Midline Stabilization

Jenga!

Midline Stabilization

"So what do you do for abs?"

A question common for CrossFit gyms, as if the only measure of fitness is a 6-pack.

Much of the public believes that the road to a strong midsection involves a multitude of crunches, curl-ups, sit-ups, and any and all other abdominal exercises.  The goal is almost always aesthetic.  “Core work,” it gets named.

In reality, stomach muscles can be seen with minimal body fat, no matter how strong a person is.  If six little abdominal bumps are the goal, much of what people are looking for can be achieved through nutrition. And sometimes, even unhealthy individuals have visual abs. Skinny isn't necessarily fit, remember. Everyone has a 6-pack, it's just a matter of what exists on top of it, between the muscles and the skin on the subcutaneous level.

If core strength is the goal, perhaps the best analogy would be the game of Jenga.  The strongest position is with all supporting pieces in place. The more the blocks are moved out of sorts, the less stable the tower becomes.

This is like our body, if we consider our spine like a midline of building blocks then the supporting pieces stabilize our overall structure.

If we look at the anatomy and physiology of the abdomen, our musculature is set up to stop unwanted movement of the spine.  Sure, the abs do in fact flex to bring the ribs and hips closer to each other, and our back muscles extend to open that distance, but resisting movement is one of the primary functions of the muscles in our midsection. Thus, resisting movement is one of the greatest core strengthening exercises an athlete can do. This is an additional reason why gymnastics positioning or squatting heavy or going overhead with weight are all such great moves.

UltimateWarrior025

If we resist movement, the midline strengthens.  Like a solidified tower in Jenga, complete with the middle blocks intact.

A common example is the following scenario: Imagine you are going to help a friend push their broken down car. For whatever reason they ran out of gas and you’re with them, close to the gas station—but instead of walking for gas you need to help push while they steer. Just go with it, alright?  As you prepare to push, you don’t stand straight up and place your hands on the car as if you were in a vertical push-up position. You want multiple muscle groups involved, right? Well, actually, this thought probably wouldn’t go through your mind... instead you'd say to yourself, “Why couldn't they watch the damn gauges?"  Nonetheless, you sigh and then realize you'll need to use your entire body.  You put one foot in front of the other, drop your body down low, and use legs as well as upper body to get the car rolling.

What most people rarely realize in this situation-- never think to do, but would come naturally-- is we'd all take a deep breath, hold it, and brace for the push by tightening our core and midsection.

Functional fitness at its finest.

The body is staying safe by resisting spinal movement, but it's also putting itself into the strongest position possible.  Like a Jenga game, before anyone starts picking the pieces apart. And like Jenga, we want all our pieces in place. This requires strategy, a steady hand, and maybe even a touch of luck.

The Jenga Lottery

Our abs are in plain vision any time we look in the mirror. Maybe we worry about our flaws, like the holes in a Jenga tower.  But while we constantly see our front, the posterior human anatomy is just as important when aiming for strength and athleticism. Plus, a solid back side of the body keeps us young for years past our prime; think of our weak elderly population who have lost the posterior strength to stand upright. Our great-grandparents can often be seen staring at the ground is an atrophied state of posterior musculature.

Bounded by the abdominal wall, the pelvis, the lower back, the diaphragm and their ability to stabilize the body during movement are key to any athletic endeavor or general fitness program. The main muscles involved are the rectus abdominis, the transversus abdominis, the internal and external obliques, the quadrates lumborum, the psoas, the diaphragm, the erector spinae, the multifidus, and the gluteus muscle group. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Core-muscles

When the abs, back extensors, glutes, and surrounding muscles are “on,” the body is as rigid as it can be. Couple that physical work with healthful nutritional choices, and muscle cells increase while body fat decreases.  A steady stack of Jenga blocks, the midline is strong and protected. No matter what the abs look like from the outside.

Washboards

Movements for a Strong Midline:

Handstand Work: in order to not fold on top of yourself while upside down, the abs and back need to be strong. This gymnastic move also flows best when a hollow position is understood and put into practice.

Hollow Handstand Positions

Hollow Rocks: this is a static global flexion that tightens from the legs through to the shoulders.  Hollowing out is a set position in much of gymnastics and related exercise-- in CrossFit, this is namely push-ups, handstands, ring dips, pull-ups, and muscle-ups.

Hollow Rocks

Overhead Work: shoulder press, push press, and jerk exposes midline stabilization issues.  Holding heavy weight overhead requires a strong and set midline.

Overhead Finish Position

Kettlebell Swings: hit a few of these and you can tell that the midline needs to be tight to keep from losing the bell between your legs.  Remember, it's not just the front of the body that stabilizes the spine; these will hit lower back stabilizers and immediately expose any lumbar weakness.

KB Swings

L-sits: this isometric hold can leave your upper abs sore for days.  Soreness is not congruous with fitness benefits, but just like handstands, L-sits can only be performed if the midline is strong.

L-sits

Sled Push/Pulls: remember our car example from before? Besides the sheer work capacity and leg drive development, setting the midsection in order to move heavy weight is a great midline exercise.

