Master the basic and the technical will take care of themselves.
After months of improving his strict ring dips and strict pull ups Andy gets a muscle up on his first attempt.
Want that muscle up? Master strict pull ups and ring dips and it will come.
Want the smoothest, fastest toes-to-bar in the box? Work the hollow positions and static holds to strengthen your midline.
Want a monster back squat? Have a perfect air squat, every time.
There is a tendency in people to run before we can walk. Our eye is always on the most outrageous, technical and advanced movement we can think of, rather than the basics. Having a goal is great but no ones first car was a Ferrari.
In the box we all want to nail the advanced impressive gymnastics or lift the largest load in any lift. But very few of us want to spend time on the foundations that lead to these movements. No end of swinging around on the rig will get your a toes-to-bar if you can’t hold a hollow body position for over 30 seconds. Developing the strength and range of motion in the basic movements will, eventually, lead to the fancy stuff, if you give them your all.
Achieving your first pull up is an amazing effort and one that should be celebrated by you and your coaches. However it is not a passport to spending the next month trying to master the kipping pull up and neglecting strict gymnastics. Continue, with the same hard work you used to achieve the one pull up, to achieve 10-15 and you will have the strength and control to learn to kip without injury. Rush to kip and you will expose your shoulders to forces they are not yet ready to deal with.
Our programming focuses heavily on basic movements: squatting, pressing, pulling and static holds. By mastering these movements you will improve your physical ability across the ten physical skills. You can then focus on the application or demonstration of your fitness in the advanced movements.
As Greg Glassman, Founder and CEO of CrossFit said, “perform the common, uncommonly well”.
Coach Tim