crossfit journal - combat gymnastics - issue 39

8/8/2019 CrossFit Journal - Combat Gymnastics - Issue 39

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ISSUE THIRTY-NINE

November 2005

Tabata my Job- Joshua Newman

page 12

Backward Roll

- Roger Harrell

page 16

In our August issue we explored the overhead squat, which we billed as the

ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless in developing effective

athletic movement. This month we introduce three skill-transfer exercises based on

the overhead squat and commonly used by weightlifters to develop the snatch.

To learn to perform and coach these exercises correctly, we ventured to Mikes

Gym, a CrossFit Affiliate, in Bonsall, California, to learn firsthand from Coach MikeBurgener and his 15-year-old daughter, Sage, how to perform these exercises

correctly. Mike is the current U.S. Pan American Games coach, and Sage is a

nationally competing junior champion.

The three exercises are known as the pressing snatch balance, the heaving snatch

balance, and the snatch balance. Each essentially demands successively greater

dynamics and athleticism to reach, hold, and control the catch position of the

snatchwhich is, in fact, the bottom of the overhead squat.

The profession of soldiering

requires a high level of physical

fitness. Deficiencies in the physical

domain could lead to loss of limb or

death on operations, or to the death

of a buddy or subordinate. The

notion of combat fitness, however,

can be difficult to define. Clearly,

a soldier requires a wide variety

of physical competencies such as

strength, power, and endurance,

but the vital domain of body controlis often overlooked, even though

soldiers must be capable of moving

their bodies through high-skill

tasks while weighted down with

equipment and weapons, usually

dehydrated, frequently fatigued, and

always under stress.

continued page ... 2continued page ... 13

Combat

Gymnastics

Skill Transfer Exercises for the Snatch- Greg Glassman

- JT Williams, Wade Rutland, and

Trip Lewis

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...continued from page 1

Combat Gymnastics JT Williams, Wade Rutland, and Trip Lewis

continued page ... 3

SOLDIER BODY CONTROL DEMANDS

Pulling

Soldiers require the capacity to pull themselves up or statically hold themselves in a hanging position with the added challenge o

wearing gear. To make pulling demands even more difficult, the type of grip available in the field will usually be uneven, slippery, o

unstable. Specific examples include pulling on parachute slips; climbing ropes, ladders, and rocks; and mounting armored vehicles. Soldier

conducting operations in urban terrain require such strength and coordination in pulling that they must be able not only to pull themselve

up, but to pull so forcefully that they actually propel themselves onto or over an object. Examples of this include the soldier pulling himsel

into a window, onto a balcony, or over a wall or fence.

Pressing

Soldiers also need the ability to press

themselves up while carrying an extrload, often for repeated efforts far

exceeding what would normally occur in

a gym setting. This could include pressing

up from a prone position, or pressing

dip-style, with the body vertical. Pressing

in the field encompasses both dynamic

and static movements, although static

pressing is encountered primarily in the

artificial push-up holds that occur at the

behest of a superior. Specific functiona

examples include pressing or lowering

the body to the ground while movin

to contact, or getting in and out of vehicle turret. Note that while exiting the turret, a soldier has no choice but to go beyond the ninety-degree angle in the upper arm that

is normally considered safe by most mainstream fitness publications.

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Combat GymnasticsJT Williams, Wade Rutland, and Trip Lewis


Core Strength

There may be no profession that demands more core strength and stability then soldiering. There are no isolation movements in the

field; every movement the soldier performs requires either active core movement or a high degree of stabilization. A lack of core strength

leads not just to decreased performance but possibly to back injury from lifting too much or from simply carrying extra gear on the

back for prolonged periods. The photos below tell the story. Transporting an injured soldier in a firemans carry requires powerful core

stabilization. If the core gives out in this situation, one or both of the soldiers will surely be injured.

Spatial Awareness

Combat is unpredictable, and the types of body positions a soldier finds himself in may be far

outside anything he has specifically trained for. When one is taken off the feet, everything feels

different; the ability to function while in an unpredictable spatial orientation could be the difference

between injury and mission accomplishment. Soldiers could find themselves completely upsidedown when crossing an obstacle, when flipped due to a vehicle accident or hang-up on a rappel

descent, or when crawling around the tight spaces inside armored vehicles. Soldiers who have

been upside down in training are more likely to find themselves landing on their feet instead of on

their necks and shoulders in a similar situation.

MASTERS OF BODY CONTROL

There currently exists a kind of athlete who can perform the above physical tasks with ease.

