This post delves into the good, the bad, and the ugly of all things CrossFit. It answers many important questions, including:
– What are the 3 most dangerous exercises in CrossFit gyms?
– What are the most common nutritional mistakes of CrossFit athletes?
– What do elite CrossFit athletes do differently than the rest? Example: How do Rich Froning and Jason Khalipa warm up?
– Is the CrossFit Games really CrossFit?
– Is CrossFit a fad?
– What is the future of CrossFit?
The man to answer all this (and much more) is Kelly Starrett. He’s trained CrossFit athletes for more than 130,000 hours (!) and 10 years at San Francisco CrossFit, which opened in 2005 as one of the first 50 CrossFit Affiliates in the world. There are now more than 10,000 Affiliates worldwide.
Kelly’s clients include Olympic gold medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world record holders in Olympic lifting and powerlifting, Crossfit Games medalists, professional ballet dancers, and elite military personnel.
Even if you have zero interest in CrossFit, this conversation invites you inside the mind of one of the world’s top coaches. Kelly discusses habits, strategies, and thinking that can be applied to nearly everything.
As a bonus, I’ve also included our first conversation below, which includes disgusting amounts of alcohol, my personal doctor, and our tactics for becoming the guy from Limitless.
You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
- Listen to this episode on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.
Plus, the booze-enhanced episode on all things performance enhancement (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: If you had to pick one sport or weightlifting movement for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Please share and explore answers in the comments here.
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130,000 hours ..? Quick maths suggests that’s over 44 years of training, if you’re training 8 hours a day 365 days per year.
So I assume we’re doing that thing where you get 20 people in a room, train them for a 1 hour class, and call that 20 hours of training experience?
Apart from that it’s interesting content. Just a shame to dampen believability with something so easily avoided..
A shame?
Critiques are better served from someone that puts themselves in a vulnerable position verses an anonymous bot.
I disagree.
Exact quote: “We’ve done maybe 130,000 athlete hours here.”
Key Points:
We, not me (or I).
Athlete hours, not coaching hours.
17 Coaches now, assume 50% of that for an average. If we round down, that’s 8.
Let’s assume:
8 Coaches * 1 (1 hours session per day) * 15 (athletes per session) * 3 (days a week) * 9.5 (years in business) * 40 (weeks per year) = 136,800 athlete hours
Just sayin’
He was talking about total training hours of his Crossfit Gym and trainers. How Many total classes have been taught.
If I had to pick one sport for the rest of my life it’d be tennis. My reasons being 1) You can play into old age 2) It is a social sport 3) It is so easy to get into flow playing tennis. A fantastic game!
Interesting Ben, I’m a 53 year old male with a gymnastics background and currently compete in the cross fit open. From my experience, the most important activity our schools can offer to youth is simple (correct) gymnastics.
No way. You will destroy your joints by middle age.
Olympic style weightlifting would be my sport of choice. Speed, strength, mobility, balance, etc. it covers a lot of bases.
Best exercise: rope climb. With a 112 mile bike ride at the bottom.
Loved the mobility wod series…helped me a lot to restore hip and ankle mobility and motivate me pursuing proper form on compound exercises (squats, deadlifts etc.) and actually get me in the gym again and start lifting.
The (double) lacrosse fasciae massage was the best thing ever happened to me. Feels like a million bucks.
The book “born to run” that he co-authored is worth a read as well. Got me into running again, as I learned about the proper form.
Thanks Tim, for hinting me to Kelly a few years (?) ago and thanks Kelly for providing such great content.
The book is titled “Ready to Run.”
It’s got to be the deadlift! When practised safely with technique and not to failure the strength gains are simply mindboggling. Even after competing at European level in the Long Jump and coached by German and UK national coaches the Bearpowered program by Barry Ross put 50kg on my deadlift while drastically reducing gym time, leading to.more recovery time. Results: new PR of 7.80m, which was the official Olympic standard at the time (2012). The hard part was staying disciplined to train so little when you’ve been indoctrinated for so long to slog 3hr sessions 1-2 times a day. I’ve never thanked you for introducing me to Coach Ross via the 4HB, so thank you so much Tim! It truly changed my life and helped me realise childhood dreams!
