The more flexible and mobile you are, the more efficient you become. It’s just that simple. If you struggle with lifts or gymnastics technique you most likely need to a, become more mobile in a certain area and b, become strong enough to use or maintain that flexibility throughout the lift or movement. For example, a front squat requires a great deal of thoracic mobility; however, students must also be STRONG enough in that upright position to maintain the front rack throughout the lift. Those two things are very different- and both need to be worked on.
2. The body is one, not component parts.
Many of you have heard the phrase “core to extremity” in CrossFit. This concept means that the core is activated first, creating a solid base or foundation, and then you perform a movement. For example, in a deadlift, we lock in the torso and THEN lift the bar. But I think this concept needs to be taken a bit further. You don’t squat with just the legs. You don’t press with just the arms. You use the entire body, because the body is one. The more we consider the core separate from the arms, which are separate from the legs, we fail. I think one of the biggest problems for CrossFitters coming in off the street is a lack of body awareness and lack of connection between mind and body. My goal is to connect the whole thing. So that when you do the box jump, you’re not just lifting your “legs” off the floor- you’re using your whole body to propel yourself up- you’re using your core, propelling your arms, pushing all the way through your legs into your TOES to jump. This may be the most difficult concept to understand and use.
3. Power Position and Verticality
Let’s face it- weightlifting (snatch and clean & jerk) are terribly complicated. But, I think these two things make weightlifting terribly simple, and if you can do these two things as a beginner, making corrections after this point is going to be a lot easier. Stay at high hang cleans and snatches until you’ve cemented in the habit. Find your power position in as many lifts as possible, even your squats. Practice pushing through your toes in your jumps and lifts to practice verticality. Simplify your lifts with these concepts. Get to power position. Drive down from there through the entire leg to drive the bar straight up. Sounds simple enough, right? :)
4. Your lats are amazing.
Your lats keep the bar close and they are responsible for your pulls, whether it be a deadlift, clean, or any gymnastics movement- pullups, toes to bar, muscle up, etc. If you’re lifting or doing gymnastics, ask yourself how your lats are involved in the movement. Use them and they will help you to do amazing things.
5. Recover as often as you workout.
This shouldn’t be a new one to any Synapsters. SMR, stretch, massage, chiropractics- those are all important. But you know what else is? Stress-free time and sleep. Working out is simply stressing the body. So, any time you are stressed out outside of the gym, it has the same effect on your body as working out. Sometimes, if you’re stressed, working out more is not the answer. Sleep and rest and stress-free time is. When you’re in the gym, work as hard as possible. But also recognize when you need to give yourself a break. You’re doing this for your fitness- to make yourself BETTER, not just break yourself down- remember that.
6. Regardless of your diet, figure out what you truly want and crave.
I don’t care if you hate the idea of paleo or not, you should be aware of what you’re eating. You should be aware of your true cravings, and you should know how to feed your body healthily. I don’t care that you still eat ice cream every now and then- but I do care if you don’t put a vegetable in your stomach all week or if you’re not actually cognizant of what your particular body is asking for at a given time. Think hard about what your body wants- and try and forget what you “should’ or “should not” eat, what society wants you to eat. The sooner you can truly understand what you need to live and perform, the fitter you’ll become.
7. Hammies over quads any day of the week.
Developing your hammies will keep you safe. It will improve your lifts. The only thing it will not improve is your ability to fit into jeans. Keep your butt still. Open your squat. Do your hypers and good mornings. Work your supermans. End quad dominance.
8. Straight leg kip.
Oh man. As CrossFitters, often times we just like to get that chin above the bar. Stop it. Gyrating until you have a pullup is not safe nor will you progress. Your kip should be a combination of flexibility in the shoulders and thoracic, contraction of the core then posterior, and the legs completing the straight line in either a hollow body or superman position. If one of those things is hard for you, work on it, and work on your strict gymnastics in the meantime. The most common mistake I see is disconnecting the legs from the core. Remember #2? You are ONE piece.
9. Accessory work shouldn’t be called accessory work.
None of us is perfect. We all have weaknesses. These weaknesses, if we don’t work on them, are going to get us injured. Accessory work is not really accessory work. Here’s the thing- our CrossFit programming is for roughly 150 people. It is a general fitness program for everyone. But, you are different from the person next to you. You have different weaknesses. So each of you need to make sure you’re working on your mobility or strength weakneses that allow you to continue the general programming. We give “sexy time” as a broad spectrum of accessory exercises for your core, mobility, and stability that are good for most people. But, if you need to do more behind the neck presses to work on your shoulder mobility, or more rows to strengthen your thoracic, do them. We are all different, and we all need extra work. If you ONLY continue to strengthen your strengths, your weaknesses will get weaker.
We all have a goal: To be the best humans possible. To do that, we have to allow our bodies to move well, the way they were made to move. CrossFit can help that, as long as we remember why we’re CrossFitting. It’s not for cool gear, it’s not for the ripped hands, and it’s not to beat your friend in the WOD. It’s to be fitter, to be a better human. Mindlessness and ignorance will get us nowhere. Let’s bring awareness, mentally and physically, back to the gym.