WHY IS INDIVIDUALISED TRAINING IMPORTANT?

There is no doubt that having clear goals helps you to succeed. Being able to quantify success often makes it easier to continue driving forward and track your own progress as you improve.

THE JOY OF THE UNKNOWN

In a sport where ‘routine is the enemy’, and no two training sessions are exactly the same, is it then possible to have both? Are clearly defined goals (with structured plans to achieve them) and constantly varied and exciting workouts compatible? The simple answer is yes. Of course they are.

Look at any high level athlete and they will do specialised strength / endurance / technique / gymnastic sessions, week in week out, with some of the best trainers and professionals in those fields. Unfortunately, not many of us have the luxury, time or money to train three times a day with the best coaches and facilities in the world. So how can we simulate this individualised, professional approach? How can you really push your training forward?

HOW DOES THE FREELETICS GYM APP WORK?

Freeletics GYM will allow you to do this. You can tailor your specific fitness goals towards the areas of:

• Strength
• Conditioning
• Endurance

Say, for example, that you train two or three times a week in the Box. You could also add a couple of extra sessions where you incorporate a more individualised training program with Freeletics. This combination will give you the best of both worlds.

Here you can target your specific goals, such as that 200kg Deadlift or first Pull Up or new Squat PR that you really want to achieve.

Freeletics is physically demanding, and if you do want to combine the Gym App with Crossfit training, make sure that you do not overload yourself. Avoiding injury is vital for success, so build up volume gradually over time. This will allow your body to adapt properly.

INDIVIDUALISE YOUR TRAINING WITH THE PERSONAL COACH

The Freeletics Gym coach will assess your current ability, strength, endurance and fitness levels based on what you can already do, and will then adjust your workouts accordingly.

Ok, so how does this work in practice? Referring to that first goal, say you want to achieve a 200kg Deadlift (scale the weight or exercise accordingly to fit your ambitions). Ask any powerlifter or strength and conditioning professional and they will make it very simple. If you want to hit that target you will need to build up strength gradually over time by working through progressively heavier sets and cycles of Deadlifts.

If you have no individualised programming when you train with a class in the Box, then the general progression will be tailored to the needs of the many. What happens if your coach leans more towards endurance work and long, mentally taxing Metcons? You will undoubtedly get fitter, but you won’t get a whole lot closer to that 200kg.

The same is true for your strength/technique sessions. If you train two to three times a week and one week involves Overhead Squats, Ring Muscle Ups and Power Snatches for each individual session, then you WILL get stronger and technically improve in those exercises, but you WILL NOT improve your Deadlift numbers in the same way that you would with two to three sessions that specifically train this exercise. If you add these specially programmed sessions on top of your work in the organised classes in the Box, then you will see how this creates a formidable combination.

Simply substitute the Deadlift with any other goal that you want to achieve. Whether you are keen to build muscle, cut body fat, hit a new max number of Pull Ups, build cardiovascular ability or to look and feel better, Freeletics Gym can help you to achieve this in alignment with your Crossfit training.

FITTER, HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER: CONDITIONING WORKOUTS

Freeletics Gym also has built-in Conditioning workouts that range from targeting your lower body, upper body, full body and core. These help to add new challenges and can act as milestones that will help you to measure your performances and progress.

LOKI

(lower body)

3 rounds involving descending sets of Sumo Pulls and Thrusters at 20 – 15 – 10 reps

ELLI

(full body)

• 4 rounds of
  • 8 Thrusters
  • 8 Sumo Pulls
  • 8 Push Press
  • 8 Deadlifts
  • 8 Bent Over Rows
  • 8 Back Squats

BORR

(upper body)

• 6 rounds of
  • 15 Bent Over Rows
  • 10 Pull Press
  • 15 Bench Press

POINTS SYSTEM AND IN-BUILT MOTIVATION

Every workout you do will yield a certain amount of points , and so by training you will accumulate more and more points. This becomes a fun and surprisingly motivating way to train, and the Freeletics Gym app also includes many additional exercises that you can complete sets of in order to earn more points.

Another handy motivational tool is the total kg lifted score. This quantifies all the iron that you have shifted during your entire Freeletics training and is an incredibly effective way of motivating you to continue.

EAT TO PERFORM: LINK WITH NUTRITION

Freeletics also have a nutrition app. You can use this in combination with your Gym App and tailor your exact nutritional needs to fit the frequency and intensity of your training, all in alignment with your specific goals.

The Nutrition app also has a coach option that will help you to get the exact portions of protein, minerals, complex carbohydrates and fats that you need to support your training and help you to achieve the goals that you are aiming for. A quick assessment before you start will help the coach to determine your current eating habits, lifestyle and experience. From there you simply select your focus from the following options and begin training hard and eating clean.

• Lose weight
• Gain mass
• Eat healthy

The recipes themselves offer a wide selection of different meals and it is also easy to program in any allergies, foods you want to avoid or dietary choices (if you are vegetarian for example). Delicious and nutritious, meals and snacks include:

• Fried fish with grapefruit salsa
• Cauliflower and broccoli casserole
• Beef and beans salad
• Mixed salad with grilled chicken
• Mango overnight oats

You log your meals as you make them and even eating out can be catered for as well. To account for physical activity, you can also add post-workout snacks and shakes, tailored to the amount and type of your training.

PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY TO EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT

What is great about Crossfit, is the way that it incorporates all forms of exercise. It is deliberately unspecified in order to improve overall fitness. We are all different and everyone has slightly different goals. When you combine that kind of training with Freeletics, you can enjoy both constant variety and individualised programs with specific goals on your own terms. A coach in a Box cannot program an everyday class to exactly fit the needs and goals of ten different people. So why not combine the two and get the best of both worlds?

Every process is a journey in itself and you are just one step away from your own success story. Take it.

Try the Freeletics Gym app now

Train hard, at high intensity and hit your goals © Freeletics

Set your own goals © Freeletics

Get in the best shape of your life © Freeletics

The post A Better You: Why an Individual Training Plan is so Important for Success appeared first on BOXROX.

Snapchat’s popularity has increased by 350% in the last year alone, with over 100 million people using it every day, watching over 10 billion videos every 24 hours. Snapchat is about telling stories so here are the names of the athletes who love using Snapchat from the Crossfit world.

10. KATRIN DAVIDSDOTTIR

23-year-old Icelandic CrossFit athlete Katrin Davidsdottir is the second Icelandic female athlete to win the CrossFit Games twice in a row, following in the footsteps of Annie Thorisdottir. With her great career milestones so far, she has lots of things to share!

Follow them on Snapchat and you can see what they do, how they train, what they eat, what tips that they give. You will get a chance to see their daily lifestyle from their own perspective. They both have many followers on their IG and Snapchat accounts. Katrin has 399,9k Instagram followers and also she is increasing her popularity with her Snapchat account which called “katrintanja”. You can add this username and you can directly follow her.

9. ANNIE THORISDOTTIR

26-year-old Icelandic athlete Annie Thorisdottir won the 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Games. Annie has 422k followers on her IG page. This impressive number of followers proves that she is definitely has a huge follower group. If you want to see what she is doing on a daily basis, how she trains, what she eats and more then you can follow this username on Snapchat with “anniethorisd”.

8. RICH FRONING

Rich Froning Jr is known for his achievements in the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games. He became the first person to win the title of “Fittest Man on Earth” four times with his first-place finishes in the 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 CrossFit Games. In 2015 and 2016 he led team CrossFit Mayhem Freedom to first-place finishes and winning the Affiliate Cup.

When it comes to using social media platforms Froning has the largest followers. He has 756k followers on their Instagram account. Also successful CrossFit athlete Froning is using Snapchat actively and often. If you want to follow him, his Snapchat user name is “froning.rich”

7. KARA WEBB

26-year-old Australian CrossFit athlete Kara Webb won the Pacific Regionals this year. She likes eating healthy and her nutritional philosophy in her own words is “good food + no stress + no guilt + treats with the people I love = Happy and healthy”.

If you check out her IG account, you’ll see Kara loves posting photos and videos. She has 149k followers. From eating styles to her daily habits and workout programs she wants to share as much as possible with her followers on Snapchat as well. Her Snapchat username is “karawebb1”

6. KHAN PORTER

Khan Porter is a 26-year-old Australian CrossFit Games Competitor. Like other athletes he loves to share his moments with his Snapchat followers. On his IG account, he has 91,8k followers. His Snapchat account is “PORTERsNAP” You can add him on snapchat with this username and see what he is posting, learn more about his crossfit training and life.

5. BROOKE WELLS

Another Crossfitter who loves Snapchat is definitely Brooke Wells. 21-year-old, this young successful Crossfit athlete likes to share her workouts and daily activities. Currently she has 438k followers on her IG account. You can follow her using her “brookewellss” username.

4. JONNE KOSKI

Not too many male Crossfitters likes to use Snapchat but Jonne Koski doesn’t feel like them, for sure. He is very active on Snapchat and he always post where he goes, what he eats, how he trains and many more! You can follow him on Snapchat with “jonnekoski”

3. MICHELE LETENDRE

Michele Letendre likes Snapchat too! She recently loves using Snapchat’s new filters like Madonna. She currently has 84.6k followers on her IG account. Her Snapchat user name is “mich_letendre”

2. STACIE TOVAR

7x times Crossfit Games athlete Stacie Tovar also likes to use the app. She recently added snaps on her Snapchat from her vacation the place called “Lake of the Ozarks” She loves to share her daily life with her followers. Stacie has a great number of followers on her IG page which is 273k. Tovar’s snapchat account is definitely worth following if you want to see more deeply into the lives of the top Crossfit athletes!

1. CHYNA CHO SNAPCHAT

The last but not least, we have Chyna Cho. 4x times CrossFit Games athlete. She likes to share photos of her lovely dog “Kailinalu”. Also she posts lifting videos, what she eats and how she trains. She has 187k followers on her IG account. Her Snapchat username is the same as her IG username: “chynacho”.

Khan competing © wod magazine

Michele smashing through D Ball Cleans © Girls with Muscle

HAHAHAHA taking it back to that time I went just a sliiiiiither bit faster than @ColeSager35 on a sprint-tri .. & was soooooo annoying about it! #SorryNotSorry hahahah
–
1 week prior to this Cole declared there was no chance I would beat him .. SO I TOOK IT AS A CHALLENGE! © Katrin Davidsdottir

The post 10 Crossfitters You should Follow on Snapchat appeared first on BOXROX.

The fos BCAA Focus Drink is a refreshing way to ensure that you have these bases covered when you train and compete. With its combination of fructose for energy, 4 Gm of BCAA supplying protein for muscle support and recovery, vitamins and natural caffeine for mental focus, you will be upping your game and allowing yourself to perform to the best of your abilities and beyond.