Beste Grüße!
Congratulations, Rainer! I love this 🙂
Okay, where can I get training to be ready for a full on crossfit program? Like build up to it. I tore my meniscus the first time and my shoulder in the first two weeks. I live in Hollywood, CA.
If I had to choice just one lift it would be the clean and jerk. That is really two lifts. I cheat. That would only make sense if you had a movement practice because it’s a subset of full ROM. For a sedentary person I would recommend the TGU. It does the best job at hitting the corners of ROM, building strength and control.
For me, it would be Angamardana. I feel like it recreated my body from the ground up, optimizing everything so that no matter I want to do with it, it cooperates with me.
Thanks so much for this Tim. Been thinking of trying out Crossfit for a LONG time – I’ve been working out regularly for a number of years but feel like I’ve stagnated and want something to push me to the next level, so Crossfit seemed like the answer. Sounds like there’s some great info in here.
And if your last podcast with Kelly is anything to go by, this should be hilarious!
IMHO I would recommend the clean and jerk. Although this movement is secondary to the snatch, it does not require the high degree of overhead mobility – this is important for newer, untrained athletes, individuals who lack thoracic and/or overhead mobility, all the way up to elderly populations. The clean and jerk is superior because of the high degree of speed, power and technique required to (properly) perform it.
It’s a beautiful combination of a dead lift, a squat, and an overhead press. More importantly, moving a load in this style, regardless of the weight, will result in high force production. In using the basic formula: F=M*D/T, you will see that using a light load in the clean and jerk, compared to a heavy load in a dead lift will result in a higher level of force produced.
F.R.
Swimming – there is just no other feeling like being in the water. If it had to be weights it would be deads, hands down.
I’d have to go with swimming, the feeling of being in the water is very hard to replicate with anything else. If it had to be weights it would be deads, easy.
My personal favorite is the overhead squat. If you have the control to perform this movement with kettle bells then I would imagine you put work into your movement patterns. Kettle bells are a great tool because they require you to create stability through the primary movers of the shoulders and hips.
In answer to your question to picking only one sport or exercise, the sport would be Australian Rules Football. At the risk of being howled down, it’s the most demanding sport in the world.
One sport or movement?
Gymnastics!
The one movement I would pick would be the Turkish Get-up…as long as I can do those I know that I am able to do all of the things I love in life!
The one movement I would choose is the Turkish Get-up! As long as I can do those I know I am able to do all of the things I love in life.
Thanks! Looking forward to listening eventually. Would love transcripts of future stuff like this. Can’t always “listen” in but can always read! Still, love the subject matter and as usual, you, Tim. 😉
This might sound uncool, as it were, but it seems that if you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life it should be walking – it brings mobility to major joints and gentle rotation to the spine (which is essential for efficient movement), supplies cardio/stamina, is a function that is essential to keep up (especially as you get older), it is easy to include other people (social activity is seen as essential for longevity), and if you include some hills it can build muscle in the legs and core area.
Totally agree that long walks are underrated.
How long should a walk be? Thanks.
also a walk in the evening decreases the amount of fat circulating in the bloodstream after next day’s breakfast.
Does walking with a dumbbell count as weightlifting?
I Love me some long walks! They are a form of meditation for me, and I take a 2 mile walk (at least) 6 days out of the week. Only problem is when I’m doing a more intense cardio routine, I don’t have time for the walk, and I can definitely notice a difference in my mood. Great exercise!
Tim.
It only gives the option to download the second part but not the cross-fit talk. Could you please change that?
The download links should be for the latest CrossFit piece.
Ah, I see why the formatting was confusing. Fixed!
The title of this rings a bell… oh yes: “CrossFit: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
by Mark Rippetoe | 12/02/13” https://www.t-nation.com/training/crossfit-the-good-bad-and-the-ugly
Never read it. “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” is a common expression. Rippetoe is great, of course.
