Strength:
Front Squat
5-5-5-5-5 (plus 3 warm up sets of 5)
WOD:
12 Days of CrossFitmas – Ten Lords A Leaping
AMRAP 10
6 Handstand Push Ups
8 Toes to Bar
10 Alternating Pistols
You know what is really important when doing clean and jerks? Being able to stand up with the barbell after you have gotten underneath it and caught it on your shoulders in the front rack position? Standing up with the bar. How do you work on that? Front Squats!
The front squat is a leg strength building exercise very specific to the clean, but also will help the jerk by emphasizing quad strength, and improve the ability of lifters to pull from the floor with upright posture. It is also an effective trunk and back (particularly mid and upper back) strengthening exercise.
Place the barbell in the clean rack position. Place your feet between hip and shoulder width with the toes turned out so that at full depth each thigh and the corresponding foot are in line with each other. Set your back in a complete arch, take in a large breath, and lock it in, forcefully tightening all trunk musculature.
Bend at the knees and hips simultaneously to move down as directly as possible into the bottom of the squat with an upright posture, maintaining tension on the legs throughout the movement. Full depth is achieved when the knees are closed as much as possible without losing the arch in the back (if you cannot sit into a full depth squat, you need to work on mobility).
Upon reaching the bottom position, immediately transition and stand as aggressively as possible, again with the knees and hips together to maintain your upright posture—try to lead the movement with your head and shoulders. Use the elasticity of the bounce in the bottom of the squat to help transition and drive back up as quickly as possible.
Then we have 3 movements that tend to be tricky for people. If you struggle with all of them (like me) then my suggestion is that you pick one (or maybe 2) to work on and scale the others a bit more heavily. It can be really tough to work on 3 different difficult movements in a 10 minute workout.
Handstand Push Ups:
Modify by putting feet up on a box in a pike position – still work on that full range of motion. Note that this is not an elevated push up – your hips should be above your shoulders, which should be above your wrists – all stacked nicely.
Toes to Bar:
Practice hanging from the bar and get your knees as high as you can. Work on strict movements rather than kipping if you are modifying – get the strength and coordination needed to progress.
Pistols:
You can do them off the side of the box to work on strength, on a metal plate to work on flexibility, or with a plate out in front of you for balance. Or better yet, do a combo of all three to be well-rounded!