Exercise of the Week: Sportband Overhead Squat
As most any educated member of the fitness industry will tell you, a squat is much more than just a leg exercise. In fact, it could be considered a “total body” exercise. Many muscles in both the upper and lower body are fully active during a squat.
Now lets factor in a sportband. Sportbands are a great method of applying resistance. We talk about them a lot on the blog and the main site. They work well because of their portability and durability, but also because they can provide resistances from a few pounds to several hundred pounds. Seriously, a band that provides 200lbs of resistance can practically fit in your coat pocket. It might look a little weird, but it’ll fit. I’ll spare you the sportband backstory in this post, but suffice it to say, we’re big fans of sportbands for a number of reasons.
One of the great exercises you can do with them is the Overhead Squat. The link below will take you to a video from the Hybrid Fitness video database with a full explanation of the movement.
My recommendation would be to start with a light resistance band and move up from there. Try a few repetitions and make sure your shoulders and back are stable. Be sure to move slowy through the motion until you get ccomfortable with body position and mechanics.
Give it a shot and tell us what you think. If you need to know where to get ultra-high quality sportbands, we recommend you go here. Tell them Hybrid Fitness sent you.
If you want to create videos like this for yourself for yourself, your clients or a blog/website, go here.
Until next time, keep training hard!
Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv
O.S.W. vs H.I.T.
It is not unusual to find the strength training community divided when it comes to what style of training is best or how and when to employ the many training techniques and variables that are available. One of the most classic battles one finds is the one between the proponents of High Intensity Training or H.I.T. and those coaches and athletes who seem to prefer Olympic Style Weight Lifting or O.S.W. I personally have never really understood the almost religious fanaticism with which some may argue for or against their preferred approach to getting stronger.
For years I have been a fan of brief, intense and infrequent training. Having tried just about every one of the recognized (as well as the obscure) training programs that have come along in the last twenty years, I can honestly say that this is still true today. My goal has always been to find the precise amount of volume, frequency and intensity that will allow me to reach my goals with maximum efficiency and minimum down time. With years of trial and error, creative experimentation and hard work under my belt I have discovered a few combinations that seem to produce consistent results.
Now counter to the notion of this brief, intense, infrequent style of training, often referred to as H.I.T., I am also a fan of Olympic style weightlifting. For many this might seem odd. For some it may seem that the two styles are not compatible with one another. I assure you it is not odd, and they are very compatible. Olympic style weightlifting is very technical. The movements are often difficult to master and some of the positions may cause a great deal of discomfort in the early stages of learning. I guess that is one of the reasons I enjoy Olympic style weightlifting, the focus and attention to detail that is required to attain a sense of mastery is a lifetime journey. Almost anyone can learn to work hard on a basic movement such as a Lat Pull-down or a seated Row but to truly master the Snatch or Clean and Jerk requires far more patience and dedication. Now don’t get me wrong, I am all about hard work on the basics when it comes to efficient strength training. I am not one of those coaches who feels that Olympic style weightlifting is required for athletic success (unless of course you are an Olympic Weightlifter). But I do enjoy it and that is why I often include some Olympic style weightlifting movements in my personal training plan.
One way to combine the more classic H.I.T. style of training with Olympic style weightlifting is as follows. Start with a basic O-lifting routine*. Practice this routine in a strict order of exercises as well as sets, reps and rest periods. For your H.I.T. training days create short routines which are made up of basic pushing, pulling and squatting movements along with some assistance exercises. Perform these in a classic High tension Low force manner with an emphasis on slow, controlled movement. Workout roughly every other day alternating one of these basic H.I.T. routines with the O-lifting routine. In this way you will perform both the O-lifting and H.I.T. routines three times every two weeks. Use the O-lifting days as more technique polishing and active recovery days. Still train hard and heavy however do not train to failure and strive to always leave a few reps in the tank. On the H.I.T. days perform single sets to failure of a handful of movements and strive to take each set to the limit. This can be an excellent way to combine these two styles of lifting, reaping the maximum benefit that each has to offer while maintaining a balance between stimulus and recovery.
If you have always been a practitioner of either one or the other of these two styles of lifting perhaps now is the time to try something new. If you have never tried O.S.W. then I recommend that you find a qualified coach for your initial instruction as this style of lifting is quite technical. If you have rarely if ever trained to momentary muscular failure then ease into it as the muscular soreness that is sometimes associated with this style of training can be quite intense. What ever style of lifting you use, be sure to have a spotter where applicable. Get strong in the gym, never get injured.
Give this H.I.T. / O.S.W. combination a try and I think you may find it to be a fun and effective way to reap the rewards that each of these styles of training has to offer.
