BEYOND STRONG: Shaf's Corner

YC Bench. Squat. Misc.

YC Bench: 225x2 (x6) paused. explosive
CGBP: 185x10, 10, 10 - easy, can feel limit of muscular endurance though.
2H KB Press: 16s x 10, 10, 10 - L shoulder felt a twinge but it went away after the first set.

Squat flex & mob work:
Strengthen
1. Cuban press with bands/pvc
2. Muscle snatches with band/pvc
-this combo seems to be working pretty good for the external rotators

(the bands are connected in front of me, so I'm actively externally rotating the shoulder on both those movements, then holding a 4-5 s contraction at the top)

Stretch:
1. Shaf's Squat Specific Shoulder drill (see P&B for a full description somewhere, I plan on filming this one for posterity)
2. Band overhead pull aparts and dislocates

Back Squat:
135x8
135x10
185x10 - most comfortable

Still about the same as before. I need  2x daily flex and mob work, I think, to really fix this. Better get on it though.

Band assisted chins:  3 sets of 6.  This is a weak movement getting stronger.

American Kettlebell Club Fitness protocol

Level 4. 60s work each hand, 30s rest, 3 1A movements (C&J, snatch, swing) - nice and easy, a little bit of sweat coming up.

Jumpstretch shoulder and pec and lat traction/stretching

Finally. The Back Squat

I've been working for over a year, off and on, to regain the shoulder flexibility to do the back squat.  I've had great people, like Mike Robertson, help me out with ideas.

Finally, finally, tonight I was able to assume a mostly comfortable high bar position.

Scap mobility.  Internal rotator stretching, external rotator strengthening.  Pec and lat stretching.  Rhomboid and middle trap strengthening.

It came down to all of that, but the squat specific squat I devised with pvc and bands, behind the neck presses (very light) and actually squeezing under the bar on a daily basis are really what made this happen.

Now comes the rebuilding of the movement.  135# felt awkward and strange, and still a bit painful.  It's going to start to come back more quickly now with daily practice.