There are several reasons why titles can’t be copyrighted; for one, they are too short. http://copyright.gov/circs/circ34.pdf
I don’t always agree w/ Tim but to suggest he’s ripping anyone off b/c of a title is inaccurate. The movie of the same title was released in 1967, so the concept has been around a while. It’s actually a good title b/c it let’s you know to expect both pros and cons of the sport.
Andy, a lot of respect for you (you coached me!) but the passive aggressive assertion you make (i.e. Tim is just ripping off Rip’s article) doesn’t hold up.
This is a unique and in depth interview with Coach Starrett who has a TON of experience SPECIFICALLY coaching Crossfit. He is especially suited to give a pretty world-class analysis of it as a system of physical training. There is room for more than one voice on the topic. The fact that TWO world class coaches (i.e. Rip and Kelly) are commenting on it seems to be a good thing.
By your implied logic, after Martin Berkhan outlined his methods with LG, no one else should take a crack at the subject. You seem to be throwing stones in something of a glass house considering your line of work.
Perhaps a Google check before throwing up the title? Rippetoe is a major name after all. Far more so than Starret.
Barbell deadlift. Hits every major muscle group, and what’s more impressive than picking up hundreds of pounds and putting them down again!
Leg Press. Leg press works so many lower body muscles. The muscles built will enable you to better run, jump, and keep balance into old age. That alone would give me the ability to play many sports.
“If squats were easy, they would be called leg presses.” DL
Deadlift. All you need.
Hey Tim,
Just started (about two weeks in) an experiment because my life has been fairly sh**** lately. I quit smoking, drinking, dating, sex, and masturbation all at the same time and I am definitely going for 60 days. I’m curious if I get closer to my goal of traveling the world and podcasting about it just by taking this one seemingly unrelated yet large step. Just wanted to share. -S.
Does Arnold Schwarzenneger crossfit?
Sounds like he will be super objective : )
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu if it were only one thing for sure. There’s always room to grow/learn, keeps you in amazing shape, forced humbleness (daily defeat), fun! Everything else in my personal, business, and investing life seems easy after grappling for an hour or 2!
Tim please make it a video.. is more engaging.. i dont just want audio….come on we live in 2015…
Hi Tim,
My post is off topic, however I am really curious about one thing.
Did you had any girlfriend / woman supporting you to go where you are now?
And if yes how did you get the support?What is important for an entrepreneur’s wife to have?…
I hope it’s not too personal!
Cheers,
Augustin
There are only 87,600 hours in 10 years. Maybe you meant to say he’s trained clients for 13,000 hours over 10 years – which would be just under 30 hrs a week… much more likely.
If I olny had one movement, it’d be the burpee pull-up, takes some oxygen and get to train lots of body parts. Keep up the fantastic work, gotta chance to hang with a mutual friend Mike Koeing’s recently, he thinks your a pretty great guy – as do the rest of us.
Love me some K-Star, and highly recommend his (wonderfully-titled) book, Becoming a Supple Leopard.
Oh, and one sport? Juggling. Small animals. That are on fire.
Simple, I’d run. Up mountains, down canyons, through the woods, across streams, everywhere all the time. There’s nothing I’ve done that provides the benefit to headspace or gives me any sort of competitive drive that running does. I’ve never felt anything like when I finish a 100 mile run.
I come here from a link in the newsletter yet I am presented with a popup asking me to subscribe. Why?
Thanks, Carl. I’ll check out the flow and correct it as needed. Donna, Tim Ferriss’ Asst.
Surfing would be my one sport. There are many variations of the sport, it leads naturally to world travel, no day is ever the same, it includes wildlife encounters and you find surfers in their 60s still out there going for it.
Man, I was going to say the Deadlift but after seeing the long walk comment, I must amend my answer. Let’s go with the farmer’s carry for distance.
+1 on Turkish Get-up.
Or the Russian KB swing.
My coach said to never underestimate the power of carrying heavy things. So for me, it’s heavy farmer carries.