FOCUS ON SUCCESS AND PERFORMANCE

Focus is absolutely essential for success. If you are distracted, distant, or worrying about other things during a workout, then you will not achieve your full potential with your performance. The ability to concentrate completely on the goal at hand is vital. Each drink contains 105 mg of natural caffeine derived from coffee beans and guarana to enhance mental performance.

Visualisation Techniques for Mental Focus

Visualising ourselves successfully completing a workout, lift or movement before we actually do it is a great tactic to use in order to succeed. This method is called visualisation. We psychologically prime our mind for what we are about to do, and exactly how we are going to overcome the challenge that lies ahead.

In order to be able to do this properly, any athlete must block out the surrounding distractions and focus completely. Concentrating solely on the task at hand will help to calm your mind and this increased mental focus can often give you an edge over your competitors.

Set Long Term Goals and Trust in the Process

Long term goal setting is another highly important aspect of focus. Visualisation techniques work well for the moment at hand, but they can also be used effectively for longer term goals

All progress is a journey, and it is pertinent to understand and enjoy both the process and the results. Small incremental steps in your workouts, nutrition and mentality will add up to big changes over time, and this has never been truer than in your training.

ENERGY, STRENGTH AND RECOVERY

A video posted by Jesse (@jesseakister) on Aug 18, 2016 at 12:38am PDT

Sponsored Athlete Jesse Akister in Action

Energy is essential for strength work. Without effective energy to fuel your body you will not perform to the best of your ability, especially when it comes to strength work. Strength and focus are also interlinked as strength work requires pure focus. Think of the acute concentration that is needed to hit a new 1RM Squat PR for example. Because fos BCAA Focus Drink contains an isotonic amount of fructose (fruit sugar) it will supply you with the physical energy that you need to complete each movement, and the mental focus to stay alert.

The last time you hit a Snatch PR, or strung together that new PR of unbroken Muscle Ups, was your mind distracted? Or was it fully focused on the task at hand, your movement and destroying your own limits? I guess the latter would be true.

BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACIDS (BCAA)

fos BCAA Focus Drink is also useful for your strength and performance gains because of the 4 gram serving of BCAA that can be found in every can. BCAAs are the basic building blocks of proteins and proteins increase muscle recovery and growth over time. They are formed from:

• L-Leucine
• L-Isoleucine
• L-Valine

These amino acids are essential because they cannot be synthesised by the body, therefore they must come from dietary sources. They can be consumed both pre and post workout.

ACCURACY

An often underrated element of fitness, accuracy is closely linked with focus and efficiency. Think about all your movement patterns and form for different exercises. The more effective you are and accurate your form is, the less energy you use and the less likely you are to injury yourself due to bad form. When this transfers across for longer WODs involving Snatch Ladders or high rep sets of Wall Balls for example, the importance of accuracy and efficiency is amplified. Anyone can do 10 Wall Balls with good form, but what about 100 or 200? Acute focus and accuracy on every rep can help to improve your times, and make you into a better athlete.

focus helps to improve accuracy, fos BCAA drink improves focus. This involves everything from being technically accurate with a lift or gymnastic exercise, right through to strategising WODs with a clear and focused mind. Accuracy of movement and form is vital for success.

HEALTHY AND NATURAL

Fructose

Quality healthy and natural ingredients are used, and extra vitamins are added. The amount of fructose is equal to that of isotonic drinks. Fructose results in a lower glucose rise in the blood compared to foods containing sucrose or glucose.

Vitamins

Alongside Niacin, Vitamin B1, folic acid, biotin and vitamin B12, it proves 100% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Helps Protection of cell constituents from oxidative damage that arise during training.

BCAA

Protein for muscle growth and recovery. Vegan amino acids.

Natural Caffeine

105 mg natural caffeine – derived from coffee beans and guarana for mental performance. Sustainable and natural.

A video posted by Nils Engelhardt (@nilscf) on Jul 9, 2016 at 12:04pm PDT

FUEL YOUR PERFORMANCE, TRAIN FOR SUCCESS

All good athletes know that in order to succeed, you need to create the right conditions for success, so fuel your mental and physical performances properly, and become a better athlete.

Try fos BCAA Focus Drink now

Train hard, compete with passion and recover properly © Focus Drink

Focus well and become a better athlete © Focus Drink

Integrity and accuracy of form is vital for long term success © Focus Drink

The post The Importance of Energy, Strength and Focus for Athletic Performance appeared first on BOXROX.

The bruises and purple dots that characterise this treatment have appeared on both athletes. Let’s see what this treatment actually involves, and how it could benefit you.

WHAT IS CUPPING? HOW DOES IT WORK?

“In the therapy, an acupuncturist soaks a cotton ball in alcohol and lights it on fire inside a glass cup. The Acupuncturist removes the flame, and quickly places the cup on a patient’s skin, creating a vacuum that draws up the skin tissue, says Mark Perido, an educator with the International Cupping Therapy Association.

When the skin seals the hot air in the vessel, the air inside begins to cool, causing the skin to contract. Advocates of cupping say it’s this stretching and contraction of the skin that makes cupping effective, since it increases blood flow. “Blood flow is the body’s way of naturally healing,” says Houman Danesh, M.D., an assistant professor of anesthesiology and rehabilitation medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital who frequently combines cupping with mainstream pain therapy techniques. “Increased blood flow can be beneficial to jumpstart or restart a blunted healing response.”[1]

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The practice of this treatment actually stretches far back into history. The ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Middle Eastern Civilizations used this healing method to stimulate blood flow.

“This therapy is a form of alternative medicine in which cups made from glass, bamboo, or earthenware are placed on the skin to create suction. Supporters of the technique believe the suction of the cups mobilizes blood flow, promoting the healing of a broad range of medical ailments, including muscle soreness. The therapy dates back to ancient Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures. According to many historical texts, the ancient Egyptians were using cupping therapy as early as 1,550 B.C.”[2]

BENEFITS OF CUPPING TREATMENT

“Cupping has numerous benefits — it can help remove toxins from the body and stimulate the flow of fresh blood, lymph, and Qi to the affected area and throughout the body. It often works wonders for patients with the flu, colds, coughs, back and muscle pain, poor circulation, anxiety, red itchy skin conditions (though cups are not applied to inflamed areas), allergies, fevers, aches and myriad other pains.

It is not exclusive to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Variations of this treatment were used by ancient Egyptians, North American Indians, early Greeks, and in other Asian and European countries. This method of therapy was recommended by Hippocrates, the man whom many consider to be the “Father of Modern Medicine,” in his guide to clinical treatment. “ [3]

JOSH BRIDGES: CUPPING IN CROSSFIT

Cupping is using by Crossfit athelete Josh Bridges, who won the California Regionals. He found this treatment very beneficial for recovery process. After its popularity has continued to take hold, do you think other Crossfitters will try this ancient way too?

Saturday Reminders 1. Never let @dan_bailey9 do your cupping. 2. Watch “Road to the Games 16.06: @BridgesJ3 / @BrookeEnce” games.crossfit.com or YouTube.com/CrossFit @heber_cannon @marzmedia @mariah.moore @ianwittenber #CrossFitGames

A video posted by bridgesj3 (@bridgesj3) on Jun 18, 2016 at 2:40pm PDT

[1] http://www.menshealth.com/health/what-is-cupping-therapy

[2] (http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/cupping-therapy)

[3] http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16791/3-reasons-everyone-should-try-cupping.html

The post Cupping: Recovery Method of Choice for Phelps and Bridges appeared first on BOXROX.

“I’ll be happy when I’m skinny”, “My life will be perfect when I lose this extra weight” How many times have you told yourself that? I know I have many times!

I was always obsessed with my weight growing up. I was never big or overweight (I couldn’t see that!) and I was obsessed with being thin. I figured if I lost a bit here or got rid of some there, I would be happy and my life would be perfect.

The reality was that trying to lose weight was awful. I wasn’t happy at all, it was stressful. When I lost weight, I was waiting for this magic wand to wave over me and my life would be perfect -guess what, it never happened!

LEARNING TO LOVE MY OWN BODY

It’s taken me almost a decade to really love my body, I have weightlifting to thank for that. When you realise the amazing things your body can do, you can’t help but love it! All those years of hating my legs because they weren’t slim like all the other girls, well now they have a purpose.

‘These strong legs can clean 80kg now and that really blows my mind. This can be the same for you, find something that makes you truly unique and show yourself some love!’

DON’T CHANGE FOR ANYONE ELSE

Please don’t waste time and energy trying to change who you are because you think you should look or act a certain way. I want you to do something for me – buy yourself a really nice journal and keep it beside your bed. Before you turn off the lights I want you to write down something great you did that day (it can be anything at all) and one thing you love about yourself!

Don’t get sucked into what society thinks of you, because I can tell you the next person is 100% worrying about themselves too. Don’t compare yourself to others, I’ve said it before – it’s ok to be inspired by people, but DON’T try become that person. We are all unique butterflies and that is an amazing thing, so embrace your individuality!

COMPETE AGAINST YOURSELF

There is only one person I compete with and nobody else! Stop focusing on others if you want to succeed because that’s a lot of good energy going to waste. There’s always going to be people better than you out there-learn from them and aim higher! There’s always going to be things you dislike-ignore them and move on! Everyone seems to have an opinion these days but that’s all it is, “your opinion” and not everyone wants to hear it! “Nothing will bring you greater peace than minding your own business” Excuse me I have some goals to smash!

If you ever want to talk about body image or you’re looking to find inner confidence, send me an email at primal piggy@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to talk to you. I’ve been there, I’ve suffered, but I overcame it and you can to!

Aimee training hard! © Primal Piggy

Fall in love with the process and have fun! © Primal Piggy

Aimee working hard © Primal Piggy

The post Love Yourself because Weight Loss is not a Destination appeared first on BOXROX.

Accessory exercises are a great compliment to any workout, and can be a powerful aid towards improving the more common lifts and exercises within the sport of fitness. Crossfit mainly consists of connected, full body movements, but there is nothing wrong with working on isolated exercises in order to improve your overall performances.

Just because you won’t see any of these movements in the Crossfit Open or any Competition (with the exception of the GHD Sit Ups) it does not mean that you shouldn’t be doing them. Out of many useful exercises, we picked 5 that will help you to improve.

ACCESSORY EXERCISES

1. BACK EXTENSIONS

Think about all the movements that demand your lower back and torso. Correct, there are a lot! Therefore, you can use Back Extensions not only as a part of your warm up routine, but also to strengthen your core and posterior chain.

