Warmup: CF x 1

strength: back squat 5 x 5 reps.

metcon: row 2K.

Post loads and times to comments.

This has happened often enough that I should address it here. I know of several people, including a good friend and a few of you that have had your arm/hand go numb during overhead squats. Read more discussion here. Not a lot of useful advice but the mobility/flexibility advice is sound.

Here's what's probably happening- the brachial plexus is a large group of nerves that come out of your neck, run through your chest and come out at your armpit, then split in various nerves which control your entire arm. The overhead squat position stresses these nerves at 2 major points-
- at the armpit
- at the elbow

At the armpit, the arm is abducted (pulled away from the body) and externally rotated. This places stretch on the brachial plexus, which is made far worse with tight pecs. Who has tight pecs? Well, basically every American dude that hasn't done anything but bench since grade school.

Solution- shoulder dislocates, pec/tricep stretching, improve thoracic spine mobility with foam rolling, etc.

At the elbow, the nerve that runs through the groove in your elbow (ulnar nerve) is at maximal stretch when your arm is extended and lateral as it is in an overhead squat. On top of that, the nerve is "pinched" tight between bone. This is the same nerve you irritate when you hit your "funny bone". There's not much you can do about this except let your body acclimate to the situation.

Overall solution- take it easy. If you get numbness, etc- STOP or go much lighter. Every case of this I've heard of goes away and gets a lot better with time and practice. We don't want you to push yourself to the point of hurting yourself though. So, if this happens to you during overhead squats, SPEAK UP. We will either have you work on mobility that day or substitute another movement.