In a workout more formally known as Workout 4, the South Korean-born athlete notched a 249-pound clean, a 184-pound bench press, and a 233.7-pound overhead squat. Achieved in 28 minutes and 36 seconds, the 667-pound total helped give Choi the first-place finish in the Individual Asian Quarterfinals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Related: Guilherme Malheiros Totals 1,101 Pounds In Event 4 Of The 2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals]

Between the now-concluded Open and Individual Quarterfinals, it’s been a superb start to the 2022 CrossFit Games season for Choi. Her performance stands out in particular in the Asia region, where she captured a third-place finish during the Open and a first-place result during the Individual Quarterfinals, respectively. It’s early but Choi seems to be on a great track as the CrossFit Games season unfolds. 

Plugging Away

In 2018, Choi competed in the Women’s division during her first CrossFit Open. She finished that initial campaign 4,822nd globally, 64th in the Asia region, and 13th in South Korea. A few years later, during the 2021 CrossFit Open, after training and gaining experience, Choi took first overall in Asia and South Korea for the first time. Later, she finished 34th overall in the CrossFit Games.

Choi might be at the launch pad of a promising career. Here are the results of her CrossFit career to date:

Seungyeon Choi — CrossFit Season Results

• 2018 CrossFit Open, Women: 4,822nd place worldwide; 64th place, Asia; 13th place, South Korea
• 2019 CrossFit Open, Women: 1,284th place worldwide; 8th place, South Korea
• 2020 CrossFit Open, Women: 740th place worldwide; 4th place, South Korea
• 2021 CrossFit Open, Women: 44th place worldwide; 1st place, Asia; 1st place, South Korea
• 2021 CrossFit Games, Women: 34th place worldwide 
• 2022 CrossFit Individual Quarterfinals, Women: 45th place worldwide; 1st place, Asia

At the age of 22, Choi still has plenty to accomplish. 

For instance, while it’s a lofty comparison, five-time reigning Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey, won her first CrossFit Games when she was 23-years-old. Before she reached the pinnacle of the sport, Toomey spent a few years honing her craft in the competition. She didn’t win the CrossFit Games until her third berth in 2017. 

If Choi manages to make it all the way through this year’s CrossFit Games journey, it will only be her second time competing for the overall crown. In that event, it appears Choi is in line with one of the sport’s current greats. 

There will assuredly be a lot of obstacles to come for Choi. Provided she continues to make measured progress, there might not be any limits on what she can accomplish. Time will only tell what’s next on the horizon for the young woman as the 2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals continue. The Quarterfinals will wrap up on Sunday, April 24, 2022.

Featured image: @crossfitgames on Instagram

The post Watch South Korean CrossFitter Seungyeon Choi Lift a 667-Pound “The Other Total” During 2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In the study, researchers took a group of rugby players who were experienced lifters and had them perform back squats and overhead squats at 60%, 75%, and 90% of their three-rep max. Their squats were studied by electromyography (EMG) in order to analyze the amount of activity in their muscles. The researchers focused on trunk and lower body muscles, but also looked at the anterior delts.

Technically speaking, the overhead squat outperformed the back squat for the anterior trunk muscles, as measured by the EMG activity of the rectus abdominis and the external oblique. However, the authors of the study were quick to note that the differences were a small, albeit significant, 2%-7% difference. Due to the small percentage, they concluded that the claims of superiority of the overhead squat for trunk musculature are therefore false.

However, let me play devil’s advocate for a minute here. First, up to a seven-percent improvement is not to be discounted. That’s a big difference when it adds up over time. Second, experience level with the overhead squat is a big factor. Few people are as practiced with it as they are with a back squat, which can affect results like this. Third, overhead squat loads were smaller. This study focused mostly on relative weight, meaning the percentage of one rep max, so the back squat loads were higher. When they compared pound for pound, the overhead squat had higher EMG activity in every muscle except the gluteus maximus, and only during the concentric phase.

Back squats, on the other hand, can be lifted with greater loads. While the overhead squat may be better for the anterior trunk, the study found the back squat was better for every other lower body and trunk muscle when compared at relative loads rather than absolute. The only other muscles they tested were the anterior delts which, not surprisingly, were hit much harder on the overhead squat.

The researchers also compared both squats to traditional core moves like sit ups and planks. The rectus abdominis and the external obliques both showed much greater activity from the core moves. By contrast, both kinds of squats hit the erector spinae much harder.

We can learn a few things for this research. First, a well-rounded routine is, of course, ideal. Every exercise has some limitation. Second, for a muscular focus, the back squat is superior to the overhead squat, with the exception of the anterior trunk muscles, which are worked harder by other core exercises anyway.

So while we may want to ditch (or never start with) the overhead squat, keep in mind that there are other very good reasons to do it. The participants of this test could perform full range of motion overhead squats with a decent weight. That’s a feat many lifters can’t perform, not because of weakness, but rather because of immobility. The overhead squat continues to be a great test of mobility and flexibility, and can help determine where your back squat may need more work.

References:

1. Rodrigo Aspe, et. al., “Electromyographic and Kinetic Comparison of the Back Squat and Overhead Squat Biomechanical Comparison of Squatting Exercises,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000462

Photo courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography.

The post Science Compares the Back Squat to the Overhead Squat appeared first on Breaking Muscle.