Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Edukation


Working out at SFCF involves a skill set. This is deliberate and intentional. The development of a physical education takes just that: skills. You can not claim to be fit if you aren't well versed in moving your body or an external object.

This is where technique comes into play. Technique really only serves two purposes: To achieve the goal of the exercise safely and efficiently. The former will lend life to your training longevity, the latter will increase your competence, confidence and ultimately your intensity.

The novice who wishes to remain a novice can do so by ignoring the work that must be done to understand a movement, charging head-long into a workout without proper understanding of what is required. The novice who wishes to see rapid improvement will invest a little extra time in the initial learning stages to make sure things are peachy. Without this foundational layer, little can be built on top.

When practicing, ask yourself if your technique is safe. If so, what can you do to be more efficient. Address the bigger problems first. Then, if they are fixed, start addressing the minutia.

Now, that being said, there is only one way to learn many of these movements...doing them! The novice above wishing to remain as such will do so by avoiding the physical experience of performing these movements. It is far easier to talk about training than it is to 'get under the bar'. You must find your own balance between movement analysis and experience. Don't rush your technique, but don't spend all day in 'analysis paralysis' either!

What strategies do you have for working/refining your technique on complicated movements?



Adam recently attended his Crossfit Lv 1 certification seminar here. I believe he performed a 90second PR Fran sometime that weekend amidst dozens of squats, presses, technique lectures etc. Nice work Adam!

Work them basics,
-Boz

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job Adam. It seems like everyone is getting their cert. I might need to get on that eventually, eventually meaning when I have $1100 dollars. Its great to train at a place where our trainers effectively teach you to lift safely, but also with a great amount of intensity. There is nothing like being under that bar, applying all you have learned
and feeling it translate to increased power output and inceased athleticism.

Lucas

Nick said...

Reading that post I felt like the "getting under the bar" comment was meant for Steven and I for this morning. Only a few more lbs till I have Boz overhead...

On to the question at hand. The things I have done to work the skills were to buy a dowel (yes I had to buy it, I didn't have it before) and practice the Burgener warmup, as well as some of the other movements. Also, just got some rings for the house...Although I can't figure out where to hang them yet...I have also worked on getting up into a handstand. However that still freaks me out when I am trying on the hardwood floor in my house without a spotter. I will keep trying.

Nick said...

Also for all you beer drinkers. A study that shows beer is better post workout:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=491236&in_page_id=1766&ito=1490

Unknown said...

Adam! what can i say... "He's the fucking man, man!"

Anonymous said...

Adam--Awesome and thank you for doing it since I'm sure some of your cert skills will rub off on the rest of us each week.

I agree; it's all in The Practice. It sure helps as well to have those photos you all take to see where form or technique fails. The recent post recommending mental preparation and visualization can be a great aid to learning a movement or exceeding a yet-to-be-broken PR.