Dedication

Dedication

In a time where the world seems to have one giant attention deficit issue, loyalty is hard to come by.

After any setbacks, any wane in motivation, any results not experienced quickly enough, we see people jump ship. Abandon their fitness routine, sometimes after just a few short months, and try the next big thing. A perennial search for the new what-next in exercise and nutrition, looking for that quick fix like the cheap thrill of an action movie. Lots of excitement, absolutely no substance.

Spoiler alert: hard work is never easy. The path of least resistance, on the other hand, is.

Not just that, it's also the bounce around that can affect progress with personal fitness. Switching from one style of programming to another, then back again, never settling in to give the body a chance to adapt and benefit.

Even within CrossFit, consistency is key. Variance will get results, but consistency is the glue that can make those results optimal.

Work, benefit, build gains, and work again. Slow and steady, bit by bit. Like a good movie unveiling its plotline, the molding of you takes time.

Say "what" again...

What's the difference between dedication and stupidity?
It's been another summer of hard work. Another summer of blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We put in some dedicated time at the gym, seeing major fitness benefits through the hot summer days. Being persistent isn't stupid, as long as a negative impact doesn't arise. It's definitely a fine line, however, between being determined and being stubborn.

Let's clarify, then. Determination is not just a degree of stubbornness, it showcases tenacity, purposeful fixation, and the will to fight adversity.

Devotion to a program is often the best effort you can give to fitness. One day does not make or break the man. One day does not make or break the woman. It's a series of great things in life that leave the lasting effect. A lifetime of devoted physical movement and nutrition outside the gym matter as well, even with lazy days and cheat meals, or sneaking treats and dietary lapses... you know, the stuff that keeps us human.

Come with me if you want to live.

Where does dedication fit into the process of progress?
Many of us are in a constant fight with ourselves, yet it could be we're in search of something we may not realize we've already obtained. Maybe we have our sights set on a great body. Maybe instead of aesthetics it's a PR on a barbell lift or an addition of a certain gymnastics skill. But remember to take compliments and realize if people notice your progress enough to make a comment then that's direct feedback you're on the right track.

Stay dedicated. Celebrate the little victories and inspire the future you.

With all the push forward, with all the drive to become better than yesterday, we sometimes forget to look in the mirror to realize how awesome we already are.

Yes, our fitness journey is ever-present, and as a writer I constantly push readers towards the next piece of life... what will you do this year? Where are you going? What will you be? But it's also huge for our self-esteem and our overall wellness if we realize that once dedicated, we've actually started to do exactly what we set out to do. This doesn't mean we should become complacent. It just means the process is well underway.

And if it isn't? Okay, well, start today. Set a goal, dedicate yourself to a program, and move ahead with a plan of action.

Mark it zero.

Yippee ki-yay, Django.

Adios, Bart.

Is there a sure-fire way to remain dedicated to physical fitness?
The short answer? No.

Through the ups and downs of motivation, determination, and commitment, anyone's dedication can falter. In particular times of stress or busy personal schedules, our workout routines are affected; we can lose focus or time or energy. It is often easier to go into binge fits with comfort food or beverage indulgences or veg outs on the couch instead of creating time for exercise and healthful meals.

There are some tips, however, to both staying committed and knowing when to change loyalty, if needed. Here are the takeaways I leave to you at the end of each summer.

Recommendations:

• Be patient.
  Progress can come in waves, like a fury of new turns in the storyline of life. Delays in start times; skips in the film. Use these as reminders that nothing comes without hard work. Stick with it.

• Be persistent.
  Consistency pays off in the long run. Quality time spent pursuing your fitness goals will allow your body a chance to see results and your mind to benefit from the experience. This is a potent combination, and strikes a confidence in oneself that only fuels more progress.  Feed the fire.

• Know when to quit.
  Here's the plot twist. If a lifting session or some post-workout skill work aren't going well, then a new PR or your first muscle-up probably won't happen on your 50th attempt. Remember, being persistent is one thing, being stupid is another. Too many issues with the program? Dedicated time spent still didn't produce rewards? It is indeed time to cut your losses and find a new focus. Live to work another day.

So, that brings the Words of the Week articles to a close for another summer. As always, I wish everyone the best in becoming better than yesterday in all that you do. Stay at it, remain dedicated, and good things will come... even if it's little by little.

If life is a movie, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thanks for taking the time to read, this summer and always.

- Scott, 8.18.2015

Muscle-ups

Muscle-ups

Another milestone worth highlighting, the muscle-up is a particularly challenging movement for those in the CrossFit world who lack any previous gymnastics background.

It's easy to explain why people like them, though; once witnessed, why athletes who first step into a CrossFit gym set their sights on accomplishing a muscle-up.

Plain and simple, the muscle-up looks cool.

Muscle-ups are like that middle school crush-- attractive and popular and seemingly unattainable. And a lot like that fleeting feeling of teenage turbulence, if ever attained, muscle-ups can confusingly become more work than ever believed. It's because we're always wanting more, always striving to be better. One muscle-up is never enough, we want to string multiples together... and efficiently.

Keep these off the hot girl/hot guy pedestal, however, because a muscle-up is just like any other difficult movement in the gym. And there are plenty of those in the fitness sea.

So let's jump in head first to battle this beast from the depths of gymnastics lore and bring the muscle-up progression to light.

Image courtesy of CrossFit Ignite Sydney

What prerequisite strength exists for a muscle-up?
Similar to our previous focus on pull-ups, let's clear up some prerequisites for strength and skill before looking at specific drills in the developmental progression of a muscle-up.

Naturally, we've come to realize the online hate of the gymnastics kip often utilized in CrossFit. "Cheating," it gets called. What's interesting is that we rarely see the sport of gymnastics get bashed for using momentum in competitive programs or in the Olympics every four years.

