Bought that bad boy last week and read a short section about squatting last night by chance which I think helped a lot.
"Generally the bounce should be used to some degree in front squats to improve technique, timing and the neurological adaptations of the stretch reflex for the clean. The back squat more often should be performed with a more controlled speed through the bottom range of motion to ensure strength development in the lowest possible position, which is the weakest range of motion (ok apparently I forgot about this section, I guess I'll limit the bouncing I do on the back squat in the future)...
"A common mistake is diving from the top of the squat in the attempt to catch the bounce. So much distance at such a speed increases the downward force of the weight to a point that makes supporting it and changing its direction far more difficult. Athletes will find more success by controlling the downward speed until nearing approximately horizontal with the thighs, and then increasing the speed into the bottom while remaining tight. This will create the speed to the bottom necessary for the bounce, but keep the total downward force with[in] the realm of control. Because cleans will be received at levels considerably lower than standing, this also more accurately represents the shorter distance of downward acceleration that will be experienced in the clean."
Did the CFSD wod afterwards which kicked off with 3x5 back squat. Kept it light at 135 focusing on getting in the right positions. Then:
3 rounds for time
8 OHS 95#
9 Box jumps 24"
10 Wall balls 20#, 10'
4:02
Notes: Knew this one wouldn't be that hard, should have pushed myself harder to do the wall balls unbroken. I dropped a few reps but immediately picked the ball up and kept going. This 30lb asian girl beat me by 4 seconds which was pretty impressive cause I assumed I smoked everyone else. Reality check, people in southern california are swoll even when they don't look like it.
tried to get comfortable with that bounce today. thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. That controlled descent and dropping near the bottom to "bounce" is exactly what I do. My friend at the gym pointed it out. Apparently I go down slow, then let myself drop the last couple inches, and bounce up.
ReplyDeletesomething to note: i've read that this "bounce" is only accomplished with low bar squat because of the recruitment of the hamstrings (due to the forward angle of the torso) in the hole.
ReplyDeletealternatively, if executed correctly, your hamstrings aren't really used until you're well into your ascent in the high bar squat. if i understand the bounce correctly, it's from the contraction of the hamstrings in the hole.
JC, do you use high bar or low bar? I know yang uses low bar.
i exclusively high bar back squat, mostly because the more upright back/torso angle is more applicable to the oly lifts/front squat/overhead squat.
ReplyDeletewhile you may not engage the hamstrings as much with a high bar squat bounce i think the bounce is still relevant to the high bar/front squat, if for nothing else than using the momentum to bounce back up. but this also is an argument against using the bouce as you don't develop the strength in the often weaker "bottom" of the squat.
i'm having trouble seeing how the bounce works with high bar squat. the bounce supposedly comes from the stretch reflex of the hamstrings which only happens on low bar squat.
ReplyDeleteif you're bouncing in high bar, then it's mostly your quad which is putting a good amount of anterior force in a short amount of time on your knee. i will do some research, but i'd be worried about a knee injury in that case.
agreed that high bar squat is more applicable to oly lifts. might be worth working in some romanian deadlifts on high bar squat days to make sure you work your posterior chain so that you have balanced musculature. thoughts?
Forgot to mention we did 3x10 romanian deadlifts and rounded back extensions (RBE) for assitance work post wod last night. I feel like my back/posterior chain is getting stronger since the RBEs weren't quite as miserable this second go around compared to last monday's. Because I do deadlifts, bench, and press, in addition to a plethora of other CF stuff like back extensions, pullups, dips, HSPU, etc. I'm not all that concerned with assistance stuff but I'll certainly do it when it shows up perscribed in WODs.
ReplyDeleteBouncing the high bar may put a good amount of force on the knees, which is another reason to limit the use with the high bar. While utilizing the stretch reflex of the hamstrings is one way the bounce works, it doesnt make the bounce completely irrelevant for high bar and front squats. I don't know the physiological breakdown/explanation but you'll see almost every legit oly lifter using the bounce to get out of the bottom of the clean.