Are you moving well?

By: Leo Fontana

So you hear your coach telling you, “knees out, chest up, full range of motion” and a lot of the time you get irritated because you’re sick of hearing those cues. Well, remember why your coach is saying all those things?! Because he/she cares about you.

Many times in class you’ll hear many of the same words over and over again. The reason why this is happening is because your coach is trying to get you or your classmate to move as well as possible. Being able to move well will help you be more efficient, allowing you to save energy, making you go faster, at a higher intensity and having better results quicker.

Being able to perform a movement to the best of your ability is crucial to maintain a strong, healthy body. It aids longevity in fitness and it keeps you injury free for a long time.

Let’s take something as simple as an air squat, it seems easy enough right?! Well, there are many things that can go wrong in an air squat. In a workout that has a lot of air squats that you perform with “okay” form, your knees are “outish” your chest was up in the beginning but now you’re tired so your chest is parallel the ground, you were on your heels before but now you are pushing off your toes, because well, you just feel like it. You hear your coach try to correct you multiple times and you look great when your coach is watching you but as soon as he/she turns around everything goes back to crap. Now, imagine doing this to every movement everyday for 3 years? One day your body will be really mad at you and something will go wrong.

To avoid these injuries, we have our coaches correct your form and a lot of the time you can’t get into perfect positions because of your mobility and that’s okay, however you have to make a conscious effort to try and get into good positions and working on mobility and flexibility to make that movement more comfortable. Being able to at least try really hard to get into  the positions that your coach is telling you to will prevent many injuries in the present and in the future.

Next time, think about why your coach is nagging you to push your knees out, keep your back straight, maintain your chest up and keep your core tight. Because he/she only wants the best for you and wants you to make all kinds of gains!!!

 

 

Group Class Workout

 

Warm Up:

3 lap run with med. ball over head, 30 med. ball slams, 20 med. ball thrusters, 20 scorpions

Finish with: 1 minute banded overhead distraction, 15 PVC pass throughs, 15 PVC good mornings

 

 

Strength: Strict Press

Welded: 6×4, choose weight

Welded Lean:  no strength

 

 

MetCon:

Welded:

5 Rounds

20 calorie row

30 air squats

40 double unders/40 singles

Cash out: 50 burpees

*24 minute time cap, add 1 second for every uncompleted rep

 

Welded Lean:

40 minute AMRAP

1 mile bike

20 AbMat sit ups

20 med. ball slams (30#/20#)

*every 0.1 mile counts as 1 rep

 

Mobility of the Day: Quad Smash (pg. 324)

Improves: Hip function, knee, hip, and lower back pain