Roll Ups

Weighted

2. GHD SIT UPS

Whilst we are on the subject of the GHD, why not tackle the other side? GHD Sit Ups are an awesome help to lengthen your hip flexors and get them ready for those squats. Of course they also strengthen your core, which will improve your physical abilities as your core is almost always used in every exercise and movement. From a Deadlift to a kipping movement on the bar, a stronger core will be nothing but an asset. Not to forget the welcome side effect of some ripped abs as well.

3. DUMBBELL BENT OVER ROWS

A strong back is a healthy back. Bent Over Rows are a good way to target muscles you are not using as much in your normal WODs , especially your rear delts. A bent forward posture can easily cause pain in all areas of your back. It emerges when your front is stronger than your back, if you do for example a lot of shoulder push work but nearly none out of the neck. Bent over rows will help you to pull your shoulders back in a neutral position and prevent pain.

A video posted by Björgvin K. Guðmundsson (@bk_gudmundsson) on Jul 3, 2016 at 11:54pm PDT

4. AIR SQUATS WITH RESISTANCE BANDS

A common fault with the air squat is when the knees “cave in” medially. This can be fixed by distributing the weight on the outside edges of the feet and pushing the knees outward. Driving the knees outward should be done by everyone but sometimes we need to exaggerate the outward driving of the knees with the aid of bands.

5. FRONT RACK ONE-LEG BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

This exercise has been around for ages, and for a good reason. You can build tons of strength and even flexibility in the hip flexors and quads without stressing the low back too much. We sit a lot, causing the hip flexors and quads to shorten. By placing the back foot on a bench, you actively stretch the hip flexors and quads one leg at a time. You can also load up this exercises quite a bit to improve overall lower-body strength and muscle growth.

These 5 accessory exercises will help you mix things up, target any weaknesses you may have, and strengthen different areas of your body in order to improve your overall performances.

The post 5 Accessory Exercises Every Crossfitter Should be Doing appeared first on BOXROX.

To constantly work on and improve your technique and proper form is an essential part of Crossfit. Learning proper exercise technique should be the starting point of every athlete’s fitness journey, and it’s one that never ends.

We all love the metallic thudding sound of a heavy loaded barbell when it hits the ground after a PR but if you push too hard without dedicating time and effort to technique and proper form, you will inevitably hit plateaus or injury before too long. By approaching training in a smarter way, you will be able to smash those weights for longer periods of time without having to worry about compressing your spinal discs, dislocating joints or burning out.

WHY PERFORMING EXERCISES WITH PROPER FORM IS SO IMPORTANT

1. AVOID INJURIES

Yes, I know, you’ve heard that SO many times before but it’s 100 % true. Exercises are created to target and strengthen specific muscle groups (and often your full body), provoking specific physiological adaptations in relation to your training.

Now, in order to train in the most efficient way, you must pay attention to your form. Doing a specific exercise with improper form can, and often does, lead to injury, keeping you out of your training for longer periods of time, depending on the seriousness of your injury. For example, take the Deadlift. In figure 1.1 we can see the difference between correct and incorrect form.

This exercise is a full body compound exercise involving many muscle groups, especially in the posterior chain.

Every beginner has done this exercise for the first time with rounded back for many reasons like bad intermuscular coordination, not being able to hold the desired position due to local fatigue, etc. But rounding your back during the Deadlift places huge stress on the spinal discs. Over a period of time you may compress them, and you want to avoid that.

2. GET THE MOST OUT OF EVERY EXERCISE

As we said earlier, exercises are generally created to target specific muscle groups. Doing each exercise with proper form makes sure that you make use of the full potential of your body. Proper form ensures that your body is stressed properly, and so it will respond and adapt in the best way possible. The result is that your strength, power and/or muscular endurance improves.

3. REACH YOUR GOALS FASTER

Let’s imagine that your current goal is hitting 200 kg on back squats for doubles. In the initial stages of learning the back squat the communication between your brain and muscles is at its highest. You begin with the process of motor learning. Motor learning is a very long process, but once you have learned the motor pathway of a certain exercise (correctly or incorrectly) it stays with you for a long period of time (just like learning how to ride a bike, you can never forget it). Now, let’s get back to that back squat goal. If you learn to execute this exercise the incorrect way, you are increasing the time needed to achieve your goal. Your form is bad; you waste a lot more energy on stabilization because your body is trying to protect you from getting injured. You’re making very little progress, your back hurts, and you’re wondering why is this happening to me. Well, this answer is simple- your form is incorrect!

Proper form places the muscles in perfect alignment, and from this position they’re able to generate the highest amount of force. Pure biomechanics!

4. USE PROPER FORM AND STOP WASTING ENERGY

Proper form places your body in its strongest position. Improper form causes your body to expend unnecessary energy to compensate for a weight moved through a less efficient range of motion.

Increase your efficiency by thinking and caring more about form rather than about ego.

5. BREATHE MORE EFFECTIVELY

Proper form allows you to breathe more efficiently during each exercise. Think about a heavy Squat Clean for example, having that weight too low down on your chest is not only dangerous for your wrists and arms (as they can be damaged by the extra stress of holding the bar in place) but if will also press down on you and constrict your breathing.

Improper form will place extra stress on the breathing organs, and you’ll struggle with your breath. This causes less oxygen to be inhaled, and less carbon dioxide to be exhaled. With this said, your cells won’t get the adequate amount of oxygen and you’ll fatigue a lot sooner.

As you can see, proper form during exercise is very important. There are a lot of things that can go wrong if you ignore this issue. This article should be reminder always to watch your form, and for you beginners, do not rush anything, learn how to perform the exercises, train smart, and watch how quickly you progress as a result.

Incorrect and correct Deadlift form © Bodyrock.tv

good form should never be overlooked © High Intensity Photography

Great form and aggressive execution: a deadly combination! © High intensity Photography

The post 5 Reasons why Proper Form is so Important appeared first on BOXROX.

Motivation is everything. But sometimes it’s really hard to be determined with what you really want or what you need to do. For me, it’s easy to do and finish something but starting it is always a challenge! So when it comes to the time to act, I need a little motivation. I have to motivate myself and convince my mind and body that they are ready to do it.

So here are a few tips from me to you, to help with your motivation. It doesn’t matter if that means placing well in your next competition, hitting a big new PR or making sure that you keep going to the 2 or 3 weekly classes that you have set for yourself as a target. Whatever your goals are, however big or small, they are YOUR goals, and that makes them important.

1. NEVER FORGET HOW GOOD EXERCISE IS FOR YOU

Whether you do crossfit, yoga, run, swim, box, play basketball, lift weights or anything else under the sun, you know that whatever you do, it will be good for you, for your health and for your body. When you take part in a sporting activity your body will release Endorphins, your muscles will work and you’ll start to feel great. Your mind will feel free. It’s striking just how good of a stress release exercise can be.

It’s such an amazing opportunity, right? You just have to stand up, get ready and go for it!

2. LOOK AT PHOTOS AND WATCH VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION

This one always inspires me. If I feel like I don’t have much motivation, I check out the photos of my favourite athletes working out and exercising. I also watch some videos on YouTube and that always motivates me in the end. Who do you watch for inspiration?

3. LISTEN TO YOUR MOOD BOOSTING MOTIVATIONAL JAM

“Music just like magic with sounds” It can make you feel sad, happy, unbroken, energetic or loving… So it’s a very effective and simple way to cheer yourself up.

They say that “Music is food for the soul”, maybe they should add sports in here too! There is a powerful connection between the two. So if you feel like a few beats to motivate yourself before you start your workout, or even while you train, you can listen to your favourite energetic playlist and pack your session full of great music and positive vibes.

4. DO IT FOR YOURSELF

All you need to know is, you are doing it for yourself, all yourself, by yourself. You want to be better, feel better and move better. You don’t have to that, if you don’t even like it or enjoy it.

If workout sessions are not your thing, you don’t want to go to the gym, box or whatever it is. If it’s turning into a torture for you, you don’t need to do that, at all. But don’t forget that you are doing this for yourself. Not for anyone else or anyone else’s approval, so have fun. Remember this sentence and try to motivate yourself. Because at the end of the day when you lie in bed about to fall asleep, the only person you have to justify anything to is yourself. You are in control of your own peace of mind.

5. LITTLE GOALS, LITTLE PRIZES

The goal and prize system is another great way to motivate yourself. The first step is simply to grab a pen and paper and write down your goals. And for each goal, you will reward yourself with a prize. If your goals will get bigger, the prizes will get bigger, too! For instance; dark chocolate and a healthy dairy free, sugar free, gluten free cupcake or even a sparkly hairband can make your day as a little prize! Or maybe you can buy your favorite sports shoes on your wishlist, (you were looking at them for ages after all).

But here is the thing: set your goal, make it true, make it happen and then reward yourself.

PS: Don’t fool yourself.

Looks like Crossfit athlete Sara Sigmunsdottir got her prize!  

6. SPORTS CLOTHES AND SHOES CAN MOTIVATE ANY GIRL, RIGHT?

New pair of sports shoes? Colourful, comfy leggings? T-shirt with a motivational quote? Which girl wouldn’t want them? Sports clothes and gear is always a great motivator when I need a push. I remember how happy I was when my father bought me a new pair of tennis shoes, which were the world’s former number 1 tennis player Ana Ivanovic’s shoes. That day I couldn’t wait to go to the court next morning to play tennis with my new shoes! Workout and sports gears are always a girl’s best friends. And it can be a fun bit of extra motivation when you need it!

7. FIND AN ENERGETIC WORKOUT BUDDY AND GREAT BOX MEMBERS

Another great way to motivate yourself is to find an energetic workout partner. If your best friends and you are following the same gym or box class then it’s wonderful! But otherwise, you can motivate them to come and join you. Or you can meet some people at your Box or Gym and make more sports friends! And you can schedule your workout together for the next time. It’s awesome to have a nice, talkative, energetic and outgoing workout bestie to go through WODs together, break PRs with and enjoy the ride together.

8. MOTIVATION: DON’T FORGET TO LOVE YOURSELF

Everything begins with you! With your self-respect, self-love and self-esteem. And you should consider these first. Loving yourself is the key to everything that makes your life more livable, fun and fulfilled. It maybe sounds like egoism but believe me it’s totally NOT!

If you start to love yourself, you will see that you’ll be capable of anything.

So let’s begin right now!

9. HEALTHY FOR LIFE: FIT FOR YOUR FUTURE

Just focus on your well-being. It’s a great way to escape from all the daily chaos, anxiety, stress, fast city life, rushing, problems and world issues for a couple of hours. Just listen to your mind and body.

Relax as much as you can. Give yourself “Me Time”. Be positive. Don’t overthink. Just let it go. Just open a new bright white page and write down all your best moments, achievements and memories that you have had so far.