Sled Push

Squats: maybe it's not traditionally thought of as a midline developer, but squat with a load in the back, front, or overhead position and stability is extremely necessary. Do a "dog shit squat" and injury is leaning your way, like a faltering Jenga tower. Squat heavy and squat often, but squat correctly.

bad squatter

Deadlifts: once again, it's not all about the front of the body. The midline is stabilized with the posterior muscles as well.

Deadlift technique

Of course this all transfers to simple body posture as well... both sitting and standing body positions.  Once you see it, it cannot be unseen. And once you experience a solid midline, you can feel the change in trunk positioning any time it is compromised.  This is where spinal disc issues can arise, in the unprotected spine.  Muscles of the abdomen all exist to support core stabilization and protect the spine from unnecessary shifting and shearing in the structures of the vertebrae.

Bad-and-good-posture

So there it is.  Teetering like Jenga blocks, but delegated as a major player in overall fitness, midline stability deserves attention so the entire body structure remains sound.  Tighten the core muscles and stabilize the spine, because the work typically required in CrossFit, or any quality fitness program, has no mercy for a weak midline.

Your move, or lack thereof.

- Scott, 8.19.2014

Jenga

Variance

Variance

Variety is the spice of life. But is it the key to fitness?

CrossFit defines fitness as increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains. And what does all that mean? It refers to the ability to do varied physical work at varied lengths of time. And the way to achieve fitness has been a trial-and-error, test and retest journey through the centuries.  Heavy lifting, bodyweight gymnastics, and metabolic conditioning through running, rowing, jumping... these aren't new concepts. More recent scientific involvement, however, has put mathematics and exercise physiology into the fitness equation. This strengthens the claims of what works and what doesn't.

If you're involved with CrossFit, then, much of what you are using is constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity. It's a generalized physical preparedness program for the public. One size fits all? Well, yes and no.

It's like the nearly defunct pop radio, playing a variety of songs and artists to appease the masses.

You can hear it in your head now, right? In your best radio voice: "CrossFit.  Tune in for the hits of today, with all the classics from yesterday."

Finished with whatever slogan or tagline fits for the now. The cutting edge of fitness. More movement variety. All the lifts, all the time.

Sound effects engaged. *Ka-Boom* Here on Amp-101.

Radio Radio Radio!

With the advent of internet music, having to listen to a radio station and wait for your favorite songs to come on is no longer an experience today's youth has to endure. The luck-and-chance of hitting the radio music lottery no longer exists. You can simply skip to your favorite songs on Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, or whatever online platform you choose.

But back in the day, you had to wait it out. Fingers crossed for your favorite teen anthem. For the older readers in the crowd, perhaps you even sat nearby, ready to record onto cassette for your newest mix tape. For those even older, you really paid your dues, didn't you? Maybe you did household chores or saved up your weekly allowance to buy the single on a 45. It was the only way.

On the radio, the music being played was varied but it definitely wasn't random. Stations played, and still play, certain artists, record labels, and song singles. Mostly according to what will sell, or more accurately, what has been sold to them. Frustrating, maybe, as we all realize it's yet another industry of money and marketing. Sometimes talent doesn't even win out. A century of progress, but only to the highest bidder.

Old School

But let's digress.

Just as in radio, in CrossFit the workouts aren't randomized. There is a difference between varied and random. In order to make gains in a meaningful, measurable way, increasing work capacity requires variance. Yet it also requires structure and consistency.

Consistent... variance?

Variety is a necessary perk in life. When used correctly it can keep us entertained, even in our weekly flow of monotony. But without some semblance of consistency, humans actually get uncomfortable. We lose our sense of direction, get confused and even unhappy without purpose in daily life. It's the same in the gym.  With physical fitness we need structure and direction along with the variance to achieve results.

So, consistent and varied, yes. Both have a place on the fitness radio dial.

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program which attempts to optimize fitness through strategic variety. Not just throwing exercise movements together at random, like a sales bin in the music store. (All the crap no one wanted in the first place, at a discount price!)

It's a common misconception of the variance in CrossFit-- we don't actually piece together workouts out of thin air, like a mix tape of movements to give to our latest crush. A true CrossFit program sees the big picture; has set goals in macro and micro cycles of strength and conditioning, like any developed fitness program. There is structure. There is routine. Just not the type of routine that leaves us stagnant on a perpetual fitness plateau.

Generalize in 10 physical skills but capitalize on consistently revisiting lifts, gymnastics movements, and many other exercise modalities.

10 General Physical Skills of CrossFit

In the pursuit of physical fitness, achieving central nervous system responses, muscle overload, and skill progression will not occur through randomization. In addition, goal setting and weakness training would never pan out if that were the case.

We see it in the now-gigantic health and fitness industry, where people get antsy and impatient with following a set workout regimen. Many bounce from program to program, always searching for that new thing, that new breakthrough. Like a music scout and a record label, squelching all they can from an artist, chewing them up and spitting them out in hit singles until the public overdoses and wants the new what next.

There's never any chance for growth. There's no room for improvement.

Fad fitness programs capitalize on this human characteristic (oftentimes called "boredom"), and sell get fit quick equipment and schematics as fast as record, cassette, and CD sales in the previous decades of music. And just as fast as they sold, they flicker out with all other obsolete technology.

