CrossFit Portland

The next progression from a “L” sit is the “V” sit. Jason does rounds of “V” sits for time instead of “L”s.

Compress your knees to your chest as much as possible, then straighten them out into the V. Excellent flexibility will be crucial.

Wednesday night, we wrapped up with a trial run at the slosh pipes. Unstable PVC pipes filled 2/3rds with water. Brutal. Team Zercher carries were on the menu tonight, following some Turkish half ups and planks.

Afterward, we played around with them some – here Aaron gets an overhead squat with the beast.

Dynamic joint mobility exercise is an integral part of our program here at CrossFit Portland. These exercises should find their way into your daily routine for for the best result. The Intu-flow DVD series or Ageless Mobility from RMAX is a good starting point if you’d like to work on this more at home.
If you have identified a trouble area, frequent work can payoff quickly. Simply target the trouble movements several times daily in very short, focused sessions for 2-3 minutes at a time. In addition, be aware of any daily activities that may negatively impact your posture or movements. Work to correct your posture during these activities, and be sure to perform mobility exercise to counter the effects. Remember, you are only training for around one hour a day. What you do during the other 23 hours can either support your fitness and health goals, or inhibit them.
The joint mobility work will allow you to reduce the residual muscle tension from training or other activities, decompress the joint capsule, and bring nutrition into the joint. Don’t neglect your mobility work!

Tara, Jason, and Lisa display the “L” sit. All of them can perform easy 30 second+ holds. This exercise, borrowed from gymnastics, requires great core strength and stability. It also requires flexibility in the hamstrings. Many who attempt this are limited by poor flexibility.

Do your range-of-motion work daily for best results. We will be working toward everyone having a solid “L” sit by the end of the year!

3 minutes each, no rest:

Row for distance

Precision Jumps*, only saved landings count

Pullups

Renegade Rows

Low ring jackknifes

*The precision jump is borrowed from Parkour, and is great exercise in accuracy, body control, balance, and agility. These simple trainers are very easy to build, and will build skill and confidence allowing one to move to smaller platforms.

The tucked front lever pullup helps develop great rowing strength and core stability. It is particularly useful for climbers. Start by developing a solid tucked front lever hold, 15 to 20 seconds minimum. After that point, you can begin to work on the pullup. Try to keep your hips at the same height as your shoulders during the whole movement. Once you gain some proficiency with this exercise, substitute it for regular pullups during your workouts on occasion. You may need to drop the total volume a bit if you do this.

What if you can hold the lever, but the pullup portion eludes you? Develop rowing strength with body rows on the rings, elevating your feet on a box as needed. Another option is to have a training partner assist your pullup by helping to lift you to the top position, then try to lower slowly under your own strength. Developing strength in the negative, or lowering position will soon allow you to perform the concentric portion of the movement.