06 May The G-Force Source: Expanding Technical Horizons
“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
— Aristotle
It is a common human tendency to seek quick fixes and quick advances in life. In CrossFit, this concept is very much apparent where practitioners of the sport want to be better quicker by performing that ugly twisted muscle-up, performing butterfly pull-ups before they can complete a conventional pull-up and even snatch before they learn how to squat efficiently. It is a recipe for disaster and those that seek the quick fix are doing themselves a huge disservice; you are ignoring the fundamental movements that act as the pillars to safer and efficient movement.
We all crawl before we walk. We all speak in baby talk before we learn to speak properly. Why should CrossFit be any different? It damn well shouldn’t. You should learn to do a strict pull-up before you start kipping. You should learn an air squat before you add weight, before you do an overhead squat and before you snatch. You should learn to press before you push press, before you push jerk and split jerk. Fundamental and basic movements should never be ignored, even if you are at an advanced level. Go back to the basics, refine and remaster them over and over again.
In 2005, CrossFit Founder and CEO Greg Glassman wrote an article for the CrossFit Journal addressing this issue. Here’s what he had to say:
“There is a compelling tendency among novices developing any skill or art, whether learning to play the violin, write poetry, or compete in gymnastics, to quickly move past the fundamentals and on to more elaborate, more sophisticated movements, skills, or techniques.
What will inevitably doom a physical training program and dilute a coach’s efficacy is a lack of commitment to fundamentals.”
To help rectify this common problem, G-Force has added extra workshops and extra classes to work on the movements and areas that are sometimes are ignored. What are they and why are they important?
G-Force Barbell
This is our weightlifting-specific class which focuses on technique and weightlifting accessories not normally seen in our daily program. Weightlifting movements are some of the most prominent in CrossFit and therefore, it is important to become efficient at them without the extra volume you would see in a workout. The accessory movements added to G-Force Barbell will be the difference between athletes who see and don’t see improvement in their movement.
G-Force Gymnastics
This is one of our hardest additional classes. The class is programmed with some of the basic movements performed by gymnasts, but they’re far from easy. These movements are designed to strengthen the body and prepare it for a higher tier of gymnastic movements. There is a large focus on core-related movements and those that strengthen the upper body. If you are seeking improvement in your CrossFit gymnastic movements, this class is designed to do just that. And it’ll hurt.
G-Force weekly workshops
Each week, workshops are held at G-Force which are movement specific. These can range from pull-ups (and their variants), gymnastic ring movements, flexibility and mobility. The workshops serve as progressions, movement breakdowns and an improvement on the way your body moves. Flexibility and mobility are different but equally as important. Flexibility is the length of your muscles and mobility is the freedom of movement of your muscles and joints. Commit to these workshops and better your fitness regime.
Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is no fool and his advice is sound. Consistency and commitment to training and the additional classes offered to you are fundamental in securing your improvement. Be patient and the fruit that your branches will bear will be fuller and sweeter.
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