These muscles can act as an isometric or dynamic stabilizer for movement, transfer force from one extremity to another, or initiate movement itself. The following screens will allow you to assess your core stability and conduct core strength tests to see how you measure up.

Your core is a complex series of muscles, extending far beyond your abs, including everything besides your arms and legs. It is incorporated in almost every movement of the human body.

These muscles can act as an isometric or dynamic stabilizer for movement, transfer force from one extremity to another, or initiate movement itself. The following screens will allow you to assess your core stability and conduct core strength tests to see how you measure up.

What the Core Is

In this article, we address how to become a functional and strong human, as opposed to being another of the overrated endless rants on chiseled abs. So, we must first identify the core and what it looks like. In this diagram, we see the external musculature of the human body.

Our core has three-dimensional depth and functional movement in all three planes of motion. Many of the muscles are hidden beneath the exterior musculature people typically train. The deeper muscles include the transverse abdominals, multifidus, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and many other deeper muscles.

What the Core Does

Your core most often acts as a stabilizer and force transfer center rather than a prime mover. Yet consistently people focus on training their core as a prime mover and in isolation. This would be doing crunches or back extensions versus functional movements like deadlifts, overhead squats, and pushups, among many other functional closed chain exercises.¹

By training that way, not only are you missing out on a major function of the core, but also better strength gains, more efficient movement, and longevity of health.

We must look at core strength as the ability to produce force with respect to core stability, which is the ability to control the force we produce.

According to Andy Waldhem in his Assessment of Core Stability: Developing Practical Models, there are “five different components of core stability: strength, endurance, flexibility, motor control, and function”.²

Without motor control and function, the other three components are useless, like a fish flopping out of water no matter how strong you are or how much endurance you have.

It is important to first achieve core stability to protect the spine and surrounding musculature from injury in static and then dynamic movements. Second, we want to effectively and efficiently transfer and produce force during dynamic movements while maintaining core stability.

This can include running, performing Olympic lifts, or picking up the gallon of milk far back in the fridge while keeping your back safe. Research has shown that athletes with higher core stability have a lower risk of injury. This is proven perhaps most effectively by the Functional Movement Screen.³

There is a multitude of various tests that measure core stability, but I consistently use and recommend the FMS because of the research results and effectiveness of the corrective strategies.

Trunk Stability Pushup Test

For the purpose of self-evaluation, we will conduct a simple pass/fail version of the screen (this is different than the standard FMS test, but we will use positions that represent a “2” in that system).

First begin in a prone pushup position, with toes tucked under, lying flat on the ground. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart. Men will have the palms of their hands in line with their chin and women in line with their clavicle (collar bone).

In a single motion, perform a pushup while maintaining a completely straight body. For evaluative purposes, you may use a dowel rod or PVC pipe to asses maintaining a solid core and straight body, as shown below.

Women’s start position, hands in line with shoulders (men start by chin).

Top of pushup.

Passing:

• Proper start position is assumed and maintained (hands may not slide down lower)
• The chest and stomach leave the ground at the same time
• Spinal alignment is maintained with the body moving as a single unit (can use dowel to help determine and measure alignment)

If any of the criteria are failed the screen is deemed as a failing score. You have a maximum of three attempts to complete this screen. If you successfully pass the stability screen, progress to the strength screens.

Progress in core stability and strength should yield more effective progress and strength gains in other movements including both the squat and deadlift. Without core stability gross movement patterns become very difficult to impossible.

Core Strength Tests

The plank and side plank evaluate static core strength, while the knees to chest and toes to bar evaluate dynamic core strength. Finally the deadlift strength evaluation puts a higher demand on the posterior core stability to handle larger loads.

Plank

Hold a plank on your elbows for 90 seconds. Strict posture must be maintained, with a flat back and level hips. A dowel may be used to help evaluate postural alignment. Hands should be in front of shoulders, with forearms parallel to your spine, while elbows are located directly under the shoulders.

If struggling to maintain or find alignment then use the following procedure: Assume the prone position with elbows located under your shoulders. Flex your quads, raising your knees off the floor, squeeze your butt, and tighten and retract your abs. When all three muscles are contracted properly you will lock your hips into the correct position ensuring a flat lower back.

Side Plank

Hold a side plank for 60 seconds. Your elbow must be located directly under the shoulder and feet stacked on top of each other, while maintaining straight spinal alignment horizontally and vertically.

Knees to Chest or Toes to Bar

Complete 5 strict knees to chest for a passing score and 5 toes to bar for an optimal score. While hanging from a pull-up bar, first ensure active shoulder alignment, to keep your shoulders safe, as shown below. Slowly and deliberately lift your toes to the bar (or knees to chest) and lower them under control without swinging. Complete five repetitions.

In order to pass this strength test, you must maintain full movement control, not use any momentum to achieve the full range of motion, and remain pain free.

Left photo: Toes to bar. Right photo: Knees to chest.

Left photo: Active shoulders (good). Right photo: Relaxed shoulders (not good).

Deadlift

Complete a single deadlift meeting the Novice weight listed below in the strength table. For optimal results complete a single deadlift meeting or exceeding the Intermediate weight. For questions on deadlift form refer to the hip hinge article.

For a detailed core stability, strength, and conditioning program to start improving your screens and working towards optimal strength scores, continue to 10 Day Core Strength Program – Screening, Testing, and Training.

References:

1. “Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises” accessed February 18^th 2013 

2. “ASSESSMENT OF CORE STABILITY: DEVELOPING PRACTICAL MODELS” Andy Waldhelm May, 2011

3. “Functional Movement Screening” accessed February 18^th 2013 

4. “Deadlift Strength Standards” accessed February 18^th 2013 

The post Do You Know What Your Core Really Is and What it Does? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The overhead lift setup requires the ability to stand in good posture with correct lumbar and thoracic curves. You need full overhead extension of the shoulder, keeping the rib cage tucked, the neck in a neutral position, and elbows locked out. Once this position can be properly maintained, you can add load by starting with the overhead press.

