Bulletproofbodies & Avoiding Double Under Disaster

Double Under Disaster?

Try Penguin Jumping!

So did you get frustrated with your Double Unders during 10 rounds of 17.5?

Although this is a basic CrossFit skill, when you fatigue you go to your default setting and start making mistakes you would not make if you were fresh.

Fatigue = Uncoordinated jumping

Check out this awesome video from WODPrep:

Check out the WODPrep channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNRMF4aKRFUCdzvJVBEMFdQ

Penguin Double Unders Drill

Feet together

Relax your shoulders

Hand-Jump Coordination with the double tap

Practice

The Bulletproofbodies Team wish you well!

Bulletproofbodies & Reebok CrossFit Open 17.5 - Injury Prevention & Taping

So the last workout of the open is a couplet of Light Thrusters and Double Unders for 10 rounds!

Hopefully you have implemented the strategies for taping and injury prevention for the last five weeks?

For 17.5 it is worth Taping the shoulders, quads and Achilles/calves.

The stirrup strap method of taping will help to provide feedback from the rear foot.

To help you go stronger, longer with Rocktape.

Check out the video below:

17. 5 Consists of:

10 rounds for time

9 Thrusters, 43 Kg.

35 Double-Unders

Bullet Points

Preparation

·        Tape the Shoulders, Quads and Achilles/Calves

·        Wear long socks/knee sleeves to protect the backs of your calves when your double unders fail

Mobilise

·        Overhead Shoulder Mobility in preparation for the shoulder press movement of the Thruster

·        Hip flexors, Quads and calf Stretches for that deep front squat position

·        

Pre-Activation

·        Light Squats for the Warm Up

·        Practice Band-Assisted Thrusters
Normal skipping or single unders for 35 skips

WOD

·        Concentrate on your relaxing your shoulders during DU's so you don't mess up your technique

·        Pace yourself on the Thrusters
to  This WOD is all about being consistent, so be realistic and don't expect a super fast time during the Workout

Recovery

·        Cool Down on the bike

·        Compression Socks

·        Hydration

·        Nutrition

·        Mobilise all joints

Bulletproof Your Handstand Push-ups

17.4 was all about the Handstand Push Ups (HSPU’s), 55 of them to be exact.

With the new standard being introduced, we are now having to do HSPU’s properly.

The key to any skilled movement is to not overlook the simple in search of the complicated.

So it’s back to basics.

Can you do strict HSPU’s?

If you can’t then kipping HSPU’s will become difficult as you fatigue.

It’s not surprising; Strict HSPU’s are a Ninja test.

So let’s work on the regressions in the video below:

IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE LENGTH OF YOUR ARMS!

We are all made differently and we must take into account that longer levers will take more time than shorter levers.

(Longer levers get their own back on rowing though!)

Check out their channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/user/practicetroy

Handstands are a skilled movement that takes daily practice.

Bulletproofbodies & Reebok CrossFit Games 17.4 Taping & Injury Prevention

It’s the Reebok CrossFit Open 2017 and 17.4 is a repeat of 16.4.

Your job is to push your body hard and stay injury free over the next 2 weeks.

There are plenty of videos showing you how to optimise your performance for this workout.

However, we at Bulletproofbodies are about injury prevention, which includes taping:

• Lower Back for the Deadlifts
• Midline
• Neck/Upper back

The Open workout 17.4 consists of the following:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 13 minutes of:

55 deadlifts, 225 lb.
55 wall-ball shots, 20-lb. ball to 10-ft. target
55-calorie row
55 handstand push-ups

Repeat

Bullet Points

Preparation

·        Tape the low back, Midline and Neck/Upper back

·        Wear long socks/knee sleeves to protect the shins when Deadlifting

Mobilise

·        Overhead Shoulder Mobility in preparation for Handstand Push Ups
HaHamstrings and lower back for Deadlifts

·        Hip flexors, Quads and calf Stretches for that deep squat when catching the wall ball

Pre-Activation

·        Light Squats for the Wall Balls

·        Light Toe Touches for Deadlifts
Scapula elevation & Depression in Hand stand

WOD

·        Concentrate on your Technique, don't get a no rep, especially on the HSPU's

·        Pace yourself on the Deadlifts and break them up early
to  This WOD is all about the new standard on the HSPU's , so be realistic and don't expect to the second round of Dealifts if you have not got HSPU's for 55 reps!

