Crossfit, like any other sport, is going to require that you have a few things set in place for success. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably realize that crossfit has also come under a lot of fire for allegations of causing injury. Here’s part 2 of my take on how to be successful in crossfit without getting hurt.
In part 1 we covered steps 1-4. If you missed it, click here. We’ll pick up right where we left off.
5. Assess and Correct
Remember that old saying, different strokes for different folks? Look, not everyone is going to have business doing snatches, overhead press, running etc right off the bat.
Think of it this way, imagine that you don’t have enough flexibility to put your arms completely overhead while keeping your spine in a strong position. Do you think it’s going to end well when we put a heavy barbell in your hands and ask you to press it overhead? Try this screen and check yourself. If you fail this test and you’ve got shoulder or lower back pain, then this may be exactly why.
The same thing goes for every other movement, if you’ve got a mobility or stability limitation you’re going to be weak and open for injury with certain movements.
Unfortunately I really don’t see much assessment and screening being done at crossfit gyms. If you can find someone to perform an assessment on you before starting a crossfit program it will pay dividends.
I’m definitely biased but I really like the functional movement screen created by Gray Cook and Lee Burton. Find a coach or professional in your area who is fluent in this language (like me!) and find out which exercises you should avoid initially and what corrective exercises to employ to fix your problems. If you live near the Philadelphia /Cherry Hill area and are interested in assessment then shoot me an email ([email protected])!
Read up on the joint-by-joint approach to corrective exercise to get started. Here’s an example of how to fix a crappy squat with this approach. Just remember, corrective exercise is exactly that, something used to correct a problem. Finding specific issues and treating those is far more effective then taking a shotgun approach to corrective exercise.
I write about screening, assessment and corrective exercise obsessively on this site so read up!
6. Pain Free Movement Only
Oh man this is huge! Pain is your brain trying to tell you that something’s wrong. I recently had dinner with a dentist friend of mine and told him that my gums bleed sometimes when I floss and asked, “Is that bad?”
Fortunately for me my friend is a smart-ass and answered me with, “Dan when your body is bleeding it means that something is wrong.” Thanks buddy.
It’s true though. If you’re having pain then go see a professional. Physical therapists and chiropractors spend years (and unfortunately hundreds of thousands of dollars, *sob*) mastering this craft. It’s probably best not to just figure it out yourself. If you can find a professional who actually enjoys training hard and doesn’t condemn all athletics that’s a plus.
If an exercise is causing you pain, chances are continuing that exercise won’t make the pain better over time. Substitute, modify. If you don’t do wallballs for the next few weeks it isn’t going to kill you.
For the athletes out there, injuries set us back tremendously. When you’re nursing a broken shoulder, you aren’t getting better. The best way to counter this is by avoiding painful movements, seeing a professional, cleaning up poor movement technique and then returning when it doesn’t hurt anymore.
7. Nutrition, Recovery, Sleep, Stress Management
We all know the importance of recovery, taking it easy when we should, and managing our stress but how often do we actually rest? Sleep when we’re dead right?
If you’re like me you border on the side of doing too much almost all of the time (Both with training, career and life altogether). Realize that taking time off will not only decrease your risk of injury, but increase your performance as well.
Make sure to eat the right foods, rest adequately and manage your stress. These things are absolutely enormous and can’t be stressed enough.
I’m also a big fan of planned recovery periods called “deloading”. Strategically taking time of from time to time is very beneficial not only from an injury prevention perspective but also for performance. I wrote an article specifically about deloading for crossfit athletes HERE: You don’t have to rest completely, but you can make large gains by backing off some and working on different weaknesses for a period of time.
8. Thoroughly Warm Up:
Warm-ups should be specific for the exercises being performed. For example, if I’m going to go squat I want to make sure I do some mobility work for my hips, ankles and thoracic spine beforehand. On top of that I’m going to use some dynamic warm-up drills to work on my technique and get my joints and muscles prepared for the movement.
To take it a step further I’m going to do several warm-up sets with squatting before I get to my working weight for the day. This way I’m thoroughly prepared for my heavy sets and I’ve gotten some technique work in to boot.
Remember good technique = being a crossfit boss
Sing this next time you’re at the gym, really loud.
The warm-up is also a good time to listen to your body. If you’re having pain somewhere it’s time to choose a different exercise. If you wait until the met-con to try the exercises out you might end up with the good old mentality of, “Oh my shoulder feels like crap but I’ve already done two sets and if I switch exercises at this point it will ruin the workout.”
If a prescribed weight is too heavy, this is the time to change it. Don’t be a hero. Check your ego at the door and train accordingly.
That’s it for this time! We’ll tackle part 3 next week and discuss making goals, working weaknesses and setting up an atmosphere for success. Until then do some deadlifts for me.
Get Your Crossfit On,
Dan Pope
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