“Regardless of What The Problem Is, The Answer Is To Squat”
Just Squat
Okay, so I saw this video shared a few times on both my personal and KippingItReal Facebook accounts, so I had to check it out to see what the fuss was all about. The title itself was honestly that not enticing to me, which was why I didn’t think much of it when it was posted 2 days ago.
Check it out:
To tell you the truth, I was bit bummed out by the vid, thinking it would be something really eye-opening. Maybe because I’ve always stressed the importance of learning the squat? Squatting was my first love (lol), thanks to Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength.
Please don't squat like this...
The Vid Has A Strong Message
My love for squatting and all that jazz aside, this video still has a great message for everyone. Whether you’re a CrossFit newbie or a seasoned firebreather, you can easily forget how important the fundamentals of squatting are.
Hey girl, you need a spot from behind?
What Pat Sherwood says towards the beginning of the vid sums up the message:
The squat: absolutely fundamental. Building block to everything else that we’re gonna do in CrossFit. So, do this well and everything you do will fall into place. Do this poorly, and everything else will be challenging for you.
It’s Nothing But The Truth
Greg Glassman...get it? OH YEAHHHHH
When I started out with real barbell squats (not that lame Smith machine bullshit), I made it a habit to at least hit parallel. I’m thankful I listened to everything Rip wrote in that damn squat chapter. If I remember correctly, it was over 40 pages long. While my body wasn’t used to a lot of things, like not using a barbell pad or not hooking my thumbs around the bar, I kept at it.
Once I really got the ball rolling on various powerlifts and Oly lifts at my box, man did those squatting fundamentals help a ton. Push presses. Push jerks. Squat cleans. Power cleans. Snatches (mmm…). Overhead squats. Deadlifts. Front squats (obviously lol). And believe it or not, rowing.
Squatting is like free-throws for a CrossFitter. It may seem like a waste of time in the beginning and might see frustrating. Regardless, keep at it and make the squat your bitch. You can thank Greg “Kool-Ad” Glassman later.
