What Are Crossfit Foundations?
So, I thought these CrossFit foundations would be crap. I’ve worked out before, I don’t need to know this. Let’s get to the madness that I hear CrossFit is! Right? WRONG! CrossFit Foundations are a very important aspect to learn, practice and master, or you will get injured! This is how rumors get started about CrossFit being dangerous.
The foundational movements of CrossFit include:
air squat, front squat, overhead squat, shoulder press, push press, push jerk, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and medicine ball clean
Air Squat
SETUP: No bar. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, feet facing out at a 30 degree angle. Keep a good lumbar curve.
Execution: -Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat. -Keep your knees out. Your knee joints should be pointing in the same direction as your feet all the way down. -Keep your weight sitting on your heels. -You should always aim to squat to just below parallel, meaning your hip joint needs to come just below your knee. -Most of the power for the squat comes from opening the hips. Drive the hips in an upward motion as you stand.
Front Squat
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on) hands outside shoulders, elbows high, upper arms parallel to the ground.
Execution: -Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat. -Keep a good lumbar curve. -Keep your elbows high. -Keep the chest lifted. -Knees track with the toes. -Weight in the heels. -You should always aim to squat to just below parallel, meaning your hip joint needs to come just below your knee.
Overhead Squat
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar overhead with a wide grip. Shoulders are active and elbows locked. Head is “through the window” creating a straight line from bar to torso to heels.
Execution: -Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat. -Active shoulders with constant upward pressure on the bar. -Keep the chest lifted. -Knees track with the toes. -Weight in the heels, concentrating on keeping the bar balanced over the heels. -You should always aim to squat to just below parallel, meaning your hip joint needs to come just below your knee.
Shoulder Press
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on). Grip is closed with thumbs around the bar. Hands slightly wider than shoulders. Midsection is tight and elbows are in front of the bar.
Execution: -Drive the bar straight overhead. -Keep your head out of the way. -Finished position has active shoulders, elbows locked, and ears in front of arms (head is “through the window”).
Push Press
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on). Grip is closed with thumbs around the bar. Hands slightly wider than shoulders. Midsection is tight and elbows are in front of the bar.
Execution: -Perform a shallow dip, bending at the hip, butt is back, knees slightly forward, and chest is lifted. -Drive the hips forward rapidly and fully and extend the bar overhead. -The turnaround from dip to drive is swift, creating velocity to help lift the weight overhead.
Push Jerk
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on). Grip is closed with thumbs around the bar. Hands slightly wider than shoulders. Midsection is tight and elbows are in front of the bar.
Execution: -Perform a shallow dip, bending at the hip, butt is back, knees slightly forward, and chest is lifted. -Drive the hips forward rapidly. -Get under the bar and catch the weight with arms extended. -Stand to full extension with bar overhead. Shoulders are active.
Deadlift
SETUP: Bar on Floor. Stand with feet between hip width and shoulder width with weight in the heels. Address the bar with good lumbar curve, shins should touch the bar. Arms are locked straight, hands gripping the bar just outside the knees.
Execution: -Drive through the heels -Extend the legs while hips and shoulders rise at the same rate. -Hips should fully open once the bar is past the knees. -Bar should make contact with legs during the entire lift. -Once the “hang” position is reached, return the bar to the floor. Hips and shoulders move first, knees last.
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
SETUP: Bar on Floor. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width with weight in the heels. Address the bar with good lumbar curve, shins should touch the bar. Arms are locked straight, hands close together, gripping the bar between the knees. Execution: -Drive through the heels, opening the hips fully. -Shrug with straight arms. -Arms follow through by pulling the bar to the chin. Elbows are high and outside. -The bar is returned to the floor in reverse sequence, arms, traps, hips, then knees.
Medicine Ball Clean
SETUP: Ball on the Floor. Stand with feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Weight is in the heels; shoulders are over the ball. Ball is on the floor between the legs with clearance for the arms. Arms are straight with palms outside the ball and fingertips pointing down.
Execution: -Drive through the heels, opening the hips fully. -Shrug with straight arms. -Hips close to land in a front squat, catching the ball with elbows beneath the ball. -Stand to full extension with the ball in the rack position. So upon completing my Crossfit foundations, I feel like I’ve got the gist of most of these movements… Medicine ball cleans however, posed quite a challenge. Why am I so uncoordinated with these darn things!? Anyway, onto my first WOD I go …. W- WORKOUT O- OF THE D- DAY There’s so many acronyms and entertaining names/phrases associated with Crossfit! Snatch, box, jerk…good times! This new fitness platform I’ve landed on just gets better and better! The first WOD goes well and I have gotten my first legitimate taste of this fitness craze called CrossFit. And so the addiction begins! Am I now a part of cult? I’ll discuss whether CrossFit is a cult or not next post.