The athlete that demonstrates the highest degree of strength, stamina, coordination, agility, and

balance while handling his own body weight is the gymnast. This is undeniable; if you dont believe

it, go to your garage, hang up a couple of ropes with loops at the bottom, and perform an iron

cross by extending your arms straight out to the sides until parallel with the ground. Now that you

have failed miserably at a B-level gymnastics skill that every competitive teenage boy gymnast can do, read on. To put this into contextA is considered an easy movement in gymnastics terminology, and E a difficult one.

If gymnasts possess the highest degree of physical skills necessary for accomplishing the four soldier physical demands described earlier

(pulling, pressing, core strength, and spatial awareness), why is this powerful training methodology not being utilized in military physica

training? We think its largely the result of a complex of misperceptions:

The perception that gymnastics is a female event. Ask someone to name a famous gymnast and probably all they will come up with

is Mary Lou Retton.

The perception that the men who do participate in gymnastics are sissies (a.k.a. the white stirrup pants PR problem).

The perception that a lot of specialized, expensive equipment is necessary to practice gymnastics.

The perception that supervising gymnastics training requires an extensive coaching background.

The perception that you need to be some kind of physical freak to perform gymnastics movements like those seen on television

during the Olympics.

This article aims to put these perceptions to rest and to get soldiers performing the most beneficial body control training available

period.

GYMNASTICS FOR SOLDIERS

In order to get soldiers practicing safe, effective gymnastics training, the program we describe was developed with the following principle

in mind:

The movements use only equipment readily available on a military base or commercial gym, or inexpensive homemade gymnastics

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Combat GymnasticsJT Williams, Wade Rutland, and Trip Lewis


equipment. The movements describe series of skill progressions. The beginner versions will be challenging for most; it will likely take months to

years to accomplish the advanced version.

The program lends itself to group physical training (PT) sessions. It has been created so a large group can be broken into circuit

stations, and the circuit can be finished within the one hour normally allotted for military PT sessions (including warm-up and cool

down).

Before we explain the movements and the circuit, some safety points require emphasis:

Always confirm that the equipment to be used is serviceable. The time to realize that the straps holding your rings are about to give

out is NOT when a trainee is in an inverted position on them.

Use a spotter. One is required to accomplish the majority of these movements anyway. Ensure that the spotter is paying attention to

the trainee and not goofing off.

The movements have been put in a progression from beginner to advanced. Dont be in a hurry to move to the advanced version ofthe movement. Let the body adapt before progressing in difficulty.

THE MOVEMENTS

1. Boat Rock

Boat rocks develop core stability in the trainee, as well as coordination and awareness of core functioning. These are far more effective

than something like Swiss ball crunches.

Beginner Rock and hold

Lie on your back with your arms stretched overhead and your legs straight. Then lift your feet and hands approximately a foot off the

ground and press your lower back into the ground. A spotter can assist here by attempting to place a hand underneath the lower backof the trainee; if the hand can get under, the lower back is not pressed firmly enough into the ground. Then rock back and forth on

the buttocks and lower back, holding a rigid body position. After five repetitions, hold the starting position for five seconds. Repeat the

sequence. Work up to performing the progression eight times (thats 40 boat rocks interspersed with 40 seconds of holding).

Intermediate Rock with V-snaps

Perform the boat rocks as described above. After five reps, however, instead of holding, perform five V-snaps by raising your upper

body and hands simultaneously so that your feet and hands meet approximately above your navel. A common error is to lift the feet

onlybe sure to lift your upper body and legs at the same time. Once you can perform the progression eight times (thats 40 boat rocks

interspersed with 40 V-snaps), you are ready to move on to the advanced move.

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Advanced Rock/V-snap/hold

This time, do five boat rocks; hold for five seconds; perform five V snaps; repeat. If you can perform this progression eight times you wil

never be troubled again by a sadistic superior ordering, Leg lifts! Begin! One two three ONE!

2. Pullover

The pullover progression will develop tremendous pulling and core strength, as well as spatial awareness. It is also a method of

surmounting an obstacle.

Beginner L pull-up

Grasp a pull-up bar with palms facing away from you(pronated). With straight arms and legs, lift your legs

until they are extended straight out in front of you in

an L position. Then perform a pull-up, maintaining the L

position. If your legs drop, you will still get tremendous

benefit out of this movement. If maintaining even an

approximation of an L position is clearly impossible for

you, a spotter can assist by holding your feet up, or you

can bend your legs and hold your thighs up, parallel to

the ground. Once you can perform ten strict L pull-ups

with no assistance, you are ready to move on to the

next progression.

Intermediate Hips to bar

Perform an L pull-up as described above. At the top

position, maintain the L, keep your arms straight, and pull

your hips up and back to the bar. Lower your hips and

legs back down into the L-hang position and repeat. A

spotter may be necessary to push your hips toward the

bar at first. Once you can perform five of these with no

assistance, you are ready to move on.

