EMOM Workouts are tough, and the acronym stands for: Every Minute On the Minute. You have one minute to do the recommended exercise(s), then pause for the remaining time. The faster you work, the longer you pause. But the faster you work, the longer you will need to pause.
It might look easy on the wod board, but in practice, it won’t be! [ed: Simon has crash tested every single one of these Wods, so believe me, you can trust him on this point]
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EMOM WORKOUTS?
Pacing: EMOMs remove much of the thinking from a workout. The clock decides when you’ll be working and when you’ll be resting. Every minute you’ll also be able to see if you’ve done the given work in a faster or slower pace.
Progression: EMOMs are a great instrument for measuring progressions from week to week.
Adaptability: EMOMs can be programmed to train anything: power, the aerobic or anaerobic systems, mechanics or skills.
Rest Periods: Well-programmed EMOMs should have built in rest periods. Unlike a normal WOD, these rest periods allow you to analyze your performance after each minute. Feeling? Technique? Did your pace slow significantly? After analyzing each set, EMOMs allow you to redo the work at the start of the new minute.
As there is a given pause between the sets EMOMs are perfect to include heavy lifts.
You have no problems to do 5×3 heavy Squat Cleans? Try this in am EMOM. You will definitely struggle!
8 EMOM WORKOUTS FOR YOU TO TRY
FIRST WOD: 8min EMOM
5 Squat Cleans 80kg/50kg
Go for 60-80% of your 1rep max. Don’t cheat yourself, increase the load if it is too easy
Get involved!
SECOND WOD: 12min EMOM
Max strict pullups
Starting easy this EMOM will make your forearm scream for mercy and the reps you complete each time will shrink drastically!
THIRD WOD: 10min EMOM
1 Clean
1 SquatClean
1Frontsquat
1 Jerk
80kg/50kg
Go for 60-80% of the 1rep max from your weakest exercise. Don’t cheat yourself, increase the load if it is too easy
FOURTH WOD: 12min EMOM
10 Cal Row Sprint
FIFTH WOD: 6min EMOM
5 Pushpress 50/30kg
5 Boxjumpburpees
Just go through it. You won´t believe how long 6min can feel.
SIXTH WOD: 15min EMOM
3 Wallclimbs
3 ToesToBar
3 HSPU
Toes to Bar will destroy your core
SEVENTH WOD: 10min EMOM
5 Snatch 75%
EIGHTH WOD: 20min EMOM
5DL 100/60kg
2x28kg Farmers Walk
5 Pull Ups
Grip Strength. ´Nough said.
Like these workouts? Then why not check out our list of AMRAP workouts to choose for your next time in the Box.
Chipper WODs consist of a series of different exercises completed in sequence. Usually the movements are (generally) performed with lighter weights over higher rep ranges. Chipper WODs train endurance, strength, technique and pure mental toughness, and will test you to your limits!
The name comes from ‘chip away’ which underlines that they are hard and extreme. Chipper workouts are exhausting, but will make you feel accomplished and happy at the end! Use lighter weights than usual so you can concentrate on speed and intensity. Scale accordingly to make sure that you don’t pause or rest for long between any exercises.
You have to complete each set before you are moving to the next one. Try to be as fast as possible, each one is a race against the clock!
1. Try this one to start as an introduction to Chipper WODs
50 Russian Twists
40 Jumping lunges
30 KB swings
20 Press ups
10 lateral jump burpees
Believe in yourself
2. Now step up your game with this longer workout
10 Overhead squats (155/105 lbs)
10 Box jump overs ( 24/20’’ box)
10 Fat bar thrusters (135/95 lbs)
10 Power cleans (205/125 lbs)
10 Toes to bar
10 Burpee muscle-ups
10 Toes to bar
10 Power cleans (205/125 lbs)
10 Fat bar Thrusters (135/95 lbs)
10 Box Jump overs (24/10’’ box)
10 Overhead squats (155/105 lbs)
3. An interesting mix of fast paced running, technique and strength
100m Run
15 Deadlifts (225/155)
200m Run
50 Double unders
400m Run
50 Double unders
200 m Run
15 Deadlifts
100m Run
Chris Hinshaw coaching Mat Fraser, the winner of the 2016 CrossFit Games
4. Brooke Ence mastered this one in less than 15 minutes, can you beat her?
50 Calorie Row
40 Burpees over the bar
30 Power Snatches (95 lbs)
20 Squat Cleans (125 lbs)’
10 Bar Muscle ups
5. Declining reps, increasing toughness!
60 Calorie Row
50 Double unders
40 Wall Balls
30 Push-ups
20 Turkish Get ups (30/20 kg dumbell)
10 Overhead squats (60 / 40 kg)
5 Muscle ups
6. Chipper WODs are great to try with friends: Check out this Partner workout
Alternate between partners. One exercises whilst the other holds plate.
Partner A:
100 Double unders
50 Pull ups
100 Lunges holding slam ball (30/20)
50 weighted Crunches (45/25)
100 Slam Balls (30/20)
50 weighted Crunches
100 Lunges holding slam ball
50 Pull ups
100 Double unders
Person B:
Holds plate overhead (15 / 10 kg)
Keep grinding away
7. Another declining rep structure that will test you to your limits!
80 Squats
70 Sit-ups
60 Mountain climbers
50 Walking lunges
40 Grasshoppers
30 Burpees
20 Push-ups
10 Slap Planks
8. A Chipper WOD from the CrossFit Games 2012:
10 Overhead squats (155 lbs)
10 Box-jump overs (24 inch box)
10 Thrusters (135 lbs)
10 Power cleans (205 lbs)
10 Toes to bar
10 Burpee muscle ups
10 Toes to bar
10 Power clean (205 lbs)
10 Thrusters (135 lbs)
10 Box jump-overs
10 Overhead squats (155 lbs)
9. You can do this one at home:
100 Air squats
90 Sit-ups
80 Alternating lunges
70 Burpees
60 second Plank
50 Mountain climbers
40 Push-ups
30 Hollow Rocks
20 Jump squats
10 Hand-release Push-ups
10. And finally one of the most popular Chipper WODs: “The Filthy Fifty”
50 Box jumps (24/20)
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettleball Swings (35/26)
50 Steps walking lunge
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press (45/35)
50 Back extension
50 Wallballs (20/14)
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
You want to test your limits? Then let’s get started with the chipper WOD’s! Want more? The check these out:
The Barbell Row is one of the most effective assistance exercises you can do to increase your Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. It will improve the strength of your back, hips and grip and even be useful for improving the power of your Pull Ups and Muscle Ups.
QUICK TIPS
To avoid back pain, keep your lower back neutral. Don’t let it round or you’ll squeeze your spinal discs.
Don’t hold the bar in the air between reps or your back will tire and round.
Rest the bar on the floor between reps.
Set your lower back neutral before you Barbell Row the next rep.
Technique for the exercise
The Barbell Row is not only a back or upper body exercise. When you are unracking the bar and setting your stance you will bend at the waist and the glutes, hamstrings, and hips will work to stabilize you even before you’ve done the first pull.
The more weight you use, the more these “other” muscles will be called into action – and on heavy sets, they need to fire to allow the back musculature and shouldergirdle to experience maximum enrollment.
Attention! As useful as the Bent-Over Barbell Row is, if you deal with back issues you might have to find a different way to train this part of your body so you do not get injured.
Engage your lats and strengthen your back
BARBELL ROW: THE SET UP
Ideally if the bar is weighted and raised off the ground you would step to the bar and allow the middle of your foot to be directly under the bar. If you are beginning with no weight at all you can simply hold the bar in your hand and let it hang as if it were weighted resting on the floor.
The approach and foot placement will be similar to the setup of a Deadlift.
Bend at the waist using an overhand hook grip, gripping the bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
With your hands firmly placed on the bar and the bar directly over the center of your foot, keep your knees slightly bent and slightly elevate your chest so your back is parallel to the floor.
At this point you will look almost like a runner at the starting line. Head in a neutral position. Back parallel with a slight arch. Hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Legs slightly bent depending on flexibility. The key is to keep the back flat throughout the movement.
Don’t cheat!
TECHNIQUE THROUGHOUT THE EXERCISE
Now that you are setup and in the proper starting position, the rowing movement can begin.
Grip the bar firmly and tense your upper back muscles.
Slowly pull the bar off the floor by engaging your upper back and lat muscles.
You should feel a pulling sensation across your back, this indicates that the lats are engaged.
As the lats engage and you begin to lift the bar off the floor in line with your sternum, keep your elbows locked and in position.
The elbows play a significant role in the row as well as other pushing and pulling lifts.
You will need to find the best position for your elbows. A good starting position will be about 45 degrees from the body.
THE BAR PATH
Pull the barbell up in a straight path, close the body by tightening your upper back, lats, and everything in between.
Squeeze hard at the top of the movement.
Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position over the center of your foot.
By lowering the barbell slowly, you will be able to feel your lats really work.
THE GRIP
The Grip is so important that we will take a deeper look into what you should do.
Grip. Wrap your thumbs around the bar. You can squeeze the bar harder when you use the full grip. The harder you squeeze the bar, the less it can move in your hands. Squeezing the bar also contracts your arms and shoulders more. It engages more muscles. This makes the weight easier to Barbell Row. The thumbless grip may help you “feel” the exercise better. But it’s not effective for performing heavier Barbell Rows.
Hook Grip can help to increase the weights you are able to lift, and is useful for many other exercises, such as this Snatch
Grip the bar with both palms facing you. Don’t grip it with your palms up. Barbell Rows with your palms facing upwards will work more on your biceps. But it does this by putting your wrists and elbows in an awkward position. You can easily get wrist and elbow pain, especially if you grip the bar wide (like on the Bench Press) but with your palms up. Grip the bar like you would for a Deadlift, with both palms down.
TIP: Try using a Hook Grip. Yes, it will hurt at first, but you will get used to it and it will allow you to lift more weight.
