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Common CrossFit Movements

Now that you’ve graduated from elements, are now intensely attacking the Anchor WODs and living life to the sorest, let’s spend some time to understand the various CrossFit movements.

CrossFit Movements Part 1:  Body Weight Excersises

Arguably the most important movement in CrossFit, the air squat.  The air squat provides normal hip function and leg function.  This is the building block for running, jumping, climbing, pulling and all other functional movements.

As said by CrossFit HQ trainer Pat Sherwood, “As a fundamental movement, the squat is a building block to every other movement in CrossFit.  Do this well and everything else you do will fall into place,” he explains. “Do this poorly and everything else is going to be a little challenging for you.”

Air squat:   Athlete moves from the standing position to a squatting position with the hips below the knees, and back to standing.

Back extension:  Using a GHD machine, the athlete moves from an L-shaped position with the head directly below the pelvis to an extended horizontal position.

Box jump:  From a standing position on the floor, the athlete jumps and lands with both feet on top of a box, and fully extends before returning to the floor. Typical box heights in inches are 15″, 20″, 24″, and 30″.

Burpee (everyone’s favorite!):  Beginning in a standing position, the athlete drops to the floor with the feet extending backward, contacts the floor with the chest, and then pulls the legs forward, landing in a squatting position before standing up, usually ending with a small jump.

Handstand push-up:  Beginning in a handstand, with the arms straight and (usually) the heels gently resting against a wall, the athlete bends the arms until the head touches the ground, and then pushes back up into a handstand position.

Jump rope:  The most common variation in CrossFit is the “double under” in which the jump rope makes two revolutions for each jump.

Knees-to-elbows:  Hanging from a bar, starting in an extended position, the athlete raises the knees until they make contact with the elbows.

L-sit:  With the body supported on gymnastics rings or parallettes, the athlete holds the feet at or above the level of the hips with the legs straight.

Lunge:  Athlete takes a large step forward, bends the forward knee until the back knee makes contact with the ground, and rises.

Muscle-up:  Hanging from gymnastics rings or a bar, the athlete pulls up and over the rings or bar, ending with the arms straight and the hands below the hips.

Ring dip:  Starting with the body supported on the rings with straight vertical arms, the athlete bends the arms, lowering the body until the shoulder drops below the elbow, and then straightens the arms.

Pull-up:   Starting from a hanging position with straight arms, the athlete pulls up until the chin is over the bar. Variations include: strict, in which no swinging is allowed; kipping, in which momentum is used to help complete the movement; weighted, in which extra weight is hung from the athlete; chest-to-bar, in which the ending point of the movement is higher, and the chest makes contact with the bar; jumping, in which the legs are used to help propel the athlete upwards; assisted, in which an elastic band allows the movement to be completed with less than full body weight.

Push-up:  Starting in a plank position with the arms straight, the athlete lowers until the chest makes contact with the ground, keeping the body straight throughout, and pushes back up into the plank position. Variations include weighted push-ups and ring push-ups, in which the hands are supported just above the ground by gymnastics rings.

Rope climb:  Starting from the ground, the athlete climbs a rope and touches a point at a designated height, often 15 feet. Variations include no feet, and L-sit, in which the feet are held above the level of the hips during the climb.

Sit-up:  Athlete moves from a supine position, with the shoulders on the ground, to a sitting position with the shoulders over the hips. The feet are sometimes anchored. An “ab-mat” is sometimes placed under the lower back.

Toes-to-bar:  Hanging from a bar in an extended position, the athlete brings the feet upward until they make contact with the bar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrossFit

 

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steve