Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast
March 8, 2011 Category: Blog 3 Comments 
Today's Workout
Overhead Squat 3-3-3
Then
"Nancy"
5 Rounds For Time
Run 400m
15 Overhead Squats 95/65lb
Jason B. 215, Katie H. 90. Then Jason B. 16:05, Katie H. 18:43 (53lb)
Filiberto has been working for almost a year to earn the flexibility to overhead squat. His technique is still not perfect, but his diligence and commitment to both attention to form and mobility work are definitely paying off.
You may be asking yourself how do I get there?
We always want to move as fast as possible through every motion and completely forget to concentrate on technique at all, right? Only if your goal is to get injured and never maximize your potential. Our workouts are competitive and often timed events. Because of this it is easy to get caught up in the energy of our group workouts and really want to push yourself, especially when you look to stronger, more experienced men and women who are moving quickly with more weight and good form. It is important to remember; however, that technique and proper mechanics are a necessary prerequisite to intensity. Initially it is important to slow new motions down to a pace and weight at which you can focus on how you are moving. The better your form gets the stronger you will get and the faster you will be able to move. Technique allows human beings to fully express their strength through better positioning and more efficient motion. You don't have to be the fastest finisher to get the best possible workout.
Don't Be That Guy - CrossFit East Sac
In the past 6 days I have done 165 overhead squats. That’s probably more than I’ve done in my 7 months of CrossFit!! But I have a new found appreciation for my Do-Wins (weightlifting shoes) after today’s WOD. The past two WODs with OHS I wore my Do-Wins. Today, since there was running involved, I wore my Nike-Frees. Doing 75 OHS in the Nikes made my OHS harder than they needed to be. With the cushiony soul, my heels are always coming up and moving around, which makes the OHS especially difficult. With the raised heel and grippy soul of the Do-Wins, my feet are flat, stable and stay in place. This makes it a lot easier to keep my weight back on my heels and push through them when I stand the weight up. So I now LOVE my Do-Wins even more and recommend that everyone invest in a pair. Regardless of how “serious” you are about CrossFit, the added stability alone is amazing and worth it, especially as we are getting into the olympic lifts. Just my 2 cents.
I really liked the article you linked to here, Nick. It’s always good to be reminded that the goal of each workout is different and we should scale accordingly. In that light, I am glad I went with 53 pounds today instead of 65. Thanks for the good coaching on that one!
Awesome article. Need to take that to heart more often.
Hey thanks a lot for the shout out. I didn’t even notice till today!!! It was definitely discouraging when I started that I didnt have the flexibility to move some weight. Thanks for helping me get to that point!!