GRIP WIDTH: NARROW vs WIDE vs MEDIUM
The wider the grip, the more your torso drops. The narrower it is, the longer the range of motion.
Barbell Row with your grip narrower than on the Bench Press but wider than on the Deadlift. Gripping the bar wider like when you Bench Press makes the weight easier to Barbell Row. A wide grip shortens the range of motion by putting your arms at an incline. But this also drops your torso and can put it below horizontal to the floor.
If you have short arms, a wide grip can cause your lower back to round when you Barbell Row. If your lower back rounds, narrow your grip when you Barbell Row. This puts your arms at a more more vertical angle to the floor. It raises your torso and keeps it horizontal to the floor. The weight will be harder to Barbell Row because the range of motion is longer. But your back will be safer. Narrow your stance so your legs don’t push against your arms when you pull the weight from the floor.
Snatch block work (Snatching from the blocks) means that the plates of the bar rest on blocks that vary in height to provide a dead stop from which to execute the lift from. Typically, this is just above the knee and around the mid-thigh area. This is done to focus on improving a certain part of the pull or the receiving portion of the snatch and is crucial, I believe, in developing and continuing to improve the second pull.
I’m sure a lot of you reading this have done Hang Snatches before, and Block Snatches are basically performed from the same position, but there’s quite a big difference between them.
THE BENEFITS OF LIFTING FROM A DEADSTOP POSITION
Firstly, I want to revisit the dead stop comment I made in the first sentence of this article. From the hang, there will always be a little bit of bounce or movement and definitely constant tension as you go to set up and then execute the lift. Therefore you will get a little bit of extra help that you won’t get from a dead stop start from the blocks.
This means you need to focus on an aggressive, fast, complete and assertive second and third pull to put acceleration on the bar and then swiftly pull yourself under the bar to receive it. If you don’t finish your pull properly, if your shoulders aren’t over the bar sufficiently in the set-up or if you don’t actively pull yourself under the bar then Snatches from the blocks will unearth all kinds of weaknesses, which is good, because it means you can fix them.
A GREAT WAY TO AVOID OVERTHINKING YOUR LIFTS
It’s also good if you tend to overthink the lifts because from the blocks all you need to do is set up and go. No hanging around, no slow pulling from the floor, just acceleration and power. You don’t have to just perform full snatches from the blocks, however. Snatch pulls and high pulls are also really effective in improving pulling technique and if you know that’s solely what you need to work on then that might be more efficient for you than performing full snatches from the blocks all of the time.
SECOND PULL, BODY POSITIONING AND ACCESSORY EXERCISES
It’s not too rare to find that you can lift more from the blocks than you can from the floor by 5kg or so. This is purely because you can set yourself in a better position from the blocks to execute your second pull than you’ll probably be in pulling a one rep max snatch from the floor, so it is to do with technical deficiencies, but even so it happens quite frequently.
When I haven’t lifted for a while I often find that my first pull becomes sloppy, my hips will rise first and my back will generally lack the positional strength needed to stay over the bar correctly and in that situation I’ll always be able to lift more from the blocks, no question. If you know you can consistently lift more from blocks than you can from the floor, then it might be time to look at integrating some positional strength work, pausing (segment) Snatches, pausing pulls and Snatch Deadlifts to help get rid of that weakness and make your snatch a better, more consistent overall lift.
BLOCK SNATCH SAFETY
So hopefully you’ve realised that Block Snatch work is a pretty effective training tool, however like most things in weightlifting and Crossfit, it has to be practiced with caution. As the blocks are usually about two feet long and one-foot-wide, each wooden Snatch block, (you can also stack bumper plates up if you don’t have access to blocks) naturally has corners and edges. If you do bail out badly you can send the barbell flying across to the other side of the gym and taking out anyone who stands in the way.
It won’t take much more than five minutes on social media to find the video of Mattie Rogers (an elite US -69kg lifter) lifting from the blocks, her bar then hits the front edge of the blocks and rolls about 6 meters full speed into a huge window and well… smashes it.
Luckily there was no one in the way, but it can be quite disconcerting when you contemplate handling a bailout when you’re snatching from the bocks. My advice would be to ensure the path is clear to the front and to the rear of you, and try to follow the bar down with your hands after each lift to ensure it doesn’t jump off the blocks at an awkward angle. At the end of the day it’s weightlifting, it’s there’s an element of risk involved, it’s down to us as athletes to minimise it.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SNATCH BLOCK TRAINING IN CROSSFIT
Snatching from the blocks can also help performance of the lifts in CrossFit. If you can establish a bombproof second and third pull then that will allow you to lift more in one rep max lifting events and help the efficacy of your barbell cycling.
Improve your lifts!
As any of you who have tried high rep barbell cycling – especially Snatches – will testify, your arms will burn out fast if you’re lifting with suboptimal technique and often this is because of inefficiencies in the second pull.
Get the second pull right by integrating Snatch block work into your program,
Develop better pulling technique,
Save your arms, do more reps, get better WOD scores/times. Simple.
In summary, Snatching from the blocks is a valuable training tool that requires no more mobility than a full Snatch and can be used to improve your pulling and receiving technique in the Snatch. Subsequently it has the potential to improve both your one rep max and your performance in WOD’s involving Snatches and Snatch cycling. There are safety aspects to keep a watchful eye on, however if used sensibly and correctly you should have no issues in integrating snatches from the blocks into your weightlifting or CrossFit program.
When it comes to AMRAP workouts, mental toughness is an irreplaceable factor. The higher rep ranges that you will face will push you to your limits and the inexorable running of the clock will test just much pain you can stand.
These AMRAP workouts provide a broad range of different exercises and formats. They have been selected so you can choose a few to tackle for your next WOD.
Last weekend (17-18th september) the Oresund Games 2016 went down in Malmö Sweden. The occasion was epic.
THE ORESUND GAMES AT KRONAN CROSSFIT
The venue was Kronan CrossFit, the world’s first Eleiko Certified training facility. A fully Eleiko equipped mega-box with a main room that can facilitate many competitors and spectators whilst also maintaining an intense and exciting atmosphere.
The WOD in action
At Kronan CrossFit they organize several competitions every year and have, within a short space of time, become one of the most experienced competition organizers in Sweden. This year’s Oresund Games played host to individual competitions in the following categories: Men RX, Men intermediate, Women Intermediate and Women Newcomers. Those athletes that rose to the top won Eleiko XF Barbells and prize money.
PROGRAMMING A TRUE TEST OF FITNESS
As well as the awesome venue, atmosphere and passionate athletes, the events were programed in an exciting and unique way that threw in many unusual elements to test the fitness of the participants beyond their limits.
Cleaning up…
Mads Östergaard is the co-owner and competition manager of both Oresund Games and Kronan Scaled Throwdown series. He has designed the programming of all the competitions so far, and with the 2016 Oresund Games, wanted to create an esoteric mix of traditional and lesser known exercises.
MADS: “With individual athletes at such a high level, I decided to push the limits a little and put in some new stuff and equipment.”
Peg boards were a great way to challenge different aspects of each competitor’s fitness
MADS’ VIEW ON COMPETITION PROGRAMMING:
“First of all – do your utmost to ensure the athletes are safe throughout the competition. The easiest thing in the world is to ‘kill athletes’ because almost everyone will go hard on everything you throw at them.
Second – I wanted to secure a good flow and a broad & variable test of fitness. We are lucky that our logistics doesn’t affect the programming and ideas negatively. We have the space and facilities to do as we like. If I have done my work right – the winners should not found until after the finals and the winning athletes will probably win the final event.
This year I decided to introduce the ThoraxTrainer – a new, but even more realistic skiing machine. We also had a thrilling pegboard event combined with heavy Deadlifts with fat bars in the finals. We even had an event that included individual bodyweight on back squat.”
The ThoraxTrainer brings the toughness of Nordic skiing into Crossfit competitions!
The finals were a 2-part event:
For time: (6 min tc)
3 Pegboard ascent
21 Deadlift 105 kg. with fat bar.
2 Pegboard ascent
15 deadlift 105 kg. with fat bar.
1 Pegboard ascent
9 deadlift with fat bar.
After they had completed this, the athletes had a 2 min rest before they began the next event:
For time: (12 min tc)
30 heavy wall balls (14/9 kg)
15 Hang squat clean thrusters (80/50 kg)
10/5 Bar muscle up
15 Hang squat snatches (65/45 kg)
30 Heavy wall balls (14/9 kg.)
The ThoraxTrainer, a core destroyer!
All other events can be found on the competition facebook site.
The next competition up at Kronan CrossFit is the sold out Kronan Scaled Throwdown Autumn Edition. The KST series is becoming one of the biggest competition series in Europe, aiming to hit 1200 athletes in 3 competitions in 2017. The next KST competition will involve mixed teams of 2 in February 2017.
More info regarding the KST series, check out their facebook site.
So how will a positive mindset have an impact upon your training?
It’s not just your body that needs training; your mind is a huge factor in how you approach each and every workout:
“If someone is dialed in mentally, the performance just takes care of itself.” — Ben Bergeron
If you want to take your training to the next level you have to be ready to build a positive mindset. Self-doubts and negative thoughts will batter your performances, especially in competitive Crossfit.
Stay positive and have fun with your training
I see too many Crossfitters becoming weakened by the opposition and spending far too much time doubting their own performances based on what other members are doing, PB’s they’ve hit or skills they’ve mastered before them.
As an athlete you need to be able to control your thoughts and feelings, optimise your self-talk and hit your Crossfit workouts with mental toughness.
A FEW TIPS TO MASTER MENTAL TOUGHNESS IN THE BOX
Never say ‘can’t’. Anyone can accomplish anything they put their mind too!
Set goals and a plan of action – if you imagine where you want to be you’ll do everything you can do to get there
Reap the benefits
Never walk away from the bar or rig during your workouts – pain is temporary!