And finally, don’t let anyone stop you. There are always people out there, who will say: “You can’t” but your answer should be “Really? So watch me”

“Champions are not the ones who always win – champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. ‘Champion’ is a state of mind. They are devoted. They compete to best themselves, as much if not more, than they compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes.”

© Crossfit Goals

© Camille Leblanc-Bazinet

© Tennil Reed

© Cupcake

© Chyna Cho

© Brooke Wells

© Alessandra Pichelli

© Kristin Holte

© Sheila Barden

© Katrin Davidsdottir

The post Motivation Tips for Female Crossfitters: Train Hard and Love Yourself appeared first on BOXROX.

When it comes to getting strong, people do a lot of fancy things, but there are already proven ways to get strong and dead stop exercises are one such tried and tested method. You may have noticed that the first rep of a Deadlift or Bench Press is always the hardest, and a hand release Push Up is way harder than a normal one. This is not because of exhaustion, but because you have no momentum or power from the eccentric movement phase. In other words you are generating all your force from a zero point. Movements that operate from this position are called “Dead Stop” exercises.

Focusing on this point can help you blast through even the most frustrating strength plateaus and get you on track to building muscle and getting stronger again. Pausing at the bottom makes the exercise significantly harder, which means you simply won’t be able to lift as much weight. That may sound like a bad thing, but it’s actually a positive. The lightened load means you’ll be able to support the weight more effectively and get used to being in that position during a lift.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE DEAD STOP EXERCISES IN YOUR TRAINING?

One benefit of Dead Stops is that they shut off the stretch reflex so that it doesn’t offer any assistance during the hardest phases of a lift or movement, this means that they provide a different and effective stimulus for your muscles. It’s just muscle against load – no assistance from the interference stretch reflex or any other efficiency hack. It provides you with an uncompromising assessment of muscular strength for that particular exercise. Dead Stop exercises help keep you honest, and clean up form without the need for a ton of extra cuing. They can help ease joint stress and pain, and allow you to perform certain exercises you might otherwise have to avoid.

For stronger lifters, it’s a way to achieve great effects with lighter loads, meaning you can burden the muscles with less stress on the joints.

ADDING DEAD STOP EXERCISES INTO YOUR TRAINING

Dead Stop and Deadlift… they must have something in common right? And indeed, Deadlifts are the most common exercise to perform with a dead stop.

7. DEADLIFT

Dead-stop Deadlifts allow your back to reset between reps. As mentioned above, lifts get substantially more difficult with the dead stop. Take a second to ensure that your spine is straight, your ribcage/chest is raised and the bar positioned over your shoe laces.

The post 7 Dead Stop Exercises to Develop Explosive Strength and Power appeared first on BOXROX.

Co-owner of the Box:

Dave Vonk

What makes you stand up each morning and want to run CrossFit Mobilis?

The people. They all know that you have to work hard to get results. They are willing to do just that.
The results. Nothing makes me happier then seeing people smile because they

achieve their goals. That could be a member’s first Double Under, or like yesterday, a first Bar Muscle Up for one of our athletes. That’s freaking awesome!

What’s a typical day for you?

Wake up, have an oatmeal breakfast. Drive my scooter to Mobilis CrossFit Buitenveldert or Amstel. Teach a class, after that I teach 1 or 2 personal training sessions. Then I teach a WOD again. In the afternoon I’ll train with one or two of the other coaches. Then it could be a wrap or I’ll teach the evening WOD’s as well.

What has been the hardest challenge to overcome whilst setting up and opening your Box?

To manage to keep the spirit in the box positive when I was not positive at all. After my motorbike accident the diagnosis was that there was a very very big chance I couldn’t walk again with both legs. One leg was pretty much ruined. But my leg and I managed to overcome all this and the box has become more inspired then ever. Everybody can improve. Doesn’t matter if you miss a leg or arm or whatever. Think positive #jijkandingen.

What piece of advice would you offer anyone else looking to open a Box of their own?

Start small. Improve your coaching skills. Try to be the best coach. And CARE about your clients. It’s NOT about you. It’s about them.

Do you hold competitions, how do you keep them unique and exciting?

We don’t. We do promote people to join a few local events. We try to keep them unique by creating the best possible atmosphere. How? by organizing a bbq or buffet kind of thing afterwards. And we participate in these workouts as coaches. So everybody sees that also we “die” in these workouts.

How do you cater to the individual needs and goals of your members?

We offer different classes including an open gym. From that they can choose what they prefer.  Besides that we promote people to get in an all round fitter shape then they were. After all, that’s what Crossfit is all about. Getting fitter then yesterday. Being healthier in daily life. To achieve that you also need to offer nutrition advice as well. We offer individual nutrition programs based on a member’s requirements to loose body fat, gain muscle, or just become healthier in general.

What makes your BOX unique?

Our people. #everybodyknowsyourname is a hashtag that we really mean. We really do know all our members.

Why the people? Because they achieve results by giving it all. They make the box what it is now. A fun place where you would like to be all day without having the idea that you “must” train because the doctor tells you “you should”. You are there because you want to train.

Describe your members in 3 words:

1. Unique
2. Social.
3. Teachable.

How did you get into Crossfit in the first place?

I saw a video about how the actors in the movie 300 trained. A guy that was being interviewed said something Crossfit. So I searched “what is Crossfit”. Then I read the best article ever made about fitness. Sold.

Favourite WOD?

A Cindy type of thing. But there are no favorites.

What are your plans for the next year and beyond?

Our goal is to run a solid second box. We want to expand our specialty WOD’s and to organize more inhouse events including bbqs etc. so we get to know our fellow CrossFit athletes.

TRAINING TIPS

Can you give us 3 tips on how to avoid injuries in Crossfit?

• Mechanics come first.
• Then make sure you are consistent with these correct mechanics before increasing your intensity.
• Master the broomstick first and start with the basics. You don’t need to back squat 120kg if your air squat still sucks.

What piece of advice would you offer to Crossfit beginners?

Scale (but that’s up to the coach), have fun, stick to it. Give it a try for at least 6 months. And track your results.

WOD in action © Mobilis CrossFit

Post WOD destruction © Mobilis CrossFit

The awesome layout and equipment © Mobilis CrossFit

The post CrossFit Mobilis: Coaching Excellence in Amsterdam appeared first on BOXROX.

21 year old Brooke Wells is the 6th fittest woman in the world, and an impressive and inspiring young Crossfitter.

6. CHALLENGE YOURSELF IN ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE

Brooke Wells competed in the CrossFit Games in 2015 and 2016 and won the Regionals in 2015. She is used to operating at a high level. But also in her free time she always tries to push her limits and challenge herself. Whether that is through skydiving, travelling, or in her academic life, Brooke applies what we all learn through Crossfit to all other areas of her life, and that transition of thought is something that we can all do. How has Crossfit and your training helped you in other aspects of your day to day life?

Warmed up for @competitorstraining with a 20min EMOM of Snatch + OHS with a pause at the bottom…. Because it’s “off-season” & sometimes you just wanna lift heavy Last two minutes shown at 195/200# •• @mbslingshot knee sleeves @nobullproject lifters #CrossFit #WhatIsMatching #AllTheDifferentColors

A video posted by Brooke Wells (@brookewellss) on Aug 12, 2016 at 3:51pm PDT

The post Brooke Wells: 6 Tips to Become A Better Crossfitter appeared first on BOXROX.

When it comes to muscle fatigue, whether it’s through Crossfit, Olympic weightlifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting or any other sport, if there’s one thing that all athlete’s can agree on, it’s the fact that after a grueling training session their muscles will require a great deal of care and attention and will feel incredibly sore and painful.

Physical exercise and exertion of any kind is exhausting, yet some people still try to push themselves too far without allowing themselves adequate time to rest and recover properly. Without rest and recovery muscles cannot repair themselves and grow stronger, and progress will not be as efficient as it could.

When we begin training, our muscles feel powerful, strong, and energized, yet as time goes by and we do more and more exercise, the muscles begin to feel weaker and a great deal more tired.

But what causes muscle fatigue, and how can it be avoided?

In reality, there are a number of factors that contribute towards muscle fatigue, yet the good news is that there are also a number of things you can do to help make life that little bit easier when dealing with muscle fatigue and soreness as well.

WHAT IS MUSCLE FATIGUE?

A decreased capacity to perform a maximum voluntary muscle action or a series of repetitive muscle actions. A fatigued muscle is unable to continue working even when the type of activity is changed.

Muscle fatigue can manifest itself in a variety of different ways, yet if you ignore the signs and symptoms, or if you don’t know what you’re looking for in the first place, well, in that instance, muscle fatigue can be very detrimental indeed.

WHAT CAUSES MUSCLE FATIGUE?

LACTIC ACID

Many people believe that lactic acid is solely responsible for muscle soreness and fatigue, but in actual fact, this is not the case at all.

When we exercise, and after exercising, we often experience feelings of pain and soreness in our muscles, which bodybuilders refer to as DOMS. DOMS, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, can vary in severity of pain, yet lactic acid is not solely responsible, though it does play a part.

Lactic acid is released as a by-product of physical exertion, where the body then breaks it down into lactate. When lactic acid becomes lactate, hydrogen ions are released into the body, allowing lactate to be used as energy. However, when the body has used all of the lactate it can handle, any remaining lactate will be stored in the muscles.

This leads to increased acidity levels in the muscles, which in turn causes muscle pain, soreness, spasms, and cramps.

DEFICIENCIES IN NUTRIENTS

 Another common cause of muscle fatigue and soreness, that people tend not to even consider, is a nutrient deficiency. In order for the muscles to function as they should, the body requires a number of essential minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes which it cannot produce naturally. Because of this, they need to come in the form of supplements and whole food sources and drinks.

If an athlete’s diet is lacking certain minerals and vitamins, they may unwillingly speed up the process of muscle fatigue during training. Potassium, calcium and magnesium for example are all very important when it comes to muscular health and function, yet if a person is deficient in even one of these minerals, their performance will suffer hugely as a result.

These minerals aid the following effects:

• Assist with muscle function
• Enhance circulation
• Increase blood cell production
• Keep acidity levels in the muscles under control
• Prevent excessive build-ups of lactic acid within the muscles

TIP: If a person is deficient in any mineral or vitamin, supplements could prove extremely useful, as well as changes in their diet to add in the nutrients they are missing.

ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION

 Another common cause of muscle fatigue and soreness is anaerobic respiration. In order for muscles to function and contract, they require energy, or rather, the cells that are the fabric of the muscles need energy, which comes in the form of oxygen.

When there is plenty of oxygen available, cellular respiration processes are referred to as aerobic respiration, yet when oxygen levels are poor, the cells breathe anaerobically, resulting in increased levels of lactic acid being produced as a waste product.

