#reverse hyper

Hip Extension “Reverse Hyper” Machine

Back Extension Machine or Roman Chair

Hip Extension “Reverse Hyper” Machine

The hip extension or “reverse hyper” machine was originally created by famed powerlifting coach Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell. As the legs are raised and lowered, many people are taught to simultaneously move their back through flexion and extension. When performed like this, the swinging action is created through contraction of the hamstrings and glutes (extending the hips) as well as the erectors of the low back (extending the lumbar spine).

While this exercise can be excellent for training hip extension strength, the muscular contraction that takes place at the low back (when you allow it to move in this manner) creates extreme posterior shearing forces on the spine. This means for some people (such as someone who is “extension intolerant”), this exercise may actually trigger back pain.

However, I don’t think we can jump to the conclusion that this exercise is inherently dangerous for everyone or should be avoided in all cases of back pain. Instead we just need to have a better understanding of how and when this exercise should be used.

For example, in an effort to strengthen his posterior chain and rehab from back injury, world champion powerlifter Blaine Sumner modified the technique of this exercise into a more “spine friendly” variation. By propping himself up on the machine’s platform and supporting his upper body through the elbows (instead of laying flat on his stomach), Blaine found that he could limit low back movement and instead solely move about the hips.

As you support yourself on the platform, grab the handles and squeeze as hard as you can to create tension from your hands to your shoulders. Your pelvis should be resting on the edge of the platform and back in a neutral position. Next, brace your core and stiffen your entire torso so that you can focus the motion solely about the hips.  When you raise and lower the legs with your torso buttressed against the platform, it allows you to strengthen the hip extensors (glutes and hamstrings) while minimizing harmful forces on the low back.

This exercise can be performed by extending both legs at the same time or with just one. The single leg version may potentially reduce load on the low back to an even greater degree making it an even more “spine friendly” variation.

For those who do not have access to a specialized machine like the hip extension “reverse hyper,” a kettlebell swing is a great late-stage rehabilitation exercise for many that emphasizes and trains dynamic hip extension in a similar cyclical motion. Not only does a kettlebell swing train the posterior chain but it does so in a manner that enhances full body coordination. Every “link” in our body’s kinetic “chain” (from the stable foot grabbing the ground, to the powerful hips working in sync with an unwavering spine) must work in harmony to produce a quality swinging pattern.

To perform the kettlebell swing, assume a good athletic stance (toes relatively straight forward with feet around shoulder width). If you can, take your shoes off and grip the ground with your toes. This will allow you to create tremendous stability and limit unwanted rocking forward onto the toes or backward onto the heels.

With the bell resting slightly in front of your toes, hinge your hips (butt backwards and chest forward) and lower yourself to the weight as if setting up for a deadlift. Your shoulders should be slightly higher than your hips, and you should be looking straight forward (not down at the kettlebell). Brace your core in a neutral spinal position. Next, drive your feet hard into the ground and lock your arms to pre-tension the entire body before any movement occurs (this is the same step-by-step process that should occur before any barbell lift form the floor).

Draw in a big breath before you then pull the kettlebell back between your legs (like a center hiking a football to the quarterback). As this happens you should feel your posterior chain muscles of your glutes and hamstrings tighten like a rubber band being stretched. Next, drive your hips forward in a powerful explosive manner (releasing the tension of the pre-stretched “rubber band”). Release your breath powerfully as the bell is violently swings forward, similar to a boxer throwing a quick jab.

Do not think about lifting the weight with your arms, but instead the force production for the entire motion should occur at the hips. If done correctly the kettlebell will almost float forward to chest height. Make sure your core remains braced the entire movement. If you relax your core, or attempt to lift the weight with your back and arms you will eventually feel tension in your low back.

As the weight beings to descend back to the ground, fill your lungs again with air. Keep your arms locked out as you then hinge from your hips and allow the weight to swing between your legs. If you bend your knees too much at this time the motion will turn into a squat (this is not what we want). If done properly, you will feel the tension rise in your posterior chain muscles as the “rubber band” is again pulled back and ready for another release of violent energy for the next swing.

Begin by swinging the weight to shoulder height, and eventually you may work towards a higher swing to eye level if you prefer (there’s no right or wrong as long as the motion is performed about the hips and the arms are only an extension of this motion). To read more on using kettlebells in your training, I highly recommend checking out the work of Pavel Tsatsouline. Here is a quick YouTube video of Pavel demonstrating a proper kettle bell swing.