There's a reason for this: gymnasts, both men and women, have a baseline of muscle strength that allows them to safely use body momentum in their movements and routines.

Pull-up Muscle Groups

Pull-ups Compared to a kip, strict pull-ups are a safer movement for a beginner. A strict pull-up helps develop muscle strength in the latissimus dorsi, the biceps, and to some extent the rhomboids and trees major in the back. These are similar pulling muscles involved in both the bar and ring muscle-up, so therefore it makes sense that a prerequisite for any muscle-up training is exactly that: a pull-up, both strict and kipping.

The movement of the gymnastic kip can be taught on the pull-up bar simultaneously as the strict movement to help embed the concept through routine, yet this involves some quality coaching. While upper body strength is acquired, so is the idea of generating momentum. Proponents of kipping cite the athleticism it requires and develops; coordination is necessary for hip recruitment in order to use swinging momentum correctly. The kip fosters a body awareness akin to other muti-joint movements we see in Olympic weightlifting or sport-specific actions like throwing or jumping.

Kipping practice can be done before or after a workout, although afterwards would generally mean a person works while fatigued. This is not immediately unsafe, but overtrain while already muscle fatigued and that's a recipe for potential disaster.

Just remember that kipping without at least some basis of strength is not productive.

Ring Dips If a CrossFit athlete has a kipping pull-up, the next requirement for the muscle-up is a ring dip. While box dips and stationary bar dips are all well and good, the rings obviously throw a snag into things because of the multiple planes of movement that the gymnastics rings allow. This stabilization is what we are seeking; that shaky movement will eventually tighten up.

Strength development tends to take time for the dips, plus, these are stereotypically quite difficult for women because of the necessary upper body control.

Shoulder Mobility The transition from the pull-up to the dip portion of a muscle-up requires stable but mobile shoulder sockets. Because the ring dip out of the muscle-up is initiated in a deeper starting position than usual, new athletes whose pull is not as experienced and therefore not as high up on the rings tend to struggle to turn their pull over for the transition.

Check mobility videos to maintain a healthy and prepared shoulder. It is an absolute necessity in the grind of a muscle-up; a stable shoulder is needed to turn through the very strength-intensive transition.

Image courtesy of Hammerhead Fitness

What progressions will help acquire a full muscle-up?
Getting the most from your work in the gym means being smart about what scaling options you have and how to correctly move up a progression to the real thing. This holds true with the muscle-up, both of the ring and bar variety.

Below are some options for strength and skill development:

Ring Rows: A great start for the absolute newbie.  The more horizontal the body, the harder the ring row, but also be careful to try and emulate a more upright pull-up motion to work the lat muscles correctly.

• Do keep the core tight and complete the full range of motion for best results.
• Don't think these are for wussies. Ring rows can be brutal, even for the experienced.

Hollow Body Position: Underrated, at least on the pull-up bar, and usable not just as an exercise in itself. As a good counter balance, the hollow position builds core stability while keeping posture, on the bar in particular. This transfers to many other aspects in gymnastics and CrossFit.

• Do practice hollow rocks on flat ground and apply it to your starting position at the bottom of the muscle-up. A tight midline aids the stretch reflex during the loading phase of a kip as well.
• Don't get frustrated. Hollow positioning is not easy. (Unless you grew up a gymnast... lucky.)

Gymnastics Kip: A kip can be small or big in terms of the swing, and therefore can be used to eke out just one additional rep on a set of muscle-ups until failure or during a first muscle-up attempt with a humongous "load-up." Hips are essential, whether on rings or on the bar.

Working on stringing more consecutive bar muscle-ups?  Remember to push away at the top to use a bigger "chest through" load-up swing in the later rep numbers as you near your max. On the rings, work neutral grip and allow the body to swing with hands pushed forward/out slightly to help a full kipping motion for success.

• Do generate power from the hips to get them up and turned over.
• Don't worry if you get a muscle-up, or multiples, and then "lose" them for a day or more.  They come and go quite often. Stay at it.

Transition Work: A few options exist in working the transition of the muscle-up. A common one involves dropping the rings down to ring dip level or below, and allowing the feet to assist in getting from a ring row position to the bottom of the ring dip. See a video here for quick tips.

• Do work over time on using less legs will develop strength in the turnover. This is definitely different than a free-swinging kip to transition, however, so use this in conjunction with the next drill.
• Don't stay put in this drill from the ground. Full hollow body extension on the rings or the bar is quite a bit different and where you want to go with your progression.

Muscle-up Transitions

Assisted Muscle-ups: A coach or partner can be a huge help in assisting that last portion of the pull to get on top of the rings/bar in the transition. This is great when the kip looks good and the ring dip out of the muscle-up can be obtained but it's that pesky transition that is holding everything back.

• Do keep the rings in tight to pull them along the chest to directly under the armpits. Shoot the chest through and look at the toes, if that helps.
• Don't pull to the bar or the rings, pull up and over.

Image courtesy of the Rx Review

Multiple Reps: Once one muscle-up has been achieved, obviously efficiency with multiple reps is the next goal. Kipping out of the bottom of the dip can happen with the legs behind a bit to continue to use momentum. A typical knees to chest kip for the dip can be utilized for those a bit slower and at the starting level of linking muscle-ups together.

• Do work on maintaining a tight midline and great hollow position to maximize hip drive for consecutive reps. At the very top, lean back and fall into the next forward swing.
• Don't get anxious. Be patient for the right time to pull on consecutive reps.

http://www.hookgrip.com Store Instagram: http://instagram.com/hookgripstore/ Main Instagram: http://instagram.com/hookgrip/ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/hookgripdotcom Twitter: http://twitter.com/hookgrip Extended version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXVNoKDF2Yo The music is the group "The XX" and the song name is "Intro" 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games in Carson CA. July 30th, 2011.

