Sit, Stay - good dog

Your boss cracks the whip and tells you to sit at your desk all day.

Jerry says do a 20 minute amrap with wall balls, after a week of overhead squats, heavy cleans and high box jumps.

How do you get from point A to point B.

This may help.

http://youtu.be/qmyEgk0zNPc

The K*Star 6: Part 6, Couch Stretch

http://youtu.be/5EiUquYdyPU


Start on all fours with your feet against the wall. Raise one leg so the shin and foot lie flat against the wall, then step the other leg forward, foot beneath you. Engage glutes, quads, and hip flexors by arching and relaxing your back. GOOD FOR: Opening up the entire anterior muscle chain, allowing you to fully extend your hips, knees, and ankles.

The K*Star 6: Part 5, The 10-Minute Squat Test

Well, if big-man Donnie Thompson (the other SuperD, aka world record in back squat of more than 1,200#!!) can do this, so can you. Ideally you want your position to look more like KStar than Donnie, but that is an aspirational goal. Either way, keep those knees out.


http://youtu.be/xSvKRmwXhwc

5. 10-minute deep-squat test
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lower your hips to your ankles, making sure to keep your feet flat on the ground. Remain in that position for 10 minutes, moving slightly to stimulate circulation. GOOD FOR: Increasing mobility in the ankles, knees, and hips.

K Start Basics Part 4 - Ankle Dorsiflection

Standing up, place stretching band just above the ankle and step forward with that leg. Move knee forward and oscillate outward. Repeat facing the other direction. GOOD FOR: Ankle flexibility, which helps save runners tremendous energy.


Skip to 5:00. Check this out. 
http://youtu.be/ofhKZ-cmSt4

K Start Basics Part 3 - Hip Flexor and IT

Sit much? Then your hip flexors are likely short and not ready to really open up when you need to explode for a clean, sntach, box jump or 1,000 other crossfit jumping moves.

A good one here with a bonus calf stretch at the end.

http://youtu.be/m6Fy5pvvm-U

The K*Star 6: Part 2, Active Shoulder Stretch

Old school from episode 09. He starts to to some active shoulder stretch at 1:50 with good explanations. Get in position and hang out there. "Give it a chance to open up - 2 minutes per side x2 would do wonders"

The test / retest is sick.

2. Shoulder extension, external rotation
Place your hand through a stretching band and rotate your palm up. Grip the band and lean back, stretching your arm above your head and engaging the lat muscle. GOOD FOR: Opening up shoulder joints, which are particularly tight among swimmers and climbers. 

http://youtu.be/RSE95NF4eVc

The K*Star 6: Part 1, Posterior Hip

Here is a good video demo. He does not use a band, but we can come back to that in level 2.

http://youtu.be/s84JhYFJMPM

The K Star Basics

A listing of the 6 must do mobility basics. You have seen me feature them all at one point or another. But if you don't know where to start, this is perfect:

http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/flexibility/6-Exercises-for-Maximum-Mobility.html

Just hanging around

Guest blogger - former CFOT member Adam Houston - describes how hanging from a bar can open up shoulder range of motion. It is both complicated reading and simple in practice. Here's Adam:

Adam's Crossfit Blog: Simple shoulder help

Stand up straight!

Good advice. Getting explosive (and full) hip opening will help with a push press and a box jump. You are on your own for those pullups.

http://youtu.be/icNOo-o7fZQ

Upper back (as in Thoracic Spine)

Grab the double lax ball. Cross your arms and go side to side, and front and forth. Sexy,

http://youtu.be/CrKstFEd3oU

Body weight

More squat prep? What's the deal? Well, this is a good deeper dive to help open the hips which will help with so many movements from airsquats to snatches. So yes, this is a good one to do often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo59eqVip6I

Squats!

Part 1 of his 3 part series

http://youtu.be/g-mBaHx6Gn4

I need more overhead reach!!!

Are your arms stapled to your sides?

Well try this:

http://youtu.be/EOYgXEE5IGk

Couch Stretch Classic

Episode 2 - The introduction of the couch stretch to the world. If you feel tightness in the low back, move your knee further from the wall. You are not trying to win a gold in stretching and hurt yourself, you are trying to get a little more range of motion so that you can have some more explosive hip power for hang cleans.

Skip to 2:10 unless you want to watch him skateboard a little.