After the overhead press is mastered, you can add load and speed with the push press. After the push press is a smooth and coordinated movement, you can progress into the push jerk. When the push jerk becomes a natural movement, then learning the overhead squat is next. Clean and jerks can also be implemented during this time for power development.

People often a rush to perform overhead squats, but the development of strength and coordination first is critical, along with having a competent front squat. Only once these prerequisites are met should you begin to overhead squat. And the overhead squat to full depth should be mastered before any full snatches are done.

You can begin to power snatch or snatch balance to learn the coordination, but wait until the overhead squat becomes a natural movement before starting full range of motion snatches.

In short the progression for the overhead lifts is this:

1. Strict Press
2. Push Press
3. Push Jerk
4. Clean and Jerk
5. Overhead Squat
6. Power Snatch
7. Snatch Balance
8. Full Snatch

Developing overhead ability is a combination of establishing enough muscle flexibility, joint mobility, trigger point reduction, and stability. If you cannot meet the criteria listed in the beginning of this article for proper mobility, begin by using the following techniques:

1. Begin with spinal mobility, because without a proper base your shoulders are doomed for failure. Use the posture test against the wall as a start. If good posture is achieved easily, begin to raise your arms overhead and try the posture test in an overhead position. If your back begins to peel off the wall use a foam roller for thoracic extension, lat trigger point, and chest trigger points.

2. Take a look at your shoulders. Shoulders are tough joints but are an intricate web difficult to replicate and understand. I believe that most often it’s the major muscles connecting to the shoulder that become tight and should be addressed first. Don’t begin trying to fix your shoulder mobility by cranking on the joint. In fact, I’m hesitant to prescribe any if much true shoulder stretching, specifically that with external and internal rotation. This is because it can be overdone, and people want to crank to get things moving again quickly. So work on the surrounding muscles, but be nice to your shoulder joint.

3. Once the standard starting position for overhead work is met, doing overhead isometric work such as waiter’s walks and overhead barbell walks are great ways to build stability and strength in a safe manner. While these are great movements, they are also probably the most rushed in the CrossFit world with coaches trying to correct people on the fly. The issue becomes that without the range of motion and stability, no amount of coaching will matter. The only coaching that is effective at that point is giving the client a substitution. After the walks are competent and controlled, then exercises such as the Turkish get up and windmills are also effective to bolster the integrity of the shoulder joint.

Realize that it took your shoulders years, if not decades, to get tight – so they are not going to open back up in a day. Be patient and work consistently. Consistent effort will yield better results than trying to pack a ton into a single day or session per week. Also take time to evaluate what other factors and environments in your life are contributing to immobility and poor positioning.

Helping to correct those is often just as effective as direct mobility work. Realize that even if you want to become competitive at CrossFit in your box or at a higher level, it’s the long-term rise you are looking for, not quick success.

The post Get Smart About Your Press appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Why bother standing when your local gym has an entire machine series with padded seats and lumbar support? Introducing natural movement can shatter normal gym paradigms, boost your confidence, and get you the fitness you’ve always wanted.

Fluctuation

Your comfort zone is constantly rising and falling, just like your fitness. The more you push your limits, try new experiences, and engage in uncomfortable activities, the more comfortable you become. If you can swim in a river, then the pool is not a problem. If you can perform pull ups on a rough tree branch, the pull up bar in the gym is no problem. But these scenarios don’t work inversely.

Some people seek the easy path and stick with what is comfortable. But if we only stick to the comfortable things, our comfort zone will shrink on us. Have you met someone who can only eat at certain places, has to have the air conditioning or heat on at all time, is uncomfortable learning, and avoids anything but his or her regular routine?

Now think about top athletes. They may be extremely focused on their sport or results, but these people are confident enough to try whatever training methods it takes to win. Being able to adapt to new training methods, ideas, and deal with any injuries may push your comfort zone, but it is critical to success.

Build Slowly

Expanding your comfort zone by slowly and intelligently pushing your barriers will build confidence. Don’t run out and try to change your entire workout routine and lifestyle overnight. That is a recipe for disaster.

“Being able to adapt to new training methods, ideas, and deal with any injuries may push your comfort zone, but it is critical to success.”

But once you begin to expand your comfort zone, not only will you notice a change in your behaviour, but people around you will want to know what you’re doing. When someone has a physical mastery over movement, he or she is much more confident and this becomes apparent.

Me demonstrating selective tension and hip flexibility at a MovNat workshop

Everyone wants to feel good, look good, and move well – even if they don’t know that’s what they are searching for. So, here are some tips for how to get outside your comfort zone – and have fun:

• Try walking or running barefoot – If it is your first time, only go a short distance and on a surface like grass. If you have been running barefoot for a long time, then push yourself a little further, faster, or on a tougher terrain. The idea is gradual progression.
• Go to a class – Try a class with a MovNat coach, a parkour coach, ninja warrior training, or involving something else outside your normal zone.
• Crawl again – Chances are if you haven’t been following MovNat or other natural/functional fitness programs, you have not crawled in years, or possibly decades.

Building your comfort zone is a gradual progress and is not always a straight line. Just like success can be messy and full of pitfalls, so is expanding your comfort zone. Athletes focus on building their confidence and so should you. No matter what your sport or what you train, success, hard work, and your comfort zone are cumulative. It is important to both protect your confidence and build your comfort zone.

Program Your Training

Expanding your comfort zone should be progressive and methodical just like strength training. You don’t jump into a new program or try to increase your weight by 30% one week. You add 2-5% per week while you’re building, or sometimes even less depending how elite of an athlete you are.