CrossFit is sometimes viewed as that fad, that here-and-now type of fitness program. And we do in fact see people come through the gym and leave after just a short period of time... never giving it a chance to manifest, to work for them, to grow into more than a 3 minute pop song. They didn't get the results they were looking for in a few weeks so they abandoned ship. They jumped on the bandwagon but stepped off before the headlining act.

For those individuals, CrossFit is a one hit wonder.

For anyone willing to dedicate themselves, however, it looks to have promise for lifelong involvement in fitness. CrossFit groupies? Perhaps, yes.  Since the concept is to be good at anything and everything, a results-based general physical fitness program has an allure for many.

Which is where variance comes back into airplay. Especially because that variety keeps things fresh; enjoyment is high even though workouts with borderline masochistic physical suffering are still present.

So what movements do we benefit from being consistent in, and what should we vary?

Let's start with all the major lifts, both Power Lifting and Olympic Weightlifting.

• Squat - in some form or fashion 3-4 times a week. Include Back, Front, Overhead, and bodyweight air squats as well.
• Deadlift - pick something up and put it down at least 3 times a week. This may not always be a traditional deadlift, which is just fine.
• Clean - are you an Olympic Weightlifter?  Almost every time in the gym.  General public?  1-2 times a week, from different start and finish positions.
• Jerk - same as the Clean.
• Snatch - same as the Clean and Jerk.
• Other Presses - without a specificity, go overhead at least 2 times a week in some form or fashion. Bench/Floor Press as time and function allows.

Also, gymnastics elements like Pull-ups and Handstands need consistent attention as well. If you have a weakness in a bodyweight movement, then that exercise can be incorporated nearly every day in the gym, probably pre- or post-workout so as not to overtrain. Need to get better at running? Rowing? Swimming, biking, etc? Spend some time with it the same way as gymnastics.  Read more here.

Not very random at all, right? Extremely consistent, actually. So what does change, what does vary, is the set and rep scheme for progressive overload. Remember, this variety is the good variety. And the variance in all movements mentioned above fits the CrossFit athlete, where the specialty is not specializing.

The time frame for conditioning should also be varied, if you are looking to be generally physically fit. Everything from short bursts of anaerobic work (think sprints), to mid-level time domains (30 - 120 seconds), to longer, aerobic work (120 seconds+). These are our energy pathways, expressed in a synopsis in the CrossFit Journal here and with other references throughout the internet fitness database. [1] [2] [3]

It's this variance in metabolic conditioning that is particularly beneficial, but can also pose issues as people get comfortable working within their specific strengths... comfort can lead to a lack of variance, in some cases.

CrossFit's official definition is constantly varied, functional movement, performed at high intensity.

What we find in fitness and in life is that consistency can get us results, while variance can make those results optimal. There amidst the static of physical work you can find your favorite song, your personal anthem, loud and clear. Just make sure you're listening for the gains.

Meet you in the fitness airwaves.

-Scott, 8.12.2014

The Deadlift

Danse Macabre by Michael Wolgemut, 1493

The Deadlift

The lift of the dead.

An orchestrated revival of dead weight. Just sitting there, laying on the ground like a corpse. Begging in absolutely no words to be picked up and resuscitated.

But with all its allure and seduction, it can bury you too.  Like a Danse Macabre.

According to myth, the Deadlift got its name somewhere in ancient Rome, after military battles when young Roman soldiers would go out into the field to lift their fallen comrades onto wagons to later be buried. Literally, “lifting the dead.”  This was used not only to help young soldiers get familiar with battle and death, but to also increase overall strength. [1] [2]

A horrible notion, but again, just a myth. Perhaps.

Picture courtesy of Upstream Fitness

A more likely scenario is that strength training developed for various reasons of survival and/or sport, and the movement was similar enough to casualty care during combat to name it the Deadlift.  Plus, the weight on the ground is at a dead stop and is performed with “dead arms,” or no motion in the elbow.

Curiously, it has a history of also being known as the "Healthlift," and there are even professionals attempting to rename it the "Lifelift" in recent years because of its use in maintaining health and well-being. Quite the opposite of death.

Name origin aside, it's such a brute power movement, the Deadlift.  How much can you pick up off the ground? There's a sexy something there, in lifting terms. All that chalk and iron and sweat and grit.

Instead of “How much can you bench?” maybe the bro question at the gym should be “How big is your deadlift?”

Franco Columbo

It’s as much form as will power, which is perhaps a bit unfortunate because it can get a little ugly at times. Rounded, like a scared cat on Halloween. Drooping, like a wilting daisy without water.  Shaking, like a dog shitting razor blades.  Sorry to be crude, but at least you get the picture.

Sometimes ego gets in the way of technique, and people pull a barbell off the ground with little or no regard for their spinal future.

Picture courtesy of Star Factory Fitness

Yet besides just feeling cool, besides just the sheer power output, the Deadlift has outstanding transfer of technique to other lifts and other facets of fitness. It’s like having sprint speed or a strong Back Squat in this regard.

It's never a bad thing to be fast and strong.

As an example, completing a safe and efficient Clean or Snatch uses a stable back position, and thus the Deadlift transfers to the Clean, and both conventional as well as wide grip deadlifts aid in the Snatch pull. The hip position of the Deadlift is not exactly the same as in Olympic Weightlifting, but the strength transfer is present even though body positioning is not a direct correlate.

