep your knees out and heels weighted. Improvement in this from issue will increase your ability to go heavy as well as make you faster in your metcon WODs.