Put simply, if you exercise at a high intensity, you will quickly use up your oxygen levels, which will result in your cells respiring anaerobically. This will cause lactic acid to build up, resulting in it being converted into lactate, consequently your muscles will become far more acidic.

NOT WARMING UP PROPERLY

One of the most common causes of muscle soreness and fatigue is when an individual fails to stretch and warm up before they begin any form of physical activity. If you suddenly decide to jump directly into a strenuous and physically exerting workout, this can shock the muscles as they have suddenly switched from resting to being worked incredibly hard.

It’s the equivalent of you waking up in the morning, getting straight out of bed, and entering a 10K marathon right away. By gently warming your muscles up and stretching them, you are giving them a warning of what they are about to be put through, and you are allowing them to begin functioning much more efficiently. Additionally, this will increase blood flow and oxygen levels.

HOW TO RECOVER FROM MUSCLE FATIGUE:

GET ENOUGH REST

Rest days are incredibly important in regards to muscle fatigue and athletic performance, because when you are resting your muscles recover and repair themselves. As a rough rule, aim for 7 hours minimum of sleep a night. Most professional Crossfit athletes sleep between 8 – 10 hours.

WARM UP APPROPRIATELY AND TAKE TIME TO COOL DOWN

Before exercise it is crucially important that you take the time to stretch your muscles and to warm up. As a general rule, dynamic stretches before a WOD are useful, and longer extended sessions of static stretches should be kept for the end of your training. These are a great way to improve your flexibility and cool down after an intensive workout.

We looked at how failing to do so can result in muscle fatigue, soreness, and even injury, so make sure that you tailor your warm up in a way that is suitable and relevant for the exercises that you are about to perform.

Check out our guide to the perfect warm up (link) for an in depth account of how to create the most effective warm up in relation to the type of work out you are about to do.

MAKE USE OF HOT AND COLD THERAPY

If your muscles are sore and fatigued after exercise, experts recommend applying an ice pack to the affected area for a while, switching to a hot pack, and alternating for a couple of hours. Make sure you don’t apply ice directly onto the skin, and leave it on for no longer than fifteen minutes.

EAT ENOUGH CALORIES

Muscles require energy in order to function correctly, and they require energy and macronutrients such as protein, in order to repair themselves after strenuous activity.

If you are struggling to consume enough food after a training session, think of using a protein shake instead, as it is quick, easy, and will give you what you need. Supplements, however, are no substitute for good quality food, so make sure you consume plenty of fresh, wholesome, and healthy foods throughout the day.

We’ve all been there! © RX’d Photography

Train effectively, recover properly. © RX’d Photography

CrossFit Games winner Mat Fraser has incredible mental toughness, but he also trains smart and competes intelligently © RX’d Photography

The post What Causes Muscle Fatigue and How to Recover appeared first on BOXROX.

Grip strength is an undervalued area in Crossfit, even though it‘s an essential aspect of functional fitness. Almost every exercise can be improved with a vice like grip, and it is a large factor in helping you to achieve accuracy, control and technique.

For example, think of Deadlifts, Toes to Bar or Pull Ups. Weak grip strength will make you fall short of your full potential in all of these exercises. Especially in the Deadlift, it is often an athlete’s grip that fails long before the strength of the rest of their body.

GRIP STRENGTH IS HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL

In everyday life you constantly need strong grip strength, everytime you carry a bag or open a bottle for example. And by the way: a handshake with a good grip strength is impressive!

To strengthen your grip is very important, because it has a huge impact on your training! As well as helping you control and shift more weight, reach higher rep ranges on exercise such as Pull Ups and improve rope climbs, it will also help you avoid injuries and lower the risk for multiple injuries, for example tendinitis (inflammation, swelling and irritation of a tendon).

THE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRIP

1. Crush grip: the movement when you grip objects and close fingers against a resistance; it‘s used to give a handshake
2. Pinch grip: the fingers are one side while the thumb is on the other side of an object. It can be static or dynamic and is used to hold a plate between your fingers and the thumb
3. Support grip: you need this grip when you carry a bag or hold something for a longer time and when you do Deadlifts

The advantages of a strong grip are highly practical. Improving your grip will allow you to lift more weight when doing exercises with a pulling movement and you will be able to complete more repetitions unbroken.

5 EXERCISES TO IMPROVE YOUR GRIP STRENGTH

1. PLATE PINCHES

Take two plates that are flat on one side so you can hold them together. Start from the floor and pick them up as your stand up. Keep the elbows slightly bent as long as you can and put them back down. Start with light plates and use heavier ones as you start to progress.

2. KETTLEBELL SWINGS

Stand with your feed shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hold the kettlebell between your legs with both hands and swing it up, then let it swing back behind your legs. For an in-depth guide to the technique, check out our article on Kettlebells.

3. FARMERS WALK

Take two kettlebells or weights, one in each hand and walk across the room as long as you can. repeat over various different distances and gradually increase the weight.

4. TOWEL PULL-UP

Loop a towel around a pull-bar and a take an end in each hand, then do pull-ups as usual.

5. HAND GRIPPERS

They are easy to purchase online and come in various tensions. You can either perform repetitions by closing or try to hold it closed for as long as possible. Start with a lighter gripper first and use increased resistance to improve your strength.

HOOK GRIP

The hook grip is an essential part of weightlifting. If you don’t already use this, then start, and you will see your weights go up. Although it feels very odd at first, persevere, and in a matter of weeks it will become natural for you and your body.

• Hook Grip provides bar security through the range of motion for a lift.
• It prevents the bar from rolling in the hand.
• Hook Grip also reduces the risk of hand rips.

HOOK GRIP METHOD

The thumb is placed on the bar first and the top two fingers lock over the top. Both hands have to be in an over the top position. Make sure that the two fingers can lock around the thumb and that you get a good purchase on the bar.

In contrast to the alternating grip (on a Deadlift for example) your back position is more aligned and you are pulling symmetrically. The pressure is balanced between both arms and so the risk for an injury is lowered. This also reduces the risk over time of muscular imbalances that can develop through always using the same alternated supine and prone hand positions.

Especially at the beginning you should put tape around your thumb as protection for your skin, as it takes some time to get comfortable with the hook grip.

You can also slightly change the exercises you do in your usual workout to make your training more grip-intensive. Intensify your exercises over time but slowly so you don‘t overload the muscles. Always take care of the position of your wrist and start with fewer repetition until your grip has been significantly strengthened. Dead hangs with a loaded barbell are useful for this purpose, as are dead hangs from a Pull Up bar as well.

Hook grip technique © CrossFit Bloomfield

Plate pinches © Hooked on Iron

Farmers walk © Pinterest

The post 5 Important Exercises to Build Unstoppable Grip Strength appeared first on BOXROX.

Since first taking up CrossFit at Santa Clara University, San Jose native Jason Khalipa spent nearly a decade carving out and defending his territory at the top of the sport. In 2008, he earned the title of “Fittest Man on Earth” at the CrossFit Games. And unlike many of his competitors at that event, Jason remained a major force at the Games year after year, with six Top 10 finishes in all—including 2nd overall in 2013 and 3rd in 2014. A switch to the Team Competition in 2015 produced a first place finish at the California Regionals with Team NorCal CrossFit.

When not competing as an athlete, Khalipa has made a huge impact through his work as a CrossFit coach, ambassador, and box owner. He runs NorCal CrossFit as well as several other major facilities on the west coast. Jason is married to his high school sweetheart Ashley and they have two children, Ava and Kaden.

So how can Jason Khalipa help you to become a better Crossfitter?

1. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

Listening to Jason Khalipa talk about preparing for the CrossFit Games, it’s hard not to imagine he’s just describing the Hunger Games movies: “I know the Regionals happen in an arena, so there probably won’t be a swim. But for the Games, though they happen at the Home Depot Center, they’ll often take us off-site. So anything can happen there.”

The Games themselves are basically weaponized CrossFit workouts that the competitors don’t learn about until shortly before the event. You can end up rowing an actual boat, or doing circuits of long runs peppered with push-ups and pull-ups, or having to walk on your hands for 100 feet.

If the first event is a 10K, then of course a runner is going to win. But if you do one event after another, the specialized athlete eventually finds their weakness. If you’re great at something, you probably have a deficiency somewhere else. So you don’t want a four-minute mile—you want a five-minute mile and to be able to squat 500 pounds.

2. LOOK AT EVERYTHING IN LIFE AS AN AMRAP

“That’s the way I like to look at it. People who understand CrossFit, they think AMRAP—as many reps as possible. You’re in the middle of an AMRAP and your phone goes off. Are you going to answer it? Hell no. If I’m at work, answering e-mails or on calls, that’s what I’m doing. I’m not doing anything but [that]. If I’m home with my daughter, that’s what I’m doing. So, no: My phone is put aside and I’m AMRAP’ing it.”

That’s the advice Khalipa would give anyone trying to shoehorn serious training into a busy work/life schedule. It’s the same approach the former CrossFit champion is taking as he prepares for his competitions.

3. NUTRITION, NUTRITION, NUTRITION! ALWAYS LOOK AT WHAT YOU’RE EATING

Most of the time, when plateaus occur, it has to do with nutrition. When it comes to weight loss or weight gain, Khalipa tells people to start by looking at what they’re eating. In terms of fitness, however, most people just don’t plateau. CrossFit is so varied that you’re hitting the body in so many different ways that, generally speaking, people are always progressing.

Khalipa suggests Meat, vegetables and nuts. Really simple food. If it comes in a box and has a ton of different ingredients in it, he probably won’t be eating it.

He typically doesn’t eat huge meals, just moderate snacks. Throughout the day he tries to maintain a state of not really being hungry, and never feeling too full. Just satisfied. This way, he can work out throughout the day and it’s not a big deal. At night he eats a bigger dinner. In general, something more along the line of Paleo principles, mainly meat and a good blend of vegetables.

A typical day for Jason looks like this:

• Breakfast
• Scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes, avocado
• Coffee with whole milk, to cut down sugar
• Lunch
• Salad with grilled shrimp and balsamic dressing
• Dinner
• Fish tacos with almond-flour tortillas, brussels sprouts with bacon

4. DO MORE YOGA

“Instead of rushing through stretches after a workout when you’re not really focused, in yoga, you’re spending a full hour focusing on your breathing, your mobility and just relaxing. I’ll go once or twice a week, minimum.”

5 JASON KHALIPA: “USE LESS WEIGHT”

The guys at the CrossFit Games make Deadlifting 400 pounds look effortless. Why? Because they’ve done it a thousand times with a quarter of that weight.

“For any exercise, you have to first perfect your technique and movement, then increase the load.”

Sometimes going back to just the barbell for a set is the smartest thing you can do.