Snatch time from Mat Fraser
HAVING A POSITIVE MINDSET FOR YOUR CROSSFIT JOURNEY
People can become extremely wrapped up in looking good and getting abs that they forget the true meaning of Crossfit. A journey for all; whether you’re a competitive Crossfitter, a regional athlete or you just like to attend classes to boost fitness and meet new friends, it’s important you remember where you started.
“Crossfit is a journey, not a destination!”
Some of the best scenes in the Box are the experiences members make when mastering their first muscle-up or getting their first double under.
Katrin’s transformation from 19 to 23
A recent Instagram picture from the Crossfit Games champ herself captures a true and inspiring Crossfit journey in just four years. Yes, we see the obvious body sculpture change, but we’ve watched Katrina’s journey unravel into ultimate success, crowning her The Fittest on Earth 2015 and 2016. Her experiences have got her where she is today. Katrin constantly works to improve her mental strength, and her coach Ben Bergeron devotes huge amounts of time to this aspect of each and every one of his athletes. You need to look only at the Performances of Mat Fraser (another of his athletes) during this years CrossFit Games to see exactly how well this dedication to improving your positive mindset can pay off.
Working to improve your own positive mindset should become something that you regularly do. Work on enjoying your training, focusing on your goals and helping others around you to achieve theirs as well.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Ben Bergeron
Crossfit Coach Ben Bergeron with Katrin Davidsdottir
REFLECTION AND IMPROVEMENT
Reflecting on each of your Crossfit experiences is important in realising your true potential in the sport, whether it’s a failed lift, a sports injury, a competition loss or even a competition win, recording each of your experiences and thoughts at that time can make you realise what you’ve got to do to better yourself.
The Front Squat has always been a staple exercise in Olympic weightlifting programs, as it serves as the base for the catch position in the clean. But since people tend to lift more weight with Back Squats and may find keeping the rack position of the bar difficult, front squats are often neglected.
When done correctly, Front Squats will:
Increase the depth of the movement
Improve core strength
Activate glutes
Improve related exercises such as Thrusters or Squat Cleans
Build Strength
FRONT SQUAT RACK POSITION
The rack position is the source of much pain and frustration for many athletes. The inability to get into a good rack position affects your ability to effectively press, push-press, or jerk a barbell overhead. You’ll also be far less effective in your front squats and, of course, your cleans. This is usually caused by some tight muscles throughout your upper body such as the latissimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoid, and triceps.
The Front Squat movement serves as the base for many other exercises in Crossfit
STANCE
Front Squats are generally deeper than Back Squats. When a barbell is loaded onto the front of the body, the pelvis tilts backwards somewhat, which makes the hamstrings less taut. This gives them the freedom to allow a greater range of motion (ROM) at the bottom of the lift. This pelvic tilt also allows the lower abs to contribute to the lift more, and takes the hip flexors away from “blocking” the movement.
Stay tight throughout the full range of motion
Stance width when front squatting is relatively narrow and as such, you won’t need a ton of toe flare here, just to have enough toe flare to ensure that the foot, knees and hips are in a straight line when set-up.
Moreover, make sure that your centre of gravity is where you want it as well. Weightlifting may be the only sport on the face of the planet where being on your midfoot and/or heels is preferred and beneficial.
Make sure that your weight is directly over your midfoot, if not shifted back towards the heels slightly.
Because the front squat does not allow you to lean forward, you cannot use your lower back strength to take over during the lift. It forces you to squat with the knees forward, loading up the pressure on the quads.
Try Goblet Squats to get used to the front squat stance:
Grip a kettlebell or dumbbell underneath one end and hold at chest height. Keeping the chest tall and abs braced, descend by breaking at the hip and knee until the proper depth is achieved. Extend the hip and knee, returning to a full standing position.
This will prepare your body for the movement of the Front Squat
MOBILITY
Rounded shoulders, (like you get from sitting in the office the whole day) cause our pec minor and major to become shortened and tight. Meanwhile, muscles like our traps, rhomboids, lats, and rear deltoids lengthen and weaken. Hence the Quasimodo-like posture. To preserve the upright posture needed to front squat you need good thoracic mobility. This will affect your overall chest and back strength, not to mention improve your posture. Improving your thoracic mobility can be done every day with a few stretches. You can add them into your workout warm-up or your morning routine.
Check out this article on Ankle Mobility for more tips and exercises that will help you to improve.
Front Squatting will make your Cleans STRONG!
BACK
As you’re squatting, the goal is to keep the spine neutral throughout. And neutral means neutral – you don’t want to be hyper-extended through the lower back, and you don’t want to be flexed, either. The more upright you can get your upper back the less the bar will pull you forward, minimizing the work your upper back will need to do and maximizing the ability of your lower body to produce force.
The nice thing about front squatting is that it’s far harder to ruin than a back squat. If you have a good set-up, you can often maintain a good position throughout.
5 FAST TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR FRONT SQUAT
1. Bench T-Spine Mobilization
Great to stretch and activate your Lats, your triceps and your shoulder flexion ROM.
2. Quadruped Extension and Rotation
As described, this will straighten you up again.
3. Plank
What? Thought it was all about Front Squats? True, and those won´t work without core stability. And is there a better exercise than a plank?
4. Breathing
Build pressure in your Body and control yourself through breathing.
5. Keep that Butt straight
Even if the Front Squat almost forces you to squat with a straight back, you should watch your bottom in the deepest position.
The Front Squat is a vitally important lift that forms the basis for many other exercises and movements within Crossfit. Once you have established good technique and the necessary mobility, increasing your PRs on this lift will help you to benefit in many other areas.
Crossfit in Kuwait is very much like Crossfit in any other part of the world, but there are also many aspects that separate the Crossfit movement in the Middle East from the rest of the world.
DISCOVERING CROSSFIT
I was first introduced to Crossfit back in 2007 while on spring break in Florida when I was invited by my aunt and uncle to visit a box in Florida. Uncle John was a career military man. Not only has he always looked no older than 30, but he had also already in great shape.
World class facilities
I joined the early morning class on an empty stomach with the idea of a fast cardio session. Well, it wasn’t 10 or 15 minutes into the warm up when I realized that I was quickly slowing down. Back then, I was a regular at a traditional gym going 4-5 times per week and enjoying a healthy diet of Buffalo Wild Wings and microbrew beers. To be completely honest, unlike most people, I do not remember the exact warm up or wod, other than using PVC pipes, and the steady encouragement to keep the loads to a minimum. I was 225 lbs at 6’0 and let’s just say the PVC pipe was plenty!
Once my spring break was complete, I returned home to Fort Collins, Colorado and quickly searched for a local affiliate. Luckily for me, Chris Brown a HP computer engineer at the time had just moved his affiliate, Emerfit Fitness from his basement to a small warehouse near the train tracks. It was also only about a 5-minute drive from my home and work, which made it even more favourable.
Strength training time!
Chris and I exchanged emails for few days, and I was assured that while the $150 per month might sound like a lot when compared to 24 hour fitness, it would soon be worth my while. He explained that I would quickly find myself spending more time at the box than I would at home.
Nine years since my first week in Fort Collins, I find myself in Kuwait working alongside 26 other expats at Circuit+CrossFit. I must admit I didn’t know much about Kuwait other than reading about it during Desert Storm back in 1991, but today it is the place I call home.
CIRCUIT+CROSSFIT
Circuit+CrossFit was founded in mid 2012 by a couple of Kuwaiti guys returning from Southern California where they had spent 5 years attending USC. Sauod and Bader returned home and just like many young Kuwaiti’s, wanted to bring a slice of California back to Kuwait.
Working hard
The Box was born out of a mixture of entrepreneurship and stubbornness. There was no government classification to issue a business license, but there a perfect location for this concept for the perfect price. It initially launched as a bootcamp, TRX, MMA and CrossFit studio to get traffic, but quickly evolved into a Crossfit taking over. The location was opened in one of the most industrial parts of town, which meant you didn’t go there unless you wanted to buy industrial equipment and sit in traffic for hours.
UNRIVALED FACILITIES
Circuit+CrossFit opened the doors with five trainers, two from the UK, one from Germany, one from Serbia and one from the Czech Republic. Now think about that for one minute…
This brand new concept, never seen before in Kuwait, opened its doors with a staff of 5 full time trainers and 2 full time front desk employees in a two story, 500 square metre location full of the best Rogue Fitness equipment in the market.
That familiar post WOD feeling
I am sure most of you, like myself, came from garage gyms and warehouses and equipment from Play It Again sports, or any other weight room sets collected from everyone’s basements. But not in Kuwait, or anywhere else in the gulf.
Kuwait has a population of about 3.5million people and about 1.3 of them are Kuwaitis. The rest of us are working expats. Most of us associate Saudi Arabia with oil, but Kuwait also happens to produce about 7% of the world’s oil, so you can imagine the resources available for investment.
Now I’ve been fortunate to travel to boxes across North America, Europe, Asia and now the Middle East. I must say Kuwait is by far one of the most ideal ecosystems, not only for boxes to thrive in, but for coaches to earn a good living. It is also a place for athletes to effectively train full time in order to compete.
Barbells for Boobs charity event
CROSSFIT IN KUWAIT
Requirements will vary per gym, but one thing is obvious, Crossfit in Kuwait in terms of service is second to none. Over the last 3 years we’ve seen a boom from 2 boxes to 14 boxes, all of which provide a unique experience to their specific community.
All the Crossfit affiliates in Kuwait are fully equipped by Rogue Fitness kits, full time front of the house staff, retail shopping, a small gathering area, spa like locker rooms, showers and changing rooms. The wods and all class instructions are lead in English, but it is highly appreciated when the coaches learn to speak a few phrases in Arabic, after all we are in Kuwait. The athletes come to the box geared out in all the brands you’ve come to expect and follow the biggest names in the sport.
