The Snatch

The Snatch

All jokes aside, it deserves attention. It's arguably the most difficult lift we perform.

While pursuing fitness and athleticism, specifically overall strength, power, and coordination (while increasing ROM and focusing on results), it's an excellent move.  Possibly the best.  One of the Olympic Lifts that has been competed for years and is of course part of every Olympics.

We use snatches and related movements at Amplify to foster this athletic development, and we can safely perform the lift even while members are learning the movement. See a quick synopsis from CrossFit.com here.  A variety of start and finish positions as well as countless drills build power and muscle strength and also the central nervous system response (memory of body position) for future development.  You'll hear us use a slew of terms, so if you aren't yet accustomed to it, get used to those entering your vocabulary.

Just use it. You can ask why, but basically it sets the bar in your hands and allows a better pull.

A Quick Snatch Set-up Checklist: 1. Feet flat 2. Arms long 3. Back set 4. Chest up 5. Knees back

Let's see what it is we're focusing on with some quick video demos.

There are plenty of great technique and instructional videos out there; it just takes a YouTube search to find some.  It's the quality clips you'll need, though, so start here:

California Strength http://www.youtube.com/user/CaliforniaStrength

When discussing barbell snatch technique, it's flat out essential to have visuals.  So first up is a slow motion snatch by Natalie Burgener.  Next in line is her father, Coach Mike Burgener, a well-known CrossFit instructor and the resident guru of Olympic Lifting.  Finally, you see a few videos of elite level snatches, both men and women.

Slo-Mo Barbell Snatch (Blurry, but great "scoop" and hip extension)

Coach Mike Burgener (more start-up instruction here)

Behdad Salmi World Record

2011 Women's World Championships

Note, we will not be putting too much emphasis on the kettlebell snatch here, simply for the sake of brevity. KB Snatches are a great conditioning tool, and look a little like a traditional barbell snatch, with similar hip action needed... but are definitely their own exercise.

Kettlebell Snatch

If we look at the common errors in snatch development, it would make sense to examine a few limiting factors.  What we see often are flexibility/mobility issues, bar path errors, and poor scoop technique.  Confidence is sometimes lacking as well, which can keep an athlete from developing that experience and repetitions with the lift so necessary to make gains.

Mobility We've focused on this in weeks past, but it will be a recurring theme: maximize your flexibility and range of motion, and your missed lifts will become fewer and fewer (not to mention you'll remain safe through the catch). Make sure you can properly hang power snatch, overhead squat, and snatch balance before putting the snatch grip ground to overhead in effect through a full squat.  Remember, this is a high skill move with lots of balance and coordination required.  Warm-up is needed, which includes drills and segments of a full snatch.  PVC and light loads will help alert the joints, namely the hip and shoulder sockets.

Bar Path This is the most common flaw, and starts in the set-up.  If the bar is not moving up the body correctly from the ground (ie: moving away from the body at the start) then the whole lift is compromised. Lose snatches forward a lot?  You're probably not pulling the knees back enough or you're allowing the bar to float forward around the knees early on.  I know that's my personal issue when snatching, for sure.  A very common result from a very common error.  Correct this while keeping your chest and shoulders up and over the bar and your success rate increases immediately. Which leads us to...

Scoop Technique The "scoop" comes naturally in a good snatch. Also known as the double knee bend, it's the point where the barbell gets to what is commonly referred to as your power position... the bar makes contact with your thighs and you've put an acceleration on the weight in set up for triple extension (hips, knees, and ankles).  It is sometimes coached as the "jump," although that can often be a bad cue for certain people, since they may move to the balls of their feet too early or kick the bar out from their hips too far à la a kettlebell swing.  The scoop is a result of keeping the barbell close to the body so it can travel the straightest line upwards overhead.  Search "snatch scoop" and you'll get more visuals and technique instruction.  But a bad idea is to try too hard to scoop.  It'll cause an early arm bend and loss of power.

And look at that... I made it all the way through a Snatch post without one bad joke or innuendo. Yay!

-Scott, 9.10.2012

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

Ripping

The Quick Ins and Outs of Hand Care

Blister rips. Callus tears. Bloody hands.

