Squat Rx #9

[MrSticksb]

J.V Askem was one of the best friends , teachers , lifting competitors ever had.

He had great knowlege , humor , and courage right up to the end of his life. He saw helping fellow lifters as a duty rather than a business.Thanks for posting, the cablebar guy would be proud of you.

[johnnymnemonic2]

@MrSticksb Thank you - that's one of the nicest compliment I've ever gotten.

[AFROTHINKER]

THANK YOU so MUCH for this video. YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER.

I recently took a US Olympic weightlifting course with Mr Leo Totten and it was great....Now I can appreciate all the nuances that you are alluding to....

BIG THX!!!!

[AyeTribeCalledFresh]

Thanks for the tips with the overhead squat. I've been trying to maintain balance and straightness whenever I attempt an olympic snatch and this should help me out while catching the bar, as I seem to lean forward on my toes for some reason.

[johnnymnemonic2]

Gotta be extra careful in most commercial gyms and I don't blame them for being a bit paranoid about dropping weights from overhead - might have to do them somewhere else.

I know CrossFitters and other do high rep OHS, but I'm just not into them since the shoulders are usually the link that fails. I stick with reps in the 1-6 range and rarely am I doing them with "maximal effort". Hard - yes, maxes - not much.

[spudnutsncoffee]

@johnnymnemonic2 Again, you are a terrific coach! You display a tremendous grasp of the unique physical challenges a lifter will experience and how to adjust. Ragardng the JVA Squat, if someone's front delts are not as thick as yours, what would you suggest. For someone not accustom to this movement. the bar may be hitting bone instead of muscle. Thoughts?

[johnnymnemonic2]

Thank you Spud.

I think that any kind of front squat is going to be resting on the skeleton - it won't be comfortable, but it shouldn't be excruciating either. IMO, there is an acclimatization period and you just have to go through that... or not and use a manta-ray, or something else.

Positioning is important though and most people who say "I just don't have enough muscle to put the bar there" either haven't spent enough time acclimating to it, or just aren't positioning it correctly.

[Robhearn]

great video and series.

I was threatened to be kicked out of my gym yesterday, by some mickey mouse PT, for dumping the bar on a failed OHS. I told the staff that dumping the bar is the only safe thing to do on a failed OHS.

One question, you mention keeping the reps low. What kind of rep scheme would recommend for the more average athelete?

I normally do 3x8 (60kg @ 80Kg bodyweight). would I better off doing something more akin to 5x5?

[rmbros]

Squat Rx is a great series - thanks for posting.

Really good idea to show how to bail out of the OHsquat.

I haven't made it all the way through the series, but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to do the same for OLY and PL squats as well. I know it freaked me out the first time I had to ditch a squat.

[johnnymnemonic2]

Interesting question - it depends. If you are doing an OL squat, it's generally a lot easier to dump the bar safely even if you aren't in a power rack. With a low bar position (and more forward lean) it's pretty hard to dump the bar safely without the bar pummeling the back of your head or your butt on the way down. IMHO, using a power rack with pins is always the safest option when squatting

[rmbros]

Absolutely agree - I lift PL style and it took me a while to figure out where to set the pins and how to drop the weight without the knot on the back of the head.

My thought was just that knowing how to ditch might be the most important thing a beginner can learn.

Thanks and keep posting!

[Cory315]

Hi. im having a problem while doing cleans in that when i drop down to catch the bar i have to lean foward which really sucks because i know if i could keep my back arched i could do alot more. what do you think is the most effective way to correct this?

[johnnymnemonic2]

I'm not really an OLer, so I couldn't give you the best advice on this, but are you catching the bar with your hands/arms, or in the rack? Are your hips too far back? Not sure what to tell you - look up "olympic weightlifting technique vid (1 of 2)" and "olympic weightlifting technique vid (2 of 2)" here at youtube and pay close attention - they are great videos.

[SabaZs]

you are stronger than you look... are overhead squats necessary if you are training for power lifting/strong man competitions? all they do for me is hurt like hell...

[johnnymnemonic2]

It's a tough exercise - no doubt. I don't think any exercise is absolutely 'necessary'. I like OHSQs and have done them as just a variation (to keep things interesting) and as a "proprioceptive" exercise to help my form when coming back from a layoff or injury.

Where does it hurt? Shoulders?

[SabaZs]

yep, shoulders.i'm not very flexible. i take the bar at width that im able to do dislocates at but it still hurts.technique is not perfect either(working on it).i heard O.squats can be done only if your technique is good, thus i use it to test if every thing is correct...

do overhead squats require more quads? i am unable to keep the weight shifted forward enough to use only my but.

[johnnymnemonic2]

If your technique w. the bar isn't where it should be, don't add weight.

Yes, OHSQs hit the quads more than a regular back squat.

[SabaZs]

"If your technique w. the bar isn't where it should be, don't add weight." - learned it the hard way... twice... just like training a strained muscle... last time was serious enough to remember...

the jiggy squat looks like a great exercise for developing correct squatting posture thanks for sharing.

[SHates]

I tried the overhead squat a few days ago after watching Squat RX #1. It really opened my eyes as to how inflexible and tight I really was. No matter how hard I tried the bar would come forward as I squatted down. I've started doing more shoulder dislocates to get me to a point where I can do these.

[dexbot]

Use a wide wide grip and a broomstick i.e. no weight in the beginning. Helped me a lot.