Setbacks

Setbacks

Reversals or delays in progress, setbacks certainly happen... and more often than we'd like.

Success in and outside of the gym occurs on a monthly basis. If you've been putting in hard work, you already know this. Look where you are compared to where you started; how far have you come?

No matter the length of your fitness journey, or how small the results, there are definitive accomplishments. Maybe it's been a recent PR in a barbell lift, maybe gymnastics movements are coming along more efficiently, or maybe nutrition habits have been on point and you've reaped the benefit of correctly fueling before and after workouts.

So, the gym life is cruising along, and then bam... a huge wall of reality hits and a setback stops us dead in our tracks. Or worse, we're knocked backwards, reeling from a bad day or an off week, our world of fitness suddenly smashed and leaking like a spilled milkshake. All that tasty goodness reduced to mere ant food.

Panic sets in, because that's how we are-- we worry that all previous gains are lost. What strength or skill we used to have will never return. What clicked before will now evade us forever.

So how can we use setbacks in a positive vein? How do we see past any stalls in personal training to maintain headway? Is it possible to have any good come from the bad?

Yes and no.

It is resiliency that can foster success. But it's also crucial to realize our limitations to best spend our time and energy, specifically in sport or fitness endeavors.

How can setbacks provide motivation?
Determination is not just a degree of stubbornness, it includes the will to fight through adversity. Determination showcases tenacity and purposeful fixation. The goal through setbacks, then, is to stay grounded in reality and use this base to build again.

More specifically, any time we find ourselves tripped up and waist deep in the muck of a setback, we are forced with two choices: 1) give up, or 2) battle onward. The latter not only exudes character, it develops it.

I've touched on similar issues in past pieces like Failure, Progress, and The Fitness Equation.

We're not just examining injuries here. We're talking about a lapse in training mentality, a stifled competitive nature, or a loss of interest or drive. After all, if you stick with physical fitness long enough, there are bound to be ebbs and flows in motivation. It's only natural that some days feel bogged down in routine. The key is finding the light at the end of the tunnel like the end of a great nursery rhyme.

"Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down."

You are no more over-and-done after a setback than a toddler playing this childhood game with friends. Laugh, stand up, and dust yourself off. Back in the circle you go.

Ring around the rosie...

How can setbacks provide input?
As we age, any athlete will undoubtedly find that work capacity diminishes while recovery demands expand. It is a natural part of human life; our body tissues deteriorate at a rapid pace once later years set in. Mobility issues become more rampant and strength significantly diminishes as specific hormone levels change; people experience a dip in testosterone and estrogen after menopause (and male menopause). [1, 2]

It is well-chronicled that a sedentary childhood can set up a sedentary adulthood which of course can lead to disease and early death. From generalized inflammation to cardiac disease, our diet and exercise directly contribute to our daily aura. We know this, and know it well, in the hangover effect of a previous day of binge eating or drinking.

The trained and physically fit body has a resilience to all of this.

Still, the setbacks we might feel as an aging athlete, or simply a person pursuing a healthy lifestyle as we age, can give important information. Have years of activity now limited knee or shoulder action? Is an old high school injury starting to plague movement in some way? If so, this might be time to examine what extra effort needs to be put in. Is a longer warm-up now necessary? Are routine visits to a chiropractor or sports massage therapist essential to your physical health? Have the joint or immune system issues of overtraining finally hit, like a face-first smack to concrete?

Whatever information you receive, make sure you listen. Setbacks can give some valuable insight.

What are some steps to success?
Recovering from an injury, coming back after time away, or just battling a rut?