They're an injury. Period. People treat them like trophies, in a way... to get a blister rip or a callus tear from pull-ups is almost like a rite of passage in CrossFit. Yes, they're bound to happen. But should they be happening every time you get on a pull-up bar? No way. That's ridiculous, in fact.

So what are you doing wrong? Well, first of all, nothing. Second of all... everything.

We're built as human beings to develop resistance to movement on our skin in the form of calluses. A callus is an area of thick skin... the thickening forms at points where there is a lot of repeated movement for a period of time— such as the hours spent on a pull-up bar at a CrossFit gym. The skin hardens from the pressure over time and eventually layers build up, forming a tough grayish or yellowish surface that may feel bumpy.

Tears are very, very common. In fact, they're the most common "injury" we see at the gym-- on any given day of pull-ups or toes to bar/knees to elbows, we'll have someone tear. It's painful, and momentarily debilitating. But, there are ways to keep from tearing, or at the very least, prolong the time before a callus tears away.

One major contribution to blisters and calluses is chalk. A lot of you, A LOT, use way too much chalk. In fact, chalk actually causes rips. Chalk is both awesome and horrible for workouts. Yes, chalk helps keep the hands dry.  But it also increases the friction between your skin and the bar. Therefore I usually recommend none at all, unless it's actually dangerous in some way because of humidity or sweat. In that case, a little chalk goes a long way.

CrossFitters Love Chalk

Hand care has been well-chronicled in CrossFit and also in the gymnastics world.  There are good ways to grip the pull-up bar, as explained here. Also, CrossFit Virtuosity put together a 4 part series on how to take care of your hands. All are worth the read or view.

Amplify Recommendations First things first, pledge to take care of your stinkin' hands. It's what we use to hold on to things. Things like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and pull-up bars. In many movements we do, it's the only point of contact with a weighted implement, aka, a "load."

Find the following two items to care for calluses, blisters, and rips or tears:

• Use a callus shaver to cut away the majority of the dead skin that builds up on your hands. Google callus shavers here. It's an easy and fun way (yes, really) to use a razor blade and take away the unnecessary build up that causes some discomfort.
• Also use some type of pumice stone to flatten the surface area between your hand and the bar.  Google pumice stones here. The bigger the callus, the more likely it is to tear. Scrubbing away that dead skin is essential to keeping your hand from tearing.

These two methods should literally help cut down the callus build up on your hands. Do so after a shower, when the skin is soft enough to easily shave and pumice away. Blisters may still be a freak accident that come up with high repetition movements, but shavers and pumice stones will really help toughen up the skin on the hands. If you truly take care of your hands using these two simple methods, blisters should rarely pop up.

Finally, in case of a torn callus or blister, here are some ideas on rips and quality care during the healing process so you can still workout:

Step 1: Look good doing it.

Tearing For an Impressive Reason

Step 2: Find a temporary pain killer.

Taping Your Hands

Another Explanation on Tape

Step 3: Solve the problem.

Hand Care

Gorilla Grip

Rips may look tough (Fran, anyone?), but in order to limit your time away from essential training, the take home message is 1.) cut down on the chalk, 2.) take preventative measures, and 3.) be smart with any rips that may come up.

It's as easy as 3-2-1-GO.

-Scott, 8.20.2012

Motivation

Motivation

It’s tough sometimes.

Like, let’s say, to find motivation in the midst of a stressful week.  Motivation to go to work, to go to school, to do chores around the house, to plan a healthy meal… to get to the gym.

Or maybe it’s worse during the lazier times of life.  When the motivation isn’t there to get out of bed early to hit the gym and sweat… or after a long day when it’s easy and completely understandable to want to sit down on the couch instead of go for an evening workout.

And then again, maybe it’s finding the motivation to find time in our busy, daily schedules that takes the most effort.  I dunno.  But I do know that wherever you fit into this spectrum of the motivationally challenged, you’re there.  We all are.

You hear quotes thrown out there all the time… things like "Motivation comes from within,"  or "No one can motivate you but yourself."  True, I suppose.  But, yet, isn’t it nice to have that external motivation to go along with all the intrinsic stuff?  I mean, right now I’d like someone else to be writing this for me.  I know what I want to say, but, damn.. all the work it’s going to take putting this down on paper?  Can’t we just figure out a way for me to think these words onto the screen, and have the computer find odd yet somehow relevant pictures to hyperlink for me?  Sigh.

