[Introduction: about a year ago I discovered that, despite years of hating the gym, I actually loved working out. Thanks to an awesome bootcamp class in Seattle and a crazy CrossFit gym here in SF I've been able to get a great workout with out going to the "gym." I could rant and rave about this for many, many paragraphs, but I'll save that for later. The short version is that I'm so into my gym that I've convinced myself to start writing about what I do there. I think it'll help keep me motivated. (And if I accidentally inspire someone else to try it out, well that's a nice benefit! If you want to learn more, I'd be happy to share.)]
Last Thursday's workout included something new and a visit from an old friend. The something new was a squat snatch. The snatch squat is fairly complex move that can be much more easily described in video form (the sweet soundtrack doesn't hurt anything, either). The old friend was an unexpected visit from my goat. Where a goat in this case is not a furry, four-legged friend, but an exercise that is inexplicably difficult. (Note: I did a quick dictionary check to see if it included this definition of goat. It does not, but I was excited to see that a goat can also mean a leprechaun's man! Unfortunately I quickly realized it's just late and my reading comprehension is slipping...)
Anyway, back to my story! Sadly, the squat snatch is not my goat. It would be, I think, a noble goat to have. It's a complicated move, combining a complex maneuver with precision timing and balance. Unfortunately (for me), it also happens end up in a glorified overhead squat.
And the overhead squat is most definitely my goat. Which is odd, because I love back squats (and don't have anything against front squats, either). But nothing about the overhead squat is fun. Something about holding a bar above my head throws everything else completely out of whack. I don't know if it my general lack of flexibility, my freakishly weak wrists, or something else completely. I've been trying to target my shoulders by doing extra PVC pipe stretches and handstands before class, but any attempt to squat with anything more than a PVC pipe above my head is still a recipe for disaster (or at the very least, a cause for concern).
When I first started in January, I thought that pull-ups were my goat. Even using the thickest band I quickly tired to the point of exhaustion after just a handful of pull-ups. I felt helpless. But then I discovered the wonders of the kipping pull-up and now I love doing pull-ups. Sure I can still only do ten or so at a time, but they're fun! And even if I'm exhausted I can still string five or so in a row.
That gives me a faint glimmer of hope for my overhead squats. Maybe next week I'll discover some trick that'll sort everything out. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen that easily. Instead, I think I just need to buckle down and embrace the goat. It's a challenge, for sure. But the greater the challenge, the greater the reward, right? If that's the case then I can look forward to a obscenely large reward, some day in the (very distant) future.
Actually, I feel better about overhead squats already. I think I'm ready to go at it right now. Maybe all I needed was a pep talk. But do me a favor and please don't ask me how I feel about them the next time you see me sitting on medicine ball, bar overhead, trying to figure out how I'm going to stand back up.
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