Goblet squat is a technique that has been adopted by a large number of CrossFit athletes, and it majorly involves performing squat without using a long list of cues. There are lots of benefits that are attached to this CrossFit exercise some of them including strengthening the core and toning the legs, thighs, and calves. Usually, the goblet squat is performed using kettlebell or dumbbell.
If you are contemplating on incorporating this CrossFit workout into your training, the following benefits will help you quickly make up your mind.
Burns Calories
The goblet squat is a multiple muscle workout, and as such, it engages several muscles of your body. This simultaneously helps in making it an ideal routine and quickly burns calories which go a long way in helping you lose weight.
Strengthens Your Core
Ask any athlete, and he will tell you that the core muscles play a crucial role in many movements. Strengthening them helps in maintaining a good posture, and that is what goblet squats do. Compared to ab crunches, the goblet squat is much more efficient because it is a multi-utility workout. It can help you get ripped and have lean abs within a short time.
Works Out Your Lower Body
This exercise helps in strengthening the quads, hips, lats, calves, flexors, hamstrings, as well as the gluteal muscles. Also, it plays a key role in toning your legs and your thighs. Therefore, the goblet squat is one of the best CrossFit workouts for getting a strong body and exercising the lower part of your body.
Minimizes Risks of Injuries
Weak ligaments, stabilizing muscles, and connective tissues are some of the major causes of injuries. This is why the goblet squat is valued as one of the avenues to minimize the risk of injury because it strengthens your body structures and gives you a sturdy foundation that is not prone to injuries.
Boosts Your Jumps
Have you attempted exploding off the ground, but you realize that your vertical leap is not as high as you would have wanted it to be? The reason could be your hip strength. With goblet squats, your ability to gain power is enhanced as well as your capacity to absorb it. This enables you to jump much higher without the risk of injuries.
Enhances Flexibility and Mobility
When you perform this type of squat in full motion, it helps you to add muscles to the lower portion of your body. However, much more importantly, it improves the overall flexibility and mobility as well as the motion of your knees, hips, lower back, and ankles. Making this improvement in your CrossFit workout would merely reduce the chances of injury with an improvement in your performance.
Builds Muscles
There are lots of exercises which stimulate your total body system. The only problem is that most of them involve piling up the volume on top of dysfunction. Goblet squat introduces a rather convenient way to build muscles by allowing you to work out with heavy equipment such as a kettlebell or a dumbbell.
To add to the above, making this workout one of your CrossFit gym staples, will help improve your spine position as well as minimize the space you take to workout. You do not need as much equipment when doing goblet squat.
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KUNAL JHAVERI | 22 Feb 18
The overhead press is one of the top CrossFit exercises an athlete can train on to build the upper body strength and power. Compared to a bench press, overhead press is a little more functional. It also gives you a lot of carry-over benefits between strength sports. Virtually anyone including strongman competitors, weightlifters, powerlifters, and functional fitness athletes can benefit from a well-executed overhead press. The following are the benefits of overhead press.
Epic Core Strength
Overhead pressing requires the participation of stabilizing muscles to give you a strong torso and posture. This is especially regarding the EMG activation of the external oblique, erectus spinae, and erectus abdominis. In a research done on bilateral and unilateral dumbbell shoulder presses, the EMG activation was found to be higher in the athletes who are standing and even more significant for those in unilateral pressing.
Iron Made Deltoids
The anterior or medial deltoids are the prime movers in the overhead press. These muscles are found on the front and center part of your shoulders. Additionally, overhead press strengthens posterior deltoids, which many upper body workouts do not manage to exercise. You can incorporate all the deltoid heads in different pressing movements, but not to the same degree.
In order to move the weight, the overhead press depends on social deltoids. The movement is initiated by the anterior deltoid and progressed by the medial before stabilized or finished by the posterior deltoid. It is almost impossible to have a strong overhead press if your deltoids are not built.
Stronger Bench Presses
If your overhead press strengthens, your bench press will also. This is because both of these CrossFit workouts use the same musculature even though in one, the body is in a horizontal position while in the other it is vertical. For success in the overhead press, you need more of your upper back musculature, and this helps in strengthening the eccentric movement of the bench press.
Increase Lockout Power
As your strength increases, your ability to create power also does. With a stronger muscle, you will have a much higher neural capacity and an enhanced muscle thickness. All of these help in influencing the much power you can create as an athlete during your explosive bout.
A stronger overhead press will improve strong lockouts irrespective of the form of overhead movement. An athlete will feel more comfortable when holding weight overhead with a heavier place. In addition to this, a stronger press will make your mechanics better even as you move maximal loads.
Enhanced Jumping Abilities
Whether you are doing a broad jump, a vertical jump, or a box jump, there are two things which are common. You need power and sufficient speed, along with a certain level of coordination and mechanics. Great jumps are nothing, but multiple joints working in unison.
Mastery of overhead press will impact on your ability to generate arm swing power. With a proper arm swing, the height you jump can easily go up by about 30% as well as your velocity.
Other benefits you may experience through overhead press include strengthening and building of your upper and mid trap as well as enjoying multi-sport carryover.
KUNAL JHAVERI | 03 Dec 17