The deadlift certainly came to mind, but I’d probably have to pick two: low bar back squat and (weighted) pull-up (with the former being the most important.) The pull-ups should be “strict”, which seems like a necessary caveat in a Crossfit article.
As discussed in the podcast, most Westerners’ hip/ankle mobility is garbage, and a heavy squat goes a long way to helping that. Both exercises are natural movements that can be performed with minimal equipment for untrained individuals.
It would be cycling no questions! Outdoor cycling makes you happy, releass strees, and it’s easy to stick with for beginners (compared to running).
If you get into group rides, the sky the limit!
Only caution! It is highly addictive 🙂
Laurent Molteni
[Moderator: link removed]
Hi Tim, I loved the podcast episode 63: Hedge Funds, Investing and Optimizing… In fact I would say it is my favorite one to date. I cannot seem to find the notes to this.
Yoga- does that count?
Looking forward to diving in to this podcast Tim!
First saw Kelly Starrett on your 4-Hour Life Creative Live class, and have been keeping my core cobra tight since!
If I had to pick only one sports/exercise movement that I could do for the rest of my life, and even though I love to move heavy weights, I would have to pick the Sun Salutation of Yoga fame.
This multi-movement exercise warms you up from head to toe and depending on how fast you go and for how long, can have amazing cardio and strength benefits due in part to the controlled diaphragmatic breathing in sync with the full body movements.
I do 7 cycles every morning (3 mins) soon after waking, and then 7 cycles every evening when I’m transitioning from my day job to my lifestyle business to clear my head, reset my body and frame of mind.
Also, really great to do prior to lifting weights, or any other athletic endeavor.
I just saved a graphic of the Sun Salutation to keep by the bed. What a great way to start the day, thanks Bill!
Very cool! There are tons of variations, so this is simpler variation by Kathryn Budig is the one I do, albeit at a faster pace. Also I’m not quite as graceful as she is 😉 http://youtu.be/EWUHEucUwmM
The kettlebell swing. When done correctly it’s probably the best single exercise you can do for the entire body.
If there would be only one, then that would be the Clean & Jerk. Works the whole body. Requires explosiveness, mobility, balance. Goes from ground to overhead which gives an optimum range of Motion. It has some pull in it, some push, some squat… Go low weight/high rep and it’s great cardio. Go high weight/low rep and it becomes strength and power. And it can be done with barbells, dumbells, KB, logs, stones… anything that weights something…
The one exercise for me would definitely be the deadlift! As a total body movement, you get a lot bang for your buck with just one exercise and you can adjust your reps/sets to train for strength or conditioning. Plus… it’s totally badass. I love the challenge and accomplishment of pulling big weight!
Turkish get-up! Cancelled my gym membership and seeing the same results with get-ups (and a few pull-ups on the side), with about 1/10th of the time investment.
One sport? Cycling. The adventures you can get into are limitless (mountain biking to road biking). Also, it’s physically demanding, interesting from a gear perspective, and just plain fun. In addition, it’s sustainable and accessible to most people.
As a sports chiro, I see the dead lift as being one of the best exercises. If performed correctly, it covers a ton of muscle groups and joints.
It sounds interesting, it sounds inviting and it is tempting enough for one to try in an attempt to raise the bars of exploring the limitless physical and mental possibilities in all of us. Thanks Tim.
Loving this one, thanks Tim and Kelly. My exercise would be the Turkish Get-Up–a light KB is great for warm-up and mobility work, and a heavy KB makes everything work as one and gets that “trapped under a rock” effort going.
My sport might be a cheat, but I’d choose Adventure Racing. Running, cycling, paddling, climbing, carrying, chopping wood (yep), orienteering, planning, strategic rest, and tons of laughing, not to mention the great stories my friends and I experience.
