Thursday, 11-3-11

Neuromuscular Facilitation, also called muscle memory, is one of the most important factors in the adaptation of strength as an athlete, but more importantly as a novice. When we try new movements or activities, our brain sends a electrical impulse to activate the muscles needed. When this movement or pathway is unfamiliar, it is like driving with grandma in a big city and she has no idea where she is going. You end up taking seventeen different streets to go five blocks. As grandma lives in the city, she learns the quickest pathway from point A to point B. The body reacts in a similar way. As your mind works to find the best pathway to move your body it starts finding short cuts and movements become more efficient. With the strength movements at CrossFit, novice people can see strength gains from 20-40 percent in little time with small gain in muscle mass. The gains are attributed to the neuromuscular connection. Now that grandma spent some time in the city (going through repetition after repetition) and finding the most efficient path, she can start pouring on the gas!!! Allowing you mind to catch up to your body will make you more efficient in the long run.

We use a lot of fine motor control in our daily lives like typing, brushing our hair, and using a pen. It took a lot of training to make these movements efficient if you don’t believe me go brush your teeth with the opposite hand tonight and see how easy it is.

Skill/Strength – Shoulder Press

1 Jumping P/U————-10 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
2 Jumping P/U’s————-9 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
3 Jumping P/U’s————-8 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
4 Jumping P/U’s————-7 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
5 Jumping P/U’s————-6 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
6 Jumping P/U’s————-5 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
7 Jumping P/U’s————-4 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
8 Jumping P/U’s————-3 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
9 Jumping P/U’s————-2 SDHP’S
100 meter sprint
10 Jumping P/U’s————-1 SDHP
100 meter sprint

CrossFit Kryptonite