Wednesday 4.27.16
Virtuosity
The CrossFit Open has come to a close. Another series of Friday Night Lights has passed and now we must patiently wait another year to test our fitness in the next Open. But just because the Open is no longer upon us does not mean we should get lazy on our standards! This is the perfect time to train our movement.
As you know by now, we uphold all our members at CFCH to a high standard. This standard is enforced during the Open with a judge watching and counting your reps, and we expect you to continue to uphold this standard in everyday classes. It is important to build good habits of holding ourselves to the highest standard every day. It is not what you do when people are watching that matters, it’s what you do when no one is watching that matters.
Virtuosity is defined in gymnastics as performing the common uncommonly well. What does this mean? Well, in CrossFit, it means building solid foundations. Take, for example, the air squat. A very common and simple movement taught to each member when they first join. It provides the foundation to many different movements, like the clean, snatch, front squat, back squat, overhead squat, thruster, wall ball, pistol, etc. If an athlete’s air squat is not mechanically sound, then all the other movements that stem from it will also suffer. Strive to perform these seemingly simple movements perfectly every time, especially during the warm up! Too many times I see people just moving through the warm up in class, not taking it seriously. The coach designed the warm up specifically to prepare your body for the workout. If there is any time to perfect your movement, the warm up is the perfect time to do so! Get into the habit of having the mindset to execute each movement perfectly every time. Don’t just do it, do it right.
One of my favorite quotes by CrossFit founder, Greg Glassman is this:
“There is a compelling tendency among novices developing any skill or art […] to quickly move past the fundamentals and on to more elaborate, more sophisticated movements, skills, or techniques.”
I see this happen all the time and have experienced it myself. It’s very easy to want to move past simple and common movements, like an air squat, to a “cooler” movement, like a squat snatch. However, skipping the fundamentals will ultimately lead to halted progress and a high chance of injury.
It may sound boring and unsexy to work on the basics, but perfecting the basics will make you stronger, prevent injuries, and benefit you in the long run. So next time you hear a coach tell you to go lower on that squat, keep your shoulders back, or get that chin over the bar, make the effort to do it! We aren’t telling you these things to be bossy. We want you to be the best that you can in and outside the gym. We are doing our job of holding you accountable to the highest standard. But ultimately, it is up to you to desire perfection and virtuosity in your movements.
FOUNDATIONS
A. 10 minutes to practice rope climbs
B. 5 rounds for time:
Run 400m
10 rope K2E/ 7 rope pulls
10 shoulder to overhead
GPP
A. 10 minutes to practice rope climbs
B. 5 rounds for time:
Run 400m
5 rope climbs
10 push jerks (135/95#)
COMPETITION
A. 3 sets of:
10 strict HSPU + ME kipping HSPU
*if you fail before 10, immediately start the set of kipping. Once you fall off the wall, your set is over. If you fail to complete at least 10 COLLECTIVE HSPU, then complete 10 strict HSPU in as many sets as needed with NO extra kipping
rest as needed between sets
B. 3 sets of:
45-60 second ring plank with rings 2 inches from floor