Much of what is taught with midline stabilization from the Deadlift is transferable when discussing and working on a set and stable midsection for other movements as well. It’s not just for safety while lifting weights, good posture and an emphasis on being strong and athletic is just as beneficial. For instance, performing good pull-ups utilizes similar body positioning as the Deadlift, as does running, jumping, rowing, and moving weight overhead. Spinal safety tapped and fully realized.

Crank it up!

There are quite a few starting positions possible in the Deadlift, as well as foot and hand placement. We can work from a deficit or from blocks to change the set-up.  A stiff-legged deadlift allows very little movement of the legs, as the name denotes. A sumo deadlift involves very wide feet, all the way out close to the weight plates during a barbell deadlift, with hands inside the legs during the pull. World record deadlifts are now pulled in this style, which allows for less hip movement necessary to perform the lift, and has a ton of merit for moving the most weight off the ground as possible.

Deadlift Grip Pics

In 1990, Olympic and world champion and world record holder Nicu Vlad, of Romania, along with his coach Dragomir Cioroslan, combined a stiff-leg deadlift and traditional deadlift, explaining they felt it would make Vlad’s back strong for the Clean in competition. Since they didn’t give it a name, U.S. Olympic Weightlifting team coach Jim Schmitz witnessed the lift and decided to call it the Romanian Deadlift, or RDL for short. The name stuck. [1]

But it’s the traditional deadlift that will get our focus here for transferrable technique.

A conventional Deadlift becomes less lower back and more legs and posterior chain from where the lifter can garnish power-- hamstrings, gluteus muscles, up into the spinae erectors of the back. The quadriceps and other supporting leg muscles get involved, and even the lats and the biceps are recruited to a certain degree. A nice combination for many overall benefits.

posterior chain

CrossFit.com published a short narrative on the lift, found here.  Other valuable sources can be viewed here, here, and here.

There are also scores of video demos you can find online from the above sources. Pick a starting point and see what you can learn.

Feet shoulder width apart, hands and arms just outside the legs, back set, chest up, hamstrings and glutes loaded. Knees pull back slightly to keep the shins virtually vertical as the bar moves up the leg, then hips press forward into the bar once past the knees.

It's better with visuals.  Here’s a pictorial breakdown of a few key points:

Set-up

Courtesy of David Skelly

Pull

Picture courtesy of A Gym Life

Return

Deadlift hips back return

And Repeat

Courtesy of CrossFit One World

Of course this is all well and good if the implement is a loaded barbell, placed at the same height at your shins each rep, 8.5 inches from the ground, with no other variables to factor. Picking up a random heavy object from the floor while working around the house or within your profession will not look like a barbell deadlift. The mid back, or the thoracic spine, will curve quite a bit if the object being lifted needs to be gripped or "hugged" to the body.

In fact, while on topic, the thoracic spine will actually go through curvature during a max effort barbell deadlift anyway.  It's the lower back, or the lumbar spine, that is set.  The mid back will almost always see some form malady occur in super heavy repetitions.  Not entirely unsafe, but that choice always needs to come from the athlete him/herself-- "Can I safely pick this up?  Is it worth a potential injury if I keep pushing this rep?"

Finally, our variance in body types will require slightly different starting points, specifically in regards to hip height.  Limb length plays a small factor, which is where a coach can help to best set up an athlete for success.

Differing Body Dynamics in the Deadlift

Considering all variables, it's relatively easy to benefit from the Deadlift-- find something heavy, pick it up, repeat.  The skeletal muscles, the central nervous system, and the endocrine system will combine to elicit growth in fitness.  Don't get too buried in the details, but do find eternal comfort knowing the ins and outs as it applies to your goals.  Stay safe, stay strong.

Away you go, into the dead zone.  Let us know what it's like in the beyond.

- Scott, 8.4.2014

Deadlift End

The Fitness Equation

The Fitness Equation

Things can look so simple on paper: fuel, work, rest, repeat.

In reality, we mess this up quite a bit.

If life were a math test, at best we’d earn a C. Maybe a C+. Deserving, since we zone out during most lectures, only hearing half of each life lesson. We probably fell asleep on our proverbial desk a handful of times, and we definitely asked to see a friend’s homework more than once. Plus, we never show our work.

And it's extremely likely we ordered ourselves a pizza at one point or another.

If I'm here and you're here, doesn't that make it our time?

Pay Attention
We live in shortcuts and half-truths, cutting corners when possible. It catches up quick, in terms of lifelong health and well-being.

But we also try to make up for our fitness shortcomings, often compensating by overdoing. It’s like cramming for a test the night before.

We're slackers, and we should just pay attention already. Class is always in session.

Way to go, Einstein

In months and years past, topics within the fitness equation have received article attention. We recently focused on nutrition and using food as fuel, we previously examined sleep and soreness, and we constantly look into the wide spectrum of exercise movements and related aspects of physical work. But just because we examined one piece of the puzzle doesn't mean we solved all of our problems.

There's a big picture present, and in fitness it involves plenty of real math. VO2Max, caloric intake, metabolic rate, power output, and so on.