Dips, shoulders and pullups (and abs)

This is a great one to open up for dips, press and even pullups. Perfect.

The audio fades out a little, but come back. For the first stretch, you can kneel in front of the box jump box since we do not have parallel bars. For the second one (3:25) next time you have a conference call, close the door and do this. I dare you. Make use of your time.

http://youtu.be/pN-Vvk7QMNk

Thrusters - Repeat from open wod 12.5

Good tips here back from wod 12.5.

http://youtu.be/BymZgyue9aI

Are you a donkey kicker, a piker or a high knee'er?

I'm a piker. Ever double under I do, I end up piking forward. It gets me there. But would I be better off jumping straight up and down just a little higher? Of course. And you would too.

http://youtu.be/vXQpQdKCdgQ

Grace Prep

An unusual angle for Grace prepping, but one I bet can pay dividends. Of course, I recommend some lat and chest opening with the bands to assist with your overhead position, and some rack position write stretching. But this painful balancing act on a roller will help with ankle flexibility as you jump hard to clean and then again to jerk.

http://youtu.be/dDWchJ-Td9M

OHS & Muscle Ups

Good prep for OHS - which sadly I can't do anymore. For muscle ups, a good one is the "Bully" Stretch as demonstrated by CF Charlottesville.

What's new in the mobility world

The definitive rowing prep from Gold medalist Erin Cafaro (and 6 time US Nationals member)

Step 1-10 minute slow warmum

Step 2-Hip opener (Couch Stretch)

Step 3-20 stroke progressive speed warm up

Epic Overhead Prep!

9 of you lucky ducks are going to the full shoulder and overhead mobilization session. The rest of you will have to wait until class #2. But here are a couple of the components. Take a look and get ready for cfot Monday.

Rowing Superstar

MWOD guest star Erin Cafaro is a genuine rowing superstar. Olympic Gold medal to prove it.

So watch this, and you can be a superstar too:

The Vinnie

Worst stretch ever, or is it the best?

Hamstring loosening.

Skip to 3 minutes to watch long distance runner TJ Murphy get schooled in run prepping hamstring stretches.

There are bands all over the place.

Clean and Jerk

"These stretches will change your life"-KStar

Feet in or out?

Watch this voodoo magic. Being able to to keep your toes mostly forward during a full squat requires great hamstring, hip and glute mobility. But the upside is much more stability and power when you squat, deadlift, clean snatch and brush your teeth. If K Starr is not able to pull her knees in in the first demo, then they are not going to collapse under a bar either.

Sprints, DU, squats

Skip to 1:45 and watch through 3:45 of the pocket gymnast's 12.4 prep for some great tips for du, cause that is where you are going to make up time.

Calf stretches, rack stretch and bootstrappers on your own.

Ring Pushups

A good, if not overlooked area. Audio fades out, but you will get the idea. You can do the first piece on a box jump box, which conveniently are part of our wod.

Row, row, row your wod

Better position = more meters with less effort.

12.4 early work

Get a jump on things. How, get real comfy in the bottom squat position. Watch some tv or grab some tunes cause you are going to be here for a while.

But this will get you well on the way to good wall ball power.

Reverse ballerina?

Sounds kinky, but in fact it is a great stretch to prep for deadlift that you can do anywhere. Even on some baggage claim carts.

Also note the couch stretch with bias.

Feel the love.

squat clean prep

A classic that I have posted before. Use the wall to approximate the bottom of a squat clean. Hang out and lets things open up. Drive the knees out with your arms as he shows.

Then sheer genius at 2:15. Use a band to help support the bottom of an airsquat. Move around and find where you need the most help. Feet straight, knees out, chest up.

Cause once you get a barbell in your arms, these will be where you want to be.

12.3 from the master

Have a couch?

Good, then you can mobilize while you watch election returns. A good series for the Wed wod. Skip to 1:30.

Post Wod

A great idea that I was alluding to yesterday. Warming up and stretching is good to prep for a wod, but afterwards is almost more important as your muscles are warm and you can really make some improvements as well as stave off soreness. So focus on the right nutrition, cool down and stretching as well.

Repost?

More than a few people did wod 12.2 on Sat, or maybe on Sat and Sun. So how do you recover? How about the same way that you should have prepared. Skip to 6:00 to see the relevant rehab stretches.