Strict Muscle-ups: In need of a whole other challenge? Dead hang muscle-ups are strictly for those ready. Pun intended. Use a false grip to help the wrist on top of the rings and get a big pull before working to crank the elbows back and chest on top of the hands.

See videos here and here for great visuals on the body positions needed to complete this huge piece of muscle-up extra credit.

Image courtesy of Box Life Magazine

Now you'll really impress the popular kids.

Get a video so you can see yourself move, ask for coaching cues, and then celebrate your success with the public. This is one feat that deserves bragging about. No fish tales, however-- be honest, be persistent, and good luck!

- Scott, 8.11.2015

Injuries

Injuries

You could get injured doing CrossFit.

You could get injured doing Olympic weightlifting, kipping pull-ups, or handstand push-ups. You could get injured while running, biking, swimming, or rowing. You could get injured doing bench press or bicep curls. You could even get injured during a yoga session on your living room floor.

You will NOT get injured if you are sedentary.

Without physical movement, you will be safe from any trauma of muscular exertion and metabolic work. Your body won’t ever experience workout fatigue, oxygen debt, or delayed onset of muscle soreness.

No activity, no injuries, no worries.

At least temporarily.

Instead of injury, of course, you may lose longevity and livelihood. Illness or disease could set in. These aren’t immediate injuries, per se, but are instead quite a bit more devastating.

No activity, no injuries… no benefits.

What issues currently plague human health?
For starters, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year— that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. (1)

Each year about 715,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, 515,000 are a first heart attack and 200,000 in people who have already had cardiac infarction. Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity. (2; 3)

Secondly, diabetes is so prevalent now that 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes. This is directly related to poor diet and lack of exercise. 29.1 million people in the U.S. currently have diabetes; this equates to 9.3% of the population. 21 million people are diagnosed; 8.1 million people are undiagnosed. This results in 27.8% of people with diabetes being undiagnosed. (8)

Finally, obesity rates are alarmingly high in America. No state in the U.S. has a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. This means that more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese— 78.6 million Americans, or 34.9% of our population. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. (9)

Are there concerns over the safety of physical activity?
Healthy lifestyle habits, including nutritious eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing lifestyle related diseases. We’ve known this for decades.

Obviously the goal is to be as safe as possible while being active. And further, if you believe CrossFit, or any method of fitness, increases the likelihood of being unsafe, then you should find something active that lowers your perceived risk. But if perfect safety is really a concern, then running, weightlifting, and quite a few other modes of exercise should be checked off your list. While we’re at it, be wary of playing pick-up basketball with friends or running around with your kids in the backyard. While these injury rates are often unreported, it’s definitely viable that weekend warriors and Turkey Bowl heroes have an increased risk of injury equivalent or greater than weekly fitness grinders.

The safety first philosophy is always a good one, but major concerns over physical activity, namely CrossFit, are seemingly cloaked in something else entirely. Ego? Ignorance? Misunderstanding?

Fitness professionals and physical therapists ultimately want what’s best for the health and well-being of the general public. This is great and never an issue. The pursuit of safe movement is valid and necessary in any athletic endeavor. Bad form, incompetent trainers, ego over safety? By all means, critique and strive for change. Still, ever see the CrossFit "fail" videos? Much of what gets shown and laughed at isn’t even from a CrossFit gym.

So what are accurate injury rates as we compare methods of training? Let’s check the stats below.

What is the statistical risk of physical training?
If we look at the statistics of workout injuries across any fitness regimen, we see a large discrepancy in what gets reported. We have an issue with what is argued as truth versus hearsay.

Yet while some items remain debatable, all legitimate data gets compiled in reference to number of injuries per 1,000 training hours.

Let’s look at some common exercise and movement trends and their injury rates. References are noted.

• Running & Triathlons: There is a prevalence of somewhere between 5.5 to 12.1 injuries per 1,000 hours of training in running and triathlons. (Korkia, 1993; Zwingenberger, 2014)
• Gymnastics: Injury rates range from 3.5 to 22.7 injuries per 1,000 hours of training at the club level to college gymnastics. (Mahler, 2008)
• Bodybuilding: 45.1% of the test subjects reported some symptoms of physical injury while training, but the overall injury rate reported was 1.0 injuries per 1,000 hours of training. (Siewe, 2014)
• Power Lifting: 43.3% of tested Powerlifters complained of injury-related problems during workouts, however the injury rate reported was 1.0 injuries per 1,000 hours of training. (Siewe, 2011)
• Olympic Lifting:In an incorporated investigation of the incidence and prevalence of injuries among both elite Olympic weightlifters and Powerlifters in both 1995 and in 2000, in both sports and across both time periods, the tested subjects incurred 2.6 injuries per 1,000 hours of training. (Raske and Norlin, 2002)
• Strongman: There is a rate of 5.5 injuries per 1,000 hours in Strongman strength training. In terms of region of injury, the most common locations were lower back (24%), shoulder (21%), biceps (11%), and knee (11%). Researchers observed that strongman athletes were almost two times more likely to sustain an injury when using strongman implements than when using traditional resistance-training methods. (Winwood, 2014)
• CrossFit: CrossFit has an injury rate of 3.1 injuries per 1,000 hours of training. (Hak, 2013) CrossFit has an injury rate of 2.4 injuries per 1,000 hours of training in regards to true incidence versus prevalence. (Giordano, 2015) In both reports, zero cases of rhabdomyolysis were reported.

Riskin' it...

Is CrossFit dangerous?
There are quite a few online articles criticizing CrossFit for being dangerous; criticism exists in everything from small blogs to the Washington Post, CNN, Men's Health, Huffington Post, Breaking Muscle, and ESPN.