To Err is Human
It’s not hard to make mistakes in our training equation, though. In fact, if we’re honest, we all do. Or at least anyone pursuing physical fitness has.

It wasn’t necessarily a huge error, but something has gone wrong at one point or another, right? Simply because we’re human. We’re not perfect. Maybe it was moving incorrectly, with sloppy form. Maybe it was overtraining, putting our body through too much for one day, one week, or one training cycle. We’re not talking about a life-threatening mistake, necessarily; these minor issues just prove our training is in a constant flux. It’s a learning process through each and every week as we work out and advance in this fitness journey.

It’s not hard to make mistakes in nutrition either. I mean, come on… some of these issues aren’t even accidental. Because, donuts… that’s why.

Purposeful cheat meals are actually a usable tool for some people, and a personal belief that, for many of us who won’t spiral out of control, it keeps us sane. Yet nutrition is very often a missing piece of our equation, like a little mathematic misstep that takes us further away from the correct answer as things get complicated.

And what about recovery? Well, if it was possible to mess up something as simple as doing nothing, leave it to us humans. But we get impatient sometimes, neglecting to take rest days. Or else we use too much time off, starting over almost from square one each time. In addition, we might not even know what to do with the recovery time that is taken, or how to use activity in the correct way on rest days to stay loose and maximize physical gains.

Passing This Test Called Life
Follow the fitness equation. It doesn't have to be as complicated as we sometimes make it.

1. Fuel up, primarily for function.

• Eat. Don't be afraid of food. It is our energy source, after all.
• From Food = Fuel: "Our brain runs on carbohydrates. Our muscles do the same, and replenish with protein.  Our body systems use fats in so many ways... it's unfortunate they get such a bad rap. [1]  These are our calorie providing macronutrients, and with help from vitamins, minerals, and the almighty water, our day to day tasks can be completed."
• Know your body and find out what works both before and after your workouts and competitions.

2. Correctly use the progressive overload principle.

• The body systems respond to work. But they especially adapt when overloaded. Use the overload principle by placing your muscles and cardio system under duress yet within an exhaustion level that doesn't cause degenerative tissue breakdown. This will be noticed with overuse injuries, longer recovery cycles, and/or immune system weakness. A bit tricky, yes, but that's why you don't go run a marathon every day or attempt to deadlift a car just for fun. [1] [2]
• From Scaling: "Keep the body adapting to new stimulus. Your muscles, connecting tissues, energy systems and central nervous system will thank you because you’ve improved. CrossFit doesn't really get any easier, you just become fitter. This allows more workload to occur."

3. Follow up overload with recovery.

• Healthy food can be put on the table. Strength and conditioning work can be done. Mobility issues can be addressed. Weaknesses can be attacked. But sore muscles should receive rest days as well as sleep and replenishment.
• From Sleep: "We 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. We do work and our cells adapt. The body rebuilds. Muscle cells, connective tissue, and cardiovascular efficiency all improve to resist future stress. During recovery, there are a series of natural hormone responses to the work that has recently been completed; growth occurs with your central nervous and endocrine systems as well."
• Actively recover by using movement to stimulate repair. Our body can do its inherent job after a stressful workout or competition with mobility exercises and self-massage, aiding in recovery. But rest days are used for just that-- rest. So doing as little physical work as possible will help. It's tough, but try not to get roped into another hard workout, even if it sounds awesome. See the bigger picture.

4. Repeat.

• Cycle through these steps in an effort to be consistent, while still using variance. But remember, variety is not the same as being random; follow a program for maximal results.
• Fuel up, work hard, rest when needed, and reap the rewards.

Alright, nerds, don't even ask if this will be on the test. Of course it will. This is the test.

- Scott, 7.27.2014

Nerds!

Pull-ups

Pull-up Motivation

Pull-ups

A major fitness milestone for some, just another bodyweight movement for others.

Either way, a hotly debated topic in internetland for sure. Particularly in recent years, pull-ups have come to the forefront of CrossFit hate because of the gymnastics kip we often utilize. "Cheating," it's called.

Not in the know yet? Google kip or kipping, or worse, CrossFit and pull-ups, and familiarize yourself if you like. YouTube comments are a proverbial blackhole, so watch out.

What you find under the message board bridge is a pull-up troll fight of epic proportions... but also some quality insight. Depends where you land.

Proponents of kipping cite the athleticism it requires (and develops), namely coordination for hip recruitment in order to use body 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.

Negative aspects of kipping are reported as well.  These include infringing on shoulder socket health with rotator cuff issues like bursitis or shoulder impingement. Also listed (and debated) is the potential for the eccentric, or "negative" action of the muscle groups to cause extreme muscle breakdown in a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. CrossFit, Inc. chronicled this issue as far back as 2005 from a CrossFit Journal article by Greg Glassman himself. Do even more research and you'll find that rhabdo can come from a plethora of other exercises and fitness programs, and is not at all unique to the CrossFit community or any specific movement we utilize.

While on the topic of injuries, keep this math equation in mind: chalked hands + a pull-up bar = ripping.

I don't have data or percentages on how many beginning CrossFitters tear their hands while learning to kip, but my bet is it's somewhere in the 100th percentile. Check out more in a previous article on the topic here.

OWIE!