1. Set new goals. Even if you've already hit that Clean & Jerk weight or that number of consecutive Double Unders, after a major setback you'll need to rebuild, right? So once again use the little victories to inspire the future you.
2. Check your ego. Have enough mental stability to swallow your pride a bit. Consistency will once again breed results, but one day does not make or break your long-term vision. Don't get hurt trying to push the limits for one workout and don't overtrain on your road past obstacles. Further setbacks will most definitely occur.
3. Be ready when the time comes. You'll notice that quality days in the gym will be here and there; Monday may feel great where as Tuesday does not. Be willing to pull at the reel a bit or cut yourself some slack if needed. Likewise, listen to your body and read recovery signs so you can grab that good day by the horns and go.

Setbacks in training can either be seen as a detriment or a blessing in disguise. A gift from the training gods, if you so believe. A reminder to stick with it, to work on weaknesses, mobility, or movement patterns. A kick in the ass to fix what's broken.

They can happen to anyone, from beginner to elite athlete.

It is not the setbacks themselves that define us, it is how we face each obstacle that proves our worth.

To borrow a quote from Henry Ford, the great industrialist who believed in air travel as much as affordable automobile business, "when everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

- Scott, 7.21.2015

The Front Squat

The Front Squat

The Front Squat

It's like sitting in a chair for a nice dinner, isn't it? Company has arrived, the table is all set, and the meal is steaming and ready. You bend at the knees, sit your hips back slightly, and keep your chest up as you go... eyeing what food awaits.

So why is it so difficult when we ask the body to hold a weighted object at the chest and travel below a parallel line of action?

As I initially touched on the topic of Squats in an article back in 2012, I acknowledged that in many senses we were all born to squat. Check out any toddler as they play or pick up items from the ground.

Heels down, knees out, chest up.

Baby Squats, Spot On

In the case of a developing child, the body moves in a correct pattern because of its attempt at finding strength and efficiency.

The culprit for adults, therefore, is life. Specifically, a stereotypical sedentary adult towards the opposite side of life's spectrum from the toddler above can incur years of bad motor patterns, due in large part to travel, work, and leisure habits. Not to mention one too many episodes of seconds and thirds at the dinner table. This can result in lack of strength, conditioning, and create major mobility issues that take time and patience to correct.

To the point: the compound movement of the squat is responsible for such important muscle growth and athleticism that it is a benchmark lift in any exercise program across the world. It is also one that can provide a lot of frustration at one's own body.

Heels down, knees out, chest up. A lack thereof? Mashed potatoes.

Rounded, Forward Front Squat

As with any physical movement, you put some work in, get good cues from a coach or through a little research, and your body adapts. Put time, and weight, to your squats and you'll surely benefit.

If we pick at the bone of some variations of the squat, we can get some juicy details for the beginning athlete and hopefully some good reminders for the experienced one as well.

SQUATS

The Front Squat. A small step in front of its cousin the Back Squat in terms of difficulty for the public, the Front Squat is one that deserves attention in the Olympic Lifting and CrossFit community because of its direct carry over to the Clean. It is also one that we don't find in high use in generic gym settings compared to the Back Squat.

The difficulty typically lands in issues of trunk strength in the midline to counteract the propensity to let any weight take the spine out of good posture. In other words, it's hard to hold weight in the right position without losing core stability.

The other difficulty is to correctly coach an athlete who is lacking in one or more essential areas of Front Squat safety and mechanics.

To clear up one basic premise, we will focus on the barbell Front Squat from here on out. While a myriad of other objects can take the place of a bar (kettlebell, medicine ball, heavy bag, a 2-year-old, etc), this will help for the sake of simplicity.

Let's look at a few important items to consider when trying to improve Front Squat mechanics and consistency.

Kendrick-Farris-front-squat

Tips for a Successful Front Squat:

1. Hand and Arm Placement Our default here will be to squat in a Clean grip. This is to mimic picking up a bar from the ground and shouldering the load to stand up. This, versus a crossed-arm variation which can be easier on those athletes with flexibility issues or previous injuries, is generally a tougher bar position but one we want to infuse in the brain and body if utilizing Oly Lifting as well.