Jason Khalipa: Crossfit legend © Daily Burn

Jason Khalipa crossfit athlete snatching dumbbells © Jason Khalipa

Work hard in everything that you do © Greatist

The post 5 Crossfit Lessons to Learn from Jason Khalipa appeared first on BOXROX.

Can you give us a brief bio on your athletic background?

My first sport was soccer. That’s the one I really started to excel at. It was the 13th arrondissement team that my Father got me into and I was about 9 years old I think. It was a great team. I played in it for two years to a pretty high level. We ended up going to the National Championships and even the European Championships. That’s actually where I broke my foot. Then at about 12 and a half I switched to swimming and did that for a bit amongst various other sports. We were travelling around quite a lot and I was exposed to a lot of soccer, tennis, bodyweight movements, Jiu Jitsu. Then I came back to Paris and lifted weights for a while, before eventually finding MMA. And that’s when it really took off for me. But before that, there was a lot of state championship in various sports, but I could never stick with anything.

Why?

I rode everything on talent. And then there’s that moment when you have to start working at it. I didn’t really find my vocation. It was all fun…but there was always something missing. Sometimes you just do something that sticks with you and sometimes it doesn’t. Until I found MMA, I just kept trying lots of things in the pursuit of that missing thing. MMA…that was the one that stuck with me. That got inside my head.

How did you find your way into CrossFit?

A friend of mine from MMA said he was going to try it. He showed me some examples and although I found it interesting, I didn’t try it. Then I went to live in Brazil for a while. When I came back, CrossFit had blown up and everyone was following main site. So I tried the first workout, which was ‘Grace’ and from that point I thought it was awesome.

I remember it was 2005, the year I opened the gym and I did it at the local Golds Gym. I loved the intensity and how long after the workout I felt the effects. The entire day I was floored. I couldn’t believe that three minutes of work could have such a huge effect. After that I watched Greg Amundson do Fran and was so impressed that a guy could be so jacked and move like that. I tried the workout myself and whilst the weight was easy, I couldn’t do the pullups. I remember thinking “That guy makes the pull-ups look so easy. How is he generating that much intensity and I can’t? I must be doing something wrong!”…so that hooked me to learn more.

I realised that it was not about volume, but intensity and that’s what has always been really important to me…and also just the understanding of you being tough and knowing how to switch that on.

You have to train that ability. I’d always thought that intensity was about mental toughness. Like in Jiu Jitsu, if you can’t last a minute, you’re just mentally weak. Just suck it up. But no! You can’t reach that intensity without training for it. CrossFit taught me that.

Do you have any go-to exercises or movement drills that you use to identify muscular imbalances in your athletes?

No, nothing is that simple. I have a set of principles that allow me to see where the imbalances are hidden. I have a list of exercises that I have put up over years of experience in coaching normal and high level athletes; that allows me to see the imbalances. The point is not the exercises themselves, but the fact they allow me to put the athlete in certain positions where their imbalances will show. They just help to show me where the problem starts. Each exercise is carried out in a specific order so that they pre-fatigue certain muscles groups, allowing me to see if others are working or not.

Are there any common areas that athletes tend to be deficient in?

If we’re talking about CrossFit, then yes there are certain patterns that they are avoiding, but that’s because of the programming. If we’re talking about athletes in general (and this is a problem in common to all athletes), it’s that everybody is so preoccupied with performance. There are two biological phenomenon that matter, hormesis and homeostasis.

Hormesis is favourable response to stress and homeostasis is the body seeking to gain balance. All the programs out there are based on hormesis; how am I going to create the right amount of stress to elicit the response that I want.

That’s great. But that always leads us to concentrate on the activity that the athlete is doing. Because of this, you focus on one particular area and so lose balance. The second you lose balance, the body will push back and sometimes it will push excessively hard. So by only looking at programs that make you better at that one sport; that one activity only, you put the body in a position where it is going to be unbalanced.

Most athletes develop problems because they focus on programmes that give them results in a specific areas, but longer term it will always lead to injuries, or at least getting stuck because they don’t take into account evolution and how the body actually works. So the problem is more the way that the athlete looks at training, rather than the training itself. Secondary to this, for CrossFit specifically, the main problem I see is lats and hammies. The certain planes of movement that CrossFit tends to work within, lead athletes toward imbalances in theses areas.

What Strongman exercises would you recommend for Crossfitters?

I wouldn’t. First of all I’m not a Strongman coach. I do Strongman myself because I like competing in it, but I am not a coach of it. I have just taken Strongman movements and have adapted them to fit what I do. For example I use the rope pull with Crossfitters, but it’s not a seated pull like in Strongman. I have the athlete standing up, with their body parallel to the ground and pulling a weighted object with the arms (and not using their hips too much), so that I can activate the lats. So, the rope pull is my favourite one and after that would be the overhead yoke carry, which is not something you’ll ever see at ‘The Worlds Strongest Man’. It’s a modification of a yoke carry because going overhead like that helps me to target the lats and see imbalances in one shoulder versus the other.

What three words do you think your athletes would use to describe you?

Crazy…mean…and smart. I think that’s what they would call me. I’d rather people see me as a humanist though. But my athletes definitely think I’m crazy.

If you could programme one event for next years CrossFit Games, what would it be?

I would like a test of pure grit, so I think I’d make them do overhead carry and a run; which is a modification of a previous CrossFit Games workout. I just think breathing after the overhead carry would be so much harder and make that workout way better. I would love to see something like a sandbag carry for max distance, because you would see people struggle so bad. Or a workout with the sandbag where you’re not allowed to drop it. That would destroy everybody. I’d make them do ‘Helen’ with a sandbag for example, but the run would be with a sandbag that you cannot drop. If you drop it, you have to right back to the start. Something like that. That would kill everyone!

What is it that makes Invictus so unique?

CJ Martin is what makes that box unique. That’s all. He is the reason why Invictus is Invictus. He created a training environment that’s second to none and the reason for that, is that the mental aspect of the game is so important to him. There are plenty of gyms where they kill you and their athletes train really hard, but with Invictus, you see the same mental toughness skills being taught to the regular people, right through to their elite athletes. None of the regular people in his classes are allowed to say “I suck”, to give up, to close their eyes or act defeated. They promote positivity and postures of success in everything they do.

You’re not allowed to give up or run away from the pain. You have to embrace it. You should be proud of what you’re achieving.

He promotes this in every single person that trains there. That’s the Invictus mindset; from the top athletes, to the coaches and the everyday people. It’s a culture of success and that comes directly from CJ. I’ve always believed in the power of the mind and mental intensity; but to see someone apply it, consistently in an entire gym of 600 people…that’s super impressive.

You’re on your European tour right now. How do you see the US and Europe CrossFit scenes differing?

What’s really great to see is that there is such a desire to learn in Europe. Smart people. All the coaches are dedicated and overall, well-educated people. And there is an energy toward CrossFit, almost like a juvenile energy because people haven’t been jaded by CrossFit here. It still feels young in Europe and the enthusiasm for it is awesome. That makes it super enjoyable to work with this crowd. The downside is that they don’t understand CrossFit. They got into it at that phase when the Hero workouts were most popular, so there is a culture of volume over intensity.

This is something I am going to change as much as I can. They need to understand the intensity required in the training, so that instead of blasting up the volume, they need to reduce that and go harder. As Tommy Hackenbruck said

“Don’t make your workouts harder. Go harder in your workouts.”

The original workouts…most were under ten minutes and were all about intensity. If you can do Helen and be able to walk away at the end of it, you’re not doing it right. And the problem isn’t the workout, it’s you. So, I don’t think it’s that the athletes here are soft, it’s that they misunderstand what CrossFit is. They look at the Games, rather than the original training methodology and that’s because they entered into CrossFit when it was much further down the timeline.

For example, if you play chess, don’t study the hyper modern school of chess, because that is not chess. Study the 18th and 19th century masters, when they started with the gambits and sacrifices. Be a student of the game. Look at the history of the sport from its inception. Look at its evolution. You need to understand the culture of the thing. So I feel like in Europe, they need to go back to the beginning and learn what intensity is first.

If there is one piece of advice you would offer to someone who is starting their journey into CrossFit, what would it be?

It’s the Ralph Emerson quote…

“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble”.

First you must understand the principles that everything is based upon. Then you can make up your own methods. So don’t buy into or follow blindly a programme that you do not understand. Don’t accept spoon-feeding. Go learn how to fish instead of asking for a fish. And understand what bullshit is. It doesn’t take a PHD to realise what makes sense and what doesn’t.

Study the principles that things are made from and then define your own methods. The only person who really knows what is happening with your own body is you. You’re the one receiving the feedback from it. A coach should just be giving you guidelines. So, the overall message is own your training.

Julien working to correct muscular imbalances and movement patterns © Charlotte Miles

Julien’s seminar at CrossFit Nurnberg © Charlotte Miles

Mean, crazy and smart © Charlotte Miles

Julien coaching © Charlotte Miles

Correcting movement © Charlotte Miles

The post Julien Pineau: Strength, Muscular Imbalance & Intensity in Crossfit appeared first on BOXROX.

Powerful core strength will benefit all your functional movements, help prevent injury and improve your lifts and performances. If you neglect your core, you will create huge weaknesses for yourself, and become more susceptible to injury and poor movement patterns.

WHAT IS YOUR CORE?

The core is the group of interlinked muscles that make up the trunk of your body and keep your spine in place. These deeper Muscles include your transverse abdominals, multifidus, diaphragm, pelvic floor and internal abdominal obliques.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

Put simply, your core is the base for almost all the functional movements you will ever perform. It allows you to:

• Stabilise movement
• Transfer and control force throughout your body
• Protect your spine
• Support your other limbs

The collection of muscles that make up this trunk of your body help to control and transform the force that you create into the movements you want to perform. From throwing a stone into a lake, picking up vegetables from the bottom of the fridge, or hitting a new Deadlift PR, core stability and strength is vital for enabling you to complete a huge array of activities.

HOW YOUR CORE CONTROLS MOVEMENT

Your core provides functional movement across all three planes of motion:

The Sagittal Plane – This divides the body into two halves and weight and movement are transferred up and down along a straight line. Think Thrusters, Squats and Cleans

The Coronal Plane – Here the plane divides the body into front and back and includes all sideways movements. Lateral lunges are a good example of this.

Transverse Plain – Movements along this plane split the body into a top and bottom half. Russian Twists are an exercise that moves along the Transverse Plain.

Your core stabilises and controls all your movement, so think now about a WOD involving heavy Squat Cleans, Handstand walks and legless rope climbs. Each of these exercises requires your core to stabilise and control your body in a different way, and will test its functional capability.

