CrossFit Envy Squat Mobility

Matt Kahler from CrossFit Envy explains squat mobility. Everyone should be do this EVERY day. Check us out at www.crossfitenvy.com

Category:

Education

Tags:

• CrossFit
• Squat
• mobility
• Envy
• calves
• soleus
• adductors
• glutes
• hamstrings

[TheMerryPup]

Thanks for posting this Matt! A lot of great tips in here. Your upper body looks to have about the same tilt that mine does when I deep squat. I cannot do overhead squats to save my life. Do you think that this is a hip mobility issue or a shoulder mobility issue?

Note: When I'm in a bottom squat I can't press my arms anywhere near straight overhead, (I'm using a kettlebell), but I can keep my arm above and a little behind my head in a standing press. Thanks.

[OnePremier]

@TheMerryPup You betcha my friend.

As far as your problem's concerned. There could be multiple causes. Mine is that I have extremely long femurs and a short torso, so I need to lean forward to counterbalance so I dont tip backwards. The only way I could stay more upright is to have RIDICULOUS ankle flexibility. Also when I squat with my lifting shoes on, I can stay significantly more upright.

Flexibility in a standing press wont indicate (typically) how easy of a time you'll have in an OHS...

[OnePremier]

@TheMerryPup This is because in a standing press, your torso is not inclined forward like it would be in the bottom of a squat. For example, take a PVC pipe, and grip it with a normal shoulder press grip. Now push it straight overhead... now keeping the arms locked, try to bring it back over your head further. You'll notice it's significantly more difficult and you'll be challenging the limits of your shoulder flexibility. Try doing shoulder dislocates to mobilize the shoulder girdle... usually

[OnePremier]

@TheMerryPup OHS with a kettlebell are significantly more challenging, since the arms must be kept at a greater angle from the torso than with a barbell snatch grip. This means you're working in a range with less flexibility (if I do shoulder dislocates with my arms in a snatch grip, vs. my arms in a clean grip, obviously the snatch grip will be easier, since my arms are at a lesser angle from my torso). Look up "shoulder dislocates" on youtube, and combine those with what I demonstrated here.

[ozika07]

Hey man, i just briefly tried this, and so far it seems to be helping! I can't squat for shiz, i always feel like im falling backwards unless i have a weight held out in front. I could go on about why... but i don't have enough characters hah. After a while of holding it feels as if something in the hip flexor area starts to cramp, it may even be my tensor fasciae latae... but the main thing is, i badly need to strengthen my glutes and hams but it's so frustrating when i can't even do squats!

[ramalho]

Hey Matt - what about people like me who have knee problems (well, at least problems with one knew). Right now, I can get down in the squat, but I can't hold it for very long, as pain sets in fairly quickly.

[TheMerryPup]

@OnePremier Thanks for the reply. I have been doing the "shoulder dislocates." Steve Cotter did a few videos on OHS flexibility and that was one of the things he covered. I started doing them with a TNT cable (it's about 5' and stretchy). My arms have to be VERY wide when I do it so I can get all the way over. But I have noticed some improvement. I have an Iron Woody band that when I originally tried to do it with was impossible and now when I'm sufficiently warmed up I can eek one out. :)