April 12, 2020

Monday, April 13th, 2020

WEAKNESS WORK WITH COACH HOLDEN

We’re entering yet another week of quarantine and I think we all have some grasp of what “home fitness” feels like. Daniel has been creating some awesome workouts to replicate the intensity and stimulus of being at the Cove as much as possible. Although you may have a workout buddy at home or be attending daily Zoom classes, there’s no doubt that we are all missing the motivation we get from working out alongside other Cove athletes.

It’s well-known in CrossFit that competition makes us push harder – that’s why we see big breakthroughs in the Open! That friendly competition brings out the best in our athletes, but sometimes our egos get the best of us. We’ve all been guilty of letting our technique take a back seat to squeeze out a few more reps or letting the temptation of clicking that blue RX button leads us to doing a workout beyond our current abilities. While that’s okay sometimes, and we want to see you all continue to improve as athletes, those behaviors can create bad habits, poor movement patterns and allow small injuries and pains to linger.

In the absence of that competition right now, there’s an opportunity for each of us to slow down and take an honest look at where we can improve. If a coach has made a suggestion that you add some accessory work and you’ve lamented that you don’t have enough time, I’m talking to you. We’re working out at home and doing our best to maintain our fitness, but let’s not settle for maintenance. Let’s think about the athletes we want to be when we return to the Cove and set ourselves up for success while we spend more time at home.

We will be releasing four Accessory Programs to our members to help address some of the most common movement issues we see at the gym. These are designed to be completed in addition to Daniel’s programming – just 10-15 extra minutes, 3 times each week.

I’ve listed out the four programs below along with some guiding questions to help you make the best choice about which program to follow. In this case, more is not better, try to focus on improvement in one track. If you’re still not sure which to follow, reach out to me and I’ll help point you in the right direction. Keep an eye out on the blog for a release date and information on how to access the programs.

Overhead Positioning

Has a coach said you need to work on shoulder mobility to improve your lifts?

Do you struggle getting your head through on kips?

Do you feel unstable with a barbell overhead?

Single Arm Stability

Do you have a noticeable imbalance in your front rack position (one elbow higher than the other)?

Is there a noticeable strength difference between your right and left sides with a dumbbell overhead?

Glute Engagement

After squat day, are your quads lit up but glutes never sore?

Do your knees cave in during squats or lunges?

Core Engagement + Strength

Has a coach ever told you to “brace” your core?

Is your low back often sore after pulling from the ground?

While we want to encourage everyone to take advantage of these programs and time at home, we know that people have other priorities and obligations right now. This should not be a burden or adding to your already-full plates. If you crave additional workouts and structure this is for you. Our fitness will find us again when we are back in the box and our lives return to a more normal rhythm. Let’s ensure that we are pain free with better movement patterns when that time comes.

Stay golden,

Head Coach Holden