PERFORMING WITHOUT INJURY

Developing a strong core is an incredibly effective measure for preventing you from getting hurt. Athletes with higher core stability have a lower risk of injury, as they are able to operate with strong and controlled movement patterns. When a powerful core is combined with the results of dedicated mobility and strength work, then you start looking at the foundations of a very well rounded athlete.

Understanding this also helps to create a mentality that looks towards long term health. A strong core will not only make you a better athlete now, but will help reduce the risk of injury in the future as well. Working with equipment that naturally supports and augments your movements, such as Rehband Knee Sleeves, is another way to help promote longevity and good form.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORE AND 6 PACK

On a purely aesthetic level, a 6 pack is a combination of good nutrition and well developed rectus abdominis muscles. These are exterior muscles, visible once a person’s body fat percentage becomes low enough. It is fully possible to have a well developed 6 pack yet still have a weak core.

If you work hard on your core, and maintain a strict nutritional plan, then a 6 pack will develop as an ancillary bonus, a side product and a result of the work that you put in. Crossfit® places functionality first, so as you develop the strength of your core and the effectiveness of your movements, you also train the external muscles such as the external obliques and the rectus abdominis.

EXERCISES THAT FORGE ROCK SOLID CORE STRENGTH

So what do you need to do and which exercises should you add into your programming to create incredible core strength?

1. FULL BODY COMPOUND LIFTS

DEADLIFT

When it comes to core exercises, you cannot go wrong with the Deadlift. It requires absolute stability and taxes your ability to generate and control enough force to shift a large amount of weight – probably more than you can move with any other lift. It does not isolate any particular area within the core, instead stressing your whole body in a highly functional way.

Look at the 20016 CrossFit® Regionals, Event 5 was called ‘Corediac Arrest’, and it involved both heavy Deadlifts and GHD Sit Ups, a huge test for the core strength of the Athletes. The programming for the event placed the Deadlifts right at the end of the WOD, to make them even more difficult, and you could see this from the pain and determination etched into the faces of the athletes as they powered through them and completed the workout. Back supports are also exceptionally useful to support your movement and form during this exercise.

SQUAT

In a similar way to the Deadlift, you cannot Squat well without a tight core. Stability is absolutely essential so that you don’t crumple into poor form when faced with heavier weights. Your core has to stabilise your spine and keep it in a neutral position throughout the full range of motion, from top to bottom. Exposing the group of muscles that make up your core to this kind of pressure forces them to strengthen and develop.

The Deadlift and the Squat will both fortify your core in a way that will be extremely helpful for you during other lifts such as the Snatch, Overhead Squat or Split Jerk, as all 3 of these also require significant core strength to perform well.

2. CORE EXRECISES

These exercises will all target and work your core and lower back in unique ways

• L Sits
• GHD Sit Ups
• Planks and Side Planks
• Toes to Bar
• Good Mornings
• Back Extensions
• Handstand Holds
• Russian Twists
• D-Ball Cleans

You will probably already have experience with some or all of these exercises, so I’m sure you will be familiar with how they test your body during WODs, and how they feel. By combining them with the heavy compound lifts, you will be able to attack your core and uncover any weaknesses that may be present.

Try this WOD for your core.

• 10 minute AMRAP
• 25 GHD Sit Ups (Scale with Sit Ups)
• 15 Toes to Bar (Scale with Knees to Bar
• 8 Deadlifts at 60% of your 1RM
• Once the 10 minutes is up, hold a plank for as long as you can, then add the number of seconds to your total score.

Let us know how you get on!

THINK TRUNK NOT 6 PACK: YOUR IRON CORE

One traditional mistake that is often made when ‘core strength work’ is undertaken is to confuse the core with the abs (the rectus abdominis). Functional movements are sometimes overlooked in favour of endless, isolated crunches. Where CrossFit® is so effective is that it makes constant use of functional movements and does not spend much time with exercises that try to isolate one particular part of the body. The core, like the human body, is a complex interconnected system, and by training it through a variety of functional exercises, under differing loads and conditions, you will become stronger, move well, prevent injury in the long run and improve your ability to control and generate force and power.

Enable your full potential now!

A well developed core will help you to enable your full potential © Rehband

Deadlifts are great for fortifying your core © Rehband

A powerful core can help prevent injury all through your life © Rehband

Your core is vital for supporting all your movements © Rehband

The core muscles © fitdocs

The post Think Trunk not 6 Pack: How to Forge Rock Hard Core Strength appeared first on BOXROX.

1. USE ACCESSORY EXERCISES TO SUPPORT MAJOR LIFTS AND MOVEMENTS

Accessory exercises are the perfect supplement to major compound lifts and common exercises. They force your body to adapt to a less familiar stimulus, and grow and develop as a result…

Cocoons, Russian Twists and Situps (all with plates) will strengthen your core and significantly help you to control weights through the full range of motion during other exercises. Stronger rectus abdominis, obliques, intercostals and serratus muscles will improve your stability, lifts and reduce the risk of injury during training.

Weighted Dips are perfect for developing your upper body strength, especially in your lower chest, shoulders and triceps. As an accessory exercise, they will also have a direct and positive impact on your ring and bar Muscle Ups as well.

Weighted Pull Ups are a simple and highly functional movement. Keep these strict and complete the full range of motion by ending each rep with a dead hang pause for a second. This will force your traps, delts, teres major and minor and arms to work hard and not rely on any kind of momentum to power the movement.

Sumo Pulls are an excellent way to build explosive power. Snatch Pulls can also be effective in helping you to improve your ability to generate speed and force in specific parts of the general range of motion for the full Snatch lift.

2. GET BACK TO BASICS: RELEARN AND IMPROVE

Breaking an exercise down and attacking it from the bottom up is an excellent way to improve the general form and efficiency of your technique. Try getting back to the basics and examine the way you move and lift in detail.

Filming your workouts and lifts is a perfect way to be objective about your technique. It is important to remember a simple truth about exercises in functional fitness:  we can always improve our technique.

Take a look at top Olympic weightlifters for example. They dedicate their entire lives to performing two lifts, the Snatch and Clean and Jerk. All their accessory work, mobility, stretching and training is done to support these exercises. Years of work and hours in the gym is dedicated to a series of short moments when they perform these exercises in front of the cameras, judges and crowds during competitions.

Stripping your technique back down to zero and re-analysing everything can be a huge shock to the ego! Carrying out an honest reassessment of all aspects of an exercise, from your feet position right through to the bar path, highlights previously unseen problems. By accepting these issues, fixing them and moving forward, you will develop a training attitude that constantly supports personal success and development. This is an excellent mentality for accepting that training plateaus will occur, but that you are strong-willed enough to smash through them.

3. ANALYSE AND IMPROVE YOUR FLEXIBILITY AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS

Analysing your own movement patterns to see where you can become more efficient is a great way to improve. Additionally, finish your sessions with regular flexibility work. This will help you to achieve maximum range of motion more easily during exercises within your workouts. Freeletics Gym provides full-body stretching and mobility routines to undertake before and at the end of your workouts.

Slow the movement right down

This technique is a great way to identify weaknesses and find positions that are difficult due to personal physiology or areas of flexibility that need to be improved. Try the following exercise:

• Perform a Pistol Squat in super slow motion.
• Take 10 seconds to lower yourself and 10 to rise back up again.
• Do this on both legs.

If you can complete this successfully then you have a decent range of motion. Use this exercise to show to yourself which points during the movement feel the hardest to control and balance. Any problems are much more likely to be caused from a lack of mobility, rather than insufficient strength, and can be remedied through working on ankle and hip flexibility.

4. SMASH TRAINING PLATEAUS: CONCENTRATE ON THE OVERALL PROCESS

Take time to focus on the long term goals and concentrate on enjoying your training, instead of fixating on a single lift or time.

If you have hit a plateau for a certain lift, say a Squat Clean or Strict Press, then put it out of your mind for a month or longer and continue training. Use accessory exercises to supplement your development and take on workouts that will strengthen your abilities in the relevant areas. A conditioning workout such as NANNA from Freeletics Gym is a strong example of this practice in effect, as it targets similar movements to the lifts that you are looking to progress in.

NANNA

• 4 rounds for time
• 10 Push Press
• 10 Front Squat
• 10 Bent Over Rows

When you return to testing your 1 rep max, you may be surprised at how well you manage to smash the ceiling that you were previously struggling to break through.

It is important to have goals, but it is even more important to understand them in the wider context of your overall training. Consistency is the key.

5. DON’T STICK TO YOUR STRENGTHS

It is human nature to want to stick to our strengths. We are all naturally better at certain exercises than others. Our athletic backgrounds also play a role in determining what we are more or less pre-determined to succeed at. An athlete that comes from a triathlon background will most likely favour longer, more endurance-based workouts in functional fitness and need to dedicate more time to weightlifting, strength and power in their training. Another individual with a powerlifting background may find that the opposite is the case for them.

When you start hitting the natural plateaus of your strength, cardiovascular ability or other physiological limits, personalising your training will help you to attack and break through them in the most intelligent way possible.

With Freeletics Gym you can choose to have your training programmed for you based on the specific goals you want to achieve. The full body training programme is broad enough to ensure that no single area of your fitness is overlooked, yet focused enough to target personalised goals through the workouts and sessions. It helps you to implement all the points in this article, break through training plateaus and take you beyond your current training horizons.

Take the following conditioning workout for example. It will burn fat, build strength and develop power and resilience in your lower body. Overall you will complete 300 reps and, when performed with intensity, it becomes a grueling test of your physical and mental capabilities. This workout will also indirectly help you to improve your Squat and Deadlift as well.

SOL

• 5 rounds for time
• Reps of each exercise per round (20/16/12/8/4)
• 20 Lunges
• 20 Deadlifts
• 20 Front Squats

Ask yourself why do you train? Is it because you want to develop strength and conditioning, endurance, challenge yourself, lose weight, feel healthier, look better or simply because you enjoy it? For any one (or combination) of these reasons, the points in this article will help you to improve and develop as an athlete, and to move past any training plateaus that may hold you back!

Improve my training now.

Become your strongest self © Freeletics

Analyse your form and the way you move © Freeletics

Full effort is full victory © Freeletics

The post Become your Best Self: 5 Ways to Smash through Training Plateaus appeared first on BOXROX.

On the 24th and 25th of September 2016, for the second time on the Canary Islands, Tenerife Top Training will host the “CANARIAS GONE BAD Throwdown”, which brings together International Crossfit Athletes to compete for prize money in total of 5000€.

Canarias Gone Bad is a concept formed by CrossFit Survive & Tenerife Top Training. All have been involved in the sport of fitness from the very beginning and so the idea was to create the reference competition on the Canary Islands.

The event venue Tenerife Top Training is one of the most modern training centers in the world and is the home of CrossFit Survive Top Training! The setting and location are on the beautiful south shore of Tenerife, and the venue size and professionalism of the training centre and the box are outstanding!