Back Extension Machine or Roman Chair

The back extension exercise from a roman chair machine is used to strengthen the erector muscles of the back. The use of this machine dates back decades and is fairly popular in barbell sports like weightlifting. I remember seeing videos of famed Soviet weightlifter Vasily Alekseyev using the roman chair machine as a staple of his training en route to setting over 80 world records in the 1970’s (fast forward to this next video to 1:21).

A similar machine to the roman chair is the GHD or “glute ham developer.” While the name of the machine gives the impression that it it’s use focuses solely on the posterior chain, it’s use is still very similar to that of the roman chair except that the individual is positioned horizontal to the ground rather than at an angle.

Caution must be taken with using both of these machines, especially when it comes to returning from back pain. Performing a back extension exercise places such a high demand on the spinal erectors with little co-contraction involvement from the rest of the core muscles.1,2 Just like the hip extension “reverse hyper” machine, this action could trigger back pain in some individuals.

Contrary to the exercise name “back extension,” I recommend performing it in a very hip centric manner. Start by adjusting the machine so that the top of your pelvis is positioned slightly past the pad. This will allow you to maintain your back in a stable neutral position (through isometric contraction) during the entire motion while your hamstrings/glutes work dynamically to lower and raise your trunk. If the pad is positioned too far forward, it will cause your back to round on the lowering portion of this movement and then extend on the ascent.

But why is it so important to limit any back movement during this exercise?

Research has shown that those who develop back pain often have altered muscle recruitment patterns during movements that require the trunk to flex and extend.3 When a healthy individual stands back up after bending over to touch their toes (extending from a flexed position) the movement is largely accomplished about the hips.7 However, those who currently have back pain often move with a “top down” or “spine dominant” strategy (meaning they over rely on their low back compared to those without pain when performing a trunk extension movement).4,5 It would therefore be unwise for someone with low back pain to perform an exercise that has them extend the spine from a flexed position, as doing so under load will only strengthen the current problematic movement pattern. By limiting any motion from the low back during this exercise, we can hope to break this cycle and retrain the body to move in a more “hip dominant” manner.

If you do not have access to a roman chair or GHD machine, an RDL or “Romanian deadlift” is a great exercise that can provide a similar training stimulus. Start in a standing position with a barbell or kettlebell held in front of you at waist level. Grab the ground with your feet and brace your core to create tremendous tension throughout your body. Your knees should be slightly bent. Begin the movement by hinging at the hips back as you lower the barbell towards the ground. Only lower as far as possible without losing the locked arch position of your back. Once you reach the lowest position of the movement, return to standing by only moving about the hips. Do not allow the back to move whatsoever during the entire motion.

Final Thoughts

Exercises are only “tools in our tool box.” if you are designing a program for rehab or performance, we need to choose the best “tool” to help us accomplish our individual goals. While the muscles of our low back do need to be be strong (especially for those attempting to return to heavy strength training), I caution against any exercise that attempts to load the spine and then move it. I hope you now have a better understanding of the hip extension “reverse hyper” and back extension exercises.

Until next time,

Dr. Aaron Horschig, PT, DPT, CSCS, USAW

With

Dr. Kevin Sonthana, PT, DPT, CSCS

  References

Clark BC, Manini TM, Mayer JM, et al. Electromyographic activity of the lumbar and hip extensors during dynamic trunk extension exercise. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2002;83:1547-1552

Callaghan JP, Gunning JL, McGill SM. The relationship between lumbar spine load and muscle activity during extensor exercises. Phys Ther. 1998;78(1):8-18

Nelson-Wong E, Alex B, Csepe D, Lancaster, Callaghan JP. Altered muscle recruitment during extension from trunk flexion in low back pain developers.

Mcclure PW, Esola M, Schreier R, Siegler S. Kinematic analysis of lumbar and hip motion while rising from a forward, flexed position in patients with and without a history of low back pain. Spine. 1997;22:552-558

Esola MA, Mcclure PW, Fitzgerald GK, Siegler S. Analysis of lumbar spine and hip motion during forward bending in subjects with and without a history of low back pain. Spine. 1996;21:71-78

Wendler. Deadlifts. so light on deload. but fun still. 4x10 @ 135# BBB

5x12 @ 100# reverse hyper. 

5x5 @ 70# good mornings. 

6 mins total on the inversion table. 

My back just feels so good after the reverse hyper and the table, honestly and idk if that's a placebo but it does.

