Friday 130215

Strength

Low Bar Back Squat

Work up to a 3RM

WOD

WOD 12.1 from the 2012 Open

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes of:

Burpees

This will be the Open standard from WOD 12.1. Rather than jump and clap, you'll jump to a target at the top for each rep. The target should be 6" above an outstretched hand while standing flat footed. Both hands must touch the target at the top of each rep.

Yasi working the toes to bar!

For today's strength we'll be working on the low bar variation of the back squat. Take a look at the picture below from Mark Rippetoe's book Starting Strength:

From this picture, which is way better than the stick figures we draw on the board, you can see the differences in back angle for each of the squats. What you may also notice is how far in front of the foot the knee is for the front squat as compared to the low bar.

In the low bar back squat, we're going to be aggresively driving the hips back as we descend, engaging the glutes and hamstrings. With practice at all the squats, the majority of us will be able to squat a heavier load in the low back position because we're able to more effictively utilize the larger muscles of the posterior chain. 

It takes a little practice to get comfortable holding the bar in the low position, especially if you're used to the bar resting in the high bar position. Today will be a great opportunity to get comfortable with the bar lower on your back. Here's where the bar will sit:

Image from Fire Service Warrior.

Justin at 70's Big posted a great write-up on the pros and cons of both the high and low bar position. Take the time to look this over, it's worth it to understand the differences. Get ready to have fun and put up some big numbers today!