All in all, point be clear: the strict pull-up is a different movement than the kipping pull-up.

Pull-up Muscle Groups

Both styles of the exercise have their merit, in a fitness sense, so both can and should be used in a general strength and conditioning program.  As a blanket statement, 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 teres major.

In a coached athlete, however, it is argued that 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. While upper body strength is acquired, so is the idea of generating momentum.  Kipping practice can be done before or after a workout, although afterwards would generally mean a person works while fatigued.  Not unsafe, per se, but it needs to be noted that higher rep kipping pull-ups get the magnifying glass from the online fitness community, where negative feedback is aplenty. Overtrain while already muscle fatigued and the consensus agrees that's a recipe for potential disaster.

Does that mean shy away from kipping pull-ups?  No.  Well, maybe.

I do agree and maintain the personal opinion that it's possible to work kipping pull-ups at the same time as strict strength. Yet when we see newbies flailing on the pull-up bar, incorrectly swinging in order to barely clear their chin, as coaches we step in. We have to. It's tough to check your ego sometimes, but that's why a coach is so necessary-- we can do that for you.

Kipping without a basis of strength is not productive.

The same goes for you butterfly wannabes as well.

Pull-up Pro Bro

If a CrossFit athlete has a kipping pull-up, it seems like the butterfly technique witnessed in competitive CrossFit events becomes an immediate goal.  Yet keep in mind it's the shoulder socket that takes the brunt of the force being applied by the elliptical movement of the body in a butterfly pull-up, making it the most dangerous even though it can be the most efficient style of getting the chin over the bar. Strike that: potentially the most dangerous. In a strong and healthy shoulder, the butterfly technique seems to initiate a "normal" amount of extra stress on the shoulders, similar to Snatch work or throwing a baseball.

Facing the barrel of a loaded clock during a high repetition competitive event, and that decision needs to be yours as an athlete: am I skilled and strong enough to handle this? Am I moving efficiently and pain free?

To elaborate, pull-ups are elusive for beginners; it's a movement that takes practice, like anything. And since much of the general public hasn't performed bodyweight pull-ups since their grade school days, many newcomers have trouble at the start. Likewise, jumping into a butterfly pull-up too early doesn't make sense if your range of motion is short-changed or you are arching and breaking at the spinal midline in order to make the rep. Form and function first; strength follows.

Even if someone walks in off the street with basic pull-up experience, with a sound work capacity, and with above average athleticism, it still may not be smart to attempt butterflies right off the bat. Some recommendations exist as prerequisites, but it's always a bit of a grey area... like being able to perform 10 consecutive strict pull-ups or 20-25 gymnastics kipping pull-ups.

Whatever the benchmark, the butterfly pull-up is definitely not in the CrossFit starter kit.

Baby Pull-up

Great news, though, no matter what experience level: pull-up development is like everything else in the gym. You put some attention towards the exercise and gains are made. What you put in, you get out.

The bad news?  That strength development takes time.

To obtain a kipping pull-up or to sequence multiple strict pull-ups or to be ready for a butterfly pull-up we need time. Sometimes even six months or more to garnish necessary pull strength.  However, depending on a person's inherent genetic strength and days spent in the gym refining the movement, it's definitely a realistic three month goal. Even from scratch. Which makes pull-ups a perfect focus for the start of summer.

In fact, so many of our Amplify members list this as a huge personal goal... to be better at pull-ups.  Or in some cases, to get their first pull-up ever.

And for reference, a "pull-up" refers to an overhand grip (palms facing away, in supination), whereas a "chin-up" uses an underhand grip (palms facing inward, in pronation). Chin-ups have a place in functional training as well; they utilize more bicep action and are generally an easier exercise of the two to clear one's chin over the bar. Kipping is more difficult with the arms blocking the swing by basic shoulder anatomy, but strict chin-ups are a definite tool to use just like strict pull-ups.

chin-pull-up-grip

So, whether you're looking to develop your strict, your kip, an efficient butterfly, or simply your first pull-up ever, let's check out some ideas behind the movements and quick guidelines on the road upwards.

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.

Assistance Bands: Used correctly, this can foster some of the greatest strength development for those without a free-hanging pull-up, but does limit the kipping movement a bit during the learning process. Scaling: more pros than cons, for sure.

• Do know when it's time to use the band (figure out your limit on total rep count) and when it's time to drop down in band size.
• Don't let this become a crutch or take the place of your pull-up attempts without the band.

Assisted Pull-ups

Hollow Body Position: Underrated, at least on the pull-up bar, and usable not just as an exercise in itself. A good counter balance (instead of feet pulled behind, breaking the midline), the hollow position builds core stability while keeping posture on the bar. 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 pull-up. Particularly, strict pull-ups... although 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.)

Strict Pull-ups: These should never leave your repertoire.  Once obtained, hit strict pull-ups at least once a week to maintain the upper body strength that can spread to other movements in the gym. Make this the basis of pull strength, even as a CrossFit athlete whose default is to kip. Chin over bar counts, chest to bar is the gold standard.

• Do maintain good positioning and research strategies or set/rep schemes to foster pull-up growth. Early on, three times a week at 3 or 4 sets of 3-8 reps, even "negatives," is a great start. Be wary of too many slow negatives (downward action of the pull-up.)
• Don't be embarrassed to hit small sets of 1 or 2 when working on these as supplemental work in warm-ups or after a conditioning workout.