Crossfit in Kuwait
They read the latest blogs and of course, tune in regularly to Games.CrossFit.com for latest info on the CrossFit Invitational, CrossFit Open and CrossFit Games. Although we don’t consider our box a “competition specific box” we do take part in The Open and Regionals every year.
Perhaps one of the most significant differences for Crossfit in Kuwait is that our boxes are segregated. Men and women have their own locations which are staffed by either all men or all women. It’s mostly a licensing issue, but also a cultural one. In case you are wondering, it isn’t a criminal offence, but our customer base prefers it this way.
There are a couple of mixed Crossfit affiliates within traditional gyms in Kuwait, but they are usually a bit smaller in size and just as committed. I am sure our coaches will say they prefer it the other way around, but most often the coaching staff from around the city will gather weekly and train together.
Squat time!
INTERNATIONAL COACHING STAFF
Looking around the diversity of our staff, I think it is by far one of my favorite things about Crossfit in Kuwait. Our coaches come from Nebraska, California, Minnesota, Texas, San Jose – Costa Rica, Toronto, UK, Serbia, Germany and South Africa.
It’s no secret a large majority of expats come to the Middle East to earn a living, Some have come to save money in order to start their own business, others come to gain more experience, while others make the move to travel around the world.
Although everyone has different reasons to coach abroad, they are all brought together because of a common passion for Crossfit and helping people reach their full potential.
Keep climbing…
Personally, there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be today in this point of my life. I’ve traveled around 100,000 miles in the last 3 years since arriving in Kuwait, and having to add more pages to my passport is a perk of the job. Last April, I traveled to Germany for the annual FIBO Expo (the world’s largest fitness expo in the world) only to be reminded once again why Crossfit is so ahead of the rest of the fitness industry.
Every supplement and equipment company had a 5-minute pitch as to why Crossfitters needed their product to adapt and what Crossfitters were doing wrong at the gym. Yet they don’t speak our language or understand that we don’t have to sell CrossFit, the results speak for themselves.
Walking around for two days it was disappointing to see how so many people that share “fitness” as a common passion were actually distanced from each other. Fortunately, I walked over to the Crossfit demo area and found all the Crossfitters from Berlin, Munich, Cologne and once again I was home.
A strong core is essential for any athlete, six pack abs are not – but they are fun. Crossfit always puts function first, unlike bodybuilding for example, which generally prioritises aesthetics over fitness. The former is a healthy approach, because your body becomes defined by what it can do, and not just by how it looks.
In the end it all comes down to what you are training for, and what goals you would like to reach. Whatever your targets, these 8 sit up exercises will help you to forge a strong core and six pack abs. Remember that without the right nutrition, you will not see or experience any meaningful results.
8. L-SIT
L sits will destroy your core. In a good way.
The L-sit hold is a deceptively brutal exercise with benefits that go way beyond the visual. Not only will this exercise help fill out your sleeves and chisel your abs, it will improve the health of your shoulders, help you with your deadlift, and build functional core strength as well. How do you do it? The L-sit hold is best done on a pair of parallettes. Nearly every gym has dip bars, and you can even do L-sits on a pair of pushup bars, on kettlebells, yoga blocks, or even on a pair of benches. You just need two sturdy and secure platforms of the same height that will lift your butt off the ground when you lock your arms pushing down in between them.
“L-Sit may be the most effective ab exercise. Athletes that can hold it for 3 minutes subsequently find all other ab work easy” Greg Glassman
To perform an L-sit, position yourself between the parallettes, set shoulder-width apart. Using a firm, neutral grip, push your body off the ground, locking your elbows as if you’re at the top of a dip exercise. Make sure to keep your shoulders down as you lock your knees and hold your legs together tightly, forming a 90-degree angle with your torso. Your legs should be parallel to the ground.
One of the great parts of CrossFit® is the variety and unexpected nature of every WOD that we take part in. Individuals of all levels and abilities, from total beginners to seasoned professionals constantly face new challenges and opportunities to test their fitness and progress as an athlete.
With experience comes the ability to judge how to handle WODs more effectively and to strategise the best ways to complete them effectively. This involves making sure that both the tactics we employ, and the equipment we use, are perfectly suited to the workouts that we face. For every detail, from the way you breathe, right through to choosing the right thickness of Knee Sleeve, will have a strong effect on your overall performance.
Train like a champ!
The following factors can significantly improve your athletic ability and potential for the future:
CONTROL YOUR PACE
Some WODs are designed to be hit head on at 100% of your maximum pace. No rest, no pauses, no pacing. Simply a sprint to the finish. These are short and highly intense, and the way to complete them is obvious. Many WODs are longer and if an athlete adopts the same tactics, they will simply burn out in the first few minutes, then progress at an incredibly slow pace through the rest of the exercises whilst they watch the other athletes overtake them. This is a classic rookie mistake.
Take the time beforehand to think about your speed and pace yourself. What effect will one part of the WOD have on another?
You know how fast you can do those Wall Balls with fresh legs, but what about if they follow an 800m row, or 10 cal on the air bike? Be smart and try to adjust your pacing to fit the requirements of the WOD. But remember, you can always move a little bit faster than you think.
CONCENTRATE ON YOUR BREATHING
This is often overlooked, yet it is vitally important for success! Controlling the pace of your breathing will allow you to remain calm and establish a steady rhythm throughout any workout.
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
We all have both of these, and it takes a lot of dedication to turn your weaknesses into strengths, but you can do it. CrossFit® tests all aspects of fitness, and is an excellent way of making your weaknesses obvious (even if you didn’t realise that they were there).
If you know that you won’t do as well in a WOD because it contains an exercise that you aren’t good at, don’t ever skip it! Be humble and face any weaknesses you have head on. Work on them, train hard and turn your weaknesses into strengths.
Work until your weaknesses turn into strengths
CHOOSING EQUIPMENT TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND LONG TERM HEALTH
The same is true of the equipment that you use. The right kit, used in the appropriate way, can seriously improve your WOD times, aid and support your movements and give you feedback on how your body is performing. It can also help to improve your health in the long run, avoid injury and enable your full potential.
Logically, it makes the most sense to give yourself the highest possible chance of success by securing all possible advantages in your favour. This is especially true in competitions, where the tiniest of details can result in the differences between podium places and prizes.
RICH FRONING’S ADVICE ON WHEN TO USE THE 3MM
The name “Rich Froning” is synonymous with success at the highest elite level in CrossFit®. He is often understood as an athlete that simply shows up and wins, and the amount of planning, preparation, careful technical programming and sheer hard work that he puts in are often overlooked for the sake of a good story.
Rich has a B.A degree in EXPW (Exercise Science, Physical Education and Wellness) from Tenessee Tech. There he developed the academic, technical and scientific understanding behind his performance and training. Quality is always the result of intelligent effort, and with Rich, that also comes down to every detail.
He started out mainly using the 3mm Knee Sleeves because of their versatility for a wide range of different WODs and the feedback to his movements that the material gives to his body. Anything involving running, light Squats, Box Jumps etc, but tends to switch to the 7mm for any heavy lifting.
He trains in Cookeville Tennessee, where it is often hot, so the 3mm also for more breathability whilst also keeping his joints warm throughout the full training session.
WHAT TYPES OF WORKOUTS ARE THE 3MM BEST FOR?
The 3 mm Knee Sleeves are perfect for workouts involving running combined with longer sets of lighter exercises. Hero WOD “Murph” is an excellent example of this with the 1 mile run at the beginning and end, and the 300 Air Squats.
WOD time!
Also any endurance work or WODs with long sets of similar light exercises grouped together will be significantly helped by the 3mm Knee Sleeves. Remember that feeling the last time you had to perform Bar Facing Burpees, Wall Balls or Box Jumps one after the other? I’m sure lactic acid comes to mind. Support on these movements can help to improve your times and streamline your movement patterns.
Of the 3 different thicknesses, the 3mm provides the lightest support, and they are an excellent way to keep your joints warm throughout the workout, allowing them and your body to perform as effectively as possible. As Froning states, every small detail in your favour adds up towards the bigger victory. Give yourself every advantage you can.
Example WOD where 3mm Knee Sleeves are the right choice:
For time:
800m Run
50 Wall Balls
50 Box Jumps
50 Burpees
400m run
50 Burpees
50 Box Jumps
50 Wall Balls
800m Run
5 MM: JOSH BRIDGES’ CHOICE
The former Navy Seal is renowned for his incredibly tough mental attitude, his positive outlook and the way that he never forgets the fun, enjoyment and sense of community that lies at the heart of CrossFit®. Josh is exceptionally hard working, even by CrossFit® standards and very well-rounded as an athlete.
His Knee Sleeve of choice is the 5mm because of the way it is exceptionally versatile, as well as being well suited for the additional support it offers for strength work within WODs.
Be strong like Josh!
WHAT TYPES OF WORKOUTS ARE 5MM BEST FOR?
Sprint workouts, barbell work, short to mid length WODs with a wide range of exercises, thrusters, lighter bar complexes or general barbell work are all helped by 5mm Knee Sleeves.
The 5mm are a great “default choice” if you are unsure about which ones to use. Keep them in your bag so they are on hand if something unexpected comes along (which happens all the time in CrossFit ®).
Example WOD where 5mm Knee Sleeves are the right choice:
10 minute amrap:
10 Front Squats (45 / 65 kg)
15 Thrusters (25 / 35 kg)
20 Double Unders
7 MM: BIG LIFTS AND STRENGTH WORK
These are perfect for big lifts and heavy WODs, offering the most significant support from the entire range.
It is worth noting that these do not restrict movement, despite the increased support and thickness that they provide. In reality, they offer feedback about the movement of your joints to the rest of your body and allow you to adjust your movements accordingly. This feedback loop can be exceptionally useful when you are operating at the outer reaches of your abilities (within 85 – 100% of your 1rm).