So, here friends, I give you some (of many) great motivational quotes for getting to the gym on, oh, say a lazy day in August when there’s no major event coming up besides life. Actually, these are just as good for life as anything in the gym.

A Quick Top Ten:

10. Just do it. (or even Find your greatness.) I know.  Kinda weird to start things off here.  But whether you like the company of Nike or not (understandable), these simple motivational statements telling us all to get-out-there-and-get-things-done has a certain rhyme to it.  You just need the reason.

9. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." —Gandhi Now we’re getting somewhere. Literally.

8. "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take." —Wayne Gretzky A "sports-to-life" quote, from none other than a guy who is known as The Great One. Need more?

7. "It’s not about time, it’s about choices. How are you spending your choices?" —Beverly Adamo So good in the face of the "I don’t have time!" complaints, which are usually the thoughts that creep into our own heads daily.

6. "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" —Muhammad Ali How can one compile a list of motivational quotes and leave this guy off? You can’t, that’s how.

5. "That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well." —Abraham Lincoln This guy was full of quotes, and seemed to figure out a little about success in his time.

4. "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." —Ralph Waldo Emerson For when there’s no end in sight… or you have a bunch of Negative Nancies around.

3. "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying."  —Michael Jordan He was okay.

2. "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." —Maria Robinson A nice one for you late bloomers, but mostly anyone who’s ever gone through adversity.

1. "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." —John Wooden Yet another historical sports figure, with such a simple and phenomenal concept.

Or perhaps you’re a visual person.  There are TONS of motivational videos out there to trudge through… more cheesy than anything.  But it’s the good ones that keep the search worthwhile.  Here are just a few worth sharing this week.

Powerful Beyond Measure

Derek Redmond

Lecture of a Lifetime, by Randy Pausch (you can watch his entire lecture here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo)

There are obviously many more great quotes, both famous and not.  Have some favorites to share?  I’d love to read them.  Have some lesser known videos?  Even better.  Post to comments!  Sharing is caring, and knowledge is welcome.

It’s when it becomes routine to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes hard work in the gym and recovery outside of it that motivation is implied.  And results are realized.

So make it happen, however you get it done.  Get to the gym (or make a deadline at work, or finish that project at home, or do that thing in life you’ve always wanted to do…).  Don’t need the motivation?  Then I don’t know why you read this far.  Do need a little help?  Find yours, and remember, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar

-Scott, 8.13.2012

Scaling

PuppyBarbell

Scaling

In CrossFit it's a very powerful thing, to Rx a workout.

"Rx." In other words, getting through a workout as it was written, using the prescribed repetitions and/or amount of weight, is often a great accomplishment. It’s motivating. And it's addictive. Almost to a fault.

See, for some, the white board is inspiration and fulfillment. For others, it’s a hang-up. We can see CrossFitters do things that are actually counterproductive in order to write “Rx” next to their name or be able to say they did the workout prescribed.  If it weren’t so unsafe it’d be almost comical… like something out of a Seinfield episode. Scaling can definitely carry a negative connotation.

In reality, scaling is a necessary tool for smart training and personal progress.

The CrossFit Journal put together a piece on this in 2009. Read it here. “Scaling correctly will increase work capacity more efficiently than attempting to complete workouts as prescribed before you’re ready for them.”

Also, The BrandX Method has been providing free scaling options on the CrossFit.com workouts for years. What they do is similar to what Amplify trainers can help with in terms of weight utilized for newcomers, etc.

The hard and fast rule on scaling workouts is mechanics, consistency, intensity. If we as trainers see that a person has mechanics (moving through ROM correctly, having control of their movement, using safe and effective technique) and consistency (keeping mechanics throughout WODs, holding form even when fatigued, not throwing all cueing out the window once the clock starts) then we add intensity with rep schemes and/or weighted movements. In truth, this is where adaptation can truly take place and fitness benefits are realized.