Cue: Elbows Up. [Mobility Video]

• Release your grip. Do not death grip the bar; instead let it sit on the deltoids in the fingers.
• Work on latissimus and thoracic spine mobility, not just wrist flexion and extension, so that the elbows can fire up and across the room with imaginary lasers firing through the farthest wall. This will be crucial at the bottom of the Front Squat as you drive up out of the hole of the squat.

• Let the elbows lead the way, as if marionette strings are attached and pulling you upwards.

2. Leg and Knee Action This will obviously change a bit because of human body variance. Meaning, one person's squat stance will look a little different than the next. Same on knee position through the squat. In essence, squats are like snowflakes; every one is unique.

Cues: Heels down, knees out. [Mobility Video]

• Keeping the heels grounded will help create a full foot drive but will also maintain knee health.

• Knees out. Debates circulate regarding the "knees out" cue. A natural valgus knee action while standing will occur in everyone. Find a good coach to help with this cue. For general use, though, drive your knees out as you stand.

3. Spine Position

Cue: Chest up. [Mobility Video]

• This cue is not meant to be tricky or confusing. It is simply to help maintain and upright posture throughout the full movement.

• The opposing action is also helpful as this sets the lumbar back in a strong, stable position, able to handle the load of the barbell up top.

Find more Front Squat resources. Items left might be how often to squat (timing), and how/when to go heavy (progression). There are many great sources of info out there regarding squats, so check into things if you have the time and interest.

Starting Strength (with Mark Rippetoe): Recommended Reading

Elite FTS (with Dave Tate, et al):Recommended Reading

California Strength (with Glenn Pendlay):Recommended Reading

Catalyst Athletics (with Greg Everett):Recommended Reading

There it is. A detailed look at tips and resources for the Front Squat.

If there's still not enough on your squat plate, what's left on the table? Decide on the meat of your strength programming, sprinkle in some sides of conditioning and skill work, and always leave room for dessert.

front-squat

-Scott, 7.13.2015

Balance

Balance

Life is short. Live fast and die young, as the saying goes.

Or, if you want the most out of your numbered years, what about living a healthy, extended life with family and friends and dying fulfilled and grateful?

Live balanced and die happy. Now that's more like it.

What is a balanced life?
In the weekly grind of mundane haste, it's easy to get caught up in the flow of school or work and lose oneself in a rut of unhealthy behaviors. By unhealthy I don't solely mean the truly damaging habits of poor diet and lack of exercise; I'm not just focusing on eating, drinking, or sedentary slip-ups. I am referring to health in the whole sense, which includes social, mental, and emotional well-being.

Never spending quality time with family and friends can be socially damaging. Never having alone time can cause a negative mental dependence to develop. And never taking time to slow down and appreciate the positive pieces surrounding us can create a void in our emotions.

Introverts and extroverts alike, a balance is crucial. Our personalities may change but the primary parts of life remain the same.

Physical, mental, and social well-being are ever-present, and like an equilateral triangle, all are essential pieces to a happy and fulfilled existence. It is this balance that keeps us safe and thriving atop the gigantic skyscraper of life.

A balancing act

Why the glorification of busy?
So why do we neglect these inherent parts of being human? Are we afraid of something? Of not having money... or worth... or prestige? If life is a skyscraper, are we afraid of taking an epic fall to a meaningless concrete demise many stories below?

Working too much has been detailed and researched, particularly as of late, to prove that the stresses of life can cause mental and even physical duress. [Sources here, here, and here.]

Time spent traveling to and from work can sap energy, change body composition, and harm spinal posture; it is particularly stressful when being late for work is factored in. In addition, combine this with time crunches or the pressure to make quotas and stressors quickly build up to take their toll on the body.

A shortened lifespan? Not something worth singing about at all.

Walt Disney's 1937 film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Lyrics: We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig in our mine the whole day through To dig dig dig dig dig dig dig is what we really like to do It ain't no trick to get rich quick If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick In a mine!

