30 Minutes of Practice
Use medium to light weights and emphasize positions and speed under the bar.
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Standardized Warm-Ups
By David Osorio
Intention
One of our goals for you for this cycle is to increase both strength and stamina with our most basic gymnastics skills. For a while now, our training has biased barbell lifting at the expense of many foundational calisthenic movements. We’ve seen people put up big numbers on the Back Squat or Deadlift who would struggle with a set of 10 strict pull-ups. We’ve also seen many new folks unable to get their first push-up for too long simply because they don’t do enough of them.
To fix this, we’ve decided to include a standardized warm-up which we’ll be doing at the beginning of each class. Consider this warm-up one of the training variables we’ll be playing with this cycle. If it goes well, we’ll implement standardized warm-ups in future cycles as well.
Strategy
After class intros, we’ll break out and perform Warm-Up 1 or Warm-Up 2. Which warm-up you do depends on how many times per week you come. If you’re a 1 or 2 time per week CrossFitter, stick to Warm-Up 1, the consistency will be helpful since the overall training volume will be lower. Otherwise, alternate each of these workouts scaling to your abilities. Focus on PERFECT execution on these reps and work at a steady tempo on each rep and actively practice best-fit positions. Really, more so than warming you up, performing these movements with good technique consistently will increase connective tissue strength, body awareness and increase overall fitness.
The Warm-Ups
Warm-Up 1 A
3 Rounds of:
15 Hollow Rocks
15 Air Squats
8-12 Push-Ups
5-8 Pull-Ups
Warm-Up 1 B
3 Rounds of:
15 Hollow Rocks
15 Air Squats
10 Switch Push-Ups or Kneeling Push-Ups
3 Negatives (just the down portion) or 5 Leg Assisted Pull-Ups
There are two versions of WU1. WU1A is the advanced version which assumes you can perform the mature versions of all these exercises. We’ve included a range of reps that you can play with in order to scale to your ability. WU1B is for folks who are still working on getting their first mature push-up or pull-up. Again, there are a few different modifications built into it so you can tailor it for your needs.
Hold the top and bottom of each squat for :01. For the push-up, hold the top for a :01 as well. These tempos help build strength at end ranges where form is often compromised or short changed.
Warm-Up 2
3 Rounds of:
0:30 in a prone or supine plank. (alternate each round)
8 Reverse Lunges, each leg
10 Ring Rows
The planks in Warm-Up 2 develop isometric strength which we otherwise don’t do too much of in CrossFit. This is a great way to strengthen your shoulders and tight body positions. By altering hand placement, we can easily make these movements more less difficult. On the lunges, focus on keeping keeping the front shin vertical and developing balance. Another movement we don’t see much of in programming is the horizontal pull. Many of you working on pull-ups do these regularly but many folks who already have them overlook this important movement. Rows help develop the upper back which is important for upper body strength Thoracic spine stability.
What to do before or after
There is a 10 minute cap on these warm-ups. If you finish early take a water break then you can do some quick soft tissue work like foam rolling or stretching. For folks who arrive early to the gym, this would also be a great time to mobilize a difficult movement or foam roll/LAX.
We look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback on this and how it affects their training over time.
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A Better Warm-up by Greg Glassman CrossFit
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