Strength

Why do you think there is so much push back against Crossfit programming?

The Pushback Against CrossFit Programming: A Closer Look at Intensity and Sustainability

Why do I think? There's so much pushback against CrossFit programming. So I'm not going to talk about coaches and quality of coaches or certification of coaches. I'm going to talk about the programming itself. The programming in CrossFit, Falls under the considerations of what we would call high, intensity steady state training. So we're trying to produce a lot of work in a very short period of time and essentially turning weight training or gymnastics training into a and those skills into a race and so the result to the body is that we get a high-intensity response that creates a very high heart rate and we have to maintain that heart rate for the entire race. Now, that's It's fantastic. If we're doing it every now and then. But the challenge becomes is in the CrossFit programming, is that is a workout of the day that something that is required of us almost every day. And when CrossFit first came out, they, you know, we're pretty strict on, you're going to do a wad every single day, and it's going to be in this format high intensity, steady state. It might be an amrap, it might be an Imam, it might be As many rounds as possible as many reps as possible. There were specific, programming, attributes that all fell under. The umbrella of high-intensity steady state training. This has a tremendous benefit in terms of the amount of power speed and endurance that we can create and to try to sustain an obviously elevates. Our conditioning level the challenges that it's just not sustainable like to be able to do that. Every day of the week is not Not sustainable. And what Chris CrossFit had to do is they had to implement some recovery workouts or as I call them work, ins in between the workouts to allow for that recovery so that you weren't coming every day. So, if you've got a good box, that knows how to program nose, out of scheduled programming. I think you're okay. For me, I'll only program high intensity steady state training once to twice per week, maximum,

CrossFit programming falls under the umbrella of high intensity, steady state training. This type of training has a tremendous benefit in terms of power, speed, and endurance, but it is not sustainable to do this type of training every day. Good CrossFit boxes will include recovery workouts or "work-ins" between the intense workouts to allow for proper recovery.

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The pushback against CrossFit programming, in my opinion, primarily stems from the nature of the programming itself. CrossFit programming falls under the category of high-intensity steady state training, where the goal is to perform a significant amount of work in a short period of time. This turns weight training and gymnastics into a race-like format, resulting in a high-intensity response and elevated heart rate throughout the workout.

While this approach can be beneficial when done occasionally, the challenge arises when CrossFit programming requires these high-intensity workouts almost every day. Initially, CrossFit emphasized daily workouts in this format, such as AMRAPs (as many rounds as possible) or IMAMs (as many reps as possible). These workouts all fell under the umbrella of high-intensity steady state training.

While this type of training can improve power, speed, and endurance, it is not sustainable to perform at that level every day. CrossFit had to introduce recovery workouts, or work-ins, to allow for adequate recovery between intense workouts. However, sustaining this level of intensity on a daily basis is not feasible for most individuals.

If a CrossFit box (gym) has knowledgeable programming and incorporates scheduled recovery workouts, it can mitigate some of the challenges. Personally, I limit high-intensity steady state training to once or twice a week at most in my programming.

What is the most consistent movement or strength dysfunction that limits performance?

Unlocking Performance Potential: The Impact of Pelvic Alignment on Movement and Strength

Hi, Jim, that's a great question. What is the most consistent movement or strength? Dysfunction that limits performance? I'm going to look at this and term and answer this in terms of what I see all the time that can eventually lead to an injury and or / / poor performance in their movement, abilities, as well as their strength and that is when the pelvis is out of its optimal position. So we sometimes say out of its neutral alignment and or we have a Function. So you realize this that when the pelvis, it has an up slip and or rotation, then the tensional balance throughout the entire system becomes off. So how we strike the ground when we run is off how I, how my body shifts. Its weight is off. So I'm not going to be as strong because as soon as I try to do something like a squatter, a lunge in my pelvis is is up slipped and rotated on one side and or just rotated opposite of one another. Then the way we receive forces is not very efficient. The hip joint itself is probably not in its instantaneous axis of rotation, the foot and ankle is probably not rotating pronating supinating all at the right times. And of course, that's going to affect all of our motor programs. So one of the things I always do with all the athletes. The first thing they do when they come in, as they do a general warm up just to get some sir. Elation going as I call Global circulation, then we do some local circulation in the form of rub and scrub around the pelvis. We take a foam roller and we wiggle against that and make sure that we line up our pelvis. So we go to Six really important points on the, on the pelvis. We go to the lumbosacral Joint, we go to the sacroiliac joint, we go to the iliofemoral Joint, we go to the pubic symphysis, we go to the greater trochanter, and of course we go to the missing one. on the they say iliofemoral joint. Anyways, those are the places that we go to and make sure we get a good rub and scrub in there and then we do a variety of different squats, body weight, and lunges to make sure that we balance the pelvis out before we ask them to load or to do any of their Dynamic warm-ups.

When the pelvis is out of its neutral alignment it can lead to poor performance and eventually cause an injury. To ensure proper alignment I recommend doing a general warm up then using a foam roller to massage the six important points on the pelvis. After that do a variety of squats and lunges to balance the pelvis before loading or doing dynamic warm-ups.