“Nature does not come with padding and perfect handles. Trees will rip your calluses. The ground is going to be hard.”

You can begin building your comfort zone through small changes in your workout – adding more intensity, new movements, more weight, or different variations. Break out of your normal training routine to help break through mental barriers. If you are a top-level athlete, ninety percent of your training should be focused on traditional strength and conditioning and a small portion dedicated to expanding your comfort zone. Make it your goal to perform a new movement, task, or training style each week.

Get Out of Your Own Way

The truth is, sometimes you’ve just got to get out of your own way. My favorite example of this occurred while I was coaching strength and conditioning at James Madison University as an intern. A girl on the women’s soccer team had a mental block about the 20-kilo plates and was convinced she couldn’t deadlift 60kg. But she would routinely pick up 55kg with great form and moderate effort.

One day we changed things on her by just adding 5-kilo plates to the bar. We kept her distracted so she didn’t focus on the total weight. That day she pulled 70kg without even realizing how much she was lifting. After we showed her what she accomplished, the next session she finally pulled the big red plates.

Natural Is Not Easy

As you start to train more natural movement, you will have to become comfortable with the fact that it’s not always going to be easy. Nature does not come with padding and perfect handles. Trees will rip your calluses. The ground is going to be hard. The outdoors will be wet, cold, and a host of other factors you don’t experience in a commercial gym.

“Once you learn to train through all the elements and hardships, life itself becomes easier. Rain is no longer a big deal, the cold no longer bothers you, and when adversity arises, you look forward to the challenge.”

But opening your comfort zone is critical to your success. Besides becoming a badass athlete and having mastery over your movement, you’ll experience a lot of other cool side effects. Once you learn to train through all the elements and hardships, life itself becomes easier. Rain is no longer a big deal, the cold no longer bothers you, and when adversity arises, you look forward to the challenge. When you hit a little hard on your front roll, you shrug off the pain and use it to learn. You don’t let such lumps slow you down anymore.

The larger your comfort zone, the more you will enjoy all aspects of life, including your training. So, get out this week and try something new.

You’ll Also Enjoy:

• Practical, Adaptable, and Efficient: 3 Natural Movement Principles
• Pop Up to the Top Challenge: 4-Week Training Plan
• What Happened to Movement for Health?
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle UK Today

Photo 2 courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.

The post Become a Badass Athlete: How to Incorporate Natural Movement appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Why bother standing when your local gym has an entire circuit line with padded seats and lumbar support? Introducing natural movement can shatter normal gym paradigms, boost your confidence, and get you the fitness you’ve always wanted.

Fluctuation

Your comfort zone is constantly rising and falling, just like your fitness. The more you push your limits, try new experiences, and engage in uncomfortable activities, the more comfortable you become. If you can swim in a river, then the pool is not a problem. If you can perform pull ups on a rough tree branch, the pull up bar in the gym is no problem. But these scenarios don’t work inversely.

Some people seek the easy path and stick with what is comfortable. But if we only stick to the comfortable things, our comfort zone will shrink on us. Have you met someone who can only eat at certain places, has to have the air conditioning or heat on at all time, is uncomfortable learning, and avoids anything but his or her regular routine?

Now think about top athletes. They may be extremely focused on their sport or results, but these people are confident enough to try whatever training methods it takes to win. Being able to adapt to new training methods, ideas, and deal with any injuries may push your comfort zone, but it is critical to success.

Build Slowly

Expanding your comfort zone by slowly and intelligently pushing your barriers will build confidence. Don’t run out and try to change your entire workout routine and lifestyle overnight. That is a recipe for disaster.

“Being able to adapt to new training methods, ideas, and deal with any injuries may push your comfort zone, but it is critical to success.”

But once you begin to expand your comfort zone, not only will you notice a chance in your behavior, but people around you will want to know what you’re doing. When someone has a physical mastery over movement, he or she is much more confident and this becomes apparent.

Me demonstrating selective tension and hip flexibility at a MovNat workshop

Everyone wants to feel good, look good, and move well – even if they don’t know that’s what they are searching for. So, here are some tips for how to get outside your comfort zone – and have fun:

• Try walking or running barefoot – If it is your first time, only go a short distance and on a surface like grass. If you have been running barefoot for a long time, then push yourself a little further, faster, or on a tougher terrain. The idea is gradual progression.
• Go to a class – Try a class with a MovNat coach, a parkour coach, ninja warrior training, or involving something else outside your normal zone.
• Crawl again – Chances are if you haven’t been following MovNat or other natural/functional fitness programs, you have not crawled in years, or possibly decades.

Building your comfort zone is a gradual progress and is not always a straight line. Just like success can be messy and full of pitfalls, so is expanding your comfort zone. Athletes focus on building their confidence and so should you. No matter what your sport or what you train, success, hard work, and your comfort zone are cumulative. It is important to both protect your confidence and build your comfort zone.

Program Your Training

Expanding your comfort zone should be progressive and methodical just like strength training. You don’t jump into a new program or try to increase your weight by 30% one week. You add 2-5% per week while you’re building, or sometimes even less depending how elite of an athlete you are.

“Nature does not come with padding and perfect handles. Trees will rip your calluses. The ground is going to be hard.”

You can begin building your comfort zone through small changes in your workout – adding more intensity, new movements, more weight, or different variations. Break out of your normal training routine to help break through mental barriers. If you are a top-level athlete, ninety percent of your training should be focused on traditional strength and conditioning and a small portion dedicated to expanding your comfort zone. Make it your goal to perform a new movement, task, or training style each week.

