Josh

Overhead squats and pull-ups in a shrinking-then-growing tug of war.

The workout (For Time)

• For time:
• 21 Overhead squats — 43 kg (95 lb) / 29 kg (65 lb)
• 42 Pull-ups
• 15 Overhead squats — 43 kg (95 lb) / 29 kg (65 lb)
• 30 Pull-ups
• 9 Overhead squats — 43 kg (95 lb) / 29 kg (65 lb)
• 18 Pull-ups

Estimated time: 9–18 min. The overhead squats demand a stable, active midline while the pull-up counts climb as the squat reps fall — a nasty inverse relationship. Keep the overhead squats unbroken if you can, because re-cleaning and re-jerking the bar overhead is expensive. Pace the big pull-up sets so your grip survives all the way to the final 18.

Standards

• Overhead squat: hip crease below the knee with the bar locked out overhead the entire rep
• Pull-ups: chin over the bar, full extension at the bottom (kipping allowed)
• Rx overhead squat load 43 kg (95 lb) men / 29 kg (65 lb) women

Scaling

• Reduce the load to 34 kg (75 lb) or use a front squat if overhead mobility is limited
• Scale pull-ups with a band or ring rows, or halve the reps (21-15-9)
• Sub jumping pull-ups to keep the larger sets moving

Coaching tips

• Aim to hold each overhead squat set unbroken — dropping the bar means paying to get it back up.
• Break the 42 pull-ups into planned sets from the start (e.g. 7s) to protect your grip.
• Actively press up into the bar overhead to keep the shoulders stable and safe.

In honour of

Honours U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Hager, 29, of Broomfield, Colorado, killed February 22, 2007, when an IED detonated near his vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq.

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