When scaling, there are a few major items to consider:
1.) If a workout calls for a certain time domain, then attempt to meet that criteria. Like, if "Grace" turns into 30 single reps with a minute rest between them, you’ve missed the point.  If you just set a *world record on "Diane," maybe it's time to move to a new handstand scaling option. Ensure that the body system being taxed is the correct one.  The exception to this rule-- there always is one-- will be mentioned later.

2.) Maintain the movement stimuli. In layman's terms, keep the exercise looking the same.  Use the same (or similar) muscle groups, if possible, and keep the range of motion intact to follow through on what has been programmed.

3.) Know what the rep count will be. Lowering the rep count may work, but is usually not the answer.  Changing intensity in terms of rounds or the time frame may be necessary, but even better is altering the movements themselves like number two above states.  That said, one of the biggest mistakes and a major cause of both acute muscle soreness and potential overuse injuries is pushing through too many repetitions while already fatigued.

Check out the short video below. What do you see? Yep. Issues with ROM. And a good eye will catch the men being scaled correctly and those who could have used a little more assistance with their scaling options. Right?

The Chief WOD Demo

Max Rounds in three minutes of: 3 Power clean (135lbs / 95lbs) 6 Push-ups 9 Squats Rest 1 minute. Repeat for 5 sets of three minute intervals.

We can also see things go the other way with scaling… members getting too comfortable with the easier options. I.e.: getting hooked on using an assistance band or a lighter kettlebell, always subbing the same movement for handstand push-ups, never attempting to get on the climbing rope or put double unders into a MetCon.

If this is the case, it will pay to have a give and take with your trainer. Discuss any plateaus and see if it's something to worry about or not, since those do occur as a natural part of life in the gym.

Also, take note on how a workout session went with increased reps or load. And share that with the trainer, if needed.

Finally, be willing to hear criticism. If it's recommended to you that you are doing/using something as a crutch, be willing to spend more time in a workout (this is the exception to Rule #1 from above-- let the clock go for once). Try something heavier or slightly different if that's the case. This helps in moving forward, and keeps the body adapting to new stimulus. Your muscles, connecting tissues, energy system and central nervous system will thank you because you’ve improved. Oh, not right away... no, you'll suffer for sure. But in the good way.

See, CrossFit doesn't really get any easier, you just become fitter. This allows more workload to occur. Pain? No. Discomfort... YES.

It is possible to scale UP, of course.

Scaling up is more of an athlete-to-athlete case, individualized according to our differences and needs. Perhaps a topic for another time, but in short, similar to what was already discussed: this is an option if you are in need of more strength, progress has plateaued a bit, or are looking to hit certain competitive milestones. If scaling up would be safe and sensible, form must be locked in, or this will again be counterproductive and impede on any fitness benefits looking to be gained.

So, check yourself and your ego, listen and do something about it if a trainer is telling you your form is off, and scale (or "un-scale") as needed in order to keep yourself healthy and on the right track towards a fitter you.

-Scott, 8.6.2012

Olympics

Olympics

Just like every four years, with the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics I'm pumped to watch the best athletes in the world do what they do.

In case you've ignored all social media lately, the Opening Ceremonies were on Friday the 27th, and events will run through August 12th.

The history of the Olympics is somewhat interesting... the first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC, and were actually closely linked to religious festivals and rites of passage for young people.  It also encouraged good relations between the cities of Greece. Traditions began, some of which we still see to this day: the torch ceremony to honor the Greek god Zeus; palm branches and olive tree wreaths for winning athletes; spectators throwing flowers to participants; and red ribbons tied on the head and hands as a mark of victory.

The ancient Games were simply a one day event and the events included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, equestrian, and pankration (martial art combining wrestling and boxing).

Crazy Old Footage from London 1908

The Olympic Games have obviously expanded  into summer and winter competitions, and looking at this from a spectator's point of view, I'm a fan.

It can be hard to look past the sporadic violence and political and religious upheaval that has occurred throughout the years, especially since inequity still exists where citizens of some nations do not have the freedom to train or compete at this top level.  But a generally peaceful worldwide competition is fun and inspiring.  Especially cool is to see the "post-battle" respect between athletes of competing countries (ie: soccer players exchanging jerseys after their match).

