CrossFit Snohomish Blog

The Shoulders, Knees and the Overhead Squat: Part 2

So, a few of you offered answers to Part 1 of these posts. Above I am demonstrating two very different overhead squat positions. Both are legit and technically mechanically sound. Knees are tracking with the feet, heels are down and the spine is in a neutral position. Lets break each one down a bit further and talk about some of my personal preferences.

Starting with the one on the left, look at the torso angle, very vertical putting the bar not only over the middle of the foot, but also much more overhead. This position requires much less shoulder flexibility and much more more calf flexibility especially when wearing flat soled shoes (as opposed to raised heal lifting shoes). This position also shifts the knee much more forward putting more quad and knee into the movement. In this position I am feeling a lot more “tension” in my knees and the major point of contact I am feeling here is the hamstrings hitting the calves. This position is fairly typical for many experienced weightlifters. The use of shoes with a lifted solid heal makes this position even more common.

In the picture on the right I have pulled the knees and hips back and have counterbalanced that by angling forward from the hip joint, while still keeping a rigid spine. This position requires much less calf flexibility due to the more vertical shin angle. It in turn requires much more shoulder flexibility due to increased torso angle making the bar position over the mid-foot relatively further behind the head (this may be slightly exaggerated here, ie. I might have the bar slightly behind the mid-foot) . Think of this one almost like a back squat with the bar elevated vertically from the position it would normally be in on the shoulders. The “tension” here is in the hamstrings and hips. The major contact point for me here is where the front of the pelvis is hitting the top of the thighs. There is more back side in this movement. It takes a lot of knee out of the lift, but requires that you have good shoulder mobility. For me, being a bit of a knee-issue-guy this position works better for me. Could I snatch more with a more vertical position under the bar? Probably, most elite oly lifters do it that way for a reason. My goal, however, is not only to snatch as much weight as I can. I have a three part goal of snatching as much as I can, while feeling as good as I can for as long as I can. This position fits these goals best for me.

Now…what if your are a shoulder-issue-guy? Maybe the first position is a better fit for you. What if you have bad shoulders and a serious knee history? Power snatch, work on light overhead squats until you can increase weight, work on your flexibility and then begin slowly working on your full snatch. This program will work for most people. If not, then be the best power snatcher you can be. It beats the heck out of preacher curls.

The take home point here is that there are some points that are a requirement for good form on many exercises (think heals down in the squat, neutral spine when pulling from the floor etc.) Beyond that, flexibility, past injury, age etc. may require that you tweak mechanics here and there while still maintaining the set-in-stone-requirements. Using your brain and listening to your body while
CrossFitting is a good thing and will keep you more functional for more years than just ramming yourself into certain positions because that is what they do in the Olympics. So the next time your in the gym, remember to stretch your shoulders, your knees will thank you.

9 AM Class

Push press and air squat team WOD!

Details tomorrow!