You can find more info on their website.

CANARIAS GONE BAD THROWDOWN 2106: CATEGORIES

This year’s edition will be divided into different categories.

The unique two day competition will be run in teams of two.

Categories:

• RX Female
• RX Male
• ELITE RX Female
• ELITE RX Male

Program:

Day1 features 3 x WOD

Day2 features 2 x WOD!

Please do not hesitate to contact if questions or queries occur. Contact email: Gregor@tenerifetoptraining.com. Or Register now.

PRIZE MONEY

CANARIAS GONE BAD offers a total of 5000€ prize money!

EVENT DETAILS AND SCHEDULE

Saturday 24. September

• 08:00 – 09:00 Registration
• 09:30 – 10:15 Briefing
• 12:00            WOD I
• 17:00            WOD II
• 19:00            WOD III

Sunday 25. September

• 09:00            Help Desk open
• 11:00            WOD IV
• 15:00            WOD V
• 17:00            AWARD Ceremony/ Entrega de PREMIOS

WHEN

Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 12:00 PM – Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 5:00 PM (WEST)

WHERE

Tenerife Top Training – s/n Avenida de los Acantilados, 38679 La Caleta de Adeje

Register now!

The post Canarias Gone Bad Throwdown 2016: Crossfit in the Canary Islands! appeared first on BOXROX.

Any decent strength and conditioning program will improve your lifts in the core barbell movements such as the squat, bench press, overhead press and deadlift. As an athlete, it’s important to build both raw strength at low repetitions, and muscular endurance with lower weights through sets of higher repetitions. It can be difficult to mix both together. There is where EMOM workouts come into play as a dynamic solution to compliment and align the two.

RAW POWER AND MUSCULAR ENDURANCE

In order to become an accomplished all-round Crossfitter, or athlete in general, you need to have a solid base in the compound barbell lifts (listed above). Even if you’re not aiming to compete at powerlifting, or build significant amounts of muscle, it’s essential that you have a decent strength base in these lifts. The strength you develop will transfer over to all other exercises that you do.

LINEAR PROGRESSION

The most common and effective way to get stronger at these lifts is by performing low reps of sets of heavy weights in some kind of linear progression. Put simply, linear progression is where you increase the weight you lift in small increments every week until you can no longer complete all your reps on that weight. For most beginners, this is the fastest and most effective way of increasing your barbell lifts. The rep ranges (depending on your program) generally vary from 1-5 with 5 sets of 5 reps being a common example (think also of Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Program for example, structured into 3 sets of 5 reps).

Whilst this is a great way to increase your strength and I highly recommend it, it does not necessarily transfer over into endurance for when you need to hit high reps during a WOD. Furthermore, when the lift is very heavy, it can be difficult to lift it with the velocity needed for explosive power. If you only lift heavy, it may make it harder to develop the explosive power and speed that is needed for ALL compound lifts.

This is where the EMOM (every minute on the minute) workout structure can play an important part. EMOM is where you complete a lift every minute on the minute for a set time, usually with a set weight. The reps, weight and time vary from EMOM to EMOM.

The EMOM is a dynamic effort lift and is extremely effective at building both strength and endurance, and will sure to become one of the more challenging types of lifting you do.

EMOM STRENGTH WORKOUT

In order to benefit most from EMOM training in a strength cycle, it’s best done after you do your low repetition, high weight strength work. Drop the weight to 60% of your max of the day (the maximum weight you hit during that workout) and do 4 reps every minute for 10 minutes.

It is vital that you focus on form and speed. This is a dynamic lift and is meant to be done explosively. This should be difficult however you should not be failing on EMOMs. If you’re failing, then drop the weight until you can manage all 10 sets in good form.

As you get stronger, you can change the times and weight of your EMOMs. Try the following:

• 4 reps every minute for 10 minutes at 60%.
• 3 reps every minute for 12 minutes at 70%.
• 2 reps every minute for 15 minutes at 80%.

Whilst you have probably encountered the EMOM before in WODs with a variety of exercises, reps and sometimes different exercises on odd and even minutes, this EMOM is to be used after your strength session on the same exercise. It works as a supplement to complement your strength training and build endurance, speed and explosive power.

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RECOVERY

As with any strength and conditioning cycle, it’s good to take a deload week. When you take a deload week is very individual. Some athletes can go 12 weeks straight without one, whereas other lifters may want to have one every four weeks. Your body will normally tell you when it’s time.

A deload weeks gives your body time to both recover, and build new muscle in order to ensure that when you come back, you come back stronger and fitter than before. It’s essential that you don’t completely stop lifting during your deload week. It’s best to do the same workouts you have been doing within your programming, however at 50-60% of the weight.

USING EMOM WORKOUTS FOR STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

It’s important to build a strong base in the main barbell lifts in order to become an all-round athlete. One way of complementing the standard progressive overload model is to add in an EMOM after the strength session to build speed, power, explosiveness and strength endurance. You must however ensure that you give your body some recovery time every few weeks, else you will not progress as well as you could, and you will not maximise your strength gains.

The post How to Use EMOM Workouts for Strength and Conditioning Training appeared first on BOXROX.

I’ll never forget that time when Agneta joined my former box in the Netherlands. Agneta (of course that isn’t her real name but at least she is also from Sweden) was going to globo gyms before and wanted to try this CrossFit-thing now. She is a really huge girl – one of those persons who grow muscles from carrying grocery bags. So I thought: ‘Yeah, she might have a high Deadlift and just do well when it’s all about raw strength. But the real deal lies in the technical stuff and she’ll struggle with that.’ But then she snatched more than my 1RM for reps in her very first session.

So I assumed, at least, as big as she is, she would suck in gymnastics. But then she performed all the movements in strict and perfect looking kipping versions and got amazing Double unders within 2 weeks. Agneta also runs long distances way below a 5min/km pace and is as flexible as a ballet dancer. Needless to say, she also comes with a mindset that makes her go unbroken even through the creepiest workouts with an incredible pace.

I’m sure there is an Agneta in your box as well. Those blessed One in a Million-persons who show us our own borders even clearer. And yes, it is neither negativity nor an excuse to say that talent is an important parameter for the way to outstanding performance. But still, I know that I could (and should) be on a much higher level after almost 3 years of CrossFit. If only I had discovered a lot of things earlier … so if I had to send a letter to my Past-Me, I can think about a few points I’d like to tell that Twenty-Something from those days.

1. DO MORE THAN JUST THE CLASSES

For saying this, I apologize to Greg Glasman. His idea of turning every training session into a little competition and let people push each other in a small group-setting has and always will be the heart of CrossFit. It is what creates awesomeness in a physical and mental way. I also apologize to all the coaches out there who put so much effort into programming and teaching classes.

But: By only leaving it to a 1-hour-training a few times a week, you will build up to an above-average fitness level, that’s for sure. But you won’t become a competitive athlete, unless you are outstandingly gifted. Butterflies or Muscle-ups don’t come from practicing it every other month in the 20-minute skill-part. Impressive numbers in the lifts require weightlifting specific plans and so on.

So when I started CrossFit, I did classes only and still this is my biggest joy of all! However, after months and months of showing up in the box, I still couldn’t do any workout RX. The jumps in my performance only came with putting in the extra work – staying a while after the class practicing my HSPUs, showing up early and making use of every Open Gym-hour that’s available.

2. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

I started CrossFit because I was looking for something competitive and varied (and, to be very honest, because I admired the bodies of the female athletes so much). I loved learning new skills and focused a lot on the gymnastics. However, anything that contained a barbell held the stepchild position in my attention. So when we should do a lift on XX% of our 1RM, I just could choose a random weight because I was never keen about testing anything. Needless to say, I never hit the right intensity or stimulus. Today I know all my numbers, so I always have a reference point to do an actual productive training. Which leads me to the next point.

3. FOLLOW A PROPER PROGRAM AND STICK TO IT

Again: I don’t want to say the GPP-programming boxes create doesn’t work at all. Also, most boxes I’ve been a member at implement common strength programs such as Wendler, Starting Strength etc. already. The problem lies on the member’s side: Since our lives and duties outside of the box don’t follow the structure our coaches had in mind, it mostly works better to settle an additional plan and follow it strictly – and with a patience that survives several months!

4. CROSSFIT TRAINING: DON’T ALWAYS GO ALL OUT

CrossFit advertises itself as the hardest training method in the world, even using a puking clown as a mascot. So as a beginner I was trapped in the thought that you have to destroy yourself in every single WOD to get the maximum benefit out of it. Combined with the fact that I attempted workouts 6 times a week, I did everything I could to prevent any strength gain. I think my body was very busy only with repairing the biggest damages.

Still I believe that sometimes you have to enter the Red Zone, because the mental toughness needs to be trained like a muscle. But this shouldn’t be the permanent approach. Especially if you are already sore or tired, giving 70 to 80% is still a lot.

5. ACCEPT THAT THERE IS NOT SPACE FOR EVERYTHING

Besides the pressure of going crazy on every training session, there’s another “problem” that comes with CrossFit: There is always a ton of stuff to do, and whenever you got a new skill, there’s the next already waiting to be mastered. Since the sport is relatively new and fast developing, that fact is faced even by Games athlete.

It took me a while to realize and I used to put so much extra-work in my routine that got me totally lost. There was a time I spent hours just on Turkish Get up because I read it is good for shoulder stability. Then I’ve heard that the CrossFit-Training causes upper body imbalances that can only be cured by a lot of rowing movements so I did Pendlay rows almost every day. Same for Box Step ups (good for the VMO which is important for a high Split Jerk), fat grip exercises, single leg exercises … in the end I sacrificed even sleep and recovery to work only on accessories. Today I focus on structured plans with a work load I can withstand, and trust in the fact that it is all about synergies and everything makes you stronger in everything.

6. VIDEO YOUR LIFTS

I always thought I would look like Lu Xiaojun doing the snatch – until I saw myself on the GoPro-Clip. Your self-perception is such a liar, it could work for a boulevard magazine.

7. WORK ON YOUR MOBILITY!

I always wanted to step into the gym and start sweating immediately. All this stretching seemed like a waste of time to me. It was not only from the first shoulder issues, but also the realization that better mobility could really improve my lifts, that brought me deep into the topic. Today I really love just to deal with my body and make it as supple and optimized as nature wanted it to be, before I became a part of the “Sitting World”.

Anyway: If really I could meet that girl from 3 years ago, I wouldn’t be mad with her at all (even though I was angry for a very long time). I’d never say that I wasted even a second anymore. Because there’s no such thing like a mistake – only finding out how not to do it. And it was an often frustrating, but all in all, a very fun journey so far. I can’t wait to continue it!

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