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Thread: Front squats and power snatches

  1. #1
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    Question Front squats and power snatches

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    Hi, I've been doing the SS novice since mid-March (~ 3 months), running the advanced novice program now. I had some experience with lifting weights before starting this round of SS. My lifts are:
    • Squat: 295 lbs x 5 reps
    • Deadlift: 345 lbs x 5
    • Press: 135 lbs x 4-5
    • Bench: 175 lbs x 5
    • Power clean: 115 lbs x 5
    My bodyweight is 190 lbs.

    After having bad wrist pain in my second to last power clean session, a coach (not a SS coach) friend of mine recommended me front squatting once a week to improve my wrist flexibility. I did what he said in my last workout and my wrist didn't hurt at all! Though I must add I used far better gym equipment last time. I think he might onto something and I wanna keep front squatting once a week. Since I eventually want to transition to Olympic weightlifting, I think that makes sense. My question is how should I incorporate the FS to the advanced novice program. Should I do front squats instead light squats on Wednesday or should I do them as a separate exercise, say on Wednesday? I'm not thinking of going too heavy on FS. Just want to do them to improve my front rack position at this point.

    My second question is where does the power snatch fit in the SS? It's not a part of the novice program discussed in the book but it appears on the intermediate programs. When is a good time to learn the power snatch? Should I start doing them while I am still on the novice program?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    Let's back up here: you are squatting 295x5 at 190 bodyweight, and you're ready to do an advanced novice program including front squats? Why??

  3. #3
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    Hi Mark,
    I moved to advanced novice, because I felt like my recovery couldn't keep up with squatting 3 times a week with max effort. I was feeling drained the day after squats and deadlifts. I found myself taking more than 1 rest day when the program required 1 and sometimes even more than 2 rest days when the program required 2. Thus, I thought decreasing the max-effort squat frequency to 2 times a week was the reasonable thing to do. Was I mistaken?

  4. #4
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    The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe

    You're getting way ahead of yourself.

  5. #5
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    Thanks for the reply, Mark. I appreciate the article.

    At the end the Novice section in my copy of Practical Programming, there is a Well-executed Novice Linear Progression part. In that part, the client who, I presume, executes the program properly, starts with the light-squat Wednesdays during the 8th week, right after the Monday where he squats 275 x 5 x 3. That is very close to the weight (280) which I switched to the advanced novice. I've also seen posts on this forum where it's been said that usually people start the advanced novice phase between 225 - 275. Thus, these too were among the things I considered before the transition.

    My question about the integration of front squats into the program came from the a motivation to improve my wrist flexibility for the power cleans as a way the prevent wrist pain. I was curious about the opinion of the community on them being an additional ancillary exercise (for flexibility) as opposed to them replacing the 80-percent squats.

  6. #6
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    Wrist flexibility is the most unlikely spot to be a problem in a FS/clean rack position.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Diced View Post
    At the end the Novice section in my copy of Practical Programming, there is a Well-executed Novice Linear Progression part. In that part, the client who, I presume, executes the program properly, starts with the light-squat Wednesdays during the 8th week, right after the Monday where he squats 275 x 5 x 3. That is very close to the weight (280) which I switched to the advanced novice. I've also seen posts on this forum where it's been said that usually people start the advanced novice phase between 225 - 275. Thus, these too were among the things I considered before the transition.
    You're right, that's in the book.

    My question about the integration of front squats into the program came from the a motivation to improve my wrist flexibility for the power cleans as a way the prevent wrist pain. I was curious about the opinion of the community on them being an additional ancillary exercise (for flexibility) as opposed to them replacing the 80-percent squats.
    If your wrists happen to be the problem and your elbows are low, and you slam elbows into knees at the bottom, that can cause a scaphoid fracture in the wrists. Video?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    You're right, that's in the book.
    What's wrong with squatting 295 lbs x 5 on the advanced novice program then?

    If your wrists happen to be the problem and your elbows are low, and you slam elbows into knees at the bottom, that can cause a scaphoid fracture in the wrists. Video?
    Here is the form check I posted, though I should at I didn't have the wrist at that session. That time before I power cleaned, I stretched my lats and front squatted the empty bar. I think it helped: YouTube

  9. #9
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Diced View Post
    Here is the form check I posted, though I should at I didn't have the wrist at that session. That time before I power cleaned, I stretched my lats and front squatted the empty bar. I think it helped: YouTube
    I didn't have the wrist problem* at that session.

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