The rest of your life breaks down into what you can physically do at 90 years of age. I don’t know anyone lifting large weights at this sort of age so weightlifting is out. To maintain bone density you require some sort of weight bearing physical practise that you can do simply and doesn’t take much time. First one i would consider is Tai Chi as the older you get the more prone you are to fractures and falls and the result of these can be life threatening. The second one is yoga – you bear your own weight and so the bone density problem is maintained plus you again work on your balance. Both of these also provide a spiritual perspective which most physical practises are lacking and lets be honest the world would be a better place if we removed the macho aggressive nature that is so prevalent in our human psyche.
Round back Deadlift for sure. If anyone has a problem with rounding your back for a heavy deadlift just think of a fishing pole. Fishing poles can bring in thousand pound fish without snapping. Also, I believe my chest muscles are more activated with a round back technique. When I go over 600 lbs. for reps, the next few days my chest looks ENORMOUS. [Moderator: link removed]
Kelly (Kstar rocks btw) mentioned the SkiErg… Love me some SkiErg’n. If you think rowing (erg) multiple sub 1:50 – 1:40 500m is hard. Try it on the SkiErg then add some overhead squats between intervals and you’ll be wrecked.
Hi Tim and Kelly,
Thank you for the show. I love what you are saying about having a blueprint and standards for the basic movements that benchmark “normal human movement.” Have these movements been tabulated or recorded anywhere either by Kelly or someone else? Where can we learn more?
Super excited for this weeks podcast! As a CrossFit member, I have watched and read many Kelly Starret resources out there! Can’t wait to hear directly from the man on some of the questions I myself have been thinking.
I have a feeling many out there would suggest the can about swing, deadlifts, a Turkish get up. I feel the two physical activities that seem to text me the most are either Burpee’s or barbell thrusters.
Burpee is a bodyweight movement that requires no equipment and can be done practically anywhere. Doing it slow and consistent is great for a good core workout, while doing it as fast as possible can certainly work your endurance and cardiovascular capabilities.
Thrusters on the other hand require a barbell or dumbbell or even kettle bells and include both extensions of the arm but also for extensions leg after being in a completely crouched position. Done with my weights, cooks been and multiple repetitions and I guarantee you will get a workout!
“or She plays in the NFL” 😉
Overhead squat, namely as I can’t do one proper just yet.
Follow on question: how does one now go about and fix these issues? Is there one concise source that lays out the shapes and motions healthy humans should be able to do and then address the common obstacles to them? Would Kelly’s book “Supple Leopard” be a good start?
I was doing a “shiver walk” while listening, so I may have missed the plug.
The Olympic Weightlifting Clean & Jerk is the one movement that will be around for me til the end of days. Since it’s a compound movement, I won’t be concerned of anterior/ posterior imbalances that could occur from other exercises. With proper technique and form, Olympic Weightlifting is the safest exercise around (provided that your body has proper mechanics)
My one exercise is Hindu pushups because you can do it anywhere and you only need a few minutes a week to maintain your strength. My one “sport” would be trail hiking because it can incorporate all types of physical challenges.
Can you post the book titles mentioned in the drunk session please?
Who was the last guy Kelly was talking about after Joe DeFranco, Marc or Mark something?
Mark Bell?
“Mark Smelly bel”l Google him, he’s a beast and has a funny podcast.
It was Mark Verstegen
Glad you finally addressed Crossfit. It definitely seems to meet some of your max-output-for-minimum-time-investment efficacy rules, and despite being cult-like, I’ve always wondered with your close association with Kelly what kept you from getting involved in it. It’s always great to hear from Kelly — thanks for producing a great podcast with such an incredible lineup!
Big fan of the PodCast…. my one desert island exercise would be the DEADLIFT
Barbell squat and snowboarding
Summary : (1) squat !
hypopressive abs.
You include a set of them in you 4 hour body
Thank you
Definitely the deadlift. Most bang for your buck.
When I’m a busy old man someday, I plan to keep up a solid kettlebell swing routine. Overhead squat is pretty robust too.
Awesome episode, keep it up! Sometimes I’m amazed at how productive you are, then I remember who I’m talking about…
My favourite sport would definitely be swimming. It is good for people of all ages and (dis)abilities. Water is the perfect media in which you can develop muscles without any risk of injuries. You can build your body strength as well as individually muscles, it is crazy because in the water your whole body is “working”. Water allows you to move in any direction you want and it can be very relaxing just to lay on the water and float.
