Squat City

JT Scott | 09/26/2016 | 3

Squatting is good for you. Full stop.

Humans are meant to squat. It’s how we get close to the ground to forage and build and use tools. It’s how we’re made, in so many ways. And loading the squat means we use more muscle, do more work, and become generally stronger and more resilient.

But CrossFit is also about Power. We want to move fast (as fast as safely practicable) in order to generate more power and more power-production demand on our bodies. So when lifting, we want to move the weight briskly.

Today, we’re warming up to a set of classic 5×5 squats for our strength. But once that’s done we’re going to do another 10 sets – and this time we’re going to try to generate power by exploding out of the hole into a jump.

Now there’s a lot of ways to load a jumping squat – sandbags, DBs, and even our classic Wall Ball – but today if you’re an experienced athlete we’re going to use the bar to try to get a bit more load. That’s why barbells were made, right?

Your coaches will help you set the weight, but we’re looking for speed and control. Be sure to pull that bar down onto your shoulders throughout the movement to avoid having the bar float and crash down on you for each jump. Likewise, landing with slightly closed knees (though with active glutes and midline/core) will be a must for doing this safely and effectively.

STRENGTH:
Back squat 5×5 @ 75%
– then –
EMOM 10
Cut load in half (or more)
5 jumping squats

WOD:
AMRAP 8
10 Wall Slams (4′ from wall)
5 Burpees (to 6″” vertical target)