Best of the Olympic Games

The London 2012 Trailer

From a CrossFit and physical fitness standpoint, the athleticism we see is impressive-- I can pretty much watch anything and everything TV and internet coverage provides.  Maybe you're like me... some of the performances make my jaw drop.

In seeing the sports/exercises we use regularly in our own CrossFit training, these are the events that really catch my attention.  But we have to understand these athletes are specialists.  Many Olympians are overall great athletes, but it's their skill(s) in their specialty area that has allowed them to get to the elite level.  Perhaps a Decathlon/Heptathlon track athlete has the versatility we might strive for in functional fitness training, but even these athletes aren't put through weightlifting, gymnastics, swimming, or other events.  This is no knock on any Olympic athlete-- the contrary in fact.

This is what a base training  program focusing on overall strength and conditioning can allow-- high end, elite sports.

Because we've put ourselves through some of these movements (in some cases, not very well), it's easy to drool over the physical skill and the times/numbers posted by the elite.

Let's check some awesome performances in a few Olympic sports/exercises that we commonly use at Amplify...

Weightlifting:

Women's Gymnastics:

Men's Gymnastics:

Track & Field:

The 2012 schedule is here: http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/

I know I'll be watching.

-Scott, 7.30.2012

Range of Motion

R.O.M.

Range of Motion. Heretofore, ROM.

It’s a somewhat tricky topic. Because of the variance in human bodies, human movement through a full range of motion looks different for each person. The concept of a full ROM in itself is generally understandable; for instance, taking a squat below parallel so that the hip crease sits below the knee joint, bringing the femur past 90 degrees. In simpler terms, ass to ankles.

It’s the issue of broadening and strengthening the ROM of an athlete that deserves a closer look. Not broadening in the sense of going beyond ROM, but fully executing it. Strengthening ROM in relation to the development and fitness benefits that are fully realized if performed correctly. Flexibility can be a limiting factor, but that’s correctable.

Imagine, if you will, a stereotypical old man or woman-- walking along at the grocery store, let’s say. Let’s put this elderly person at age 80. No, 90. How do they walk, in your mind? Hunched over, head down, short-stepping their way to the shredded wheat. (It has fiber, you know.)

What happened along those years that caused the posture deficiencies? Well, many things-- but the deterioration of ROM occurred in some shape or fashion. Decades of atrophy and joint issues limit ROM because our elderly population tends to stop being active. Or at the very least, mobile.

But this is about you, not Grandma or Grandpa. It’s about becoming the best athlete you can be. It’s about maintaining a quality of life that will always allow you to see... well, to see the stars. So, if you were to do some basic ROM tests on yourself, and you pay attention to moving your body through the intended ROM during specific exercises and throughout your workouts, you can remain the spry youngster that you are. Head up, shoulders back, striding your way to the almond butter. (It has good fats, you know.)

This brings us to the two glaring issues we see with ROM at the gym: 1.) People don’t have the ability to move a joint/joints through a full ROM. 2.) People don’t try to move through a full ROM.

Issue #1: Ability
CrossFit Mobility guru, Kelly Starrett, has done a year’s worth of videos for his website MobilityWOD.com and has also released a text on “becoming a supple leopard.” While he is most certainly not the only resource out there, he is definitely one to pay attention to, and has a great presence on the web.

Here's a taste of Starrett's style and message:

Overhead Squat/Snatch Prep

Church of pain Overhead squat/snatch prep Adductor and Roaming Pigeon Mob Keg Drill with a new twist. Band bully SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1bRdYec About MobilityWOD: MobilityWOD is the ultimate guide to resolving pain, preventing injury, and optimizing athletic performance. Humans have been evolving for 2.5 million years and the human body is extraordinarily engineered.

Shoulder Mobility

Best shoulder mob ever External Rotation in Flexion Front Rack Rescue, Bench Torque DailyRX: http://bit.ly/2gqm1Zt SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1bRdYec About MobilityWOD: MobilityWOD is the ultimate guide to resolving pain, preventing injury, and optimizing athletic performance. Humans have been evolving for 2.5 million years and the human body is extraordinarily engineered.