I agree 100%, and it is also one hell of a serious cardio exercise.
Sports climbing is my choice of sports for the rest of my life
Hello Tim! Thanks for these interviews.. this is a great podcast!!
Can you or Kelly recommend a Cross Fit location in Los Angeles area?
Thanks!
Tim, please get Ray Kurzweil onto your podcast. We’d love for you to pick his brain about updates on his predictions and about the upcoming biotech era/revolution.
Hi Tim,
I fractured my tibia plateau 4 months ago and got the compartment syndrome with it. I just started walking again but I lost a lot of feelings from my right knee to my toes (basically can’t feel anything) and I apparently only have 20% left of my tibialis muscle (they had to take it out because most of it was dead tissue).
My question is, with that much muscle left, in your opinion, do you think it is enough to hypertrophy? I am very worried I will have footdrop for a long time and I’m afraid physical therapy won’t be able to help get that function back (lifting my foot up). I have hope but was wondering if you dealt with any similar situation with your clients etc.
Thank you so much for your help.
Aymeric
I get it, you’re letting them promote CrossFit. But seriously, if you’re going to pretend to evaluate CrossFit from someone who makes their living doing it. But, to everyone else let me save you the time:
Good: Strength (physical and mental)
Bad: Not enough cardio (sorry Tim it’s actually important in real life), too many olympic lifts with weight for anyone (risk vs reward is not close), and most WOD’s simply don’t have enough work to be your entire workout
Ugly: Have you ever had someone talk to you about Paleo for more than 5 minutes?
Having taken part in many WODs that left everyone gasping for air, I would have to say that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
It would have to be tower running/stair climbing/stair running, call it what you will. So many of the elite guys in the sport are in the 45-65 age range. Longevity is key I think when selecting an answer to this question. Plus stair running is low impact and provides brilliant fat burning and cardio returns for relatively minimal input.
Hey Tim. How are you? I just listen to the new episode. Amazing, as usual. I heard you wanted to learn how to do a back tuck.
I did gymnastics and Capoeira for several years and even if they have a different approach about how to do it, they have some things in common.
Here is a good video I have found (in terms of exercises) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRmhf4AV0Vk But do not try this in 10 min. And here are some things they don’t explain in the video that I think are very important not only to execute it properly but also to not hurt yourself in the process.
The way I used to train it was by working each point at a time (start position, arm swinging and jump, rotation and landing) and then working two at a time (start position and arm swinging, or rotation and landing) Then three and at the end the whole movement.
I hope this is useful for you or anybody who want to learn how to do a backflip:
1. Mechanics:
Start position: Stand up. The separation between your feet shouldn’t be wider than your hips. Some girls at the gym could do it with both feet together but for me adding some space was more comfortable. Your hands should be in front of your face, and keep your arms straight.
The Arm swinging and jump: Bring the arms down, parallel to your legs or hips (depending on your arm’s length). Flex your legs but only a little bit (for me 15 to 30 degrees was perfect) After that, bring your arms to the side of you head while contracting your calves (the jump). But don’t stop when your arms and your body are vertically but keep the movement to surpass it (the verticality) around 15 degrees more (with your head between your arms) The key is to generate power by combining the arm movement with your calf contraction. Most common mistakes here are: One. Arms are not straight or the muscles are not contracted. Two. Bending your knees too much. You want to generate enough power from your quads to contribute to the movement but if you flex them too much (like when you seat down) it will be much harder for you to go up. Three: Head and arms are not coordinated This is especially true for those people who (because of fear) try to look back. Four: Surpassing those 15 to 30 degrees. When you do that (or when you bring your head back) you are getting closer to the floor. You can pull it off if you rotate fast (I did it lots of times) but you will put more pressure on your knees.