Advanced Pullover

Perform an L pull-up and pull your hips to the bar as

described for hips to bar above. This time, however,

continue until you flip over the bar, feet first, and

are back in a vertical position, supported on straight

arms on top of the bar. Roll back over headfirst into

an L-hang position and repeat. If you can perform ten

pullovers, you will have no trouble pulling yourself

on top or over an obstacle, even when fatigued and

wearing gear.

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3. Muscle-up

The muscle-up builds pressing, pulling, and core strength. The pullover is one method of surmounting an obstacle; the muscle-up is

even better. Once you can perform a muscle-up, you can get on top of just about anything you can get a grip on. Learn and practice the

movement on rings; their instability develops outstanding strength and control. For this progression we are using inexpensive, portablepower rings that can be easily adjusted to different heights (http://www.ringtraining.com).

Beginner Ring dips

In order to perform a muscle-up on rings, first

you must be able to do a ring dip. Hang the rings

approximately chest high. Hop up and stabilize your

body in a supported position, with arms locked

straight and held in close to the sides of the body.

Once stabilized, bend your arms and lower yourself

into a dip. You will have to press down hard on the

rings to keep them stable. Keep the elbows tight to

the body and go deeper than ninety degrees at theelbowsyou will need the strength in this portion of the dip when you move on to the actual muscle-up. Once

you can perform ten ring dips you are ready to move to the next progression.

Intermediate Muscle-up

The muscle-up gets you from under the rings to on top of them. The key to performing

a ring muscle up is using what gymnasts call a false grip. Place the outside of your wrist

directly on the bottom inside of the ring and slide your thumb over to the opposite side of

the ring from your fingers, as you normally would to grip something. Without this grip it is

very difficult to transition from the pull-up to the dip, which is the essence of the muscle-

up.

Once you have the false grip, hang from the rings with your arms just slightly flexed (to

help maintain the

false grip) and

then pull yourself up. Once at the top of your pull-up, throw

your face forward and your elbows back, and perform a dip

This is easier said than done; you will have to pull yourself up

powerfully to get into the dip starting position. Keep the rings

tight to the sides of your body the entire time or you w

inadvertently end up in a pseudo-iron cross. This pull-up to dip

transition takes considerable skill. To learn the mechanics, you

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can perform the pull-up with a small jump or spot assist to get into the dip. However, the only legitimate muscle-up is the hangingtype. Once you can perform five consecutive muscle-ups you are ready to move on to the next progression. Note how the muscle-up

duplicates the motion required by the soldier pulling himself into a window or over a wall.

Advanced Muscle-up to L-sit

Perform a muscle-up as described above. Then lift your legs until you are in the L position. Attempt to push your hips forward so they

are even with the hands, not behind them. Hold for five seconds, lower your legs, and return to the hanging position. If you can perform

five of these, no window, balcony, or wall will be able to keep you from your objective.

4. Rope Climb

Climbing a rope builds strength in the pulling muscles and core. A side benefit to climbing a rope is the iron grip you develop through

repetition. This is a military basic exercise; if you are a soldier and unable to climb a rope, go hang your head in shame. Then start working

on this progression.

Beginner Rope climb with leg assist

There are several ways to use the legs to help grip the rope,

but this is the most effective. Wrap the rope completely

around your right leg so it is resting on your right instep, then

step on the rope with your left foot. Now pull yourself up the

rope using your arms to pull while pushing with your feet and

legs. You will know if you have the foot placement correct

if you can stop and rest halfway up while dangling one arm.

After you can climb the rope with ease in this manner, you areready to move on. Note how this exercise is exactly the same

as that used by a soldier toclimb a rope!

Intermediate Rope climb, arms only

This one is self-explanatory. Grab the rope and pull yourself up it with feet not touching the rope (it helps to get a little momentum

going). This one will really tax your grip. If you are a real stud and have a double rope setup you can climb in a two-at-a-time fashion a

shown in the photo below.

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Advanced Rope climb in straddle L-sit

Start by sitting on the ground with legs spread (straddled). Pull yourself up the

rope while maintaining your legs in this position. If this hurts everywhere, you are

probably performing it correctly. Once you can climb the rope in this fashion, no

climbing obstacle will stand in your way.

5. Leg lift

This progression builds strength in the core and pulling muscles. Hit especially hard

are the hip flexors, which are the prime movers in running, squatting, and sitting up.

Beginner Leg lift

Grasp a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you.

