My expectations were high, having never been to anything like this before but being reasonably familiar with the theoretical (CF Journals, website, video lectures, forums etc) & practical (workouts) material I wasn't quite sure how the content was going to fulfill my desire for knowledge in this arena. Of course, I wasn't disappointed! These guys are a slick outfit, running a very well-rehearsed operation with a wealth of knowledge, experience through application and understanding.
We were very lucky to have a high profile repesentation from CrossFit HQ and some of the better known affiliates - Coach Greg Glassman (seriously, he is the man!), Nicole, Jolie, Dave, Todd & Jimi. A bunch of ass-kicking practitioners, spearheading a movement (pun intended) & taking the fitness world by force.
The turnout was great too, 30+ people with plenty of room to move in the Gym (basketball court) at Campbell Barracks. Lots of eager participants - some familiar faces, some total badasses from the army, SAS and some other civvies like me; lots of new friends.
Day 1 kicked off with a lecture from Coach about CrossFit. The familiar catch-phrases came out and with immense enthusiasm and knowledge we were treated to an incredible discourse on why this works. There is no doubting the knowledge and passion Coach Glassman has for the persuit of fitness, extolling the virtues of
constantly varied,
functional,
intense movements performed across broad time and modal domains. Digging into the definitions we saw proofs demonstrated via physics equations (work & power), some maths, references to countless medical journals & studies, human movement (pictures & Jolie) and brilliant anecdotes borne from putting theory into practice.
It was clear we were in for lots of education served up with some fun!
One of the focuses of the certification is becoming familiar with 9 core movements: [SQUAT, FRONT SQUAT, OVERHEAD SQUAT]; [SHOULDER PRESS, PUSH PRESS, PUSH JERK]; [DEADLIFT, SUMO DEADLIFT HIGH-PULL, MEDICINE BALL CLEAN]. These are the foundations from which almost any more complicated movement can be derived. Drilled 3 at a time, all of which were outstandingly demonstrated by Jolie and Nicole for some time with correct form and with common mistakes (advice on how to fix mistakes) and lots of helpful advice. Questions flowed but were easily covered by the well-oiled crew.
Drilling the squats was fantastic, the air squat is the foundation of the program and getting this right early sets the foundation for a quality athlete. We broke into smaller groups and drilled the movements, picking apart every nuance in form to understand what makes for efficient, correct technique. I have struggled particularly with overhead squats in the past, having tight shoulders, we were able to easily solve those problems with correct technique and feeling where your anatomy is meant to go at each stage of the movement. Likewise with getting elbows high on a front squat.
Pressing is severely underrated and I for one underestimated the merits of some key parts of the movement. Feet placement is important, hand placement, head movement, lumbar curve, the role of shoulders & elbows... all combine into a beautiful articulation of explosive power when performed correctly. When taught correctly these are quite straight-forward movements and these guys know exactly how to get you functioning properly. I can't wait to drill the presses some more and add weight!
The lifts were again expertly conveyed in lecture/demonstration format before we had a go ourselves. Admittedly my deadlift form leaves plenty to be desired and I'm not entirely convinced I was moving properly but have a much better idea of cue points during a lift. Pulling the bar to eye level in the SDLHP was a hard habit to break in order to stop under the chin (this is part of the shrug -> elbows action) and I think a lot more work is required there for me... more drills. Similarly with the medicine ball clean I tend to forget the shrug but my form is pretty good overall.
Day 1 ended with Fran. Enough said? Not quite. Stef and Jason put in great times (<6min) but I maxed out the 10min clock. The CF boys were brutal on my pullup form not starting from a dead hang and I couldn't put any reps together. Bruised ego: general mental preparedness I didn't have. Ouch (I think there were 4 pullups remaining when time was called). Realised it's very hard to rewire yourself for correct form in the middle of Fran - shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone!
Day 2 kicked off with a Q&A session with Coach Glassman. As there weren't may questions forthcoming, we (me, Jase, Stef) peppered him with questions from a wide variety of topics and the answers were fantastically articulated, considered, genuine and often amusing. I particularly enjoyed his response to my question about kettlebells which drifted into ring training. I don't think he enjoyed my question about his Fran time as much.
After Q&A we did the group photo thing followed by a warmup then a circuit (team of 7 people, 6 stations: 30 x kb swing; rest; 30cal row; 30 dips; 30 box jumps; 3 rope climbs; move to the next station when everyone has finished at their station). Fortunately it wasn't too taxing, our team managed to complete in ~15:30.
Lunch was followed by a nutrition lecture from Jimi. He talked up the foundations of The Zone diet along with paleo food sources. All good stuff, nothing incredibly new or mindblowing but when presented to you clearly with tangible examples & benefits you get pretty psyched to give it a go! I've lazily put some of the concepts into action in the past but I think the time has come to commit for real.
More practical followed, Todd showed us a 4 step progression to get a muscle-up. I still haven't got one but am far closer now than ever before! Jimi showed us a similar progression to the kipping pullup which is another area I need to work on (see Fran notes above); I am getting 1-2 reps out but haven't got the transfer of momentum working for me yet but not far off... another drill enters the routine.
The GHD then got a pretty good demoing from Jolie as we saw some nicely executed hip extensions, back extensions, hip/back extensions, GHD situps and Ab-mat situps. I get the feeling Todd has fun doing this lecture (ref: 'man-canyon').
Finishing the 2 days of education was Dave who schooled us on Crossfit programming. Again, no shockers but it validated much of what I suspected and the way we try to think about session programs in our gym workouts and the Sweating Blood workouts. Singles, couplets, triplets (and 4/5/6 etc), pulling & pushing (complimentary movements), time priority vs task priority, balancing consecutive days, 'weightlifting'/'gymnastics'/'monostructural' combinations and healthy dollops of quality advice for putting it all together.
All said and done, it does what it says on the tin and I am incredibly happy to have learned those things I was hoping to. I have come away with tools required to correct my own form and analyse others' at a gross level. Don't be scared to drill bodyweight movements or use dowel/PVC, it is not only effective at teaching good form but you can get a good workout while you are at it!
Mad props to
Jason and the military crew for organising this experience and giving me the opportunity to attend! A big thanks to the travelling CrossFit trainers and of course Coach Greg Glassman!
See Jason's comments on
day 1 and
day 2.
Stef, Nicole, Dave, Me, Coach G
Sweat Blood!
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