Get Out of Your Own Way

The truth is, sometimes you’ve just got to get out of your own way. My favorite example of this occurred while I was coaching strength and conditioning at James Madison University as an intern. A girl on the women’s soccer team had a mental block about the red 45-pound plates and was convinced she couldn’t deadlift 135lbs. But she would routinely pick up 125lbs with great form and moderate effort.

One day we changed things on her by just adding ten- and five-pound plates to the bar. We kept her distracted so she didn’t focus on the total weight. That day she pulled 150lbs without even realizing how much she was lifting. After we showed her what she accomplished, the next session she finally pulled the big red plates.

Natural Is Not Easy

As you start to train more natural movement, you will have to become comfortable with the fact that it’s not always going to be easy. Nature does not come with padding and perfect handles. Trees will rip your calluses. The ground is going to be hard. The outdoors will be wet, cold, and a host of other factors you don’t experience in a commercial gym.

“Once you learn to train through all the elements and hardships, life itself becomes easier. Rain is no longer a big deal, the cold no longer bothers you, and when adversity arises, you look forward to the challenge.”

But opening your comfort zone is critical to your success. Besides becoming a badass athlete and having mastery over your movement, you’ll experience a lot of other cool side effects. Once you learn to train through all the elements and hardships, life itself becomes easier. Rain is no longer a big deal, the cold no longer bothers you, and when adversity arises, you look forward to the challenge. When you hit a little hard on your front roll, you shrug off the pain and use it to learn. You don’t let such lumps slow you down anymore.

The larger your comfort zone, the more you will enjoy all aspects of life, including your training. So, get out this week and try something new.

You’ll Also Enjoy:

• Practical, Adaptable, and Efficient: 3 Natural Movement Principles
• Pop Up to the Top Challenge: 4-Week Training Plan
• What Happened to Movement for Health?
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle Today

Photo 2 courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.

The post When Comfort Is Uncomfortable: You Need Natural Movement appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The overhead lift setup requires the ability to stand in good posture with correct lumbar and thoracic curves. You need full overhead extension of the shoulder, keeping the rib cage tucked, the neck in a neutral position, and elbows locked out. Once this position can be properly maintained, you can add load by starting with the overhead press. After the overhead press is mastered, you can add load and speed with the push press. After the push press is a smooth and coordinated movement, you can progress into the push jerk. When the push jerk becomes a natural movement, then learning the overhead squat is next. Clean and jerks can also be implemented during this time for power development.

People often a rush to perform overhead squats, but the development of strength and coordination first is critical, along with having a competent front squat. Only once these prerequisites are met should you begin to overhead squat. And the overhead squat to full depth should be mastered before any full snatches are done. You can begin to power snatch or snatch balance to learn the coordination, but wait until the overhead squat becomes a natural movement before starting full range of motion snatches.

In short the progression for the overhead lifts is this:

1. Strict Press
2. Push Press
3. Push Jerk
4. Clean and Jerk
5. Overhead Squat
6. Power Snatch
7. Snatch Balance
8. Full Snatch

Developing overhead ability is a combination of establishing enough muscle flexibility, joint mobility, trigger point reduction, and stability. If you cannot meet the criteria listed in the beginning of this article for proper mobility, begin by using the following techniques:

1. Begin with spinal mobility, because without a proper base your shoulders are doomed for failure. Use the posture test against the wall as a start. If good posture is achieved easily, begin to raise your arms overhead and try the posture test in an overhead position. If your back begins to peel off the wall use a foam roller for thoracic extension, lat trigger point, and chest trigger points.

2. Take a look at your shoulders. Shoulders are tough joints but are an intricate web difficult to replicate and understand. I believe that most often it’s the major muscles connecting to the shoulder that become tight and should be addressed first. Don’t begin trying to fix your shoulder mobility by cranking on the joint. In fact, I’m hesitant to prescribe any if much true shoulder stretching, specifically that with external and internal rotation. This is because it can be overdone, and people want to crank to get things moving again quickly. So work on the surrounding muscles, but be nice to your shoulder joint.

3. Once the standard starting position for overhead work is met, doing overhead isometric work such as waiter’s walks and overhead barbell walks are great ways to build stability and strength in a safe manner. While these are great movements, they are also probably the most rushed in the CrossFit world with coaches trying to correct people on the fly. The issue becomes that without the range of motion and stability, no amount of coaching will matter. The only coaching that is effective at that point is giving the client a substitution. After the walks are competent and controlled, then exercises such as the Turkish get up and windmills are also effective to bolster the integrity of the shoulder joint.

Realize that it took your shoulders years, if not decades, to get tight – so they are not going to open back up in a day. Be patient and work consistently. Consistent effort will yield better results than trying to pack a ton into a single day or session per week. Also take time to evaluate what other factors and environments in your life are contributing to immobility and poor positioning. Helping to correct those is often just as effective as direct mobility work. Realize that even if you want to become competitive at CrossFit in your box or at a higher level, it’s the long-term rise you are looking for, not quick success.

Photo 1 courtesy of CrossFit LA.

Photo 2 courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post The Safest and Smartest Progression for Building Your Overhead Lifts appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

You would never build a house on a muddy foundation, yet as athletes we operate on both stiff and weak ankles. This article will provide you with fast, but accurate screens to assess your current mobility and strategies to improve performance in any sport or activity.

It may seem silly to look for gains in strength in such a small joint, but having an effective and efficient base will effectively translate to improving all other standing movement patterns. First we need to establish proper range of motion and then stabilize the joint. Once we have control of the joint we look to enhance the performance through ground reaction time, coordination, and power output. This follows the same patterns put forth in the squat and deadlift articles posted previously.

In the screens outlined belowed we will examine both flexion and extension of the ankle:

Start position for screenings.