The rotation: From that 15 to 30 degrees position, bring your knees to the chest (quickly). When they are getting closer to the chest, bring your hands to the side of your knees and push the knees (with your hands of course). That would help the rotation. Most common mistakes: One. Moving your head or your body to the knees instead of your knees to your chest. That would make your rotation very difficult (or impossible) Two. Not pushing (enough) your knees against your chest (with your hands) Your whole rotation depends on those 2 movements together (knees against the chest and hands pushing the knees against the chest) Three. Knees being too close. When there is not enough space between your knees you can hit yourself when you land it.
The landing: When you rotate there will be a moment where you can see the floor (probably when you are horizontally). This is the best time to start extending your legs (separating them from the chest) and bringing your hands up. Do not extend your legs completely (keep them flex 15 degrees more or less) unless you are a pro (and even so you will seriously hurt your knees) Most common problems: Uno. Opening too early (you probably have seen many videos on youtube where the guy goes straight up to the floor (face first, of course), that is the main reason. Wait until you see the floor. Two. Knees being too close to each other. That can be a problem because when you land it and bounce a little bit, your head can go straight to your face (a friend of mine broke his nose that way) Three. Pulling one side more than the other. That can give you a rotation you don’t want and you might end up on one knee and hurt it. Four. Extending your legs completely Professionals do that (and you can win some extra points when executing a back flip) but that causes tremendous problems on your knees. Keep your legs flex and bounce a little bit to redistribute the force of impact. Five. Extending one leg more than the other. You will hurt your knee or your ankle.
2. How to train it safely.
In the beginning use the extra thick mats (like the ones in the video) as much as possible.
Arm swinging and jump. Put some thick mats on top of each other until you reach (at least) your height. Give the back to the pile of mats. Separate yourself from the mats 15 to 30 cm (the distance from your elbow to your fingers, more or less).
Rotation. Practice the rotation on the floor (like in the video) Lay down on the floor and bring your knees to your chest and rotate. Be aware of your head and the rest of the body. Rotate by using the force of your knees and hands. Once you feel comfortable do it on top of the pile of mats.
The landing.
Make a pile of mats put another thick mat (but just one) where you want to land. That can give you more space (and more time to rotate) and more confidence. Lay down on top of the pile of mats and put the head on the edge of it. Rotate and when you see the floor (in this case the mat where you want to land) start opening. That will teach your body when and how you have to open.
Put it together. Before you start doing in on the floor. Try to stand on top of that pile of mats and keep the other thick mat (where you want to land) next to it. In the beginning you might put your hands (or not). That’s ok. Little by little you will loose your fear. Then you can take one of the mats from your pile (but keep the one where you land) And then another one, and so on. Until you are at the same level.
One last thing. Execute the movement in your head as many times as possible. That helps a lot. And do not see fails on youtube (having those images in your head can be very bad)
I hope this is helpful.
Best.
Carlos.
Yoga, it trains both body and mind
One word: PAVEL.
Hey Tim,
I have a question for Kelly and yourself:
I understand it is really important have good mechanics before add weights to the crossfit training but how can I improve my movements if I’m not sure they are ok or not? If my coach doesn’t help me and I think I can do better where should I look for exercises and how can I evaluate if I’m doing it right?
Thanks for the show
Animal Play type movements and variations.. Bear crawl, Monkey, Frogged, Crab, Beast, Spider-Man, and more.
Depending on how it’s done, crawling can develop strength, flexibility, motor control, agility, improve mobility …. can be done slow or fast … as circuit training and can be done in flowing forms that that exhibit grace and beauty.
And, most importantly it’s fun and brings a sense of play and movement exploration… which can be done at any age. I’m 64 and I love how doing animal movements make me feel! 😃😊😄
Who was the coach recommended 2 minutes before the end “Mark”?
I was most interested in the comments about genetic testing for understand one’s inherent nutritional and performance strengths and weaknesses.
I have a found a few companies offering nutritional genetic testing via a quick search, but I am especially interested in the performance testing.
Any recommendations?
(Also, I would say the barbell squat is my desert island exercise.)