Better Pull-up Mechanics

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Issue #2: Integrity
It’s about not taking shortcuts. It’s about refusing to get caught up in the clock, no matter how much emphasis we place on timed workouts in the CrossFit world.

Do you want to stay safe, remain uninjured, and better your fitness? Take yourself through the full movement.

That means press overhead and complete the extension at the arms, head through, ribcage down, midline safe. That means complete your kettlebell swing in a similar way. That means squat below parallel to recruit all targeted leg muscles, striving to activate glutes, hamstrings, and quads. That means get your chin over the bar without breaking or over-extending your spine on your pull-ups. That means touch the ground with your sternum on your burpees or push-ups, hit your thighs on sit-ups, open your hips to stand up on your box jumps, lock out your dips or handstand push-ups, and, and, and...

If you are moving forward, bettering yourself in this endeavor of strength and conditioning, then you’ll make ROM a priority. All the time. You’ll have the integrity to reel yourself back in during a fatigued state once a WOD gets going and the clock starts ticking. You’ll listen to your trainers, who prompt you to do so. And you’ll see critique for what it is—a chance to get better.

So, get to work on your ROM limitations. Ask, if you need some more help.

Cutting your ROM in a workout? You may beat someone else’s time, even your own, but you’re otherwise cheating yourself in both the short and the long run. Longevity, not the virtual whiteboard, should prevail. Remain self-aware, and check your ego if you have to.

-Scott, 7.23.2012

Sleep

Sleep

We love it. At least as adults we do. And we all need it. But some of us need to get more.

Let's say you work out (which you do). The basic truth is that you may spend an hour in the gym each day, but it's the 23 hours spent recovering where you make actual gains in your fitness. Pretty simple: you work and your body adapts. Due to a breakdown of the muscle by placing it under load, the body rebuilds to resist future stress. During recovery, there are a series of natural body responses to any "work" that has recently been completed; growth occurs both with your muscle cells and connecting tissues but also with your central nervous and endocrine systems. Specifically, there are multiple hormone responses that trigger strength gains and cardiovascular adaptations.

This "work" that is so important (widely accepted in the fitness world as overload) needs to be followed up with recovery.

This is where sleep comes in. Sleep is the time where lots of learning takes place (as well as those heinous nightmares, you freak), but it's also the time to recuperate from the day. And where benefits can be made from the workout(s) you completed.

So... how much sleep is necessary? Are we getting the right amounts? And what about naps???

The average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night. In today’s fast-paced society, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it’s might be a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.

Average Sleep Needs
Age	Hours
Newborns (0-2 months)	12 - 18
Infants (3 months to 1 year)	14 - 15
Toddlers (1 to 3 years)	12 - 14
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years)	11 - 13
School-aged children (5 to 12 years)	10 - 11
Teens and preteens (12 to 18 years)	8.5 - 10
Adults (18+)	7.5 - 9

While sleep requirements vary from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more. And despite the notion that our sleep needs decrease with age, older people still need at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.

Common Myths About Sleep (From the National Institutes of Health)

Myth 1: Getting just 1 hour less sleep per night won’t affect your daytime functioning. You may not be noticeably sleepy during the day. But even slightly less sleep can affect your ability to think properly and respond quickly, and compromise your cardiovascular health, energy balance, and ability to fight infections.

Myth 2: Extra sleep at night can cure you of problems with excessive daytime fatigue. Not only is the quantity of sleep important but also the quality of sleep. Some people sleep 8 or 9 hours a night but don’t feel well rested when they wake up because the quality of their sleep is poor.

Myth 3: You can make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends. Although this sleeping pattern will help relieve part of a sleep debt, it will not completely make up for the lack of sleep. Sleeping later on the weekends can affect your sleep-wake cycle so that it is much harder to go to sleep at the right time on Sunday nights and get up early on Monday mornings.

As for naps?

Good reads on our internet machine....

HERE: http://artofmanliness.com/2011/02/07/unleash-the-power-of-the-nap/

HERE: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/napping

And HERE: http://michaelhyatt.com/why-you-should-take-a-nap-every-day.html

Let me know if you find more. Napping feels awesome. But will it mess up your sleep cycle? Maybe. Gotta figure out if it's necessary and beneficial to you. If not, skip it, and set up a consistent nighttime pattern. See, there's inherent stages of sleep that need to take place overnight for full recovery to occur. This also matches up with our dream sequences, in case you were intrigued.