Screen #1: Active Dorsiflexion Lying Against Wall¹

Lay on the ground with feet together and flat against the wall. Have your legs flat and together, with arms rested by your sides and palms facing up. From here, pull your toes back and as far away from the wall as possible while maintaining heel contact with the wall.

Flex the toes and feet toward yourself as much as possible.

• Inability to move the ball of the foot from the wall constitutes failure of the test
• 0.1-1 inch from the wall is acceptable
• 1+ inch from the wall is optimal (if you are able to slide the opposite big toe behind your flexed foot this would clear your 1+ inch range)

Examine flexibility one foot at a time. If you can fit big toes behind with no contact, you are greater than 1 inch.

Screen #2: Active Ankle Plantar Flexion Un-Weighted²

Begin lying on your back with your feet in a vertical position. Under control, point your toes away from you as far as possible and hold at your end range of motion.

Passing extension test – greater than 20 degrees.

The goal is to achieve at least 20 degrees range of motion, and ideally 30. Visually if you reach a flat line between your foot and shin you have optimal range of motion passing the test. If you are unable to reach 20 degrees you fail the screen.

Failure of extension test.

Screen #3: Passive Dorsiflexion Weighted³

Stand with your right foot perpendicular to the wall, with your big toe 1 inch from the wall and knee in line with the second toe. Flex the right knee and attempt to touch the wall while keeping the entire foot flat on the ground paying specific attention to the heel. If successful, move 2 inches from the wall and repeat the process until maximum distance is found.

• <2 inches = failure of the test
• 2-4 inches = acceptable range
• 4+ inches = optimal range

If you have optimal range of motion in all three tests, you may then skip the mobility portion and jump ahead to the performance section. If you failed any of the tests or are in the acceptable range continue through the mobility drills first.

Corrective Pattern Sequence

• Mobility – re-establishing functional range of motion

• Sitting stretches (pictures below) – perform these once per day, focusing slow lowering into a seated position until you can fully relax and there is no muscle tension while in these positions
• Perform the third screen and hold the stretch for thirty seconds and up to three minutes
• Banded stretch
• Self-Myofascial Release on calves and tibialis anterior (front shin muscle) using foam roller, lacrosse ball, Theracane, The Stick, etc.
• Range of motion movements – drawing the alphabet with your toes while leg is extended
• Static Stability – using the joint/muscle/movement pattern that stresses the area needing correction by moving other joints and requiring it to remain static
  • Balance on 1 leg for 30 seconds with good posture
  • Balance on 1 leg and throw a medicine ball against a wall or with a partner
    • Chest Pass 3×10
    • Overhead Throw 3×10
    • Side Toss 3×10
• Dynamic Stability – moving the joint/muscle/movement patterns through a range of motion requiring dynamic motor control. Focus on soft landings, not maximum force/distance of jumps
  • Calf raises three foot positions: neutral, internally rotated, and externally rotated
  • Double leg jumps – air jump, forward jump, lateral jumps
  • Single leg forward hops, side to side hops
• Full Re-patterning of Movement –moving correctly through a full range of motion
  • Perform bodyweight squats with correct form using the squat article
• Strength –weighted calf raises, vertical jump for height, and broad jump for distance
• Power – box jumps, lateral jumps, agility ladders, sprint accelerations and decelerations
• Performance –sport/activity-specific training

When you arrive at the dynamic stability section of the progression make sure slowly progress through the jumps. According to the NSCA guidelines for plyometrics a beginner should only have “80-100 foot contact per session,” however for those who are deconditioned, overweight, or older should begin with 40-50 contacts per session.⁴ As a general training rule start conservative and you can always add more the next session, however you can never take back work already done.

Left photo: Seated stretch, toes under. Right photo: Seated stretch, toes pointed.

Banded stretch – keep both legs straight and flex toes toward you.

References:

1. “Chapter 3 Assessing Flexibility” accessed February 12^th 2013

2. “Ankle Goniometry” accessed February 12^th 2013

3. “Reliability of Three Measures of Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion” accessed February 14^th 2013

4. “Practical Guide for Plyometric Intensity” accessed February 15^th 2013

The post A Weak Foundation: How to Screen Your Ankles, Improve Performance, and Decrease Injury appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As an athlete and coach, I am intrigued by any new sports performance gear, but CORE-Tec’s advertising caught my interest. Clothing that helps to align our kinetic chain and enhance our natural function? Not only that, but they even know the difference between mobility and stability joints.

Either this company has some great products or some great marketers. Fortunately, Opedix recently gave me the opportunity to review their CORE-Tec Shorts and find out for myself. I dove in to give the shorts a try and see which of those two options was true.

What Is Kinetic Health?

The only negative I found to these shorts is a relatively steep price tag of $165.00. But you can’t fairly compare either the product or the price of the product to regular compression shorts. That’s because Opedix seeks to rise beyond simple compression gear and provide clothing that enhances function through kinetic health.

What is kinetic health and how can fabric help? Let Opedix explain:

My Testing Process

Upon initial wear, these shorts were comfortable. The first day I wore them, I was just doing some writing and other office work. I did feel like I sat up taller and had less tightness in my back after several hours, which had me intrigued.

Next, I wore them during a run. Everything felt great, and the shorts fit and moved well. The compression was an appropriate level, providing some tension without overdoing it.

After that, I wore the shorts on several kayaking trips and a rafting trip as a base layer. A side benefit to the shorts was that they eliminated what we call “raft butt.” (At least that’s the nice name for the feeling you get after sitting on a rubber tube paddling down class four and five rapids for several hours.) Again, the compression felt like it helped me maintain better posture. The shorts also wicked moisture well and dried quickly.

After this, I biked several times in the shorts. They held up well and I felt they probably had the most impact here in terms of alignment and support.