I joined the LA Fitness because I talked them out of the sign up fee and they have a sauna, steam room and a hot pool. that's worth 30$ a month alone. I'll prob go there 2 days a week to squat and row on the c2. So i'll keep a membership at both gyms for 75% less than a CF gym membership. I should just buy a reverse hyper for the LA Fitness and just leave it there. ha. 

gotta get my low back and dem discs under control and stop this sciatic pain, so while i'm avoiding squats, i'm still pressing, and deadlifting (very light) and super light good mornings and i'm on the reverse hyper, a lot, 3 sets of 10 @~100# before and after the workout, also, 10 or so cumlitive minutes on the inversion table split up between walking in to the gym and leaving it. 

By Bret Contreras

In this article I’m going to roll through some of the arguments in favor of and against back extensions and reverse hypers. I’d like for you to be the judge.

Arguments Against Back Extensions and Reverse Hypers

1. Deadlifts and especially trap bar deadlifts are a safer hip dominant lift 2. Most folks do them incorrectly and compensate with their lumbar spine 3. Repetitive flexion-extension wreaks havoc on the spine 4. They require adequate levels of hamstring flexibility, anti-flexion core stability, hip flexor flexibility, and glute activation 5. Deadlifts and squats are much more effective due to a more pronounced eccentric component, more total-body muscle activity, and increased testosterone-release 6. “Supported” lifts or lifts that support part of the body train muscles without improving upon integrated, coordinated movement 7. In sport-specific training the isolation of joint actions is not worthwhile 8. They lead to significant amounts of shear loading on the spine even if executed properly

Arguments in Favor of Back Extensions and Reverse Hypers

1. While deadlifts, good mornings, squats, and lunges have axial, vertical directional load vectors, back extensions have anteroposterior, horizontal directional load vectors and reverse hypers are one of the rare lifts that have cyclical, dynamic directional load vectors due to the pendulum reorienting itself throughout the lift 2. These lifts can be done properly with all hip extension and no lumbar extension, and if done properly this tells a lot about the athlete in terms of hamstring and hip flexor flexibility, core stability, and glute activation 3. Just like we “isolate” for core stability, it’s a good idea to “isolate” for hip strength…whether it be hip extension, hip flexion, hip abduction, hip external rotation, etc. 4. It’s never unwise to hammer the posterior-chain which is often a weak link among lifters and athletes 5. Reverse hypers are therapeutic for the low back 6. These lifts will improve squat and deadlift strength as well as sprinting speed 7. These lifts have impressive levels of hamstring and glute EMG activity 8. Anything that strengthens the posterior chain might lead to less low back pain and injury

Let’s take a closer look at the various arguments against straight leg hip extension exercises:

1. Deadlifts and especially trap bar deadlifts are a safer hip dominant lift

Anyone with any weightroom experience knows that deadlifts involve much higher incidents of acute injuries. In fact, I can’t think of one strong deadlifter who has never aggravated his or her low back at some point from heavy deadlifting.

The case could be made that back extensions and reverse hypers lead to higher incidents of chronic injuries but I don’t agree. More on that later.

2. Most folks do them incorrectly and compensate with their lumbar spine

I agree. Most folks do in fact perform these lifts incorrectly. However, most folks also perform squats, deadlifts, and lunges incorrectly. It’s our job as professionals to teach our clients and athletes how to perform lifts properly. Shouldn’t we exhibit high expectations for our clients and athletes and “expect” them to learn how to perform lifts correctly? Think about how many times you “coach” squats and deadlifts. If you apply this same amount of “coaching” to other lifts they will get it.

3. Repetitive flexion-extension wreaks havoc on the spine

I am a big fan of Stuart McGill. I believe he’s a great person, a passionate researcher, and an impactful presenter. The science behind his work makes perfect sense. Bend the spine back and forth enough times and the intervertebral discs will eventually rupture. However, I take his research with a grain of salt.

Considering that 80% of individuals suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives it is important that we figure out exactly what is causing this pain. Is it weak glutes? Weak core? Repetitive flexion-extension? Poor back endurance? Quad-dominance? Tight hip flexors and poor posture?

It is my opinion that a weak posterior chain and weak glutes in particular are largely responsible for the alarming number of low back pain in the U.S. The flexion-extension argument just doesn’t hold up in the real-world. There are many folks that perform crunches, sit ups, and back extensions their entire lives and never experience back pain. If there were indeed a “set number” of flexion-extension cycles, every single individual who performed crunches would have disc-related injuries. Although it’s not en-vogue these days to go against the great Dr. McGill, you can’t ignore this simple fact.