Enable your full potential
The 7mm Sleeves are also great to use when increasing the intensity of your training. Say you are increasing the frequency of training days from 3 to 5 days every week. Protect your joints and movements through this transition, so that they get used to the increased levels of force and stress without becoming injured. Instead your body will adapt accordingly, by growing stronger and fitter.
This is a helpful preventative tip to help promote longevity and health, and looks much further than simply improving your WOD times.
WHAT TYPES OF WORKOUTS ARE 7MM BEST FOR?
Strength EMOMs, barbell complexes or heavy Olympic lifting ladders (think the Squat Clean ladder from the 2016 CrossFit Games® or the Snatch ladder event from the Regionals). The 7mm are also perfect for using when you program separate strength cycles into your training. Progressive loading on your Front and Back Squats, Cleans, Snatches etc can easily be augmented to by the 7mm Knee Sleeves.
Also, if you are in the zone and it is time to go absolutely all out on your new Clean and Jerk PR or any other lift, then get your 7mm Sleeves on and smash out a new personal record!
Example WODs where 7mm Knee Sleeves are the right choice:
Snatch EMOM:
Start at 50% of your 1rm.
One lift every minute. If you miss the lift, the workout ends.
Increase by 5 kg for each round.
The 3, 5 and 7 mm Knee Sleeves all support lifts and movement patterns, augment your natural mobility and keep your joints warm during (and after) WODs. Knowing which ones to use, at which times, can really help to improve your short term improvements in lifts and workouts as well as your long term health and injury prevention.
Any ectomorph can be at a disadvantage due to their fragile and thin bodies. Some general traits of this somatotype include: flat chest, small joints, small and droopy shoulders, long skinny necks, and probably the only upside is that they’re usually relatively lean.
The reason why ectomorphs struggle to put on size is because of their extremely fast metabolism. It can often seem as if no matter how much you eat, you just can’t gain any weight.
As an ectomorph myself, I’ve dealt with these problems first-hand. I used to try everything and anything to put on muscle. From drinking 2 gallons of chocolate milk a day to chugging mass gainer every morning, I’ve tried it all. Luckily, over the past few years I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to gaining muscle as an ectomorph. I’m currently sitting at 165lbs at 7% body fat and 5’10” height. You can take a look at the pictures below to see how my body changed throughout the years.
Jeremy’s transformation
In the left picture I was around 13 years old and couldn’t gain weight for the life of me. In the middle pictures I was around 17 years old and had already worked out for a year. The last picture is me currently at 21 years old after several years of working out. As you can see I put on a lot of size and strength throughout the years. It wasn’t easy but it was definitely worth it and has helped me out tremendously as an athlete.
Throughout the process, I’ve learned that some things work and some things don’t. I’m going to share with you the 5 things that you must do to put on size as an ectomorph.
1. INCORPORATE COMPOUND MOVEMENTS
Compound Exercises: Deadlift
As an ectomorph you don’t want to just focus on isolation exercises when trying to put on muscle. This won’t get you very far. You need to focus on compound lifts. The reason why compound lifts are so effective is because they work a lot of different muscles simultaneously as well as your smaller stabilising muscles. They also provide a “hormonal boost” by increasing testosterone and growth hormone levels compared to isolation exercises.
The main compound movements I recommend are the following:
Bench Press
Squat
Deadlift
Overhead Press
Weighted Pull-Ups
You need to incorporate these exercises into your program every week, as these are the exercises that will put the most muscle mass on your body. Olympic lifts such as the clean and jerk are great options as well. Use these articles to learn more about technique and programming:
2. FOCUS ON GETTING STRONGER EVERY WEEK (PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD)
As simple as it sounds, this is both mentally and physically tough. However, it’s also an extremely important factor in building muscle. Basically, every week you need to either increase how much weight you’re lifting or how many reps you’re performing. This ensures that you are constantly putting on size and gaining strength.
Squatting will improve your strength, flexibility and mental toughness
Now you don’t necessarily need to increase in weight/reps every week in every single exercise you perform. Instead, primarily focus on progressively overloading your compound movements (bench, deadlift, squat, etc.) rather than the smaller movements you may have in your program. When this is incorporated into Crossfit training, separate and specific strength training work should be added to your programming.
Here’s a simple trick I personally used and found worked the best for me:
Let’s say my main chest exercise is the bench press. I will perform 4 sets of bench press with a rep range of 6-8 reps. If I can perform 4 sets of 8 reps at a certain weight, the next week I will increase the weight by 5-10lbs and try to do 4 sets of 6 reps. Then, I will increase my reps each week until I reach 4 sets of 8 reps of the new weight so I can add more weight and repeat the process. I’ll also try to increase the weight and reps of my other exercises after bench press, but my compound lifts will be my primary focus.
3. FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO EAT TO GAIN WEIGHT
During the first year of my training I had no idea how much food I needed to eat, and didn’t realize the importance of knowing. Don’t make this mistake! Knowing how many calories you need to eat everyday is essential. If you aren’t eating more calories than your body is burning everyday, then you’re not going to gain weight. It’s as simple as that. And if you aren’t eating enough calories, it’s going to feel next to impossible to try to progressively get stronger each week.
The Snatch is an excellent full body exercise to build strength
In order to minimize fat gain, I recommend striving to gain 0.5 lbs per week. This will put you at about a 250 caloric surplus (also termed a “lean bulk”). Keep in mind that gaining fat is inevitable when putting on muscle, however you can minimize it by maintaining a moderate caloric surplus.
Chances are, the number of calories you will need to eat are quite high. I currently need to eat a little over 3000 calories a day in order to gain 0.5 lbs per week, and I find that fairly difficult to do (I don’t have a very big appetite). But over the years I’ve found a lot of high calorie foods that make eating 3000 calories a day a breeze. Here’s a list of foods I recommend adding to your diet for a nutritious calorie boost:
Peanut butter
Almonds
Chickpeas
Olive oil
Granola
Bagels (whole grain)
Salmon
These are all full of nutrients and pack a ton of calories to help you meet your daily caloric intake needs. And it helps if you stick to meals that you legitimately enjoy eating. As far as macronutrients, I suggest sticking to a 25-30% protein, 45-55% carbohydrate, and 25-30% fat diet. However, these are not strict guidelines and the best macronutrient splits vary for each individual. You need to test out different variations and see which one enables your body to perform the best.
4. TRACK YOUR CALORIES
Another mistake I made for a long time was not actually keeping track of how many calories I was eating. I just assumed I was eating around what I needed to be eating to gain weight. When I finally decided to track how much I was eating it turns out I was 300-400 calories under my goal even though it felt like I was eating tons of food.
Max effort, pure intensity
If you want, you can buy a scale and actually weigh out your food. This helps a lot in the beginning so that you familiarize yourself with portion sizes and the amount of calories they contain. Otherwise, you can use a cup to measure what you can and do a good estimate for the rest. But make sure you’re consistently tracking your food as this will truly make a huge difference.
5. ECTOMORPH BULKING: MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS
This point applies to everything mentioned above. Make it a habit to keep track of your lifts (especially compound lifts) every workout session, and also keep track of your bodyweight. This will help show you if things are working and more importantly if things are working at the ideal rate they should be at. Your lifts should be increasing either by weight or reps every week and your bodyweight should be increasing by 0.5lbs per week.
What’s the best way to weigh yourself? This is actually a little tricky, because your body goes through weight fluctuations every single day and you don’t want to make rash decisions based on this. I recommend weighing yourself every single morning as soon as you wake up, then after a week take the average of the past 7 days. Use this as your comparison for future week averages. This helps eliminate fluctuations and will provide you with the most accurate figure.
I hope this guide can help you out if you are a struggling ectomorph. If I can do it, so can you. Just keep in mind that you need to be patient with it. Putting on size doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of consistent effort, especially when starting out with a skinny frame. But follow the points mentioned above and you’ll get there in no time!
I love the Crossfit community. Its what makes our sport so much more than just a training regime. The fact that so many of can come together and embrace the suck is part of what makes what we do unique.
So I took it upon myself to head down to my local affiliate, Unit 22 in Northampton England, on the Friday night of the Games to have a brief, friendly, and candid chat with some of the members there. And after watching them all get through a grueling WOD that could only be described as a Mini-Murph, I wanted to see what my local Crossfit community had to say about their lives, our sport, and how they see the Crossfit world in general. To say I was shocked would be an understatement!
Pure passion and hard work!
THE CROSSFIT COMMUNITY
The Crossfit community is as diverse as it is large. I spoke with young guns and masters, as well as middle aged folk like myself. Some were married – with and without kids – and some were single. There were office professionals and builders. There were those that wore suits and ties, as well as those that wore jeans and tees to work. There were newbies and seasoned athletes. Some attended the box alone, and others as couples. A variable cornucopia of people – a true slice of humanity – all with a strong passion for our sport.
We spoke about their lives. We spoke about how Crossfit had changed their lives, and how their friends and families see them now as a result. I was blown away by their stories.
Truly I was amazed at how, through Crossfit, people’s lives have been put on much more positive paths.
Strength and determination
I heard of how cancer at one point might have sidelined a mother’s future life with her child, but how they are experiencing the true happiness that health and well-being can bring. People that thought their days of physical competition were over, are now competing with themselves as much as their comrades in the box. I relished in stories of how Crossfit has changed their outlook on what fitness really means.
FITTING EVERYTHING IN: FAMILY AND TRAINING
And we spoke of family. There was the usual discussion of how frequently they train, (some train A LOT) and how they fit it in to their lives at home. I heard about parents that bring their kids to the box, and how they get involved. Taking photos of workouts, enjoying a Crossfit Kids class, or sitting doing homework, and some just being kids.
This, I felt, was massive. In a world of instant celebrity, the fact that children are watching and being exposed to people that truly work for their accomplishment is a joyful life lesson that every child should learn.