The most recent ado in the CrossFit injury debate is the information released from an Ohio State University study performed in 2013. The study, entitled CrossFit-Based High-Intensity Power Training Improves Maximal Aerobic Fitness and Body Composition, included 54 original participants, of which 43 completed the 10-week CrossFit exercise program challenge. The results were subsequently published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The conclusion? Participants burned fat and expanded their VO2 max (volume of oxygen uptake).

The kinesiology doctors of the research study inferred from their data, "a CrossFit-based high intensity power training program can yield meaningful improvements of maximal aerobic capacity and body composition in men and women of all levels of fitness." (11)

However, the study also reported that 16% of the 11 participants who didn’t finish the 10 weeks cited “overuse or injury” as their reason for failing to complete the study. The authors also called into question “the risk-benefit ratio for such extreme training programs,” even cautioning that the measured improvements from CrossFit training “may not be worth the risk of injury and lost training time.” (11)

At which point, CrossFit Inc. fired back at what they called “junk science” with a full lawsuit, and in turn incited much of the internet public to label this move as bravado... as well as some other choice words. The issue that CrossFit Inc. stated through Russell Berger, a head trainer and legal advisor, was that "overuse injury" wasn't a defined term by the Ohio State associates, but more so, when questioned, the nine subjects that the NSCA/Ohio State Devor study claimed were injured have all sworn to the court that they were actually not injured throughout the course of the program. (12)

Confusing? Definitely. Yet rightfully questionable on a few angles. Is CrossFit Inc. in fact a bully, or alternatively, did CrossFit simply stand up to the fitness scene with confidence?

The decision lies within.

So as we conclude, indeed, there is an inherent danger in physical activity, and yes, you could get injured doing CrossFit.

Of course, there’s always the contrary to consider.

- Scott, 8.4.2015

References

1. Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD. Deaths: Final data for 2010. National vital statistics reports. 2013; 61(4).
2. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Blaha MJ, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics — 2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014;128.
3. Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou OA, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123: 933–44. Epub 2011 Jan 24.
4. Heron M. Deaths: Leading causes for 2008. National vital statistics reports. 2012; 60(6).
5. CDC. Disparities in Adult Awareness of Heart Attack Warning Signs and Symptoms — 14 States, 2005. MMWR. 2008;57(7):175–179.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State Specific Mortality from Sudden Cardiac Death: United States, 1999. MMWR. 2002;51(6):123–126.
7. CDC. Million Hearts: strategies to reduce the prevalence of leading cardiovascular disease risk factors. United States, 2011. MMWR2011;60(36):1248–51.
8. CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report: Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States, 2014. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2014.
9. CDC. Obesity prevalence across states and territories. Prevalence of Self –Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults by Race/Ethnicity and State, BRFSS 2011-2013.
10. Beardsly C. Which strength sport is most likely to cause an injury in training? Strength and Conditioning Research. 2014.
11. Smith MM, Sommer AJ, Starkoff BE, Devor ST, et al. Crossfit-based high intensity power training improves maximal aerobic fitness and body composition. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: 2013:27(11):3159-72.
12. Berger R. NSCA “CrossFit Study” Fraud? The CrossFit Journal: 2013.

Handstands

Handstands

For many, being upside down is scary. It's the opposite of feeling safe and comfortable. The antithesis of how we want to end up in any given hour of the day. It can be an awkward feeling and, because the sensation is so foreign, one we only momentarily like to experience.

It's a roller coaster ride, not just in the physical sense but in emotional terms as well.

Unless you're a toddler in the hands of a playful parent, being upside down generally means something went wrong. In many cases being upended in an athletic event resulted from a trip and a fall or a flat out dangerous mistake.

Gymnasts use handstands regularly, but our general public obviously does not. There are a few other sports where being upside down is part of training or competition, but those are rare compared to most of the movement we see in sports worldwide, so therefore most people don't lock handstands into their exercise routines.

In the fitness pursuit, however, much can be gained from turning our rooted and natural bipedal movement on its head.

So keep your hands up and your eyes open because we're about to conquer this movement like the big drop of an old wooden roller coaster.

Why put your body in a handstand?
If we're looking to develop overall strength in a fitness program, then being in a handstand is a powerful position. If a full handstand is not possible, even with support of a coach or a wall, a scaled version will still provide payoffs. General shoulder health is a necessary prerequisite, but there are a series of muscles that benefit greatly and actually develop from being upside down while pressing and/or stabilizing against gravity.

Besides the deltoids of the shoulder socket, handstand work also provides stimuli to the triceps in the arms, the trapezius of the back and neck, and the midline stabilizing muscles we generally refer to as the core: rectus abdominis, back extensors, and the obliques, to name a few.

Another benefit is proprioception in the brain. This refers to the ability to sense body position, motion, and equilibrium. Handstands also develop the central nervous system (CNS) as it responds to being upside down. It's a kinesthetic awareness we can more simply call athleticism.

Handstand Muscle Groups

Why are handstands so hard?
Hand balancing presents one of the biggest challenges for me personally. Without a gymnastic background, and with height and long limbs, handstands are a self-proclaimed goat; my weakness. Many people are like myself: if something is difficult we tend to shy away from that movement.

In the front row of handstand culture is the sport of gymnastics, leading the ride now for centuries of human performance. Lifelong gymnasts literally have a leg up on any new competitors or adults learning the gymnast ropes as best as they can for a generalized physical preparedness program such as CrossFit. This isn't to say that any person off the street should give up or never pursue a handstand. Instead, it's a reminder that formative years matter for more than just music and language development-- we know that physical skills and related endeavors also harness themselves in the developing brain much easier than that of an adult.