The world record for sit ups was set by a Brazilian gentleman named Edmar Freitas who did 133,986 sit ups in 30 hours. He’s also done 111,000 sit ups in 24 hours. If we were truly dealt a fixed number of flexion-extension cycles, Edmar would have likely used his up during his remarkable feats and would have herniated a disc on sight. He’d have been carried off the premises in a stretcher. All boxers, wresters, and bodybuilders would have herniated discs as well. Edmar has probably executed over a million sit ups in his life yet he’s still able to walk around with an intact spine.

What does this tell you? I’ll tell you what it tells me:

1) Clearly we don’t have a fixed number of flexion-extension cycles 2) Strong muscles and proper form can buttress against shear and compressive loads, and 3) The intervertebral discs can clearly regenerate themselves to a certain degree

At any rate, I have no problem with folks who decide to abandon more traditional ab exercises like crunches, sit ups, leg raises, and side bends, and instead concentrate on performing solely stability exercises like planks, side planks, Pallof presses, ab wheel rollouts, bodysaws, chops, lifts, and suitcase carries. While I still program straight leg sit ups and hanging leg raises, I’ve found myself programming core-stability exercises much more often and traditional ab exercises much less often. However, back extensions done properly do not involve spinal flexion or hyperextension!

You be the judge; does it look like my low back is going into unsafe levels of flexion or hyperextension? I should mention that the two videos below showcase subtle technique alterations from “standard form” that increase gluteal contribution and decrease erector contribution:

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As you can see, my low back doesn’t flex or extend even when holding onto a 100 lb dumbbell and draping a miniband around my neck which probably offers another 50 lbs of resistance to the top of the lift.

What about reverse hypers? Here’s a video clip of Smitty from the Diesel Crew explaining how they perform their reverse hypers:

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As you can see, it is possible to perform reverse hypers without flexing or extending the lumbar spine as well. If you tell me that this form is just too hard for people to master then I will think you’re a crappy trainer. Remember – high expectations and quality coaching!

4. They require adequate levels of hamstring flexibility, anti-flexion core stability, hip flexor flexibility, and glute activation

Proper squats require adequate levels of hip, thoracic spine, and ankle mobility; should we avoid them? Are you okay with your clients or athletes not being able to perform proper back extensions or reverse hypers? If they can’t do them right, it means that they either have crappy hamstring or hip flexor flexibility, poor levels of core stability, weak glutes, improper motor patterns, or simply an insufficient knowledge of form. Personally I’m not okay with my clients or athletes suffering from any of the aforementioned dysfunction and I intend to fix their movement patterns. If someone like me can do them correctly, then I surely expect them to do them correctly and will keep working with them until they get it right.

5. Deadlifts and squats are much more effective due to a more pronounced eccentric component, more total-body muscle activity, and increased testosterone release

I would actually agree with this statement. However, back extensions have an eccentric component that is more accentuated up top in the contracted position, while reverse hypers have an extreme eccentric component if you perform the exercise correctly and stop the pendulum from pulling your low back into flexion.

When you hold onto the handles in the case of the reverse hyper, you activate the forearms and lats and transfer energy from the hands down through the arms, back, and core. In fact, the process of holding onto the handles and adding a lot of weight to the pendulum makes the reverse hyper an excellent total body exercise. If you doubt me, I recommend palpating someone’s erector spinae all the way up and down the spinal column to see how hard they’re contracting during the lift.

The last thing I want to mention is that there have been a couple of studies that have come out in the past year or two showing that increased testosterone release from lower body exercise does not impact muscle protein synthesis in upper body muscles. This means that we may be wrong about “squats and deadlifts” causing upper-body growth due to increased testosterone release. Maybe the increased upper body growth from squats and deadlifts is simply due to the development of a strong set of erectors which allows for more weight to be lifted during upper body exercises like bent over rows, t-bar rows, bent over rear delt raises, and barbell curls.

6. “Supported” lifts or lifts that support part of the body train muscles without improving upon integrated, coordinated movement

At first thought I would tend to agree with this statement. However, upon further consideration one realizes that this is not in fact true. Since these lifts can hone in on muscular weak links and improve strength in the integrated, coordinated total-body lifts like squats and deadlifts, they lead to improved integration and coordination in a round-about manner. In other words, if you strengthen the hip extension pattern and the posterior chain in general, you’ll get stronger at squatting and deadlifting and more powerful in running and jumping.