The dedication of everyday people to being better, to grow, and change was astonishing. These were people that would never compete on a huge stage, but none the less, poured their hearts and soul into every work out 3, 4, and even 5 times a week.
Our conversation flowed into Crossfit theory and practice. and as we chatted and debated, I came to find that some, like myself, want to know why as much as we want to know how. While others just want to grind through the whiteboard. Some have take crossfit into the very fibre of their being, and made it the ethos they live by. For some, it was a means to an end but all agreed that not only did they love Crossfit, they lived it as well.
Work hard, reach your goals
WHY DO YOU LOVE CROSSFIT?
Then, with all this on my mind, I started to ask athletes and the Crossfit community: “Why do you love crossfit? And what don’t you like about it so much?”
A lot of the members, especially the older athletes, said they love the social aspect of the sport
The sense of community and kinship
Others love the challenge, and how it changes them both physically and mentally
WHAT DON’T YOU LIKE ABOUT CROSSFIT?
They spoke of what they didn’t like with equal passion. There was no ill-will towards the structure or training or movements. Most seemed to be upset about how the real world impacted the time that had to dedicate towards their pursuits in the sport. Some even said that they hated how Crossfit makes people fail, but then they turned around to comment on how those failures made them better people and athletes. Ahh, the double edged sword to which we all fall victim to!
THE REACTIONS OF FRIENDS AND RELATIVES TO CROSSFIT
When discussions delved even deeper, I learned that almost everyone at Unit 22 had similar feelings about what they thought their friends and family had to say about them, since starting Crossfit. This brought a huge smile to their faces and they beamed with pride. This reaction was ubiquitous throughout the Crossfit community.
They told me how family members had commented on their new strength, fitness and fitter bodies.
Fitter, healthier and happier
Their friends perceived them as having better attitudes and more energy. But the biggest compliment and perhaps the most important, was their overall health and spirit of positivity and determination. They told me how Crossfit has made them into better human beings and people readily noticed it.
TRYING CROSSFIT FOR THE FIRST TIME
I cannot stress enough how much these athletes love our sport. Its a true testament to the coaching staff at Unit 22. And they all found it though tasters, or word of mouth, or through friends or friends of friends. So when i asked them about they would say to someone that questioned Crossfit, they all said the same thing. “Try it! While it might not be for everyone, for some it’s just what they were looking for.”
Time and time again, I was told about how the box had held a free taster month, and that the numbers of people looking to try Crossfit were immense. While not everyone signed on, I was assured membership numbers swelled after their experiment. Even the athletes that had only been there a few short months, and for one member weeks, had nothing but praise and and smiles for all they has gotten out of their Crossfit experience. I even was told “I wish I had done this sooner.”
EVERY BOX IS ITS OWN FAMILY
The day gave way to night, and the athletes tucked into some BBQ, but still we talked all things Crossfit. I noticed how everyone there interacted. It was like watching a family (a very large and hungry family) gathering for a communal meal. So I had to ask a few of the members if this was the extent of their social life away from training, and once again the answers I got made do a double take. It seems that for some of the older family oriented athletes, Crossfit was their social life.
It was their time away from work and the stresses of the world, and yet it was their way of keeping fit as well.
Support those around you and help them to suceed
I think a lot of Crossfitters will agree, that this is one of the reason we keep coming back. And for the younger members, while they too were part of the extended family, they seemed to do a bit more outside the box, which if you think about it, seems only natural.
THE CROSSFIT GAMES: A FAIR REPRESENTATION OR NOT?
We talked about how Josh Bridges dominated Heavy Murph, and if anyone could challenge Crossfit Mayhem. And we talked about how the Games was affecting the way the world sees Crossfit.
This topic split opinion. Some thought it was great for the sport, while others said “It’s not really like what we do in the box.”
Competition in full flow
Some were passionate and love the Games, and others felt the Games don’t really affect what they do as athletes. Some Crossfitters were adamant in how they thought how the Open and Regional format need to change. They thought there weren’t enough spaces, and that the amount of athletes was dis-proportioned. They felt the USA had too many spots, and the rest of the world not enough. And I kind of agreed with them to be honest. There was some really harsh criticism of Glock’s involvement, but even after clearing up the specifics of their sponsorship, they still felt it was time for a change. It was a question some had never been asked, or asked themselves for that matter, and were grateful they were.
IS THE EVERYDAY CROSSFITTER’S VOICE BEING HEARD?
At one point I put forth a hypothetical question, and one that seemed to garner a strong response. When asked if they would ever consider paying to join an international crossfit athletes’ association of sorts, most said they would, depending on the benefits. I only asked this, as i questioned how much they felt their voice was heard in the international community. This surprised me. In the age of social media and the internet, we all feel somewhat more connected with those we share interests with, but as athletes in sport, some felt they are not being heard or are only a part of their smaller box community.
Crossfit: Doing it for the love
The night drew to a close and I said goodbye to the coaches, members and Crossfit community at Unit 22. I left with new ideas and new questions about our sport. I left with a smile on my face and in my heart. I think every Crossfit athlete owes it to themselves, and their comrades in pain, to take time to talk to their fellow athletes, and maybe have the same discussions and ask similar questions.
When I got home and thought about what happened, and what was said on that Friday night in July, that I realized how grateful and happy I am to have made Crossfit a part of my life, to be a member of this universal Crossfit community, and that others felt the same.
An extensive breakdown of 5 important strength training programs that have all helped many different athletes get exceptionally strong.
5. STARTING STRENGTH BY MARK RIPPETOE
Who is it useful for?
Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program is a classic example of a beginner weight training workout routine. However, it can also benefit athletes who are not exactly new to the gym.
Newbie: If you’re a beginner or recently started, then this program is right for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re an aspiring lifter or don’t care about being strong. You still need a base of strength and technique to get huge.
Weakling: Do you consider yourself to be beyond the beginner weight training level, but just can’t seem to gain much strength? If yes, then this program can definitely help jumpstart your strength gains and catch you up to where you should be, relative to how long you have been training.
Frustrated: Disappointed with a lack of results from your routine? If so, then this program can get you out of the slump and on your way to the big guys. The typical routines work for the guys who look like what you want to look like. They can only do so much for less advanced lifters.
Machinist. Probably you won´t find yourself in a Crossfit box but in a gym. When you have been training for a while, but never really focused on the major compound exercises, more you’ve been doing a lot of machine/nautilus exercises or isolation movements, then you’re limiting your potential. Starting Strength will help you gain dense muscle and functional strength.
Comeback. This is the most interesting part for a Crossfitter. Are you a seasoned vet who’s coming back from an extended break? Whatever your reasons for taking a layoff from pumping iron (injury, midlife crisis, baby mama issues, etc.), Starting Strength is a safe and effective workout routine for getting back to your previous glory.
Squatting creates a powerful foundation for building strength
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The letter “x” represents a rest day. The letters “A” and “B” are workouts described below. So, for example, the first week of workouts shown directly below is “AxBxAxx”, which means do workout A on Monday, rest on Tuesday, do workout B on Wednesday, rest on Thursday, Do workout A on Friday, and rest on the weekend.
For the first 2-3 weeks:
AxBxAxx BxAxBxx AxBxAxx
A=3×5 squat, 3×5 press, 1×5 deadlift
B= 3×5 squat, 3×5 bench press, 3×5 Power Clean
x= rest day
Then, for 2-3 weeks do this:
AxBxAxx BxAxBxx AxBxAxx
A= squat, press, deadlift
B= squat bench press, power clean
x= rest day
For the remainder of the 6-9 months, do this:
AxBxAxx BxAxBxx AxBxAxx
A= squat, press, deadlift or power clean
B= squat, bench press, back extensions, chinups or pullups
The Push Press enhances shoulder strength and muscular development. Unlike many other overhead upper body exercises, the Push Press also utilises the legs. Therefore, heavier weights can be lifted in comparison to other overhead shoulder exercises that disregard the involvement of the lower body. It also:
Improves your ability to generate and control force
Strengthens your core, shoulder, arms, back and legs
Taxes your entire body
TECHNIQUE AND EXECUTION
Secure the bar in the jerk rack position with the feet at approximately hip-width and the toes turned out slightly.
Keep the weight balanced on the heels while maintaining full foot contact with the floor.
Bend slightly at the knees only, keeping the trunk vertical and the weight on the heels.
Transition immediately at the bottom of this dip and drive aggressively with the legs against the floor to accelerate the barbell upward.
As you finish the extension of the legs, begin pushing against the bar with the arms, keeping the knees straight and immediately drop back to flat feet.
Pull the head back out of the way of the bar to clear a direct path, and push the bar into a fully locked overhead position behind the neck as you would in the jerk.
As the bar leaves the shoulders, spread the elbows to move them under the bar as soon as possible, and bring the head forward through the arms as the bar passes.
When setting up for the Push Press, you should unrack the bar high and tight to your clavicle with the elbows just in front of the bar but pointed toward the ground. Not fully racked (like a front squat) but rather with a more vertical forearm to create leverage under the bar. The torso should be upright and vertical throughout the entirety of the movement dip, with weight on the heels.
Lock that lift out!
THE DIP
There are different cues and descriptions accounting for how to initiate the Push Press, but most often, this part is called the “Dip.” Effectively, you want to sink into your heels, bend the knees about 1-2 inches, and explode out of the bottom. Don’t sink slowly or get into a squatty type of mentality. Simply “bounce” the knee and start accelerating that weight up!
Chest up
Squeeze glutes
Squeeze quads
Flex abs
Tempo
Speed wins in the Push Press. You are not going to grind this lift out and you’re not going to see a slow tempo notation assigned to this lift. Bounce the knee, punch the weight, lock it out.
FINISH STRONG
To finish strong, you should seek to throw your fists to the ceiling and drive your chest forward and down. Imagine it as “putting your head through the window”. You can also drive your chest forward to help the movement of your head. Keep your eyes forward, don’t follow the urge to look at the floor, and you will be well on your way to perfecting this exercise and building explosive strength and power.
