CrossFit Koncepts

Something that has been become obvious is that Grandma was right when she told us to sit up straight and that good posture counts!  We see a lot of athletes come in exhibiting what is called Upper Cross Syndrome.  People develop this through a variety of paths.  Bad posture is a contributor, but so is computer use and vision issues.  Another cause is over-development of the anterior chain and under-development of the posterior chain.  In other words, working on the "beach" muscles as opposed to the "working" muscle.

Check out the following video for suggestions on how to remediate this problem through stretching and mobility work.  We will continue to do foam roller and mobility work after WODs so that we can head this off in some of you and remediate in others!

I'm guessing that if you start puking while Deadlifting that it's time to stop; because, while I'm not a medical professional, I think your body is trying to tell you something!  NOTE: it might be telling you to not have a milkshake prior to lifting heavy objects...

In the last week or so I've had three people tell me that "I was holding them back" by not letting them do a particular technique or use a heavier kettlebell. Really?  My job is to establish a safe and viable platform for athletic performance - emphasis on safe and viable.  Just because your boot camp instructor raved about your push-ups doesn't mean you're doing them safely or correctly.  Just because the trainer at Bally's showed you how to do a kettlebell Snatch doesn't mean that you're doing them right.

If John or I notice something is wrong we're going to step in and try to rectify it.  The goal is to fix the problem early in the learning process as opposed to after the movement pattern is solidly ingrained and harder to modify.  We're both very "hands-on" and take what we do seriously and with a passion that will be hard to match.  So if we make a suggestion about how to modify a technique, or to drop down in weight, think long and hard before you think that we are trying to hold you back.  For the most part we are trying to protect you from yourself or from the coaching you've had in the past.

No, we're not perfect, but we have a responsibility to train you in a safe and responsible manner and we take it very seriously... for the most part! Do your mobility work, hit the foam roller, and attack your weaknesses - you will thank us.  BTW - watch the following video and see if you can pick out the things that would not fly at Crossfit Koncepts.

The strongest man in the world (at least one of them) and members of our Crossfit Koncepts family have something in common - they both use Kettlebells!  Yep, it doesn't matter if you are picking up a record breaking 1,000 pounds in a deadlift or picking up groceries at Giant, you need to work on the hip extension and mobility that Kettlebells offer.  Can you pick up a 1,000 bar? I know I can't and I don't think you need to - but what you do need to do is take a tip from Andy Bolton (featured in the video below) and do your Kettlebell Swings and Turkish Get Ups! :)

Take a few minutes to read this three-part article (Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3) - I guarantee that it will change how you think about training and what you need to do in to be strong, mobile, and have longevity.  A strong panel of coaches were polled (including Dan John and Greg Everett) about what five skills would they choose to do the rest of their life. The accompanying graphic is from the WholeLife9 website and shows the multi-joint skills you should choose from if you only could do 05 skills the rest of your life.  It's a pretty good list and I think it holds pretty true to how we train.

NOTE: Something that I have been researching and thinking about lately is how to make the most out of each and every training session.  What I've found is that elite athletes (especially those who have a "lot of miles under their wheels") all do the same things - they train at a moderate level, with a litmited number of powerful tools, and know their bodies well enough to know when to back-off or push forward.

For those of you who have been through the FMS then you will recognize some of these movements while others will be new to you.  Peter Lakatos, the originator of Primal Move, has taken movement patterns and skills from a number of sources and linked them together into a highly functional and versatile system of training. Check it out and see how well you do!

Something I've said for years now is that you need to round out your athletic ability if you really want to be successful.  We have a lot of runners who come through our doors with a lot of aerobic capacity but lacking in the overall strength in their upper and lower body to apply it.  So how do we "round out" our runners?  We get them to mobilize first and foremost.  For people who are fast and light on their feet they are notoriously stiff and inflexible.  Between movement patterns that enhance mobility to sessions with the foam roller, we work on getting rid of the kinks and inbalances.  Next we get them strong.  How?  With Russian Kettlebells.  The foundation of our training program at CrossFit Koncepts is Russian Kettlebells and they have proved to be amazingly effective.  With just two simple exercises - the Swing and the Turkish Get Up - we can get you moving stronger, faster and more stable than ever before.  Don't believe me?  Listen to this video and then make a decision:

Primal Move is the brainchild of Peter Lakatos and is a training program that helps you get in touch with more natural movement patterns as well as repairing old patterns.  Take a look at the following video and then give it a try... it's harder than it looks.  BTW - I'm working on trying to get Peter here sometime this year for a workshop and certification.  I'll let you know once we get it set up.

Gray Cook, co-founder of the Functional Movement System, is an innovator in improving the movement and rehabilitation of athletes.  In the following video he demonstrates how to use the Turkish Getup to create shoulder mobility and enhance stabilization.  Many of us are having issues with getting a Kettlebell or Olympic bar overhead and shoulder stability and mobilization is the culprit in most cases.  While the Turkish Getup is an amazing technique for development systemic strength and mobility it is particularly useful when it comes to dealing with "wonky" shoulders.