Furthermore, is integrated, coordinated movement the sole objective of sport-specific training?

7. In sport-specific training the isolation of joint actions is not worthwhile

What happens when you get an athlete with virtually no glute development? Don’t you try to isolate the glutes with quadruped and bridging patterns in order to increase activation and hypertrophy? What if an athlete has weak hamstrings? Don’t you prescribe Russian leg curls or glute ham raises? The bottom line is that there are times when we need to increase the size of a certain muscle as well as times when we need to increase the muscular endurance of a muscle, both of which warrant isolation.

When you really think about it, nearly everything we do in sport-specific training is “isolation” work. In sports the body is all over the place. In the weightroom, we’re very controlled. Squats isolate double extension. Plyometrics isolate triple extension. Planks isolate core stabilization. Static stretching isolates muscles. So do mobility and activation drills. We foam roll individual muscles. When we bench press we isolate horizontal pressing. But in sports we combine several joint actions at once and usually move our upper and lower bodies simultaneously.

In sport-specific training we get individual parts strong so we can assemble them together on the field, court, or ring with the right timing patterns to create powerful movement. Although it’s wise to focus on “money exercises” that give you much bang for your buck, it is still okay to program some more isolated work as accessory movements. That said, I have a hard time seeing how anyone could really consider a hip extension movement “isolation training” when there are over 20 muscles involved in hip extension including large muscle groups such as the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors.

Here’s another way to think about it: Stronger deadlifts equal faster sprints. Reverse hypers equal stronger deadlifts. Therefore, reverse hypers equal faster sprints. In mathematics we call this the transitive property of equality. If stronger deadlifts truly lead to faster sprints, then anything that strengthens the deadlift therefore leads to faster sprints. In this manner a grip exercise could increase sprinting speed if it strengthens the grip which happens to be the limiting factor in one’s max deadlift.

Obviously if you’re limited on time, go with standing movements. Standing lower body movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and power cleans reign supreme for a variety of reasons, but supine, prone, and quadruped lower body movements can supplement standing lifts very well and lead to synergy in training adaptations. In other words, 2 plus 2 doesn’t equal 4; it equals 5.

8. They lead to significant amounts of shear loading on the spine even if executed properly

Deadlifts also lead to significant amounts of shear loading especially at the bottom of the lift when bent over and even more significantly when the lifter keeps his or her hips high when deadlifting. This technique is characteristic of taller lifters. When we pick up plates or dumbbells off the bottom rack, we experience large shearing forces on the spine. In fact, any supine, prone, or quadruped hip extension movement or standing hip extension movement that involves bending forward significantly is going to produce large shearing forces.

It is important to expose the body to forces from different directions as Davis’ law and Wolff’s law state that the body’s tissues can strengthen and restructure themselves to better prepare for the types of forces to which they’re regularly exposed. If we avoid certain directional loading patterns then injuries will arise in sporting situations as soon as the body is greeted with unfamiliar directions of force. With proper progression and mechanics, you can perform heavy back extensions and reverse hypers and not have to fear spinal injury, and you’ll even safeguard the body to prevent injuries in competition.

Summary of Arguments in Favor of Straight Leg Hip Extension Exercises

Back extensions and reverse hypers may be more “specific” to top-speed sprinting and may transfer better due to the more specific-nature of the directional loading pattern (horizontal vs. vertical) in comparison to squatting, lunging, and deadlifting patterns. Since the glutes contract very hard at the top of these movements at end-range hip extension, they may help add much needed power to that range of motion during athletics. This range of motion includes the critical stage of ground contact in sprinting.

When an athlete can demonstrate proficiency at heavy back extensions and reverse hypers, you know that he has adequate levels of hamstring and hip flexor flexibility, anti-flexion core stability, and glute activation. In other words, you can feel confident that their backs aren’t going to round forward or hyperextend very easily, their glutes are strong and can turn on when needed, their hamstrings are loose enough to allow for a healthy range of forward bending motion, and their hip flexors are loose enough to allow for full hip extension.

Strengthening the posterior chain in general may increase squat and deadlift strength in addition to staving off low back pain and injury. Many individuals have witnessed their back pain disappear once they started performing back extensions and reverse hypers. In fact, some experts argue that the reverse hyper is quite therapeutic for the low back as it rotates the sacrum and may “pump” fluid into the intervertebral discs. Although this sounds great in theory, it may or may not be true. Anecdotal evidence seems to support the notion.