So. Sleeping.

It's about figuring out what you can fit into your busy schedule (we all have one) and recover from the day... for our purpose here, the workouts you've done each day/week. If you value your fitness, which you do-- it's why you're here, afterall, then you'll consider setting up a consistent schedule that allows you the most recovery from all the hard work you're putting in weekly at the gym.

Sleep right and benefit.

-Scott, 7.16.2012

The CrossFit Games

Games

The CrossFit Games, to be exact. http://games.crossfit.com

The 2012 Games are July 13-15. And as they near each year, I get more excited than the last. But I also worry more and more, almost cringing in anticipation of what might we might see pop up in the workouts or skill segments. (Softball, anyone?)

See, there's a history here. Things weren't always as they are now. Most of you already know this. CrossFit has grown, arguably both for the better and for the worse. And in remembering the first Games and then really seeing it take off with the second and third annual competitions, I stay enthralled with what will happen each summer. Ever seen "Every Second Counts" or YouTube footage of The Ranch in Aromas? Great stuff. But each year I find myself desperately wanting CrossFit to stay true to its roots... basically, I'm worried about us jumping the shark. (Or is it too late?)

We are hitting the 6th year of competition. It's been an interesting last two years, with ESPN airing Games footage and Reebok picking up sponsorship, both plugging the sport of fitness. The terms "Fittest on Earth" and "World Record" come with an asterisk. Don't they? I mean, a snatch world record??  It has me wondering if it's too elitist to get a Prebok shirt.

Nonetheless, as much as we can laugh at the ridiculousness that can happen when any business or brand grows with success, I will be glued to the TV and computer as much as I can be this weekend (and as video updates get released in the weeks to follow). I'm a proud supporter of CrossFit, and will defend it through the ups and downs as long as it continues to make sense.

For instance:

2011 Excitement  http://games2011.crossfit.com/finals/workouts.html It was fantastic. Amidst the calls of selling out, last summer we saw incredible athletes doing incredibly grueling workouts. In my mind, easily the best thus far in terms of testing wide-ranging fitness components and time domains.

The 2012 Open  http://games.crossfit.com/content/open-workouts Remember? It was the "all-call" this spring for any and all athletes across the world to attempt to qualify. You and me, we were there. How'd you do? Despite the burpee fiasco of 12.1, the top athletes seemed to make it through. That's the goal.

2012 Regionals  http://games.crossfit.com/workouts/regionals-individual The Open of course led to the Regionals, where we saw some more amazing performances and finally have consistent workouts across all regions. There were issues: athletes in the final regionals had a significant, yet equal, advantage of practicing the workouts for longer. The range of motion standards needed a close eye. (Looking your way "Diane.") Even with this and world records* being shoved down our throats (read: littering our Facebook feed), the workouts/programming were LEGIT.

So who's gonna win? Will we see these two dethroned in a week's time? Will the big names shine, or will a relatively unknown champion be deemed the "Fittest on Earth?" Rich in 2012: http://youtu.be/u_RzyIJi8qc Annie in 2012: http://youtu.be/nNzdFy6m9kc

Some of the 2012 events have already been announced.

They look a little like last year combined with this year's Regionals. I'm not sure I understand the GHD Med Ball throw; this has already been beaten into the ground by critics, even in the short time since being announced. But I do have to say, this event may win the annual Reebok CrossFit Games "Shark Award." (The trophy has Greg Glassman on water skies, riding a Reebok branded sharkfin through the waves. He may or may not be holding a softball proudly overhead. Prototype TBA.)

My true hopes for the weekend: We see something new. We see something old. We see something heavy. We see both short & long time domains. We see another cool swim WOD, some technical skills, and rings, ropes, sleds. Maybe even some tires or stones? But we don't leave the basics. If it makes sense, I'm a supporter.

A lot of this is already set. Good. We can all watch it unfold here: http://games.crossfit.com/live-stream Now don't get tricky, Dave, and let's find the best athlete out there this year.

And for the record, I'll be rooting for Speal.

-Scott, 7.9.2012