CrossFit Toronto » flexibility

Leg Power

Liz M — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:00:31 +0000

Photo courtesy of web3dservice.com

“Have you ever watched kids learn to stand? They begin in a full squat. In fact, the fetal position is a full squat. That’s how your knee actually developed — in the full squat position.”

Read the rest at TMuscle.com

Sigh… girls and their thighs. Will we ever be satisfied? Turns out, a lot of us ladies are training towards imbalanced strength. Check out Perfectly Balanced over at Survival of the Fittest. It turns out, women are much more inclined to have stronger quads than hamstrings. The solution to evening things out? As ever: Squat below parallel. And some other stuff. Have a look.

Please note that the gym is closed today for a nutrition seminar with Robb Wolf.

Workout

Complete 5 rounds for time of:

30 Burpees
Rest 1 minute

Thoracic Park

Liz M — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:49:40 +0000

Image courtesy of gocomics.com

Is your thoracic region kyphotic? Translation: Do you have crummy posture? Your upper back says a lot about your lifestyle. If you’re always hearing “chest up! chest up!” in class, chances are you’re habitually hunched. Do you have a desk job, or spend most of your day sitting? Have you recently had a baby? Are you a long distance runner or cyclist? A true kyphosis, or hunch back, is a pretty big deal and can require surgery… but if you’re just a little slouched, there’s a lot you can do.

One very useful tool is our friend the foam roller! Try these moves for increased thoracic mobility: Give yourself a hug and roll up and down your mid-upper back. It’ll probably feel reeeeaallly good.

Don’t have a foam roller handy? Grab two tennis balls and some duct tape. Tape the tennis balls together, and place them at your mid-back, and lie down with one ball on either side of your spine. After letting your back relax in this position for a few minutes, shimmy the tennis balls an inch or so up your back. Rinse, repeat.

Stretching can help, but kyphosis rarely occurs in isolation. If you’re having trouble straightening up, the culprit could be weak abs or glutes, and/or tight hip flexors.

(Disclaimer: Please note that these are merely suggestions. For real advice, please talk to a physical therapist, or any kind of medical professional with a degree.)

Workout

Press 1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3 reps

Can You Touch Your Toes?

sio — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:00:10 +0000

So we have all stopped groaning (well maybe we still groan a little!) over the “Buy In” and “Cash Out” now that we understand how beneficial it is! And we know that we need to commit to proper nutrition, and do our best to get good quality sleep. We’ve got it all in check right!?

How is your flexibility?

Flexibility is a very important component of getting stronger and steering clear of injury! Increased flexibility will aid in mastering technical movements as the body is better able to react.

Becoming more flexible is ultimately about self discipline. I know the last thing you want to do after a mean workout is stretch! But you will be saving yourself a lot of body-ache and potential injuries if you take the time post workout to give your limbs a good STRETCH!

Stretching should be done at least once a day, and if possible…more! You can’t bank the time either, so don’t try to pack it all into your rest day once or twice per week! ONCE A DAY! It’s not a one time deal either, it’s long term with no expiry date! You stop stretching and your flexibility vanishes.

Although your workouts may feel like you are becoming more like Gumby, strength training actually decreases your flexibility. When you workout you are shortening your muscles, so it is crucial to continually stretch in order to maintain muscle length. Without stretching, your lack of flexibility will result in decreased range of motion and ultimately loss in performance. Increasing range of motion means the ability for increased force, improved technique and less joint strain.

When to Stretch and How?

Stretching should be done before and after your workout. However, the type of stretching differs.

Dynamic” stretching should be done BEFORE a workout. This takes the muscles through a range of motion as opposed to staying in a “Static” hold. This will help to warm up your joints and get the synovial fluid pumping (to lubricate the joint).

Dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing the range and speed of the movement. This is our leg and arm swings, and shoulder dislocates. These movements are not meant to fatigue, but to warm up the body and increase blood flow. The motion gradually builds up and should not involve “bouncing” or “jerky” movements (as in the old school ballistic stretching).

AFTER your workout is when the flexibility work starts! This is when you want to do “Static” stretches. This stretching involves slow movements, holding the body in the “end” position for a stretch of 20-30 seconds. This stretching increases your range of motion over time, and reduces risk of injury.

Check out Performance Menu’s free journal on stretching. There is a great video that highlights post workout stretches.

I know we are all rushed to get to work, or home to get dinner started, but remember that few extra minutes to stretch will result in huge pay off for your body in the long run. And the more you do it, the more flexible you will be. Stretch while you wait for the coffee pot to brew, or during that teleconference (they can’t see you!), or on lunch break. A bendy body is a happy and injury-resistant body!

Workout

As Many Rounds as Possible in 15 minutes of:

7 (per side) One-arm Barbell Push Press (boys 65#/girls 45#)
14 Box Jumps (20″)

Buy In

practice One-Arm Barbell Push Press (gradually work the weight up)

Cash Out

100 Double Unders

STRETCH! STRETCH! STRETCH!

This is Your Conscience…

admin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:10:34 +0000

Dearest You,

This is your conscience writing.

Your Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance and Accuracy asked me to write this on their behalf. Your Confidence and Inner Fire-breather got wind of it, and wanted representation as well. They came to me with a concern and I drew the short straw (darn the straw draw, I always lose) so here I am writing this letter to address their joint complaint.

They would like it to be clear they are very happy with Your hard work of late. They know You put all of your efforts into making them better, and are very appreciative of this.

However, they are tired of always being in the background. They want to shine, be in the spotlight, get some recognition and share the glory.

On this front, they are unhappy with You.

You see, they wanted to make an appearance at the CrossFit Ontario Challenge this past July. They were sure they were ready but once again Self-Doubt out voted them, and they had to sit back and watch as You didn’t compete. No fame

They know Self-Doubt can be very convincing and often gets his way, but they just don’t think it’s fair. Why should Self-Doubt be the only one getting airtime? They have feelings too…dreams, aspirations, needs!

They have therefore taken drastic measure that they feel were necessary to get Your attention. They, with the help of Confidence, have kidnapped Self-Doubt and are making the following demands:

they want Self-Doubt to keep his opinions to himself, and not always over-ride the opinions of others
they feel decisions of great magnitude, such as going for PR’s and competing in athletic events, should be put to vote with majority wins, and not always fall to Self-Doubt’s influence
they would like their individual achievements celebrated instead of Self-Doubt always clouding these occasions

All parties are willing to negotiate however; they will not release Self-Doubt until they are guaranteed they will be fairly represented.

It is important for You to know that although is seems Guilt-Trip put them up to this, these demands are purely their own, and Guilt-Trip had no part in this. Quite frankly, he’s just not that smart!

To initiate discussions, they would like to put the Element CrossFit Challenge, coming next month, on the table for vote. Let it be known that their vote is a unanimous “YAH” for all 10 members, plus guest votes from Confidence and Inner Fire-Breather. The latter two feel badly about not stepping up for the CrossFit Ontario Challenge last month, and strongly endorse this vote as a means to make amends to the rest of the parties.

Please consider the demands before You and take appropriate action. Signing up today for this aforementioned challenge would be considered a sign of good will and greatly appreciated by the mentioned parties.

Regards, Your Conscience
(acting on behalf of Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, Accuracy, Confidence and Inner Fire-breather

Workout

As Many Rounds as Possible in 15 minutes of:

5 Clapping Push Ups
10 Box Jumps (20 inch)
15 Kettlebell Swings (boys: 24kg/girls: 16kg)