In the clip below, I perform a heavy set of reverse hypers while allowing the sacrum to rotate. I have been performing reverse hypers for four years and am one of the individuals who feel that it’s benefited my back health tremendously.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJapROSUJEE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]

As Dr. Stuart McGill has often mentioned, pain is very specific to the individual’s injury, dysfunction, or pain-mechanism. For example, a flexion-intolerant person better keep a strong arch while he performs back extensions or reverse hypers and avoid going too deep or he’ll certainly feel it the next day. Conversely, an extension-intolerant person better brace the core hard and avoid going up too high on back extensions or reverse hypers or he’ll certainly feel it the next day. I should mention that arching the low back slightly in comparison to flexing the low back helps buttress the spine and protect the low back from shear forces by 23-43% (McGill). As a matter of fact, simply bracing the spine and contracting the core musculature increases spinal compressive loading by 12-18%, yet the act simultaneously enhances spinal stability by 36-64% (Granata and Marras, 2000). Some individuals get an uncomfortable tingling sensation when they perform reverse hypers. This is usually due to tight hamstrings and glutes and clears up with stretching and continued use of the reverse hyper.

The last thing I want to mention is that many high-level coaches are in support of the reverse hyper including Louie Simmons, Dave Tate, Kelly Baggett, Joe DeFranco, Erik Minor, Christian Thibaudeau, Martin Rooney, James Smith, Jason Ferruggia, and Charlie Francis. You certainly cannot call this list of coaches a bunch of idiots as these folks are some of the top minds in the S & C industry.

How Do I Use Reverse Hypers in Training?

1. I prescribe bodyweight reverse hypers to beginner males and amateur women that I train 2. I prescribe heavy reverse hypers to all ground-based athletes that I train 3. I prescribe them infrequently (maybe every other week) to most athletes that I train 4. I personally perform them when I notice that I have trouble getting the bar moving in the initial portion of a max deadlift

WARM UP 

Mobility+Stretching / 20min / Paleo Chair / 2min

LIFTS

A1. Squat / #230 / 1x3

B1. Squat / #250 / 1x3

C1. Squat / #290 / 1x3

D1. Squat / #325 / 1x4

E1. Squat / #345 / 4x5

F1. Reverse Hyper / #160 / 3x8

F2. GHR / 3x8

F3. GHE / 3x8

NOTES

Great workout tonight.  Made it through 4 tough sets of 5 @ #345.  Outstanding en lieu of fact I didn't take a rest day from yesterday (due to 48hr shift tomorrow) and was feeling pretty run down today.  One set at a time, one rep at a time.

I left the iPad upstairs during this session and stuck with iPod for tunes; read "Never Let Go" by Dan John between sets.  Great read.

LIFE NOTES

BW / #218 / AM / Empty Stomach 

Sleep / 8+ hours

Body / No soreness / A little achey and run down / Feel lean+strong

WARM UP

Agile 8 / 10min 

LIFTS

A1. Press / #130 / 10x3

B1. Squat / #250x4

C1. Squat / #270x4

D1. Squat / #300 / 3x4**

E1. Squat / #310 / 2x4

F1. Reverse Hyper / #160 / 3x8

F2. Neutral Chins / 2x8

NOTES

*Rolled day 3 of week 1 into today.  This week will comprise of four sessions.

**Fucked up my weight counts.  Should have been #310 / 5x4

Today went well.  Felt much better physically, and much more aggressive into rack position.  Hamstrings seem to have re-adjusted to squatting.  We'll see how they feel tomorrow.  Balance feels a little off, need to keep an eye on that.

WARM UP 

Mobility+Stretching / 30min / 10 Jitbag Burpees / :21

LIFTS

Box Squat / 225 / 10x2 

Bench / 185 / 5x5

Chins / 3x10

Reverse Hyper / 110 / 3x8

NOTES

Feeling a little tired today.  Didn't have much of a breakfast, rest of meals OK. Maybe due to prowler session yesterday?  Dunno.  Burpees were fast; poor height...but cardio-wise felt great.  Obviously it's only 10 burpees, but still felt OK.

Bench felt pretty weak.  I think I'm going to take it easy on bench until I complete Smolov intense.  If today was any indicator...I'm piling on too much work.  

K.I.S.S.