How does balance affect fitness?
If we're looking for overall health and well-being, then we want a balance of work and the rest of life.

We also want a balance of work in the gym with the rest of our day. Meaning, we need nutrition, we need exercise, we need recovery, but we also need our friends and family. Our focus can't just be physical work. It's important to realize the full spectrum of life includes mental health and social well-being.

Word hard (work smart), rest (recover well), and repeat (build healthy habits).

And remember to include others in the journey.

The great part of CrossFit and any group fitness community is that oftentimes these other dimensions of life are acquired along with the physical benefits. Emotions are regulated. Stress relief is noted. Friendships can develop. A second family adopts us to nurture us through personal ups and downs.

So how do we maintain this balance of physical, mental, and social well-being?

Tips for Creating Balance in Life
1. Prioritize. Big rocks > pebbles > sand.

• Don't sweat the small stuff. If you only worry about the little things then all the important items in life will fall by the wayside.
• Apply your daily energy correctly. Drop activities that sap your time. Let go of unnecessary drama like a piece of scrapped metal from a rooftop construction worker.

2. Organize. Past → Present → Future.

• See the future. Use past knowledge to set schedules and make deadlines. Write things down to cement plans and lessen the stress of forgetfulness.
• Create downtime in your day. Leisure time matters! For instance, make space for fitness, and the rest of your life will benefit. For many, a daily workout is the ultimate stress-reducing activity.
• Declutter. Get rid of any mess. Purging can be freeing. A happier you transcends all efforts in work, hobbies, and family time.

3. Energize. Dream / Drive / Reflect.

• Dream big. Sure, stay grounded in reality, but keep ambition and desire alive. Use the huge crane known as goal setting to drag your aspirations skyward.
• Maintain a healthy drive. Tell others about your goals. Settle things into place with help from co-workers, friends, and family. They are your rock, your foundation.
• Reflect. Step back and see what you've built. Do you like it? If not, get the blueprints back out and get to work. If so, congratulations. Use that success to energize the next life project.

Balance your hobbies with your profession, balance your workouts with your social life, and balance your stress with decompressing activities to get the most out of life.

Keep your footing. Remember what is important to you and learn to walk that fine line between busy and dedicated.

Not only is this possible, but it is also essential to overall wellness in the balancing act of life.

- Scott, 7.6.2015

Toes to Bar

Toes to Bar

An elusive movement for CrossFit newbies, and a frustrating one for fitness veterans.

For many, they just plain stink.

It should be so simple, right? Step 1: jump up and grab the bar. Step 2: raise your feet up to said bar.

Similar to Olympic lifting, however, gymnastics movements are hard to come by... at least for the general public who didn't grow up on a regimented gym program. In the pursuit of adult fitness, our strength, range of motion, and body awareness can still be developed, but we're possibly working against years of not doing certain activities.

Naturally, the major battle is with higher skilled movements. The ones that make you want to hit up a real bar and drown your sorrows in a drink.

To kip, or not to kip? Like kipping pull-ups, toes to bar, knees to elbows, or any movement performed with momentum will receive its fair share of criticism. Before moving on, let's default to a kipping toes to bar movement as our go-to T2B. The strict form of the movement exists and can/should be performed as a muscle strengthener of the abdominal and hip muscles (namely rectus abdomens, iliopsoas, and the hip flexor portion of the quadriceps), with additional help from pulling muscles in the back and arms (latissimus dorsi, the biceps, and to some extent the rhomboids and teres major.)

Abdominal Muscles

Proponents of kipping cite the athleticism it requires (and develops), namely the 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. In this realm, besides needing core strength, one requires agility as well.

Negative aspects of kipping are also reported. These include infringing on shoulder socket health with rotator cuff issues like bursitis or shoulder impingement. This is usually discussed in relation to kipping pull-ups.