Conclusion

I believe in compression, and studies have proven it can help performance and recovery. I also believe that strategically designed clothing can have pre-built tension through the fabric, which may change or assist your movement patterns. But people need to maintain perspective, and if you have had knee problems for years or chronic hip issues while squatting, a pair of shorts will probably not fix them.

CORE-Tec Shorts are available for both men and women, ranging in sizes from XS-L for women and S-XL for men. They are also available in a couple different color options.

Overall, I’m a big fan of the CORE-Tec Shorts. They now go along with me in all my different sports. Opedix produces a high-quality product that is still holding strong after plenty of abuse, and the shorts are something I’m happy to say I wear.

Opedix CORE-Tec Short are available for $165.00 at Opedix.com.

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The Life of an Olympian

The life leading up to becoming an Olympian is far from normal, requires incredible sacrifice, and can leave a huge hole after the experience is done. Russian skaters Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov (pictured to the right) skated their entire lives for their Olympic moment. They dedicated the last four years to this single performance. They have often been asked if they are dating, but even that had to be put on hold because it could be a distraction. Maxim moved away from home at a young age to live at the skating rink where he was training. He got one meal a day from the rink as his only meal.

Facing Olympic Defeat

And beyond that immense sacrifice, fourth place at the Olympics is almost viewed at as the first failure rather than an incredible feat. Shaun White (pictured to the right), the snowboarding legend, struggled with a bad day finishing out of the medals at the Sochi Olympics. He threw down a monster run during qualifying, scoring a 95.75, but was unable to repeat that performance during the finals. The criticism mounted, with it being called a “bum run” or a “sad saga,” amongst other names. The reality is performing a 1440 double flip while jumping twenty feet in the air off snow is just not that simple. Being able to land it once is almost a miracle, much less performing it regularly. It is disappointing that Shaun was unable to earn a third gold medal, but he is still an elite athletes and one of the best in the world. Every day can’t be your day, but rather than focusing on the negative we should still celebrate how amazing even his failures are.

How We Can Apply the Olympics to Our Own Training

We have become so far removed from the effort, dedication, and skills these athletes show that people feel free to criticize them. The reality is more people struggle to get off the couch than can run one mile, much less ski almost two miles downhill at 60mph with ninety-degree turns and football field-length jumps. Everyone who even makes an appearance at the Olympics should be celebrated and we should take note from the athletes who show up with no chances at winning the medal. Every year there are athletes from countries most people have never heard of who are going to finish way behind the winners – but they show up anyway. They show up to compete, to do their best, and to inspire the men and women of their country. These are the athletes I think should be celebrated the most.

These athletes are so positive, inspiring, dedicated, and incredible, yet get underplayed because they do not medal. We place so much emphasis on winning that everyone else gets shunned and athletes become national disappointments if they don’t measure up. The Olympics is about coming together as a world to celebrate our athletes and our shared values of honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship. We should be thankful we are able to come together as a world and take more away from this event than the gold medals. We should all be inspired by the very achievement of building the immense stadiums, the gathering of athletes from all over the world, and the amazing physical feats they accomplish.

The athletes who participate in the Olympics are so elite that you probably don’t know anyone who could even step into the arena with them. In watching the Olympics, we can be inspired by how hard these men and women work, and the sacrifices they made to get there. Chances are many of us give up way too early on our workouts. So perhaps the best lesson in watching the Olympics is that even if we won’t ever reach that level, we can each train harder and not make any more excuses.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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wodLIFTS inserts are designed to give you the benefits of Olympic lifting shoesby converting your current shoe. You simply take the wodLIFTS insert, place it under the insole of your shoe, and you instantly have more stability and heel height. Sounds great, right? That’s what I thought, so I decided to put a pair to the test.

Here’s a quick overview from the company so you can see how wodLIFTS work:

As advertised, the wodLIFTS fit it almost any shoe. However, I’ve found them most effective in zero drop and minimalist shoes. The wodLIFTS fit great in Reebok Nanos, Innov8s, and Altras. The wodLIFTS didn’t feel nearly as comfortable in a traditional running shoe like Asics or adidas, though. Regular running shoes already have a heel lift and using the wodLIFTS just exaggerated it even more. In addition, many running shoes are designed to have cushion, and this felt awkward with a solid wedge in the shoe.

For those of you who are unaware of the heel lift and why it’s beneficial, here’s the reason. The heel lift changes the angle of your foot, taking pressure off your calf and giving you greater range of motion. The heel lift is particularly helpful for people with ankle or calf flexibility issues. To test drive how this feels, place your heels on a 10lb weight plate, a deck of cards, or something else with similar height, and then do a squat. Then, try your same exact squat stance without the lift, with your feet on the ground, and feel the difference.

Thus, wodLIFTS give you this additional mobility, and they also add stability through the rigidness of the shoe. In my testing, the wodLIFTS performed great for squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts. Traditional Olympic shoes have a flat bottom and also don’t have much of any flexion to allow your feet to bend naturally. This is where wodLIFTS can outperform traditional Olympic lifting shoes, since they allow you to executive movements like box jumps and double unders. Personally, though, I found the wodLIFTS uncomfortable for any running and felt that they messed with my running pattern.

Another solution for Olympic lifting and other movements in the gym are the Reebok CrossFit Lifters, which have the toe-box flexibility built in for the sport specific applications. But when it comes to a WOD that involves lifting and running, I prefer to have a neutral shoe like the Nano or inov8s.

One advantage to the wodLIFTS is that they are removable, so unlike a pair of shoes, they could be shared amongst multiple people. So if you have training partners with a similar shoe size or you are a gym owner looking to provide for your clientele, you wouldn’t necessarily have to have a pair for every single person. wodLIFTS even offers a Box Kitof three pairs of lifts for $99.95 for that purpose. The wodLIFTS come in three sizes that fit a broad range of shoe sizes, as indicated in the chart.