The Clam

Pilates, you ask? I can't rip off K Starr every day. This series will fire up your posterior chain and strengthen your abductors.

If I have said this once........

When doing the arm overhead stretch, you have to have your palm up (external shoulder rotation) before you stretch, not during. Why?

Cause watch this and mess around to see how these two might help.

Monday Wod

I don't know what the wod is yet, but I know this will help. Especially if you have some soreness in this area from burpees, or the sat wod. I know I do.

So try these:

-arms swings

-cross legged folds

-roller smash (...and keep that palm up you cheaters)

Mobility_WOD: Open 12.1 Edition

Two videos for you since you have a few days to get ready for Open Wod 12.1.

First. Shoulders and chest.

And a couple ideas for your jumping ready calves. You can do most of these without a partner using a foam roller, or barbell.

For Wed snatch/intervals

Its like Kelly Starrett knows a little of how to prep for a CrossFit Wod. Oh right, he opened SF CF in 2005, and actually does.

This one is perfect for our Wed wod, so enjoy stretching your "groinal region"

Shoulder Internal Rotation

Important for that muscle up transition, those burpees, and even toes to bar as you reload for the next rep.

Skip to minute 3. At cfot, set up a barbell on the cage about 3 feet off the ground, turn around and contract relax as you slowly lower yourself. Keep the shoulder back, which is easier said than done. 5 minutes.

Then spend 2 minutes on each calf to recover from the 200m sprints and get ready for some burpees.

Work your ankles (and then hip)

Do a squat and see how well your ankles let your knees flare out.

Now try some of these and then retest. Post results in comments.

Something new. Something (for your) hip

I thought K Star was done with his 365 mwods. Turns out he was just getting started. This littly number is a super three way hip. It could come in handy when you hammer a 7 minute row tomorrow.

p.s. if you subscribe to the CF Jounal, K Star has something new there today as well from a recent Mob Cert. If you ever thought about going to the mobility cert, here is a free 8 minute sample.

Thruster prep

You have to get those knees out so you need your hips and glutes ready. Watch the retest at the end and see how much better his right leg was after just a few minutes. How bout that.

Box jumps....

.... could use some awesome calves. Skip to 2:00 and get after it.

This was his 3rd ever video. Like I said, we are going back to the beginning and some basics.

And yes, I leave for Vegas in the morning - with my entire company. I am bringing an obscene amount of money, and frankly I am a little worried. Cause I am supposed to be in charge.

Roadtrip

Listen up mobility lovers. I am travelling west this week, which means that I may be late on some posts. I will do my best, but keep in mind, that I will be in Las Vegas.

The end of all things?

No, its just time to start over.

The other day Kelly Starrett completed his 365th Mobility Wod post. He had initially set out to complete it in a year, but that was an unrealistic and unnecessary goal. While he charges $150 an hour as a doctor of physical therapy, he generously recorded dozens of hours of video and posted it for free.

I am going old school and posting his 2nd ever video, which will get you ready for whatever Monday's WOD is.

Turn your feet out in a squat or not?

Play around with this. Get to the bottom position of an air squat with your feet turned out and feel the bottom position. There is a little movement there and it feels loose and bouncy.

Try again with your feet forward. Go an inch wider if you have to. Now feel the bottom position. Feels like a solid end point, almost like a shelf. There is more tension there, and you can generate more power coming back up.

That tension and power might come in handy if you have a barbell on your back, and you want to stand up. Hmmm?

200m sprint intervals? Yes - it's calves mobility day

This was MWOD #3. As in 360 posts ago. Skip ahead to 2:00 , cause the beginning is admin.

There are two good angles and ways to get at this. Do it at work, at home, whatev... If you make it to lunch bunch, I can show you my own twist on this with our pullup rack that I think is even better.

Wed wod. Snatch then thruster and burpee metcom

When I think about this wod, I worry about having internal shoulder rotation to allow me to keep the shoulders back and the bar close to my body. For the metcon, I just hope to hang on.

Skip ahead to minute 1:00. An interesting twist on keeping shoulders back, but more importantly, a good couple of drills to work on that. Namely the doorway stretch and the triangle arm pull. 8 minutes total.

pullup, run and hspu love

Yes I am going to love this wod. 3 minutes of work and then some rest. I predict interval 3 and 4 will be infinitely harder than the first two. I also predict me getting a lot of hspu.

