Session Two- Form before Fame

Welcome back, let's get right to it.  This week practice these moves for form. 

Overhead Press- Key issues with overhead presses are that you are not leaning back as you press the bar over your head.  In doing so, you are arching your lower back putting undo pressure on your lower back and pushing more with your pectoral (chest) muscles than your should muscles, which are what the overhead press targets.  Additionally, another form issue with the overhead press is that once pushed overhead, the bar is still positioned toward the anterior (front) of the body.  In the full extension, your arms should be straight overhead and your elbows are next to your ears.  You will need to develop the motion that your head will have to travel in order to get it out of the way quickly for heavier lifts.  You will lean your HEAD ONLY back just a bit to clear the bar overhead.  Once the bar is cleared, stick your head back between your arms until your elbows are positioned next to your ears.


Kettlebell Swing- Issues with the kettlebell develop around the coordination of  the movements.  You should not be attempting to "lift" the kettlebell out in front of your body or overhead.  Rather, a strong hip thrust out of the squat position will created the kinetic energy needed for the kettlebell to float almost the entire way up.  Once moving into the downward (recovery squat position with kettlebell between legs), you must control the kettlebell into the recovery position by engaging your shoulder muscles to lower it.  Finally, do not allow your body to collapse with a rounded back as your recover into the squat position.  Engage your core to resist this natural tendency keeping your back in the neutral position with a slight curvature of the lower back.  Drive with the hips, control with core and shoulders.  Just keep thinking this as you practice the movement.


Wallball Shot- The wallball shot, I think, is a variation of the kettlebell swing and overhead press.  That is why we work on them the same day as the others.  The tendency of this movement is to work the two component sequentially rather than consecutively.  The two parts are the squat and throw.  However, you should be simultaneously pressing the weight overhead as your come out of the squat position up to standing.  Once up, and the ball has completely left your hands, you will begin a new squat, catching the ball as it falls back into your hands.  What you do not want to do is come out of your squat position and then throw the ball overhead.  Additionally, you do not want to wait to catch the ball before returning into your squat position.  The idea is to use the upward momentum to propel the ball higher and the downward momentum of the ball to add shock to the muscles used in controlling your downward squat.


Overhead Squat- Just like the front squat, the overhead squat is very challenging.  Wait, stop reading for a minute and digest this.  They are VERY CHALLENGING.  The overhead squat is the one exercise that I still struggle to increase the weight on the bar significantly.  Shoulder flexibility and core are the keys to progressing with the overhead squat.  Once you have the bar overhead, take your time to move into the squat position without leaning forward or allowing the bar to move in front of the your head.  The bar should be locked where the elbows are behind the head now, hence the need for shoulder flexibility.  Stick with these.  They are hard but once you are able to get the first few, even with just a broomstick, you will begin to understand the correct form that will be required.