Additionally, I thought the wodLIFTS were great because they are small and easy to pack in your bag for the gym. If you know you are doing Olympic lifting on a given training day, you don’t have to bring two pairs of shoes or struggle with the list of gear for that day or week. If you are not ready to fork out money for another pair of shoes or need something to use on the go, add some wodLIFTS to your bag.

wodLIFTS are available for $39.95 per pair or for $99.95 for a three-pair Box Kit at wodLIFTS.com.

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Self-Evaluation and Safety

Before performing any movement you first need to do a self-evaluation to see if the dip is even appropriate for your body.

• Are your shoulders and elbows pain free?
• Are you able to do push ups?
• Do you have any existing injuries or preexisting ones dips can aggravate?
• Are you an appropriate weight or body composition to perform dips?

Start by testing your movement in a safe environment. Either set your adjustable dip bar so your toes can barely touch the ground at the top of the movement, or put a box under your dips bars to achieve the same result. This way if you feel like you need to bail or you get uncomfortable all you have to do is stand on your feet.

How to Build and Progress Your Dip

The following building blocks will work whether you are training to get your first dip on static or parallel bars or whether you are moving on to your ring dips. But safety is always first. So if you have a strong full-range-of-motion dip, then you can move on to the rings. If you don’t have this ability, then stick with static bars.

Step #1: Building Range of Motion

First, you need make sure you have adequate range of motion. Try a dip with full assistance. So while you are standing, you will use your legs to dip your body down to a full range of motion. This means 100% of your weight is in your legs and your arms are passively bending. Your elbows should be parallel to your shoulders at the bottom.

If you can comfortably achieve a full range of motion, then you’re good to go to train your dips. If not, then use this motion as a stretch, and work on stretching your chest, triceps, shoulders, and lats. Add in foam rolling or other trigger point work as needed to release those muscles.

Step #2: Building Stability

Next you need to achieve top end stability. This means being able to support yourself on top of the bar comfortably without shaking or losing shoulder positioning. If you are uncomfortable here, then use assistance and perform static holds. As you get more comfortable and stronger, you can use less and less assistance.

Step #3: Building Strength

Building strength is a key component. Push ups are a great way to start strengthening, but you can also add overhead presses, pull ups, and assisted dips. Don’t bother with machine-assisted dips. These type of dips are awkward, result in bad movement, and have little translation to the real movement. Instead, use bands. When using a band you must always control the movement and be strict. Resisting the urge to bounce will keep you safe and actually allow you to build strength.

Performing bench dips is another great way to start the strength and movement coordination development. You can use a box or a bench, keeping your feet on the ground, and modulating difficulty by bending or straightening your knees. After bench dips become easier, then you can elevate your feet or even add weight in your lap. But take your time and don’t rush to more advanced movements if you are not 100% sure of your ability and strength.

Progress Comes From Patience

During this process keep in mind that dips are a difficult movement. You need to build slowly to keep your shoulders and elbows safe. If you start to get achy joints, your tendons get cranky, or your muscles are just plain sore, then give them time to recover.

One reason dips are difficult is because people no longer climb, support themselves on their hands, or rotate their shoulder in this range of motion in everyday life. By practicing dips you are reawakening range of motion, coordination, and strength you haven’t used in a long time. So be patient!

Also remember that if you are learning to perform a dip, or ring dip, don’t do the in a WOD. This practice belongs in skill development until you can do eight to ten repetitions comfortably. So when it comes time for the WOD, substitute movement instead of the dips. This will keep you able to practice and build your dips, while keeping your body moving well for a long time to come.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Bench dip graphic by Everkinetic [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

The post The 3 Building Blocks to Performing a Proper Dip appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

21-15-9 reps of:

• 225-pound Deadlifts
• Handstand Push Ups

Diane is one of the many benchmark WODs named after girls. In addition to the girl workouts, there is also a group of unusually harder and longer WODs named after heroes such as fallen soldiers, firefighters, and police officers. These workouts form a common ground for CrossFitters around the world. So naturally, we want to see how we measure up against the competition. With these workouts, everyone in the nation is competing with the exact same rules and movements. This sounds like a fun way to challenge your friends, measure up at the gym, and see how you rank against the professionals, right?

Unfortunately people do not know their own limitations, so the girls and heroes turn into a traffic accident of terrible form, pushing way too far beyond limits, rolling around on the floor, and other negative consequences. Because of the importance attached to these workouts, people often don’t want to scale them, and even if they do, it’s a mad dash to the finish.

This is the wrong way to approach these benchmark workouts. You need to train appropriate to where you are in the development of your movement, conditioning, coordination, and mental ability, as well as your fitness and health level for any given day.

Four Steps to Success With CrossFit Benchmark Workouts:

• Step 1: Check your ego at the door.
• Step 2: Learn to scale properly.
• Step 3: Know your appropriate intensity.
• Step 4: Laugh next year this time when you have crazy results instead of injuries.

Step 1: Check Your Ego at the Door

Checking the ego at the door means you need to dial into your body. What you previously did on this WOD or any other does not matter. What is your body telling you today? Did you get enough sleep, have you taken in any water, or have you just rolled in from a marathon of work, twelve cups of coffee, and dealing with stress at home? Arrive to the gym early and have time to check in with yourself, rather than sliding in halfway through the warm-up and talking to everyone else.

Step 2: Learn to Scale Properly

Learning to scale for yourself is a skill. It requires understanding both the purpose of the workout as a whole and the purpose of the movements within the workout. Diane for the professional athletes is a sprint.

• Dan Bailey set a new world record in Diane with a 1:35 time.
• Kristan Clever set a new world record on Diane with 1:54 time.