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The most consistent movement or strength dysfunction that limits performance is when the pelvis is out of its optimal position. This can lead to injuries and poor performance in movement and strength. When the pelvis experiences an up slip or rotation, it disrupts the balance and tension throughout the entire system.

This misalignment affects how we strike the ground when running, how our body shifts its weight, and overall strength. It impacts the efficiency of receiving forces, the alignment of the hip joint, and the rotation of the foot and ankle. Ultimately, it affects our motor programs.

To address this issue, athletes are guided through a warm-up to promote circulation. Then, specific attention is given to the pelvis through foam rolling and targeted rubbing and scrubbing. This helps align the pelvis by focusing on key points such as the lumbosacral joint, sacroiliac joint, iliofemoral joint, pubic symphysis, and greater trochanter. Following this, a variety of squats and lunges are performed to balance the pelvis before engaging in loaded or dynamic warm-ups.

What are your opinions on “knees over toes” guy?

Knees Over Toes: Dispelling Squat Myths for Optimal Fitness

Hi everyone. What do I think about the news? Over tow guy, awesome, guy. I wish I'd get a chance to meet him someday because I love his energy and I love all that real cool. Things he's doing and helping move the fitness industry Beyond this myth, that uni can't go past your toe. However, there is one thing that I would like him to address on time and I might have just missed it and I'm sorry knees over Tokai, if you did say this and I missed it but it's the relationship of the pelvis to the knee relative to the toe. That is really important. So way back when Back when I was going to school, that was a predominant thing. Is that the knees should not go back past the toll when we're squatting. And I can't even really demonstrated all that well, because I'm a need past the toe kind of guy. But here's what we need to think about is the relationship of the pelvic tilt relative to the knee and the ankle. That's really important. So long time ago in physical therapy, we used to think of trying to stay really neutral here. And we would say that if we bring our knee past your toe, with a pelvis, in this position, that could create a lot of Shear forces in through the patellar tendon. Eden and the ACL true story. But if I drive my hips back at the same time that I am bringing my knees forward, then I have all the safety in the world because I'm sharing that responsibility through lots of different joints. So not only the hip joint but the knee joint in the foot and the ankle joint. So think about it. When we do some of our drills is what is the position of your pelvis relative to the knee and the ankle when you're learning how to squat or other exercises that really demand, that need to go past the toe,

One thing I'd like two-time Over Tokai to address is the relationship of the pelvis to the knee relative to the toe when squatting. If the knees go past the toe with a neutral pelvis, there can be a lot of shear forces on the patellar tendon and ACL. However, if we drive the hips back at the same time, then there is lots of safety as the responsibility is shared across multiple joints.

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My opinion on the knees over toes guy is that he's awesome. I admire his energy and the work he's doing to challenge the myth that knees cannot go past the toes in fitness. However, there is one aspect I would like him to address, and I apologize if I missed it. It's the relationship between the pelvis, knee, and toe. This is crucial to consider.

In the past, there was a belief that knees should not go back past the toes when squatting. However, what we need to focus on is the relationship between pelvic tilt, knee position, and ankle position. It used to be thought that bringing the knee past the toe with a neutral pelvis could create shear forces on the patellar tendon and ACL.

But if we drive our hips back while bringing our knees forward, we distribute the responsibility across multiple joints. This includes the hip, knee, foot, and ankle joints. By considering the position of the pelvis relative to the knee and ankle, we can ensure safety and proper form during exercises like squats.

So, when learning how to squat or perform exercises that require going past the toe, it's important to pay attention to the position of the pelvis, knee, and ankle.

What is one of the most under utilized lift or exercise in your opinion for swimmers?

Unlock Hidden Potential: Underutilized Lift for Swimmers

Hi. I really love this question. So, what is one of the most underutilized lifts or exercises in your opinion, for swimmers? Well, one of the things that I like to think about is well, what planes of motion are those individual spending, a lot of their time in what are the movements that they're doing most of and then how can we kind of offset that in the gym? So I'm going to demonstrate one where we're doing a pressing movement because the experts mentioned some presses and I completely agree but we're going to do Reciprocating press. It means when one is going out, the other ones coming down. At the same time, we're going to do a frontal plane motion at the pelvis because we don't get too much of that in the water. So we're going to start here and then dry and I'm doing a staggered stance, which takes a little bit of pressure off your lower back. So I'm going to do it with one leg further forward than the other for a set. And then on my next setting is stagger my stance. The same idea. There you go, try that one out. See if you like it.

One of the most underutilized lifts or exercises for swimmers is a Reciprocating Press. This exercise involves pressing two weights out and in at the same time while also engaging the frontal plane motion of the pelvis. It can be done with a staggered stance to take pressure off the lower back.

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One of the most underutilized lifts or exercises, in my opinion, for swimmers is the reciprocating press. This exercise focuses on pressing movements while incorporating a frontal plane motion at the pelvis, which is not commonly experienced in the water.

To perform the reciprocating press, start with a staggered stance to alleviate pressure on the lower back. As one arm extends out, the other arm comes down simultaneously. You can alternate the leg position in each set, with one leg further forward than the other.

