Top 10 Tips for Developing Functional Flexibility
August 24, 2008
Here are the top 10 tips for developing functional flexibility:
- Do not stretch ligaments!
- Hit your intended target every time you stretch. Don’t stretch your lumbar spine when your intended target is the hamstrings!
- Develop your Dynamic Joint Mobility (control of a joint through its entire range of motion), Dynamic stretching (active stretching that occurs during movement. For example, leg swings and overhead squats), and Static stretching (statically held position designed to improve flexibility in static positions).
- Perform Dynamic Joint Mobility first, Dynamic Stretching second, and Static stretching last (should be done last to avoid injury during workout due to destabilization of the joints).
- Try to bridge the gap between your active and passive flexibility. This reduces chance of injury.
- Develop functional flexibility by improving your strength in full range of motion functional movements, such as those used in CrossFit. Functional flexibility differs from “Contortionist Flexibility” because it demands strength throughout the entire range of motion.
- Chris Leach
- CrossFit Kettlebell Certified Level 1
- CrossFit Barbell Certified Level 1
- CrossFit Gymnastics Certified Level 1
- Kathy Graves
- CrossFit Barbell Certified Level 1
- Carolyn Hulse
- CrossFit Kettlebell Certified Level 1
- Catherine Fisher “Cat”
- CrossFit Kettlebell Certified Level 1
- Share your fitness goal.
- How you plan to go about achieving that goal.
- The date you plan to have achieved it (i.e. December 31, 2008 . . .)
- How will you reward yourself for achieving your goal?
- Mild to excessive thirst
- Fatigue
- Headach
- Dry mouth
- Little or no urination
- Muscle weakness
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
The Problem With Shortcuts
August 24, 2008
The problem with shortcuts are that they don’t exist. Success in sport and life revolves around and is decided in great part by your mastery of the most fundamental basics.
I had the opportunity to work with Chad Vaughn and his Coach Richard Fleming, also of CrossFit Plano, at Chad’s last training session before he left for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Chad competes in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting in the 77kg weight class. Chad weighs about 170 pounds, and yet his Snatch is around 147kg (323 pounds), and his Clean and Jerk is routinely around 180kg (396 pounds).
At his final training session, Chad successfully completed a routine lift and proceeded to add 2 kg to the bar. “Sensing” that the weight was heavier, he did what most people do and “tried harder”. Unfortunately, in his “trying harder”, he got away from the basics enough to miss the lift because he had not developed enough vertical momentum on the barbell. He had made the very same mistake that lifters new to sports make all the time by not going to full extension on the jump. Read more
Fight Gone Bad III
August 7, 2008
Fight Gone Bad III
when: September 27, 2008 | Starts at 9:00 a.m.
Where: CrossFit Plano - Plano
Category: Workouts
Event description:
It’s TIME!! That’s right, for the third year in a row, all CrossFit affiliates, WORLDWIDE, will be participating in the Fight Gone Bad fundraiser. This year, the money we raise will go both to the Prostate Cancer Foundation AND the Wounded Warrior Project.
Last year, CrossFit Plano raised over $1,500, and as a whole, CrossFit raised over $550,000. I’ve set a goal for us for this year of $7,500, and 50 participants, but to do that we’ll need ALL of your help!
The Fight Gone Bad event takes place on Saturday, September 27th at 9:00 a.m. For those of you that don’t know what it is, you can read about it here . To train for the event, so that everyone gets experience doing the FGB, our Friday night class at 5:00 p.m. will be Friday night Fight Gone Bad - every Friday from now until Sept 19th.
As far as the fundraising goes… every participant must raise over $150 . The way to get registered is to go to the Athlete’s for a Cure website and to register - AND join OUR team. Here’s how to do that…
1. Click HERE to go to the site
2. Once there, click on Register>
3. Click “I agree”
4. Select “Join a Team”
5. Select “CrossFit Plano” from the drop down menu
6. Enter all of your information
Once finished, you are officially registered - and you can begin sending people to the website that is created for you - your own, unique fundraising website. Here is mine as an example - http://athletes.kintera.org/crossfit08/troy .
Here is a link to view the rules for this years competition.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask anyone on our staff!
Congratulations Are In Order
August 7, 2008
Join me in congratulating the following people who have achieved great accomplishments in fitness certifications:
Chris, Kathy, Carolyn, and Catherine all worked very hard and invested lots of money to achieve this success. Join in congratulating them by leaving a comment below. Please make sure to include your name.
Thank You!
Share Your Fitness Goal for the Year
August 7, 2008
Want a great way to achieve your goal? Share your goal with others and it will hold you accountable for achieving it.
Here’s what we’d like to see:
Don’t forget to share your name as well.
“All things come to those who go after them.” — B.J. Marshall
What Slogan Would You Like On A CrossFit Shirt?
August 7, 2008
In the space provided in the comment section below let us know what slogan you think would be best on a CrossFit shirt.
In our next ezine issue we will then give everyone a chance to vote for the best slogan. Winner will receive two shirts!
So share your slogan and be sure to include your name.
Hydration: How Much is Enough?
August 6, 2008
Those of you who have had the “pleasure” of participating in a group class that I have coached know that it irks me when one of our CrossFitters stops in the middle of a short workout like “Fran” or “Helen” to get a drink of water. I always politely inform the offending (and oftentimes unsuspecting) CrossFitter that they will not get dehydrated in a 10 minute workout!
If your workouts last 30 minutes or less you should be able to just hydrate before and after your workout and be okay. Only if your training sessions are over 30 minutes in duration should you also be drinking water during your training session.
Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration
Low levels of dehydration do have physiological consequences. A loss of 2% bodyweight (just 3lbs for a 150lb person) causes an increase in perceived effort and is claimed to reduce performance by 10-20%. A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgment, concentration and decision making – vital elements in all sports, from pole-vaulting to football. A particular issue for boxers is that dehydration increases risk of brain injury. Read more
Who Will You Become Over the Next Year?
August 6, 2008
I sometimes ask potential clients ”Who will you become over the next year?” Most people typically respond with vague, generalized answers such as “I will be in better shape” or “I will have lost weight and be healthier”. I always respond with this question: “What are you currently doing NOW to accomplish your goal and how is it working?” Most people do not have a response because they are trapped by their own inertia.
The reality is that creating lasting change is difficult. Change requires that we break the bonds of inertia that hold us back and keep us from starting in the first place. We are creatures of inertia. Sir Isaac Newton described this term in his observation of reality: Read more