The push press builds explosive power
MOVEMENT AND ANATOMY
THE ROTATOR CUFF
A rotator cuff (Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Subscapularis, and Teres Minor muscles) pathology of the shoulder is a highly overstated false consequence of the Push Press (or any overhead exercise for that matter), when appropriately implemented into the athlete’s training program design. It is usually an unsuitable program design or an excessively prescribed overhead exercise volume, not the exercise itself that may place the athlete at risk of injury. It has been demonstrated that during overhead pressing type exercise performance the rotator cuff is active, with the supraspinatus exhibiting the highest recorded EMG activity of the muscle group.
SHOULDER MOVEMENT
The gleno-humeral joint of the shoulder is comprised of two osseous structures: The scapula and the humerus. The ball and socket articulation of this joint is comprised of the head of the humerus and the glenoid which is actually a component of the scapula. The scapula also comprises the scapula-thoracic joint at the posterior aspect of the thorax.
During overhead exercise performance there is a relationship to both the shoulder range of motion and the gleno-humeral and scapula-thoracic joints “rhythm” to maintain the head of the humerus appropriately centered in the glenoid. Disruption to this “rhythm” over time may place the rotator cuff at risk of pathology.
Push Press time!
Overhead exercise performance with a bench backing will “pin” or “compress” the scapula of the shoulder between the bench backing and the athlete’s thorax including the athlete’s body and barbell weight. Joint compression is synonymous with joint stability resulting in a less mobile scapula. This likely will affect the natural and necessary required scapula movement and rhythm during the repeated overhead exercise performance thus setting the table for possible shoulder injury. The Push Press allows for free scapula movement and proper rhythm throughout the exercise performance.
PUSH PRESS: LOWER EXTREMITY POWER DEVELOPMENT
Yes you read this correctly, lower extremity power development. The Push Press has been documented to produce greater lower extremity maximum mean power when compared to the jump squat exercise. Thus the Push Press exercise provides a time efficient combination of lower body power and upper extremity and trunk strengthening during the exercise performance. This exercise may not only be utilized in the athlete’s training, but may also be appropriately utilized at end stage upper and lower extremity rehabilitation as well.
The Double Under has been popularised through Crossfit, but of course it’s been around a lot longer. As long as top athletes and fighters have been using jump ropes in their training—which has been for a long time—they’ve been mixing single jumps with doubles.
They’ve known that aside from the obvious conditioning and fat-loss benefits, the double under can also help improve:
Speed
Coordination
Accuracy
Power
Endurance
Body control
Strength, particularly if you use weighted ropes
BASIC DOUBLE UNDER TECHIQUE
Hands in front of torso
Hands rotate from wrist
Good up and down bounce
Jump when rope is about to hit the ground
Practice linked singles, alternating single and Double-Unders, and then linked Double-Unders
Practice plyometric bounce with feet to develop the footwork/ jumping technique necessary for a double under
TRAINING TIPS
1. ARE YOU USING A ROPE THAT’S TOO LONG?
The proper length for a Double Under rope is determined by your ability level.
The idea is to get the rope turning around your body with as little effort as possible while maintaining maximum rope control. A jump rope that is too long will be sloppy and take too much effort to turn.
A consequence of a jump rope that is too long is poor form: you move your hands out from your sides to spin the rope fast enough. When you shorten your rope, you’ll find you need to improve your form. The jump rope you choose should match the speed you are able to jump up and down for your double under height.
Master your technique!
For example, an accomplished young jumper may be able to jump up and down very quickly. A cable speed rope is perfect for that. But a 50+ year old does not typically jump as fast, and a speed cable rope may be too fast for them; by the time they land on the ground after the first jump, the rope is coming around and hits them before they are able to take off again.
With double-Unders, consistency is important. Get your own rope so you can practice with the same one every time. Don´t just grab the nearest rope at the Box. Not only is it different from the last one you used, but it isn’t sized properly. Even slight changes can mess with your timing. Using the same rope will help your body and mind to quickly become familiar with the mechanics of the movement.
2. DON’T USE YOUR WHOLE ARM TO MOVE THE ROPE
If you’re swinging your arms like two windmills, there’s no way you’ll be able to get the rope around twice per jump. The key is learning to move the rope more efficiently.
It’s all in the wrist. Start off with the single bounce (one jump per revolution of the rope) to get comfortable. A quick flick of the wrist should be all you need to keep things moving for single jumps. Once you’ve got that down, try flicking faster and developing consistent swing timing. Trying to overcompensate for a slow wrist movement by jumping high won’t work for beginners, so be sure to get a fast flick down before experimenting with your jump height.
Watch this world record (164 Double Unders in one minute) by Shane Winsor to see how little he moves his wrists during the exercise
Rotational-Mechanics Drill to learn to feel the correct isolated wrist movement
Drill to improve hand positioning and movement during the Double Under
Position a 5-gallon bucket on each side of the athlete. Each bucket should be on its side and propped up on boxes to sit at waist level.
The athlete holds a 2-foot PVC pipe in each hand and tries to paint the insides of the buckets in a smooth, continuous movement using only the wrists.
Position the boxes and buckets to create correct posture, and ensure the end of the PVC is just touching the inside of the bucket.
It’s surprisingly difficult to make a smooth, round shape. People will start going ‘clank, clank, clank, clank’ as they bang the stick into the bucket, Newman states. The goal is to relax and release your wrist, letting the stick make a full circle.
3. DON’T LAUNCH INTO A DOLPHIN KICK POSITION IN THE AIR
Shooting your legs out into a pike position or “dolphin kick” may seem as though it will earn you some extra time to swing the rope around. In reality though, you’ll land heavier and take more time to recover and rebound into your next jump.
Keep your legs right under you in the air so they’re prepared to rebound as quickly as possible after landing on the balls of your feet. And keep in mind: Upon landing, your knees should bend a tad to absorb shock.
4. WORK ON YOUR TIMING
Double-Unders are all about accuracy and cadence. The timing that you should be saying in your head is “Tick – Jump”. The rope hits the ground on the word “Tick” and then you leave the ground as you say “Jump”. The two are close together and it is a quick “Tick-Jump” almost as it is one word.
It works with both Double Unders and Single Unders. You should be loading up your jump, just before you snap that wrist downwards. Once you snap the wrist and thumb down, you should be already in a position to quickly jump.
A common fault is people jumping too early. They get a few Double Unders, but can’t seem to get past 5, and this is because their timing is a little bit off and eventually it catches up with them as it compounds over the revolutions of the rope.
5. AVOID THE DONKEY KICK
Kicking your feet back, or “donkey kicking,” is a pretty common mistake.
It’s a function of trying to jump high enough to get the rope through twice.
It also forces people to use longer ropes.
It’s a lot of wasted energy
It put the athlete in a bad position for the next double under
It is the most known problem and has the same fix as the Dolphin Kick (Nr.3) as its all about your upright stance and jump.
Do you have any tricks and tips that work for you? Leave a comment below as it’s always interesting to learn about new ideas.
The WOD (Workout of the day) is an important part of training for all beginner Crossfit athletes. Sometimes it can feel daunting at first, with the wide selection of exercises and different structures, but feeling like this is only natural. These 3 workouts are perfect for helping you get more familiar with how they work.
They all contain simple body-weight exercises, so you can try them at home or anywhere else that you like. Good luck, and remember that:
“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”
3. BODY-WEIGHT GONE BAD
This WOD for beginner Crossfit athletes is simple but effective. Try not to stop at all and keep going with each exercise for the full minute each time.
This will also help you to get used to the air squat, push up, sit up, burpee and jumping jack.
Your score is the total amount of reps you managed to complete.
In collaboration with Liam Holmes (Nutritionist) and Lee Steggles (owner) we will discuss the importance of nutrition on performance, recovery and general health, as well as why it is hugely beneficial for all CrossFit athletes, regardless of ability, for Nutritionists and Boxes to work together and deliver a more personalised and in-depth service for all their members.
Lee and Liam coaching and teaching at Shapesmiths
The articles will also track the training progress of every day and elite level Crossfitters and the nutritional specifications they follow. We will all offer training and nutritional advice so that you can improve your health, training, and get closer to the goals that you want to achieve.
Hey Guys, so firstly, why is it so important to increase the importance of nutrition in CrossFit Boxes?
Liam – Nutrition is the base of the CrossFit pyramid! It is crucial as no matter where you are on your CrossFit journey, nutrition plays a role in maximising your progress in and out of the box. You could be a first time member who needs guidance on how to change their nutrition to support the new form of training, or a competitor that requires a more detailed plan.
Those who nail their nutrition maximise performance.
Lee – CrossFit isn’t just a gym based methodology. It’s also a program that balances physical & mental development with nutrition to prevent/improve metabolic type disease states and improve health status in the broader sense. Without a push towards placing a high value on Nutrition AS WELL, boxes will completely miss developing people on the health continuum that we learn about in the CF-L1.
The health continuum
Can you tell us more about the philosophy behind the training and programing at Shapesmiths, and how the role of nutrition, and working as a nutritionist, fits into this vision?
Lee – Shapesmiths have re-imagined what a CrossFit gym should be. We believe in keeping fitness simple and doing the common, uncommonly well in all aspects of our gym, programing and community.
The ‘world class basics’ phrase is Liam and I’s favourite saying to sum it up. As a gym, we promote eating real food to fuel our members’ life, work-out and recovery. We don’t stock supplements to improve our business margins. Our members deserve to be taught how to do the basics, like many successful athletes do. What to eat for breakfast and how to fuel, depending on what time of day you are training are often our first port of call. Our aim all along is to create a professional, high end service within an amateur setting is essential.
Liam – Lee and I have a very similar philosophy in that we want people to focus on food first. Our phrase of ‘world class basics’ encompasses everything from nutrition to training to lifestyle.
