Here at Outlier we always make an effort to have warm ups for the class that specifically warm you up for the plan of the day. If we are doing movements that are leg and hip based ie… squats or olympic lifts you will probably be seeing our band warm up as well as some mobilization of the knees and hips through dynamic movement or pause holds. If we are going overhead you will see chin up hangs as well as free weight movements like windmills or pvc stretches. There are a handful of other things that you see on a regular basis that are trusty and reliable that get the body generally prepped for activity. Today we are going to talk about three movements that I think all of you should be doing in your warm up and cool downs that will help make you a better CrossFitter and have a better handle on some of the more challenging movements we do here at Outlier.
The first movement we are going to discuss is using the L-Sit. The L-sit is a fantastic and very basic gymnastic movement that you can easily add into your daily CrossFit practice. Just head back and grab two parallels for about 5 minutes.
So why is the L-Sit so great? It develops strength across the entire body. In order to extend the legs fully you must have adequate hip flexor strength in addition to good hamstring flexibility. Good hamstring flexibility is key to good hip health and strength. The L-sit develops strong abs, which is probably to most obvious to someone looking at the L-sit. Holding an L-sit (1 min being the gold standard for CrossFitters) requires you to be able to hold tension as well as breathe and engage other muscle groups, which is key for good core control in the larger barbell movements we do. The upper body benefits a ton from L-sit practice. The triceps will get very strong when they learn how to hold a strong lockout as you practice the l-sit which will transfer to the overhead movements we do as well. The even more important part for the upper body is the stabilizer muscles that have to work to keep the biceps forward, the shoulder packed down and in a strong support position. Even if you are someone that can do dips now but you can’t hold an L-sit for much time. I guarantee if you add them in you will see your dip ability go through the roof. So how might you ask do you implement this new movement? I would say that you set a clock for 5 minutes. See how much total time you can acquire in a L-sit. Remember that if you can’t hold the legs out fully extended you can always bend the knees to make it easier, then as you get stronger work towards extending the legs all the way out.
The next movement that everyone can get better at and benefit from is the turkish get-up (TGU). We do this movement in classes every once in awhile but somehow it seems to always match up with everyone’s rest day. The TGU is a great strength developer and can make your shoulders bullet proof. The TGU is a great movement that challenges the shoulders in every plane of motion possible. If you are someone that has trouble with shaky shoulders I would recommend adding these in 2-3 times a week. In addition to the shoulder flexibility and strength, your overall coordination and midline stability get a heavy dose of work! Take about 7-10 minutes and see how many TGU’s you can acquire. I will personally guarantee that if you practice these for a serious amount of time, your overhead strength and stability with the barbell and your handstand work will improve! Below is a video giving you a walk through of the turkish get up so you can review the technique and get practicing!
The last movement we are going to discuss is going to be one that does get added in somewhat regularly in the classes on accessory day. This is going to be the GHD back/hip extensions. This movement actually is a combo of several movements that everyone would benefit from. You can never have a strong enough back and hip connection. If you don’t use the GHD on a regular basis for hip or back extensions then I recommend adding in 2 or 3 sets of 20 3-4 times a week. Below I will post some videos of the difference between the back and hip extension so you can understand what we want to see here. The main thing to understand is that it isolates the spine and builds connection between the vertebrae and one holds the back in a locked position. Being able to understand and feel the difference between these two movements is key to being able to properly set up in good positions for lifting as well as having the bodily awareness for good gymnastic movements that are dynamic and fast, like kipping pull ups and toes to bar!
Remember that the key to anything in the gym is regular practice. I would recommend picking a strategy to implement some of these movements and deciding when you will do them ahead of time. Then stick to it. Give it about a month or a little more and see how these few movements have helped the wide array of things we practice in the classes!
Coach P