Yoga enthusiasts know the pose as a downwards facing tree, which is essentially the same thing as a handstand. For the public and those just starting in yoga, this pose will require years of development just like a gymnast.

Whatever the case, a quality handstand is a feat lost on so many... myself included. The combination of strength and skill and mobility is a tummy turning corkscrew of a requirement. But this difficulty is part of the challenge; it's part of the fun.

Keep in mind that the human body has developed homeostasis on years of inner ear balance while walking upright. So if you struggle with handstands, don't beat yourself up; buckle up, seek knowledge, and find practice time to build from the ground up.

What are some tips for handstand success?
CrossFit.com added hand balancing to its regimen immediately upon onset with Coach Greg Glassman's background as a gymnast spearheading the inclusion. Read his full article here.

Other tips for success depend on one's handstand experience. Are you a complete newbie, or have you accomplished some skill development but are in need of additional resources?

Whether you’re looking to develop your skill and strength for handstand push-ups, free standing handstands, or simply unassisted wall climbs, let’s check out some movement ideas and quick guidelines on the fast track upside down.

Movements For Handstand Development
Hollow Rock Holds:
A great start for the absolute beginner, and also a staple for other gymnasty moves like pull-ups and toes to bar. This is a static global flexion that tightens from the legs through to the shoulders.

• Do keep the core tight, the lower back flat on the ground, the shoulders active by the ears, and the quads and glutes on and activated.
• Don’t think these are for wussies. Hollow Rock Holds can be brutal, even for the experienced.

Hollow Rocks

V-ups:
Used correctly, this can foster some of the greatest strength development for those without much core strength, but it does include movement in the midline while a handstand requires tight muscle control.

• Do know when to scale. Knees can bend until a straight leg movement develops.
• Don’t forget your hollow position. This is meant to be a skill transfer; don’t lose sight of the correct positioning needed.

Piked Push-ups: Although these can be awkward and do require strength, balance, and bravery, some prefer this scaled version for the full Handstand Push-up against a wall.

• Don’t leave behind Hollow Rocks. Continue to fight for a straightened midline that will lead to a strong handstand.

V-ups

Wall Climbs:
These are rough. While utilized as another scaled option to the Handstand Push-up, this is also a great alternative to handstand walking in workouts. The hand over hand push into the wall recruits lots of CNS energy as well as shoulder socket muscles to make this move nearly as tough as a HSPU.

• Do be careful of foot height. If you're wary of being face first in the wall, stop the hands early and remember to always tuck your chin for a somersault if you start to tumble.
• Don’t lose body position. Wall Climbs can be frustrating in a workout and often people push their hips and chest at the wall, forcing an unnatural extension in both the shoulders and the lower back.

Wall Climbs

Static Handstand Holds:
In many ways, if you can kick up into a handstand against the wall, these are easier than a Wall Climb. Facing away from the wall requires strength and solid hollow positioning, but can also put a person into too much lower back extension. Keep the heels on the wall, not your butt.

• Do use a trustworthy coach to help you with your kick up. Use a static hold as a confidence booster.
• Don't use these to absolute failure since crumbling with bent elbows spells disaster.

Handstand Holds

Handstand Push-ups:
In CrossFit, this becomes the Rx go-to for both workouts and local competitions. Strict HSPU demand strength, kipping HSPU require skill, both tend to fatigue fairly quickly as the rep count goes up. Either way, keep hand position similar to that in a Push Press or Push Jerk in the sense that we want a "V" shape with our head coming in front of the hand line. For safe and efficient movement in the HSPU, push the head through the imaginary window like finishing a barbell move.

• Do check resources and videos like the one below to see progressions for kipping. Notice the hand position as the head touches in a headstand. Kipping can occur facing the wall to develop confidence and posture.
• Don't neglect strict Handstand Push-ups. Also be careful of letting your entire bodyweight rest on the head while upside down, compromising neck/spinal safety.

Get our #1 movement progressions app - The GWOD Spot - now available in the iTunes (http://is.gd/GWODSpot__iOS), Google Play (http://is.gd/GWODSpot_Android), and Kindle (http://is.gd/GWODSpot_Kindle) App store! In this series, Coach Carl breaks down the progressions for the Kipping Handstand Push Up, one of the most popular movements.

Freestanding Handstands & Handstand Walks:
For the elite in the handstand spectrum, walks and freestanding handstands (as well as freestanding HPSU) are a great new standard to aim for.

Drills include, but are not limited to: shoulder taps, headstands to handstands, "holds & splits" from the wall, and "holds & splits" with a coach/partner.

• Do find time to practice so that quality hand, head, and shoulder position can allow balance to be achieved. Grip with the fingers. Stay hollow. Squeeze lower body tight as well. Work every day, if possible!
• Don't lose position. Work on global extension versus local extension. This means controlled arching is only necessary to move in the Handstand Walk. Otherwise, fight for a perfect handstand position during stationary work, as seen below.

Image courtesy of Ring Fraternity.

Straight vs. Arched Handstand. Image courtesy of Yuval Ayalon.

Handstand finger grip. Image courtesy of Rough Strength.

So, as the ups and downs of examining handstands come to an end, I wish you luck and remind you to be resourceful-- find the pieces that cause you the most frustration and tunnel through them, full speed ahead. Scream-laugh your way through trips and turns and hopefully you'll find success at the end of the track.

Keep at it and enjoy the ride.

- Scott, 7.28.2015

Giving Up

Which came first?

Giving Up

Bailing out. Missing a lift. Saving your skinny little chicken neck.

In weightlifting, it is so necessary to correctly fail that dumping a barbell should be simultaneously taught with how to successfully make a lift. Also very necessary is to know when to cede to a workout or give up on a fatigued movement.