If you are not doing the basics well then you won’t be optimising your training.
Another phrase that I use is ‘build your pyramid’. How many times do you see people talking about what pre workout they are taking but yet their main meals were processed junk?! Do the things that are going to make the biggest effect – and do them consistently!
Get on the right track
How are you and Lee working together to deliver the best results for your athletes at Shapesmiths?
Liam – I am very lucky to have someone like Lee to work alongside as he is very knowledgeable so can refer members with a heads up on what they need. We offer a free 15-minute consult with myself for any athlete that increases their level of membership. This is one small strategy we use to ensure they are supporting the increase in volume of training.
Lee – With Liam, everything tends to come easily when we work together. We have known each other for around 10 years and went to the same University, albeit on different courses. When we linked up for Shapesmiths we both understood each other’s role and value the depth of knowledge, passion and genuine interest in helping CrossFitters. It also helps having worked within many multidisciplinary teams at sports clubs. There’s never a singular approach to delivering the best results for an athlete. Everyone is different and we treat them as such.
As a Nutritionist, how does planning the diet of an everyday Crossfitter and an elite level athlete differ?
Liam – This is where the pyramid of importance comes into play. Regardless of your level you need to do the basics consistently well. The basics include:
Calorie balance
Meal composition
Portion control
Food quality
As you progress and become more competitive you will need to build on this and work on strategies such as nutrient timing, macronutrient levels and supplementation. But it is no good just doing the things at the top of the pyramid. These won’t have a huge effect unless you have basics nailed on. Working with elite athletes is another level up! This is where I would put a periodised plan in place and then break this down into smaller cycles to ensure that progress is being made. I would also start to use techniques such as genetic and functional medicine testing to build an in depth profile of that athlete. Personalisation is key.
Train hard, eat well and enjoy yourself
When people start CrossFit they learn many new exercises and start to understand how to correct bad movement patterns until these new practices become second nature. How difficult is it to do the same with nutrition? Essentially to change people’s nutritional habits for the better?
Liam – People will always develop bad habits!! This is why I think it is great to work with a nutritionist as they will provide an analysis and solutions to improve your nutrition. A huge part of the work we do is about nutrition coaching. One philosophy I have is to identify the smallest change for the biggest effect. It may be just changing their breakfast will help support energy levels through the day, fat loss over a number of weeks and increase performance at their lunchtime class. Just by changing one element we can affect numerous outcomes. The skill is identifying it!! If you want long term success, then modifying and improving habits is the only way to achieve this. This is why “diets” fail.
“People need to focus on principles rather than methods”
How important is goal setting when working with your Box members? In terms of training and nutrition.
Liam – Having a plan is always a good idea as it provides focus and accountability. This is a big reason why members should work with a nutritionist. I like to take the focus away from purely body composition and aesthetics and set performance or lifestyle related goals. If they want to lose body fat, we may put a body weight exercise such as pull ups as a target. As they lose body fat their power to weight ratio will go up and they can do more pull ups.
How important is timing when it comes to nutrition? In terms of both performance and recovery?
Liam – Going back to building your pyramid it depends on how much you train and your current body composition. If you train twice a day, then timing becomes more important. If you train 3 times per week, then overall intake and balance would be of higher importance. Lucy is working with Andy McTaggart and Tom Eastham (both CrossFit athletes and coaches) leading into the battle of the beasts. Their training schedule requires more of an emphasis on nutrient timing due to the amount of volume and intensity.
Eating to perform
How do Boxes and Nutritionists work together? What is your general routine like working with the athletes and other coaches at Shapesmiths?
Liam – The members at Shapesmiths have access to regular seminars, online support and education documents that we have created. Increasing the importance of nutrition is essential. Recently Lucy Majury (CrossFit regionals athlete and coach) has joined the team as a nutrition advisor. This allows for incredible continuity for members.
At pH Nutrition we offer different packages to suit all members that want to work one on one. For example you can book in for a 3 month or 6 month package that includes multiple face-to-face consultations, unrivaled support and accountability. A bespoke nutrition plan is created and a relationship is built over the consultations. We have an awesome team that Lee will describe in more detail.
Lee – Between the Black Swan medical team of 6 Osteos, Sports Massage and 3D Movement Specialists, Liam and Lucy at PH Nutrition and CWTCH coffee (obviously an essential part of well-being) we have a pretty robust, in-house support network for our athletes.
We encourage all our members utilise their free consultation with PH Nutrition at any stage during their membership. Additionally, if athletes up their membership package from 13 sessions per month to Unlimited CrossFit is strongly recommended that they book in with Liam or Lucy to get a package as a bare minimum, to ensure they are investing in themselves and doing the basics really well.
Liam – Additionally Lee holds regular meetings with all the support staff to discuss how we can keep improving the service we deliver. This is great for Lucy and I as we can correlate the nutrition plans based on the current training cycle.
Are there any absolute essentials that you would recommend that all Crossfitters should be eating?
Liam – For me there is not one specific food that I would say people should definitely eat. But there are some foods that can help improve your health and performance. 8 FOODS EVERY CROSSFITTER SHOULD BE EATING. Try to think about human nutrition before performance nutrition.
“Every time you eat it is a chance to take you closer to your goals or further away from them. Nutrient dense, unprocessed whole foods should always be the priority”
Dan Bailey has spent great portions of his career training with Rich Froning, and the two have driven each other to push their own abilities and the sport of fitness to new heights. They worked together on their programming and pushed one another through friendly competition to become two of the best athletes in Crossfit.
Dan Bailey and Rich Froning working out at Crossfit Bellum in madrid
Earlier in his career Dan also trained with legends like Mikko Salo and Graham Holmberg, and always looked to challenge himself against great athletes. With your own training, seek out those members of your Box who are faster, stronger or more experienced than you and train with them. Compete against them because it will drive you to become better. If you are humble you can learn a lot. It can be difficult sometimes to sidestep your ego and accept that another athlete is better than you at something, but if you do, it will undoubtedly help you to progress.
Also, if you work hard enough, you may get to the stage where you can beat that athlete at their own particular strength, and that is a great indication of how far you have come.
“If you are the best athlete in the room, then you need to find a new room”
Here is Dan Bailey’s rough training program when working with Rich Froning
Noon: Strength session (M-F will typically follow this pattern: squat, press, deadlift, press, squat)
PM: interval work – 3 min on, 1 min off of varying movements.
Train hard. Compete harder!
2. EMBRACE THE TALENTS YOU ALREADY HAVE
A lot of people come into Crossfit from many different sporting backgrounds. Rich Froning formerly played baseball, Katrin Davidsdottir was a gymnast, Mat Fraser a national level Olympic weightlifter and Anna Tunnicliffe is an Olympic gold medallist in sailing. For Dan Bailey, he was a college track athlete, and is one of the fastest athletes in Crossfit. With a 400m time of 47 seconds, it’s no wonder he does so well on any kind of speed workout.
To be a successful Crossfit athlete you have to be well rounded, but use what you already have to give yourself as many advantages as you can. Check him out here doing exactly that with his pace.
DAN BAILEY KILLS IT AT THE ZIG ZAG SPRINT EVENT AT THE 2013 CROSSFIT GAMES
3. TAKE FAILURE IN YOUR STRIDE
One of the biggest shocks in 2016 came when Dan Bailey failed to qualify for the Games at the Californian Regionals. After finishing with a career high in 2015 in 4th place at The CrossFit Games, he seemed like a certainty for this year. He managed consistent top 10 finishes but was only able to break into the top 3 in Event 5.
Dan fails to qualify for the 2016 CrossFit Games
Despite this, he had nothing but praise for the other athletes, and accepted the result with humility and grace.
“It goes without saying that I am disappointed in my performance from this weekend’s regional competition. Thank you everyone for reaching out in support. I’ve read every message and comment. Strikes and gutters, ups and downs, that’s how life goes. I am still proud, and still thankful for all that I have and all that I am no matter the circumstance.”
I’m sure that in 2017 Dan Bailey will bounce back and make a strong comeback at the Games. He demonstrates to us all that sometimes, despite the best laid plans, things just won’t go your way. Rather than moaning or complaining, it takes a much bigger person to accept the situation, learn from it and use it as fuel to fire your next performance. This extends to all areas of training, from a bad workout to a missed lift, and to life as well.
WORKOUT TECHNIQUE
Dan Bailey gives talks us through his technique and strategy when he tackled this CrossFit® workout
3 rounds
0:00 – 2:00
Run 400 metres then Double Unders
2:00 – 3:00
Dumbell Push Jerk 35 lbs
3:00 – 4:00
Pull Ups
4:00 – 5:00
Dumbbell Hang Squat Cleans 35 lbs
Rest 5 minutes between rounds
4. ENJOY THE COMMUNITY
Dan Bailey talks often about his love for the Crossfit community and over the years he has grown into one of the most recognised and popular athletes in the sport. Since he started in 2010, he has trained with and competed against the best of the best, and always found enjoyment and fun in that process. For many of us, the community is one of the best aspects of Crossfit, and it’s good to hear that many of the top pros feel exactly the same way.
5. PUT THE WORK IN
Dan is no stranger to hard work. Beyond the Whiteboard published Dan’s training preparation for this year and its impressive to say the least!
“He has Clean & Jerked 423 reps for a total of 80,800 lbs (equivalent of 20 average-sized cars) while Back Squatting 240 reps totalling 77,300 lbs. This averages out to 191 lbs and 322 lbs per rep, respectively. On the Gymnastics side, he’s done a ton of GHD Sit-ups, Muscle-ups, and Push-ups, doing 486 reps, 1160 reps, and 1218 reps, respectively.”
He shows us what we already knew. If you want something, you have to work for it.
Back in 2012, Dan Bailey wrote a rough guide for the kinds of standards he believed male athletes needed to be at in order to have any chance of getting anywhere the Games. Although this is four years old and times change, it’s still an interesting set of milestones:
