Overhead squats makes me so f**king angry

[mksamas]

First of all, sorry if my English is not perfect but it is not my main language.

Really, I've slightly improved in all exercise since I've started doing Crossfit 6 months ago but the OHS... Jesus Christ.. not a little improvement.

The thing is, since I've started doing crossfit I've also changed everything: healthy diet done by a nutritionist, I train 3 times per week (never missed a sigle traning class), my coach constantly corrects me and everything is okay but OHS makes me funking mad, hard exercise that the maximum weight that I can do is female barbell from the beginning.

I really hope this problem does not only affects me.

Thanks for the attention.

 

[angeltigerr39]

@mksamas You issue maybe mobility rather than strength, might be worth a check in with a physio.

 

[mksamas]

@angeltigerr39 I've also done that and it lasted like 3 months of treatment

 

[angeltigerr39]

@mksamas Try recording yourself and review the video after. When you fail the lift with higher weight on, what does it look like? How do you fail? You can learn a lot that way, if not sure you could also post it for form feedback on here or one of the other subs.
Perhaps a focused session or two with a coach would help where they could work on some variations and really dial in your form.

Alternatively, if your form is good, keep showing up to sessions and putting the work with the female bar whenever you can. Try and increase your reps and sets and increment from there. There are a lot of muscles and joints working together in that lift and as others below have said it can be a tough one.

 

[theological1988]

@mksamas How about double under? I’ve been practicing those since2019 and am not seeing any real improvements

 

[jr620]

@theological1988 2019? Rookie been trying to get more than 5 in a row since 2017

 

[theological1988]

@jr620 I feel you, friend.

 

[babydollalice]

@jr620 I’m at 3 in a row since 2016!

 

[sb_]

@babydollalice That's about all I can do. It sucks practicing them too, since doing it causes me to whip myself with a metal rope, hard.

 

[angeltigerr39]

@theological1988 Yea, feel that. stuck in the no man’s land between singles and going too fast after the first double and loosing it.

 

[theological1988]

@angeltigerr39 Yeah we did the girl workout with doubles. I did 2xthe number of singles and it still felt like nothing, whereas doubles I just can’t get. Frustrating!

 

[chapsbabs]

@theological1988 I learned to do them by watching this video of Dan Bailey coaching them + doing Annie multiple times a week until I was able to do the dubs unbroken. They’re probably my best skill now because of the hell I put myself through learning them.

 

[aussiewhite]

@theological1988 Yeah took me about 5 years of crossfit to get them

 

[tina456]

@mksamas I struggle with the mobility that is necessary for OHS. If I see them or snatches on the menu for the day, I take about 20 minutes to stretch beforehand.

I put my back on a medicine ball. I reach back to an empty barbell, snatch grip width. I then work towards getting my ass on the ground while gripping the bar, start with 15s stretch and work to 1m. Then and only then can I do decent OHS.

I should do it everyday then I would be doing well there…but I don’t.

 

[mobileleprechaun]

@mksamas OHS is humbling! I too struggled with an empty bar when I started.

For me I had to work on shoulder mobility. Over time I was able to feel much more stable and get to below parallel. It took me a few years to fix my mobility issues. After 7 years they are still a work in progress but I can snatch my body weight now.

The real catalyst for me was taking a video of myself doing a OHS with a pvc pipe. The mental image I had and what I actually looked like were very different things!

I assume a coach has helped you ensure your hand placement is correct. The narrower it is the harder it is.

Remember, fitness is a journey filled with many steps.

 

[bornagainmom3]

@mobileleprechaun I keep a pvc pipe in my office and whenever I get up to move/stretch a bit - I grab it and just work on range of motion etc. Been 6 weeks and it's already making a difference

 

[babydollalice]

@bornagainmom3 Did that this morning. Overhead squat with a pvc hand held it in the hole trying to feel the right position. Humbling.

 

[srutz]

@mksamas Lots of people struggle with OHS! Partly this is because a lot more balance is required with the weight overhead.

Perhaps this is advice your coach is already giving you, but you want to make sure you're putting a lot of tension on the bar while it is overhead. Envision yourself bending the bar, or pulling it apart like a piece of taffy. You might also practice doing OHS with a resistance band to help you maintain that tension.

Keep at it, you'll get better at them!

 

[alenandy]

@mksamas I CANNOT do OHS and it's because my ankles (and maybe shoulders) are not flexible enough. Definitely a mobility problem for me and it is very frustrating.

 

[raykane]

@mksamas Great way to practice and identify the mobility issue is to practice with PVC in the rig. Standing in the rig between uprights of a narrow pull-up bar. Line up feet in inside of upright, right on your frontal plane-laces area of shoes. Then take pvc to overhead starting position laying pvc along rig and squat. Just that simple. Very humbling.

It forces you to keep the weight on plane
Which is paramount in the OHS.

This is what I have my athletes do when we need to work on motion and diagnose mobility vs movement issue.
A lot of newbies that are good squatters become squat morons when you put weight above their head. Instead of initiating squat with hip hinge they bend those knees and mute the hip and die inside.