Both strict and kipping styles of pull-ups have their merit, in a fitness sense, so both can and should be used in a general strength and conditioning program. The same is true for toes to bar.

While on the topic of injuries, always keep this math equation in mind: chalked hands + a pull-up bar = ripping. Check out more about calluses and hand health in a previous article on the topic here.

OWIE!

All in all, point be clear: the strict toes to bar movement is different than kipping.

What you put in, you get out. I have previously expressed that in a coached athlete 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, whether it is pull-ups or knees to elbows/toes to bar, receives 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.

Thus, kipping without a basis of strength is not productive.

Great news, though, no matter what experience level: gymnastics development is like everything else in the gym. You put some attention towards the exercise and gains are made.

The bad news?  That strength development takes time.

So, grab a drink and a stool and belly up with your bartender. (That's me.) Here's a mixture of movements to get the right concoction for toes to bar development, from simple core strengthening exercises to high rep efficiency tips.

Picture courtesy of CrossFit 84

Movements For Toes to Bar Development:
Hollow Rock Holds: A great start for the absolute newbie. 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.

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

Hollow Rocks

V-ups: Used correctly, this can foster some of the greatest strength development for those without free-hanging knee tucks, but it limits learning of the kipping movement. Scaling: more pros than cons, for sure.

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

V-ups

Kipping Swing Practice: 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 toes to bar until failure. The swing itself can develop more than just a solid toes to bar technique. Plus, you don't have to attempt to fold the body or raise the knees in any way to benefit from your swing practice.

• Do work shoulder mobility to allow the chest to come forward and through the window of the arms to gain swing momentum. Generate power from a tight hollow position into a globally extended position, and back again.
• Don't worry if you get the rhythm down for a while and then "lose" it for a day or more.  Kipping comes and goes sometimes. Stay at it.

pull up kip hollow

Knees to Elbows: A challenging move in itself, some even describe these as more difficult than making bar contact with the feet. Since it generates more crunching of the body to raise the knees to the elbows, these develop hip and abdominal strength and flexibility as well as one's pull strength with the lats in the upper back to down under the armpits. Kipping Knee Tucks are also a great scaled option as K2E develop.

• Do continue to work shoulder mobility and your gymnastics kip. To increase efficiency, make sure you are regenerating momentum through the window of your arms.Heels pull back immediately for your next kip.
• Don't count knees to elbows if in the middle of the workout you're only touching triceps. Keep yourself honest, if this is your skill level. How is your overall strength with V-ups and pull-ups?

CrossFit Efficiency Tips

Kipping Toes to Bar: Our default "Rx" movement and one generally used in CrossFit competitions because of the ease in judging.

• Do grip your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, kip to take your body from a hollow position to an arc, transition from backswing to upswing, drive your knees toward your elbows, and finally flick your feet toward the bar as they rise.
• Don't lose your momentum. Use your swing to pull back into an arc; squeeze your glutes to load your body up for the next rep. This will be essential to stringing higher reps together in unbroken sets.

Strict Toes to Bar: These show great body control, and can be worked in post-workout as accessory strength work, assuming you didn't just fatigue a similar movement.

• Do hang in a hollow body position to start, then pull thighs towards your chest, keeping legs straight. Keep squeezing up until the toes touch the bar, then slowly descend.
• Don't be embarrassed to hit small sets of 1 or 2, again as supplemental work in warm-ups or after a conditioning workout.

Strict T2B

There you have it. A beginner's look at toes to bar and related lead-up exercises.

Refill your drink and get to watching more videos if needed; there are plenty out yonder on that there internet machine. Decide on your goals and where you fit in the skill spectrum. Then wipe your mouth, strap up your boots, and get after it.

Don't forget to tip your bartender. I'll be here cheering you on, pardner.

- Scott, 6.29.2015

Unknown

Giving Up

Which came first?

Giving Up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Scott, 6.22.2015

Goal Setting

Goal Setting

Any good summer begins with a goal. Multiple goals, perhaps.