Strict Pull-up, courtesy of CrossFit Thames

Gymnastics Kip: A kip can be small or big in terms of the swing, and therefore can be used to eke out just a few additional reps on a set of strict pulls 'til failure or as a first pull-up attempt with a humongous "load-up." Hips are essential.  Check videos here, here, and here. Working on stringing more consecutive kips?  Remember to push away at the top, especially as you fatigue, and use a bigger "chest through" swing in the later rep numbers as you near your max.

• Do work shoulder mobility to allow the chest to come forward and through the window of the arms to gain swing momentum.  Also, generate power from the hips to get them up and turned over.
• Don't worry if you get a pull-up, or multiples, and then "lose" them for a day or more.  They come and go sometimes. Stay at it.

pull up kip hollow

Butterfly Kip: A challenging move since it generates more power from the body and thus more of a metabolic need, the butterfly pull-up is faster in its turn over but taxes the cardio system for sure. Butterflies make clearing the chin easier in short numbers and are almost always used for high rep workouts and/or CrossFit competitions. This is not really a pull-up, in the traditional sense of the term.  The butterfly is its own entity now, and more of a test of skill and work capacity than anything else.

• Do continue to work shoulder mobility, gymnastics kip, and strict pull-ups. Also, to increase efficiency, make sure you are coming through the bar as you pass under it while prepping for your next rep. Heels pull back immediately for your next kick and kip. Ride the imaginary bicycle backwards while midair, if that analogy helps.
• Don't count a butterfly as a pull-up if you're no where near clearing your chin. Even if you are close, how is your overall strength with strict pull-ups?

butterfly snapshot 1

Realize the hate that exists of this move, even if you can hit 100 in a row.  (This video of Chris Spealler shows an incredible feat but one that has the internet at each others' throats over the butterfly pull-up.)

I toyed with using kipping pull-ups as a strength and fitness developer for a year on video.  With a max test each month, I put together a kipping pull-up compilation of my progress.  Mostly butterflies. The outcome was somewhere around 10-11 added reps in a year's time, which wasn't too significant unless we consider the starting number. All the while my strict pull-up max remained the same at 16-18, for reference.

You decide: cheating or not?

And so you're off-- decide on your goals and where you fit in the pull-up spectrum, then keep at it.

The only thing left is to celebrate your success, kiddos.  Do a good job and you get a treat.

- Scott, 6.23.2014

I'm a big kid now!

Weakness

Weakness

Oh, how we love to succeed.

If you've ever gotten even somewhat good at anything, you realize this-- be it a sport, a hobby, or any other skill out there. Cooking or playing guitar or throwing bags onto a slanted wooden box for points... whatever. Success is an instinctual desire. And when we get good at something in life it then becomes easier to do. It's therefore more likely we keep going in this progression to improve little nuances of that ability.  It becomes a strength. A talent.

The flipside of this is that we hate failure. We avoid weaknesses, at almost any cost.

Take your favorite lifts or exercises in CrossFit. But more importantly than those you like (because you can enjoy something you're not actually good at), focus on your strengths for a minute. The moves that just seem to come to you. What is it that allows you to be good in those areas? Are you simply built for that move? Is it similar to a movement you grew up doing? Two huge factors in looking at physical skill are genetic predisposition and exposure at a young age. Both brain development and physical development play an important role. You have been given certain traits inherent in your DNA, and you either had a chance to hone some skills while developing as a child... or you didn't.

So are you good at rowing because you're tall? Do push-ups come easy because of shorter arms? Are you a natural runner? Have a good deadlift frame? Strong legs for no apparent reason?

Now think about your least favorite lift or exercise movement. Your "goats," as they are called. Is it something you can do, but not well-- like squat, snatch, or row? Or is it something that you can't really do at all and always seems to elude you-- like pull-ups, handstand push-ups, or muscle-ups? Either way it doesn't much matter, but wrapping your mind around why it's a weakness can help. Insight to your lack of ability.

Think things through: why is it that you suck?

I know, I know... some of you are sitting there thinking you're not good at anything within CrossFit. A clumsy, uncoordinated mess handling a barbell like an ogre without thumbs. This may be true, mostly if you're a newcomer, but probably isn't the full truth. If you think you need to work on everything, realize we all do. Even if it's a declared strength. The best can still get better. And that's the beauty of a strength and conditioning program like CrossFit.

If you ignore the major items involved, you're destined for failure. And not the good kind. No excuses; look at the facts.  Maybe you're not so good at squatting because of your mobility issues. Maybe you're just not strong enough yet for muscle-ups.  Maybe coming to the gym only 2 to 3 times a week just doesn't allow you to develop time under the barbell in a snatch or overhead squat.

Or maybe, and this is only maybe, you're just trying to fool yourself and you haven't actually bothered to try to attack any weaknesses. You're just coasting. Hoping weaknesses don't pop up in your weekly workouts. Or worse, ensuring that they don't.  You tell yourself "I just can't do ____________." You're a little scared... or your ego gets in the way... "____________ are just hard, you know."