Recovery

·        Cool Down on the bike

·        Compression Socks

·        Hydration

·        Nutrition

·        Mobilise all joints

Stop comparing kipping to pull ups

At Bulletproofbodies we get this question a lot.

Kipping Pull Ups are bad or not proper Pull Ups.

This demonstrates how the person asking the question does not really understand what they are asking. 

Or they have an agenda to say that CrossFit causes injury (which of course I disagree with!).

In my experience of treating and managing CrossFit injuries for 7 years, it is true that I treat a lot of shoulders. 

However, these athletes have a few musculo-skeletal niggles rather than what I would classify as an injury. 

These athletes respond quickly to treatment and have fantastic adherence to the rehabilitation exercises they are asked to perform. 

For us at Bulletproofbodies, CrossFitters are the perfect patients.

There is also a culture of body maintenance thanks to Mobility WOD and ROM WOD.

In studies on CrossFit injuries by Hak et al (2013) and Weisenthal et al (2014) they both point to overhead activity as the main culprit for shoulder injuries.

Muscular fatigue of the rotator cuff during kipping may be responsible for the loss of proper form and increased potential for injury.

The simple injury prevention strategy is to break up your big numbers into bite-sized chunks.  

Then, progressively build up your rotator cuffs exercise tolerance to keep the humeral head in the optimal position.

The mind-set of task completion must also be addressed, if you feel any pain whilst performing kipping simply stop and rest.

It is important to differentiate the achy feeling of delayed onset muscle soreness which should be relieved in a couple of days and the sharper, “this does not feel right” pain that you need to seek the opinion of a Physiotherapist for.

Check out Luke’s Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCueCBBvCWzVb7n6FxKjDUog

References

1.     Hak PT, Hodzovic E, Hickey B. The nature and prevalence of injury during CrossFit training. J Strength Cond Res. In Press, doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000318.

2.     Weisenthal, B. M., Beck, C. A., Maloney, M. D., DeHaven, K. E., & Giordano, B. D. (2014). Injury Rate and Patterns Among CrossFit Athletes. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2(4), 2325967114531177.

Confused about Kipping? Bulletproof your Pull Ups

So when you did 17.3 did you find that when you started to fatigue your kipping in the chest to bar pull ups got a bit dysfunctional?

Check out this video from WOD prep that goes over the basics of kipping.

Check out WOD preps channel on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNRMF4aKRFUCdzvJVBEMFdQ

Always make sure you have adequate strength before you start kipping.

You should be able to do strict pull ups before you do kipping pull ups.

You should be able to kip consistently before you try butterfly pull ups.

Give your body time to adapt to the new training load.

You can’t get butterfly pull ups in one workout.

They will take time.

There are no short cuts.

Practice.

Do you need to Bulletproof your Snatch?

So, 17.3 was all about the Squat Snatch.

Did your Squat Snatch let you down?

I’m not surprised.

That’s what happened to me!

The Squat Snatch is a high level skill movement that got heavier as you fatigued.

So you now know that the Snatch is your goat.

But what can we do to injury proof this movement?

It is not uncommon for injuries like shoulder dislocations and knee pain from the speed and power of this Olympic Weight Lifting Movement.

Check out this video from Barbell Brigade:

https://www.youtube.com/user/bartkwan

There are significant risks to the Snatch.

The first being have you got the range of movement to perform an Overhead Squat?

Most athletes are lacking that end of range movement in this challenging exercise.

The Overhead squat tests flexibility in the thoracic spine, hips, knees and ankles.

If you are missing range in any of these joints then catching weight at the bottom of the Snatch becomes difficult.

I you are lacking range of movement at the ankle joint then Weight Lifting shoes will really help.

If you are still struggling try putting some plates under your heels. Then gradually decrease the plates over time.

The key is getting the bar overhead working on thoracic extension and shoulder joint elevation.

Try lying back on a foam roller with the roller in your mid-back, hands behind your head and extend back.

Practice overhead squats at least once a week. It will take longer than you think!

Don't worry about the depth initially, focus on the correct position overhead.

If you can't overhead squat, you probably should not be Snatching yet.

Progressing to quickly without allowing the time for the tissues to adapt may lead to injury.