Give this exercise a try and see if it works well for you as a swimmer. It can help offset the repetitive movements and planes of motion typically experienced in the water.

If you only had ten minutes each day to build strength, what would you do and why?

10-Minute Daily Strength Building: Embrace Variety for Maximum Gains

Hey Ryan. If I Only Had ten minutes each day to build strength, what would I do? And why is a cool question. I think what I would do is every day because I'm such a big variability guy every day. I would pick a different type of strength training to do if I was only doing it for 10 minutes. So on day one of my do Agile strength, that's the ability to keep momentum alive. So for example, example might be a kettlebell swing or it might be a pendulum. With the Viper Pro. So I move in side to side and I'm trying to keep momentum alive. The second day, I might do some dead strength, right? Picking things up from a dead position such as a deadlift. I might do that for 10 minutes, the third day, I might do some odd position strength. So I might have to move an object into an odd position. So, for example, with the Viper Pro, I might have myself going and having to push and move this fight. For Pro in a really weird position and have to hold and maintain that strength so that I'm long under load. So that might be what I do on day three, day four, I might do maybe some relative strength, push-ups sit-ups, pull-ups body weight, squats, single leg squats, things like that on day, 5 of my do some max strength, try to pick up, some really heavy objects, have to push some really heavy objects and day 6. I It do some strength endurance so that might be some conditioning related things. Maybe push a sled around, so you can get a lot of strength benefits from training over a short period of time, but I wouldn't want to limit myself to only one type of strength training. I'd want to be able to enhance my ability to be strong in a variety of different ways.

If I had 10 minutes each day to build strength, I would pick a different type of strength training every day. On one day I might do Agile strength with kettlebells or the Viper Pro, while on another day I might do deadstrength such as deadlifts, and on another day I might do odd-position strength involving pushing and moving a heavy object into an odd position. On other days I might do relative strength like push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and squats; max strength by picking up heavy objects; and strength endurance by doing conditioning-related activities such as pushing a sled around.

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If I only had ten minutes each day to build strength, I would focus on incorporating different types of strength training each day. I believe in variability, so I would choose a different type of strength training for each day within that limited time frame.

For example, on day one, I might focus on agile strength, which involves maintaining momentum. This could include exercises like kettlebell swings or using the Viper Pro for pendulum movements.

On day two, I would shift to dead strength, where I would focus on lifting objects from a dead position, such as deadlifts.

Day three would be dedicated to odd position strength, where I would challenge myself to move objects into unconventional positions. For instance, using the Viper Pro, I might push and hold it in a unique position to engage my strength in a different way.

Day four would involve relative strength exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight squats, and single-leg squats.

On day five, I would focus on max strength, attempting to lift heavy objects or push heavy loads.

Finally, on day six, I would prioritize strength endurance by incorporating conditioning exercises like pushing a sled.

By incorporating a variety of strength training methods within the given time frame, I can enhance my overall strength in different ways and avoid limiting myself to just one type of training.

What do you think of block vs linear periodization in creating a strength training plan?

Experts weigh in: Block vs Linear periodization for strength training

Hey, this is really cool question. I'm with a lot of the other experts here for the athletes that I'm working with. I spent a lot of time doing more of a block style of periodization, but in reality just like Jess said, I don't have the luxury of having athletes consistently enough to apply a periodization model. So my Approach is usually give the athlete. What they can handle on that given day and just try to make them a little bit better athlete. So there are days that we focus. On certain themes of training. So we'll have a strength theme, a power theme and endurance theme. We might even have some recovery themes in there, for sure. So, because of their schedules, it doesn't allow for me to really pre-plan. It's something I would love to do but we're kind of at least. I am. I'm kind of at the mercy of a whole bunch of different sport coaches. So I don't really get the luxury of being able to plan out a year in advance.

My approach to athlete training is to give them what they can handle on a given day and make them a little bit better athlete. I don't have the luxury of being able to plan out a year in advance due to their schedules and commitments to other sports coaches.

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When it comes to creating a strength training plan, the block versus linear periodization approach is an interesting topic. Personally, I tend to lean towards a block style of periodization for the athletes I work with. However, I must admit that I don't always have the luxury of consistently working with athletes to apply a strict periodization model.

In my approach, I focus on giving athletes what they can handle on any given day and strive to make them better overall. We do have specific training themes on certain days, such as strength, power, endurance, and even recovery. However, due to the athletes' schedules and the various sport coaches involved, I don't always have the opportunity to pre-plan and structure an entire year in advance.

While I would love to have the ability to implement a more detailed periodization plan, the reality is that I have to adapt and work within the constraints of the athletes' circumstances. My main goal is to help them improve and become better athletes, even if it means being flexible with the training approach.

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John Sinclair is an experienced sport and training management professional with a bachelors degree in physical education and sport performance, 15 certifications, and 20+ years of coaching experience. He has authored articles, created a programming algorithm, and is a programming consultant. His other achievements include inventing, being a master coach and educator for 7 different companies in the fitness industry, competing and training in 11 different sports, and coaching amateur hockey and baseball. 