PAU for NOW
TAKU
Example O.S.W. / H.I.T. Hybrid:
For the O-lifts I tend to stick with each routine for 12 workouts which following the above described pattern sees me changing things up about every eight weeks or so. On the H.I.T. days I get a little more creative varying the order of the exercises, reps, and rest intervals as well as employing advanced overload techniques when my energy and recovery allow. Keep in mind that these routines are just a few examples of thousands that you could employ.
O.S.W. Workout 1: (*Courtesy of Jim Schmitz)
1. Hang Power Snatch 5 x 5
2. Hang Power Clean 5 x 5
3. Clean Deadlift & Shrug 5 x 5
4. Push Press 5 x 5
5. Front Squat 5 x 5
6. Over Head Squat 3 x 5
7. Bench Press 3 x 10-8-6
H.I.T. Workouts
Workout 1. (A.J. Classic)
1. Squat 1 x 20
2. Single Leg Calf Raise 1 x 20 (each leg)
3. Standing Shoulder Press 1 x 10
4. Chin-up (weighted) 1 x 10
5. Dip (weighted) 1 x 10
6. Barbell Curl 1 x 10
7. Straight-legged Deadlift 1 x 15
Workout 2.
1. Dumbbell Squat 1 x 8-12
2. Dumbbell Fly 1 x 8-12
3. Dumbbell Lunge (stepping back) 1 x 8-12
4. Seated Cable row 1 x 8-12
5. Dumbbell Alternating Upright row 1 x 8-12
6. Triceps Over head extension 1 x 8-12
7. Dumbbell Incline curl 1 x 8-12
Workout 3.
1. Back Squat 1 x 8-12
2. Barbell Bench Press 1 x 8-12
3. Barbell Lunge (stepping forward) 1 x 8-12
4. Wide Lat Pull-down (in front) 1 x 8-12
5. Dumbbell Seated Press 1 x 8-12
6. Cable Curl 1 x 8-12
7. Cable Triceps Push-down 1 x 8-12
If I Had to Pick Just One….(w/ video)
When you hang around Internet strength and conditioning forums like I do, one question eventually comes up. “If you had to pick just one exercise, what would it be?” Why this question repeatedly comes up I am not really sure. For starters I am hard pressed to think of a time or reason that I ever would be limited to just one or even a handful of exercises. Even those of us who have limited access to exercise equipment can conjure up a vast array of options with just a little thought and creativity.
Perhaps people are looking for the ultimate in brief workouts and hoping that one or more magic movements exist that will give them all the benefit of a longer program with 1/3 less time and effort (the light beer mentality). Perhaps they are just looking for peer support in hope that others will pick the same exercises that they themselves have deemed “the best”. What ever the real reason this question does come up and once it does…folks begin to chime in.
While reading this you may have already consciously or unconsciously started rolling through your own top ten lists in search of the one you would keep above all others. For many it is a squat or deadlift variation. For others it may be the good old burpee. Ultimately, like me, you will probably come to realize that there is no reason to pick just one exercise. There is no single exercise that is the best at accomplishing all things at all times for all people. But…since you asked (or someone did), I will tell you one of my all time favorites. It is called the Clean Deadlift + Shrug.
I was introduced to this DL variation when I first met and trained with *Jim Schmitz. Since then it has become a staple in my weight training diet. It is a great total body pulling movement that really works those important posterior chain muscles. It hits just about everything from the neck on down. So remember, there is no reason to pick just one exercise all the time but if you are looking for a great one to experiment with I am sure that once you try the Clean Deadlift + Shrug it will quickly make it’s way to your top ten list.
The CDL+S How it’s done:
This movement is done with an Olympic barbell but similar versions can be done with dumbbells, cables, Hex-bars or even dedicated DL machines like those made by Hammer Strength or Nautilus. For demonstration purposes I’ll explain the barbell version. All others can be easily figured out from there. In the video I am moving with good control however the speed of execution is a bit fast. To gain the maximum benefit I recommend that you move slower rather then faster with this movement.
* Grasp a barbell with and overhand or “clean” grip
* Slowly stand erect as in the standard DL
* Once fully erect, raise up on your toes while shrugging your shoulders up to your ears
* Lower slowly to the bottom position
* Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHtd0Quhxio&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]
Here’s a closer view of the shoulders and calves to give you a better idea of how the exercise is done.
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Good luck. Keep training hard!
PAU for NOW
TAKU
www.hybridfitness.tv
*If you are not familiar with Jim check out the advisory board section at www.hybridfitness.tv