Most of these goals are unwritten, which is just fine. So in your head, or in your heart if you typically think of things cinematically, albeit inaccurately, what is it you're looking to accomplish this summer? Does it include your personal fitness? Let's assume so.

In life, a good goal needs to be smart. It needs to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. "SMART."

After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish.

SMART GOALS

• Create the specifics. Again, even if just in your head. What is it that will specifically happen, and how?
• Fix a measurement to put in place. Without a means of tracking things, how will you ever know if you've succeeded?
• Make sure each goal is achievable. Sure, you could shoot for the moon, but what frustration or procrastination might develop without immediate success?
• Is your goal relevant to you? Make sure it's not just something you think sounds good over cold beers at a summer party.
• And finally, make your goal time-based. Bound it all to the calendar. When is it that these things will happen?

In the the realm of strength and conditioning, goal setting is just as important as it is in any other facet of life-- career, family, hobbies, etc.

Spending an hour here or there throughout the week working through a series of Back Squats, Pull-ups, or maybe hitting a fun MetCon while hammering an area of weakness is all well and good. All very important, and all topics in articles I've written in the past. But without a sense of what the end goal is, this work is futile, unfortunately. The Fitness Equation requires another piece: a look ahead to the why.

Each summer I kickstart our weekly articles with the same reminder: that this time of year can be two-fold in purpose. These are the months to do great things with family and friends. And those "things" are essential to life. Go, do them, and enjoy the social health development. But with the right plan, with set goals and fitness priorities, summer can also be the perfect chance to get your workouts in and reap the benefits come fall.

Below are my three constant reminders as I start into the Words of the Week each summer.

SUMMER GOAL SETTING
Step 1: See the big picture
You have three months of great things ahead. Three months to work on your strength and conditioning. It doesn't have to happen in one workout. Set a one month goal. Set a summer goal. If you want, set lots, aim high. But see them through.

Hold yourself accountable with a nutrition challenge or look ahead to the Amplify Open competition in August. Use Wodify or a personal journal as a workout log to hit correct lifting percentages and also to see your progress.

I don't know one CrossFitter who is content with their current skill set or fitness level.  That's the best part-- there is always more to do. But it takes goals, everyone. Which is why summer is not just a three month beach escapade with horrible pop music playing over the stereo.

Step 2: Plan ahead
If you come to Amplify we already set the daily WOD, so that's easy.  But by planning your set days each week, checking the workout and any related videos ahead of time, and coming in with a plan of action, this not only shows true commitment but it's also mentally easier once you set foot in the gym.

I don't mean you should obsess over your future or what's to come; I'm talking about knowing what you'll expect of yourself come "go time."

Let this also be my yearly reminder to warm-up properly. Yes, we're all sore. So get in here and perform some self-maintenence whenever possible. Can't fit in extra minutes before or after your class? Foam roll at home any chance you get. Speaking of, are you in need of a mobility goal this summer? Neglecting your deficiencies for three more months seems like a really bad plan.

Step 3: Intensity
Always include the correct intensity. Some is good, more is not necessarily better. Yes, intensity is key. But no, you don’t need to spend hours breaking down your body systems. Especially without proper recovery.

If you keep the intensity up in your conditioning and your time under duress at appropriate levels, you not only make gains but also keep overtraining from spiraling out of control.

So there it is; a three step process as common sense reminders each year. Make the most of your efforts by formulating goals each day, each week, and each month this summer and always.

And remember that baby steps are important and very motivational. Allow the little victories in life to build together like foundational columns supporting the future you.

Happy Summer!

- Scott, 6.15.2015

Progress

Baby Steps

Progress

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nom Nom Nom

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

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

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

So. Tired.

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

Recommendations:

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

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

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

ipood

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

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

See you kids on the playground.

- Scott, 8.25.2014

baby chuck taylor's

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