Which came first, the failure or the lift? The concept of "giving up" creates such a negative connotation that the motivational nonsense spread through life nowadays gives the impression that anyone willing to give up is a failure. Weak, inadequate, and/or inferior.

No better than a shivering chick... a wet newbie peeping for its mama hen.

Quite the contrary can be said when we look at making or failing a lift, whether it be a power lift like a Deadlift or a Squat, or an Olympic lift like a Jerk or a Snatch. It is those athletes that know how to bail out that keep themselves safe, healthy, and strong.

Those athletes that have trained the correct bar path in order to efficiently make a successful lift know this. When something goes wrong, when a movement is incorrect, even in the slightest, failure means you live to lift another day.

Plus, heavy squats are always the go-to fix for chicken legs. So the skill of dumping a barbell helps to correctly use the progressive overload principle.

For those who haven’t failed, their potential in whatever endeavor they seek in life has not been fully realized. They haven’t tested the upper limits of their capabilities. In weightlifting it's knowing how to safely fail that shows strength through intelligence.

Like a smart, egghead brainiac, strength can come in many forms.

Similar to weightlifting, if a gymnastics movement or other bodyweight exercise starts to lose efficacy, if the body is shutting down to a point of inefficiency, then giving up is a necessary evil. Sure, there are times to drive ahead, to push through fatigue and complete a workout as it was written. The mental gains are particularly worthwhile in this regard, so long as the movements are still safely executed. But the moment where one puts themselves at high risk for injury, at risk for overtraining or under-recovery, this is the time when a workout becomes completely negotiable. At this point, the decision to end a session early is not weak in any regard; it is not incompetent or pitiful. Instead, it is mentally strong. It is egotistically impressive, actually. Realizing that range of motion is breeched and safety is compromised is in fact a very, very strong attribute.

Know when to fold 'em. When it's time to "snuff the rooster." This is tricky, for sure, but highly necessary in strength and conditioning.

Dan Maggio has done such a great job at succinctly highlighting the specifics of intentional bailing from a lift that it deserves reprinting here to his credit on how to implement this into your training.

How to Miss a LiftWhen teaching/coaching weightlifting related lifts, the FEET MUST ALWAYS MOVE in order to get the base of support out from under the falling bar. [Source: The Importance of Missing Lifts and Bailing Out]

• Bailing out of the Back Squat: Release grip on bar, push chest and head UP to pop the bar off your back, JUMP feet forward to avoid the bar hitting your heals if you land on your knees.
• Bailing out of Front Squat: Release grip on bar, drop the elbows as you simultaneously JUMP your feet back and push your hands to the ground. Not jumping your feet back can cause the dumped bar to crash on your thighs and knees. (This bail is the same as bailing out of a Clean.)
• Missing the Snatch (in front): Actively EXTEND arms forward. JUMP your feet backwards.
• Missing the Snatch (behind): Actively EXTEND arms backward (as if giving “Jazz Hands”). JUMP FORWARD quickly to avoid the bar landing on shoulders or back. It is vital to extend the arms backward fully to create more space and avoid collision.
• Missing the Jerk: If the barbell is already moving forward, JUMP the body back while pushing the bar away. Similarly, if stability is not maintained and the barbell drifts backward, JUMP forward away from the weight.

Someone's gotta work on their 10 components of fitness...

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall... As far as "giving up" goes, we're on the topic of succumbing to a lift or movement in a positive, thoughtful way. Not just being lazy or unmotivated.

In reference to being smart with a conditioning workout or to avoid overtraining/under-recovering, some specifics have been highlighted in past articles. Check "MetCons" and "Progress" to get the full explanation.

Our basic concept is always to pursue lifelong fitness. If we're looking to stay healthy for years to come, then one day does not make or break a workout regimen. However, one day can turn into a week, then a month, and so on. So therefore, since a longer term view on fitness best serves our ever-aging bodies, then pushing to a point of immense fatigue is a slippery slope. Particularly dangerous is exercise addiction.

All the king's horses and all the king's men can't put an addict's fitness together again.

One must ask some important questions: "Am I working hard because this will gain me the necessary muscle breakdown and/or cardiovascular stress?" vs. "Am I doing this because I'm stubborn and masochist and want to prove something to myself?" Be honest.

In other words, be cautious of forcing a conditioning workout if you crash and burn. Once you bonk, die... lay an egg.

Finish what you started if you can, sure, but only if is still safe in the realm of total work. For example, is the run mileage just too high? Burpee reps too many? Barbell weight too heavy? Plus, will you be sore and out of commission for the rest of the week? Time to be smart and give in.

A full week of quality work is more beneficial than one day of feigned glory.

As I've stated before, if a lifting session or post-workout skill work aren’t going well, then a new PR or your first muscle-up probably won’t happen on your 20th, 30th, or 100th attempt. Being persistent is one thing, being stupid is another. Stop. Cut your losses. Look ahead to the next day.

This is a plan of action where giving up is actually moving forward.

So off you go with brains and brawn. Never be chicken to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

- Scott, 6.22.2015

Progress

Baby Steps

Progress

Baby steps, they say.  As if results won't come any other way.

Work, benefit, build gains, and work again.  Slow and steady.  Bit by bit.

Yet here's the funny part: if you've ever been around a baby, you realize they actually change dramatically in the span of a month or even just a week.  In fact, it's almost as if toddlers take on new characteristics each day.  One day, not walking; the next, cruising around and getting into everything.