Hello Tim,
As part of a usual routine commute going to work, I Normally have about an hr. to listen to what makes my day a good day. I started listening to interviews or podcasts such as Ted Radio. Having said all that, I came upon your podcast and Not to often that I come across someone, that very naturally has similar personally or characteristics and the same way of thinking as I do.
Love your Podcast, the people you interview and all the stories and experiences of these people you choose to interview.
Having done and seen so much throughout my life, I realized long a go nothing really intrigues me that much any more. Just recently listening to your podcasts makes me look forward to the next morning for the next podcast.
In short, JOB WELL DONE..!
Thank you.
Simon A.
Love your podcast, Tim. One small piece of advice that I reckon will make the world of difference: You have a habit of asking a great question and before the other person speaks you elaborate to contextualize or frame why you asked it. Ask the great question and wait – the answers you get back will be more insightful and the flow of the conversation will be improved. Keep up the stellar work!
Great podcast. Although I did very much like the wine-fuelled one as well! Sport of choice would be hiking – walking + the great outdoors, can’t go wrong with that.
I started going through the Mobility WOD exercises on YouTube and they are awesome. I do wonder how to really tell which of my movements / mobility are sub-optimal and how do I fix them? Are there a network of trusted practitioners? Most physios / chiros work on insurance claims these days and have lost touch. I see there is a mobility / movement cert but is there an association or further learning attached with these courses? I would like to be able to know I am going to someone great in my city. Something like the primal practitioners certification…
Thanks again guys.
I was sad when I heard you guys weren’t drinking but now I’m glad because Kelly went on an absolute tear with this podcast. Thank you so much for this Tim!
So I tried to squat down, knees together, ankles together, feet straight, just like Kelly says. I can’t do it. So what should I do?
When Kelly was referencing genetic tests that provided him info on tolerance of saturated fats and being more aerobically responsive, which specific tests was he talking about?
Hmmm, if I had to pick a sport for the rest of my life, it’d be Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It’s hands-down some of the best exercise you can get and it’s empowering as hell. If I was picking a weightlifting movement, it’d be kettlebell swings, as, again, it’s some of the best exercise you can get and it’s empowering as hell, haha!
Squat-it’s simple the best exercise there is
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Any physical discipline that allows you to have a stretch, workout and kick ass while lying down,works for me!.
The Kettlebell Swing
Id play table tennis. its fun and exciting now.. and my teacher is 72.. so i think ill be doing this well into my 1st quarter of the second century of life.
As a sport I would pick Bodybuilding and for one movement the deadlift or the squat… properly the deadlift, so hard to pick. Fortunately I don’t have to and can do them all. Tim, could you try to get Rich Froning or Rich Roll on the Podcast? 🙂
I second that! Deadlift is definitely on my list.
Kelly Starrett a fountain of information as always. Thanks Tim!
What was the brand name of that Crossfit sponsored soda? A carton of those and a bottle of Grey Goose is calling!
I have a recommendation for a podcast. He is not your typical interview but he will definitely be interesting to have on, perhaps you’ve heard of him. Joel Osteen. He has one of the biggest christian followings on television and for good reason. This man did not even believe he could speak in public and now he preaches in a stadium he purchased in Texas every Sunday. If anyone has productivity tips and advice on staying sane, it is he. So I challenge you to contact him. May the Lord bless you.
Osteen is also a homophobic bigot, but, hey, it’s in the name of religion, so it must be okay, right?
A plethora of great info from Kelly as usual.. I have heard most of your podcast’s and heard you give props to Jack Canfield, would love for you to interview him and another Jack named Kruse? He is the cat that rubbed the Paleo peeps the wrong way, the EMF’s are killing us all guy. Would love for you to go down that rabbit hole and see if it is as bad as some people make it
out to be. Keep giving us this wide spectrum of great info..
There are quite a few people out there that feel the squat with heavy weight is extremely bad for your spine, your ass and hips can handle the weight, not so good for your spine? Thoughts
is there a transcript for this podcasts? I learn by reading. It is hard for me to learn by hearing?