The path of least resistance is so easy to follow, it's like a slide.

So how do you rid yourself of those chinks in your armour?

Recommendations:

• Get in early, stay late. It doesn't have to be anything extremely time consuming... in fact, too much time working on goats is unnecessary. But it does need to be multiple times a week. Putting in some time before or after the WOD will do the trick. Either/or-- both are a good idea, but pick one. Beforehand means you're fresh and not mentally fatigued from a workout. Afterwards is also good in order to work through a movement while tired. A few quality minutes on the pull-up bar or with a PVC pipe hitting mobility will go a long way. Focus on form; move correctly.
• Limit frustration. If you have a chance to create your own workouts, put your weakness in the spotlight about once a week. But create workouts that will give you some success. For instance, pair a weakness with a strength in a conditioning couplet... this way you limit frustration, which can be mentally draining and counterproductive. If you don't write your own programming, then be sure to really embrace the days that focus on your goat. Don't cherry pick.
• A weakness might always be a weakness. In some cases, goats can be turned into a strengths for people. But usually, if a person has a movement that they struggle with, it'll be something they need to stay tuned in to for a lifetime. Know this and be okay with the fact that unlike other athletes you may always need that extra focus on certain movements. The work never stops.
• Build on previous sessions. Simple, but true: it's not going to happen all at once. You won't suddenly hit a #300 snatch or jump on the rings and nail an iron cross. Think in baby steps and build upon the previous goat session. Small steps backwards may even happen, but keep at it. Oftentimes something as skilled as double unders or rope climbs seem to evade people for a while, but take a look at how often you've worked at the move-- if time spent with the movement isn't happening, then of course a set back occurred. (See the first two bullet points.)  Use small successes in technique, mobility, etc. as stepping stones and soon you'll see a shift away from absolute hatred of your goat. Choose the wrench.

So, as the Words of the Week articles come to a close for Summer 2013, I hope you'll take this into consideration now and always-- Embrace your strengths, attack your weaknesses.

I wish everyone good luck in becoming better than yesterday in all that you do. And thanks for taking the time to read this summer.

- Scott 9.1.2013

Attitude

Kicking Ass

Attitude

We've all heard the quote, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't-- you're right."

But what if that's wrong? What if we're wrong?

The quote represents how powerful the mind can be-- how important attitude is-- but it's not exactly that simple.

Sure, all that positive self-talk can overshadow negatives. You're in the middle of a workout or hitting a challenging lift or movement, and mentally you embrace it... the difficulty, the suck. You reject the possibility of failure. You succeed on the edge of defeat.

But sometimes you think you can, and you still fail. And there are other times you think you can't, but you were wrong. You actually could. And you did.

In past articles, we've examined nutrition, recovery, and much needed mental health time with friends and family. We've examined reasons for such success, some of them including commitment, motivation, and even embracing failure.

Yet another item to consider is one's attitude... how a positive outlook can overcome small speed bumps in training, but how a backhanded slap of reality is a useful tool as well.

Let's face it, not everything can come up roses each week in your fitness journey.

Telling yourself "That wasn't good enough" here and there can have its merits. Not accepting anything less than your best, and being able to call yourself out at times, can be just the thing your mind and body need. A swift kick in your own ass. Yes, admitting defeat here and there is fine; knowing when it's smart to throw in the towel, at least for the time being, is an overlooked attribute. Yet there's that fighting attitude that has to accompany it-- going home beaten, but pissed off.

"I may have had an off day but, dammit, I'm getting after it next time around."

Calvin knows

You can't teach this with coaching cues, really. It's not easy to sell... to explain to someone, "Get some aggression!" or "Fight through... stick with it!"  It even looks silly in writing. But it is a learned behavior. Skill and strength development can foster this attitude; it can grow in conjunction with experience, in 4/4 time with confidence. Once the mechanics of something like a lift or a gymnastic element are learned, we can see that glimmer in the eye... that fight festering behind pursed lips. It's this attitude that exposes itself during PRs, during that gritty time of a workout where the lungs are panting no way but the mind takes over.

And to go to that place, to reach that feeling of "I got this," it simply can't be understood by others who have never been there. It's a drive so natural yet so difficult to attain.

Magical? No. Just hard work and a fierce appetite for accomplishment.

It's when a shared attitude, a shared vision exudes in the gym that personal empowerment becomes a common characteristic. Drill-after-drill, rep-after-rep, this stuff matters. Evolved into the group attitude of such a community is an unrelenting lifestyle of devotion.  It's contagious, remember?

The Little Engine That Could

That said, let's make sure we differentiate having an attitude that's gritty and determined from one that's self-deprecating or even attention seeking. That type of behavior is draining for a community, and isn't fair to yourself in the long run. Cut out the negative talk when it's not necessary. Stop searching for validation if it's really not required. Put in your best, week after week, and it becomes increasingly apparent when your self-talk should be positive and when you need to simmer that smile and get down to business. Raw and unadulterated hard work breeds self-awareness.

So dive within. Find that flowery, positive thing to focus on when necessary. But check yourself in case some steel-toed hell is needed instead. Stay positive, and a little pissed, and reap the mental gains.

Positively pissed... it's there you can't go wrong.

- Scott, 8.18.2013