Sometimes strength and conditioning benchmarks are the same way.  There's almost a dichotomy to it. During any typical week progress comes crawling in, slowly but surely. Personal records in one rep max attempts can be hard to come by, but with steady volume and progressive overload, work capacity increases.  In turn, muscle cell recruitment and contractile strength improves.  But also, every once in a blue moon things just click.  Gains come fast.  People turn around and ask "When did you learn how to do that?"  Your coach celebrates as much as you do after a multiple PR week.  You hit an Olympic lift or a gymnastic movement with such technique where it just feels right-- balanced and easy, as mindless as walking on two feet.

It's been another summer of hard work.  Another summer of blood, sweat, and maybe even some crocodile tears.  We put in time at the gym, through some hot summer days.  Lifting and pushing and pulling and running and jumping and...

We're always in pursuit of more, at least in the fitness world.  We get a little taste of success and it's like chocolate cake to a one-year-old.

Nom Nom Nom

And like infants, onward we grow in our fitness journey, holding on to whatever we can in order to gain balance and make our way across the living room of life.

Sure, some of us are more developed.  Out of diapers and more like snot-nosed kids or even pimple-faced teenagers, in terms of progress.  But even the most gifted athletes of our time are still pursuing mastery in physical fitness.  Every single person wants to be better.  Rarely does anyone ever feel safe or mature, in relation to strength and conditioning.

Yes, of course we grow old.  But we remain perennial newborns in so many ways.  We're always struggling to perfect certain skills or movements; we're always aiming for better conditioning or overall strength.  Weaknesses can be fought, but in many cases it's a series of constant, frustrating temper tantrums.   Sometimes we just need a nap.

So. Tired.

So is there a way to optimize our progress in physical fitness?

Recommendations:

• Be patient.Progress can come in waves.  These are still baby steps, just larger in stride, really.  And like a toddler learning to walk, there may in fact be steps backwards as well.  Hiccups; bumps in the sidewalk.  Use these as reminders that nothing comes without hard work.  Stick with it.

• Be persistent. Consistency pays off in the long run.  Quality time spent pursuing your fitness goals will allow your body a chance to see results and your mind to benefit from the experience.  This is a potent combination, and strikes a confidence in oneself that only fuels more progress.  Feed the fire.

• Know when to quit. If a lifting session or some post-workout skill work aren't going well, then a new PR or your first muscle-up probably won't happen on your 30th, 40th, or 50th attempt.  Being persistent is one thing, being stupid is another.  Too many falls on your diaper butt and it's time to change your pants and go to sleep.  Cut your losses.  Live to work another day.

ipood

So, as the Words of the Week articles come to a close for another summer, I wish everyone good luck once again in becoming better than yesterday in all that you do.  Stay at it and progress will come, even if it is little by little.

Thanks for taking the time to read, this summer and always.

See you kids on the playground.

- Scott, 8.25.2014

baby chuck taylor's

Results

Results

It's why you work out.

CrossFit breeds results, and even if you don't follow CrossFit, the strength and conditioning work you do acts in conjunction with your recovery and nutrition habits to produce fitness benefits.

We've just finished a Nutrition Challenge here at CrossFit Amplify, as evident on our July Paleo Challenge Winners page, where you can read just two of the inspiring success stories from recent months.

The fun part is not always the journey.  It can be, but usually that's the part that hurts.  That's the part that people put off or avoid, and therefore don't achieve the results they were originally looking for.  The workouts themselves are both arduous and addictive, the latter because of results.  The human brain has a similar dichotomy, looking for balance and often the path of least resistance but also thriving on difficult and challenging tasks.  This is generally referred to as homeostasis and stress. (Check a little bit of research here, here, and here.)

Besides physical adaptation, it's the results that cause change mentally and emotionally.  This is good, of course, but the addictive nature of endorphins and neurotransmitters (dopamine, seratonin, and norepinephrine) can cause people to go overboard with their workouts.  As previously mentioned, it's the steady balance of physical training (stress) and recovery (homeostasis) that is so necessary in humans to have a healthy life.

If we get back to the concept of results in fitness, it's obvious that a person doesn't experience changes in strength and/or conditioning without hard work.  The process is important.  And being smart with that process is essential. We've touched on this topic before.  Remember?

As a sidenote, it's been debated whether true strength gains can occur simultaneously as bodyweight is being decreased.  Meaning, can a person get stronger while losing weight?  If we focus on body fat, and not just overall weight (we all know the issue with looking strictly at the number on the scale), then the answer is yes.  One can minimize body fat and develop muscular hypertrophy.  It's commonly known and seen as a shift in body composition. And while we're at it, the low rep/high weight vs. high rep/low weight concept is also in constant debate. (Quick read here.) Topics for another time, maybe, but at least worth mentioning as we discuss fitness results.  As for our inclusion in a generalized strength and conditioning program, the simple answer is it makes sense to do both. So you'll see us program low reps with heavy loads, and also higher reps with lighter implements or at bodyweight. Think of a 1repmax Back Squat versus 150 Wall Ball Shots for time. Both get their due respect.

If we do an internet search for 'fitness results' we come up with hundreds of success stories, especially in recent years and with CrossFit in particular.  They come in all shapes and sizes, just like the people in the stories.  It could be a story on the typical CrossFit program's results, an enormous weight loss for improved health and longevity, or an already fit individual doing the seemingly impossible.

Here are a few worth checking out:

"CrossFit Promises Tough Workout, Results"

The Tim Baldry Story

Ultra Marathons, on CrossFit Training

So while the physical challenge is both required for results and a good stressor for the brain, the strength gains and increases in conditioning (and especially any outwardly aesthetic/physical results) are also healthy for brain development and serve as positive reinforcement.  "Keep going," you tell yourself... "It's working."

That it is.  Relish the process, and enjoy the results.

-Scott, 9.3.2012

Failure

Failure

It gets a bad rap.  As in "Fail."  Or even "Epic Fail." (See?)