If we compare these scores to running, these are competitive 600m times for a good high school athlete running a sprint. So this means Diane is a relatively all-out effort with almost unbroken form. This means the movements should be less than 80% of your 1RM, and probably less that 65-70% of your 1RM for you to blast through them while also maintaining good form.

• Men: To perform the workout as prescribed, you should have a 1RM deadlift of 325lbs (225 is roughly 70%).
• Women: To perform the workout as prescribed, you should have a 1RM deadlift of 200lbs (135 is roughly 70%).

As far as the handstand push ups, in order to do Diane as written, you should be able to do single set of twenty handstand push ups while fully rested. If you can’t perform that many, then you will really pay for it in the second and third round of the workout.

How to Scale “Diane”

First we scale load, and second we scale movements. This is a science and an art.

Scaling the Deadlift

If you can’t deadlift the required amount above, take your 1RM deadlift and multiply it by 70%. That should get your appropriate load. This is still going to be a difficult amount, but will allow you to move at a decent pace. For example, if your current 1RM is 185lbs, you should deadlift 130lbs for the workout. If your 1RM is 100lbs, you should deadlift 70lbs for the workout.

This is, of course, assuming you have a good deadlift to begin with. What if you are a beginner and this is your first week or month at the box? Well, you need to have your coach evaluate if your form is even good enough to perform high rep deadlifts at speed. If your form is not quite there, then you can substitute kettlebell deadlifts. If you can’t perform kettlebell deadlifts with a stable core and straight back, then perhaps you work back to bodyweight squats. Squats still involve hip extension, are primarily lower body and posterior chain, and allow you to achieve significant metabolic work.

Scaling the Handstand Push Ups

Handstand pushups are difficult, if not impossible for the average person. So we can scale in this order, from beginner to advanced:

1. Incline Push Up – hands are higher than feet
2. Push Up
3. Ring Push Up
4. Decline Push Up – feet are higher than head
5. Handstand Push Up

The single most important factor in any push up variation is core stability. If you can’t hold a solid core and start to sag during the movement, then you should not do it. Developing strength and coordination takes time. If you’re not sure which movement to do, then go with the easier one. You can scale push ups almost infinitely by adjusting the angle, so find what works well for you and start to develop from there.

If your goal is to perform a benchmark workout and you can’t do it as written yet, then use your auxiliary work outside of class and workout time to help meet this goal. Work on your deadlift strength and endurance or spend time doing overhead lifts to build shoulder strength and stability. Only when your body is ready should you go at full intensity in regards to relatively difficult movements. And remember step four – laugh next year this time when you have crazy results instead of getting injured like others.

Photos provided by Jorge Huerta Photography.

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That being said, there are a few critical steps involved in training safely through the winter and coming out stronger. When training in the winter, you need to make sure you can manage your internal temperature, keep extremities warm, stay hydrated, and avoid injury. Training in adverse conditions requires proper equipment and clothing, awareness of how to deal with the cold, and knowing the difference between the uncomfortable and the potentially dangerous.

Tip #1: Dress Appropriately

Cold feet are one thing; completely numb feet are another. When dressing for cold temperatures you should feel cold when you start a run or your warm up. If you are warm when you leave the door, then soon you will get hot and start to sweat. Once you begin to sweat, your body can cool down rapidly and become cold. Training in the winter takes a balance of not getting too cold, but not getting too hot either.

Experiment with different layers and types of material until you find what works well with your body. Also be ready to head back in if you need to get warm. There is a difference between tough and stupid. Those days when your hands are so cold you can barely open them to get your key out and opening the car turns into a five-minute game probably erred a bit on the not-so-smart side.

Making sure your core temperature is within normal range is the biggest priority, but keeping your fingers and toes warm is important too. I’ve found spending a bit more money on some high-quality gloves makes all the difference in the world.

Tip #2: Stay Hydrated

Even in the winter you need to stay well hydrated. You still lose a significant amount of fluid during exercise even if it doesn’t feel like it. Thirst is not a great indicator that you should drink. By the time you are thirsty, you’re already behind the game. Thirst means you’re running low on fluids. You want to avoid letting the tank run too low by replenishing and keeping it topped off. Good hydration means better performance and faster recovery. Overall, it means less stress on the system with the same benefits gained.

Keep a water bottle with you at all times. A simple trick is to put warm or hot water in your bottle when you leave the house, then by the time it cools down it’s not an ice block.

Tip #3: Remember Metal Gets Cold, Too

Your body will take time to adapt to the colder temperature. You will go through many different changes the more time you spend in a colder environment. These changes allow you to deal with the colder temperature more efficiently. Running in the cold is probably the easiest training. Dealing with metal weights becomes a whole different matter.

In the cold, barbells become stiffer and bumper plates are not as effective. Olympic lifts and drops should be left to indoor training for the sake of your body and the equipment. Using weights in the cold is okay, but you need to make sure your hands are not going numb. Either keeping your core temperature high enough or wearing gloves is critical. If your hands become numb it is unsafe to lift weights because you may lose control and drop them.

Tip #4: Beware of Explosive Movement

You need to make sure you don’t become too cold and then perform explosive activities such as plyometrics, sprints, or gymnastics. There is a greater risk of muscle and tendon damage (tears, in particular) when trying to use cold muscle explosively. Athletic clothing these days is form fitting, designed with proper vents and added material to keep joints warm. Spending a little bit of money on the proper training gear is worth it. Depending on the activities, knee sleeves or arm sleeves can also be a lifesaver.

Get to know your body, adapt gradually, and enjoy the cold season. Don’t let the winter cold stop your training, but rather, come into spring with a great base for the year. Use the winter as a training cycle and not a period of hibernation.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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