Thursday, 5/12/11

Please make note of change for Saturday’s hours:

We will only have an 8AM class, as we will be running the 5K Stan Wong Race in East Moriches. Anyone wanting to run/walk,  please register @ stanwongfoundation.org, and let us know. We will provide you with a free Crossfit T-shirt to wear!!

Skill – Kipping

W.O.D. – 3 R.F.T.
400m run
15 Knees to Elbows
21 Thrusters 95/65

Awareness
By Mindi Martinez

CrossFit is often an escape, always a challenge, and can be a personal journey to be the fittest we can be. But it is important to have an AWARENESS of every aspect within the beast.

Be aware of your breath. Are you breathing or are you holding your breath? There is a place for both of these in CrossFit, just make sure you’re doing the right one at the right time.

Be aware of where the bar sits. Is it racked high on your shoulders for the front squat? Is it over the laces on your shoes for the deadlift start? The bar should do what you tell it to do, but it has to be in the right position. The bar is not going to stand up straight with you on the deadlift if it is too far forward. Train it well and use it for good, not evil.

Be aware of where your feet are and how your knees track. Are they too wide, too narrow? Do your knees sink inward when you squat? Is your weight distributed correctly? Coach Burgener states that 99% of all missed Olympic lifts are due to the feet. Work on your flexibility and do some footwork drills to determine your optimal stance.

Be aware of how tight or loose your body is during each movement. Does your back break during your squat? Take that big breath and stay tight. Are your knees locked at the start of a push press or jerk? Unlock them, dip and drive.

Be aware of how you stand every day, how you hold your body. I’m currently rehabbing my hip (again!) and I’ve realized that I’ve created the problem by not being aware of how I stand. I’ve created a lazy hip because when I stand I push my weight into my right side, basically letting my left hip just hang unsupported. Since I started CrossFit and especially over the last year as I’ve started training in Olympic lifting and work on increasing the weight I can squat, my left hip doesn’t know how to support me. So now I am aware and I constantly focus on where my weight is when I stop to stand: straight, weight on both legs and glutes engaged. I still catch myself occasionally but I find that I am aware of the bad behavior immediately and correct it.

Be aware of how you move. Be aware of your gait. Do you find that a certain part of your body is stuck, or un-mobile? At my recent USAW Cert, Coach Bob Takano pointed out that we’re going to have a generation of mostly young men who are sadly going to be incredibly un-mobile. It is more important for them to project an image by wearing their jeans below their behinds. They are unaware that due to their wardrobe choice they’ve developed a shuffle walk to keep their pants up. This leads to stiff hips, knees and ankles, all areas that full mobility are extremely important for functionality.

Be aware of where you are in the space of the box. This is especially important when there are a lot of people around you, whether they are suffering along with you or cheering for you. When you have to run the gauntlet to get to the next exercise, realize that the box is a living breathing thing and the environment can change at any moment. BE AWARE!