In reality, failure is a necessary evil.  It's a means to an end, really.  It's the path to success.

See, for those who haven't failed, their potential in whatever endeavor they seek in life has not been fully realized. They haven't tested the upper limits of their capabilities.  The "what could be."  In other words, they’re coasting along.  Not really sinking or swimming… more or less treading water, if you’re following this analogy.

It's not a novel concept, I suppose, but it is worth repeating and truly understanding.  If at first you don't succeed, skydiving isn't for you.  Or however the saying goes.  In life, I've noticed, we receive loads of advice.  Sh*tloads.  People seem to be experts on anything and everything.  (Says the guy writing a random blog entry each week.)  But I do know that it's the advice from those who have experience in an area, whatever that area may be, that I really respect. Been there, done that, here's the cliffsnotes. On top of that, it's their stories of what didn't work in their experience, or how they failed and got back up, that I find most useful. Or at least the most motivating.

A few video shorts on failure:

Famous Failures (somewhat cheesy, maybe, but topical)

Michael Jordan ("I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.")

And the great Al Pacino speech as Coach in "Any Given Sunday" (explicit language included)

If we take the concept of failure and relate it to our physical training, never experiencing failure in the gym would mean one or more of the following:

1. Reps or movements are too easily executed. (Intensity is lacking.)

2. Overload is not being reached. (This is paramount in physical adaptation.)

3. Potential has been self-limited. (A person is not as strong, fast, powerful, agile, coordinated, etc.  You name it, it's limited.)

This brings us to some simple recommendations.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Fear is a powerful thing, and the mind often tricks us into not believing we’re good enough. Cliché, but you can accomplish a lot more in life once you believe it can happen. "If the mind can dream it, the body can achieve it" type of thing.  Also, being afraid or tentative can prove to be dangerous when working at the peak of physical exertion/exhaustion. Think of a max effort clean or back squat under a heavy load… being unsure of yourself could spell disaster. In this scenario, know how to bail out safely, set yourself in position, and go for it.  Do or do not, there is not try.

Test your limits. How can you ever know what is possible if you don't test your physical threshold?  See #3 above.  If a person is constantly living  in their comfort zone as it applies to the gym, and never presses the proverbial envelope, then what's the strongest they can be?  The fastest?  The fittest?  What's really their PR on a lift or workout?  The answer is we don't know. And if you're in this to find out, it makes no sense to limit yourself. By not failing, you're doing exactly that.

Learn and adapt. What, if anything, went wrong during failure?  Was it technique with a lift? Maybe strategy going into a competition? Often we experience a mental lapse during workouts... maybe more focus or more self-confidence could've helped. Or maybe you hit a wall during a MetCon, so think about what to do to either prevent that from happening or how to deal with it if it/when it does happen again.  And if nothing went "wrong," what did you learn about yourself as you hit that strength or conditioning threshold? On a related note, if performance diminishes, learn from it.  Perhaps you are overtraining.  Or there was a fuel deficiency. Again, learn and make necessary changes.

Failing is fine, but only if it leads to progress.

I'll leave you with this: A video by Jay Rhodes in his journey from humble CrossFit beginnings into a pretty damn good athlete.... a video that might be more worthwhile than any words on a computer screen.

My Journey Into CrossFit, by Jay Rhodes (who did a similar article for the CrossFit Journal)

Go forth, and fail.

-Scott, 8.27.2012

Summer

Summer

Right now the temperature outside is 93°. And rising. That's frickin' summer.

Blue skies, swimming pools, music and BBQs. That's also summer. It's a time to relax with family or friends. Get out of school or work on a Friday and grab dinner and drinks outside. It's a time to fall in love and sing a song about it. (If you sing that later today and wonder where it came from, you're welcome. And if you and someone else nearby belt it out at the same time tonight, you're MFEO. Call me, I'll be the best man.)

But summer is also when we see people miss time at the gym. They're not excuses... no. It's just that awesome things to do tend to pop up in the summer time. Truth. You know: vacations, boats, the beach, a nap.. whatever.

There is a way to get your work done, though. Summer can be the perfect chance to get your workouts in and reap the benefits come fall. Beach body? Sure. But who cares. Health and fitness. Let the aesthetics come with.

Step 1: See the big picture. It's not that blurry. Get it ingrained that you will be working on your strength, or your conditioning, or hammering a weakness this summer. Or all of the above. It's gotta be a pact. A personal pact? You've worked this hard to come this far, so don't let the days or *gasp* the weeks go by while you neglect your fitness. A summer "off" could do more damage than you might realize.

Step 2: Plan your workout. And stick to it (maybe). You've got your set days. Keep them that way. But also be flexible enough that if you have something pop up that interferes with your WOD, go for it. Do that thing. Don't stress over something that obviously benefited your mental health, or your social health. But make it up. Get in an extra workout ASAP, or double if you can. Wanna see some results? Throw a 2-a-day at your body here and there. Oh, you were sore?? Of course you were, idiot. It's not unheard of or even unhealthy to sweat more than once a day. Plus, if it's like most summer days, you're already sweating anyways.

Step 3: Intensity. In ten cities. You CrossFit. That's fine. Better than fine. Now, make sure if you travel you keep up the intensity. Here's your CrossFit affiliate locator. It's easy to get lax on your heartrate or effort level when you're alone in a hotel room, or when you try for an early morning/late night workout but just aren't "feeling it." You're the one that wants to develop or maintain your fitness. Otherwise you didn't read this far. So keep your intensity up, dammit. Need solo travel WOD ideas? It's called the internet. Get some music, watch some vids beforehand, do what you gotta do, and go.

Plus, the CrossFit Games are July 13-15. Watch and remain inspired.

So. Summer. Get after it, and you'll feel better for it.

-Scott, 6.18.2012