But first, I am going to spend a minute propping each calf against a wall or post, and then do these items with a lacrosse ball and a band. getting the back, scap and shoulders to open up really helps with the hspu's so that you can go up and down in a straight path. Otherwise you may be arching or may come off the wall, both of which are no good.

Bottom squat position

What is the most important position in a squat? How about the bottom position, where you have to get to the most extreme range and powerfully change direction.

Skip to 1:30. First find some wall real estate. Then try my favorite banded squat basket. Get the band to support some of your weight and get into a perfect bottom position. Hang out there and relax as things open up.

Holy squat

First of all, I am wrecked from squats. It has been too long, and I am suffering. I also noticed I could not get into a good position. Not upright enough. knees not out enough, etc. And today, I am sore in some of the wrong places cause I was not squatting well.

So I need an rx of this. One of the more amazing mwod videos I have seen. I dare you to do an asian squat before and after this. See how far your hips open and let that knee track over your mid foot. Hit this stretch with one side (3 positions with the foot pinned down, then 3 positions with the foot turned on the side) and asian squat again. WTF???

Now do the other side. Now you are ready to squat, clean, deadlift, ohs, wallball, burpee, and so on and so on......

squat big and get strong

A couple of good ones with the band facing the bar. This will open things up in the hips for squatting and jumping.

TNG - Hang Clean and Jerk

Good wrist and fore arm prep. Which when doing touch and go cleans and then a jerk will come in handy.

All star snatch

This is going to hurt, x 2.

Jackie!!!!!

I love this wod. But I am sore. So here is what I am going to do. Follow suit and you might go sub 7 like me.

Lower back, Hamstrings, foam rolling and other horrible painful things.

Yeah Burpees.

2 benchmark wods down, ??? to go. How do you bounce back and show up every day like Gar?

One important factor is hydration. If you have a few PRs under your belt already, you were sweating. A lot.

Step 2, work the heels, calves, etc to prep for burpees.

Elizabeth - Squat Clean ready

How do you bet prepare for the bottom position of a squat clean. I dunno, maybe get into the bottom of a squat and hang out. So grab some wall, keep the back flat, the knees out and relax. Can you get some additional range after a minute or two - yes you can.

Overhead position

Skip to 1:45. Here, KStarr explains much better than I do, why you externally rotate your wrist before you get into the active shoulder stretch. Cause otherwise it is too late.

For the OHS, you want that externally rotation positon (arm pits facing forward)

Spend time mobilizing in the position that you want to get into during the wod. Use a band, and pvc or whatever you can find.

Recovery

As the week wear on - and this week has been really tough at CFOT - you need some recovery. Especially lower leg.

Deadlift

Get that joint in place. A couple of ideas using a band. Luckily there is a bucket full of them at CFOT.

Then hit the lacross ball and get ready for wall ball and deadlift.

Advanced squat position test

Anyone looking to step things up - here are some things to mess around with. Otherwise, holding a good bottom position of a squat and accumulating 10 minutes is great. I did that today before the front squats, and it helped.

For the advanced moves in the video - use some support.

Monday Wod

First - remember to get externally rotated on the row.

Then open up those hips. Your cleans and front squats will thank you. I like the pigeon better than the first one. And of course, the pain ball is king.

Subscapularis stretch

How 'bout pvc pipe instead of a "broomstick." Otherwise, this is a simple and effective way to get at this hard to stretch member of the rotator cuff family. The sub scap's job is to internally rotate the arm forward and down. So to stretch it - do the opposite!

Slowly and carefully. There are no PR's is stretching.

Pop Quiz - Can anyone name the other three muscles.

lunge and run

Sorry kids. These are going to hurt. But so do weighted lunges and runs. Skip to 1:30 if you are in a rush. 4 kinds of mwod, 4 times the fun.

front rack from all angles

Work on your wrist, open your lats, t spine and everything in between.

Test / retest - can you do the spiderman goggles?

Wooly, Bully

Boy am I guilty of this. Poor internal rotation range of motion. I have trouble keeping my shoulders back. Maybe I sit at a desk, or over an iPhone with some rounded shoulders all day.

Not awesome.

Skip ahead to about 3 minutes in if you want. Use the cage posts. We will do the banded version soon.