Maintaining straight arms and legs, and keeping your legs together,

lift your legs as high as you can. The goal is to touch your insteps

on the bar. If you have to bend your arms, keep working until

you can perform the movement with straight arms. Once you can

perform ten of these you are ready to move on.

Intermediate - Jackknife

Perform the leg lift movement and hold

your insteps on the bar. Now push your

insteps six inches from the bar and bring

them back, then repeat. Keep your feet upat the bar between reps. Maintain straight

arms while you are performing these.

Work up to ten consecutive reps before

moving on to the advanced version.

Advanced Lateral leg lift

Perform the leg lift movement, but this

time bring the legs up in an arc to the

left or right of the body. On the next

repetition, lift the legs to the other side.

Once you can perform ten of these, you

will likely set a battalion sit-up record on

your next PT test.

6. Parallette L-sit/planche

This progression builds strength in the pressing and core musculature. We are using homemade parallettes (low, freestanding paralle

bars) for this progression; they cost approximately thirty dollars to build using ABS or PVC pipe, a hacksaw, and ABS/PVC glue. (For

instructions on building homemade parallettes, see CrossFit Journal 13, September 2003).

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Beginner Tuck sit to tuck hip lift

Support your body weight with

straight arms on the parallettes with

your knees tucked into your chest.

Attempt to push your hips forward so

that they are in line with or in front of

your hands. Hold for several seconds.

Then lift your hips up and back so that

your feet rest on the bars. You will

have to lean forward slightly, which puts load on the chest and deltoids. Really concentrate on lifting your hips up and back in a controlled

fashion (no swinging). From this position, move back to the tuck sit position and repeat. When you can do this ten times you are ready to

move on.

Intermediate L-sit to tuck planche

Support your body weight on the

parallettes as with the tuck sit, but

this time hold your legs straight out in

front of your hips, making your body

into an L shape. This is substantially

more difficult than the tuck sit because

of the longer levers (legs) in front.

Hold this position for five seconds.

Then lift your hips up and back while tucking in your knees, but do not place your feet on the parallettes as in the first progression. This

is position is termed a tuck planche; you will feel it just about everywhere. Do not be alarmed if you cant lift your hips very high at first;as long as you are actively trying to lift your hips, you will garner the core strength benefits of this movement. Hold this position for five

seconds. Move back into the L-sit for four seconds, then back to the tuck planche for four, then for three, two, one. Keep working on this

progression until you can get your hips at the same height as your shoulders with no rounding of your back for all five time cycles.

Advanced L-sit to straight hip lift

Perform an L-sit as described above. Then lift your hips up and back until you can place your feet on the parallettes without bending

your legs. Move back into the L-sit and repeat for repetitions. Once you can do this you will be able to press and hold yourself up nearly

indefinitely, even while wearing gear.

7. Front and back lever

This progression will build incredible pulling strength in the and core stability, as well as improving spatial awareness in a variety of

inverted positions. We describe these moves on rings, but they can be performed on a bar if necessary. There are only two progression

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continued page ...11

for this; both are difficult and require a spotter. In the photos of this progression, we used homemade rings, made from climbing strapscarabineers, and flexible ABS pipe. (For information on homemade rings, see the 22 August 2005 Workout of the Day on the Crossfit

com website.)

Beginner Front and back lever, legs straddled

Start with the rings at the height of

your maximum reach. Pull yourself into

an inverted position. The goal is to be

able to pull yourself up with straight

arms and straight bodyyou want to

push away from the rings to do this. If

needed, you can bend your arms and

tuck your knees to your chest to getinverted, but keep working until you

can perform the straight arm version.

Once inverted, you will move into

the back lever position. Put your legs

into a straddle position behind the ring

straps and slowly let your pelvis move toward the floor. Every muscle in your body must be flexed to perform a back lever. Keep your

elbows locked tightly to your sides and grip the rings hard. The spotter should support the trainee at the hips as necessarybeginners wi

likely not be able to move to a completely horizontal position by themselves. When you can no longer hold the back lever, pull yoursel

back to inverted (with a spot if necessary). If the trainee is very heavy or lacks confidence, two spotters will be required, one on either

side of the trainee.

Then pull yourself into a front lever.

From the inverted position, straddleyour legs in front of the ring straps.

Keeping a straight body and tight torso,

let your hips lower slowly toward the

floor. Attempt to push away from the

rings while trying to push your hips

toward the far wall. Every muscle in the

body must be flexed to maintain a front

lever. The spotter should support the

trainee at the hips. When you can no longer hold the front lever, pull yourself back to inverted and repeat the back/front lever sequence

as desired. Do not be surprised if it takes you months to years to be able to hold a straddle front lever without spotter assist.

Advanced Front and back lever, legs together

This sequence is the same as for the straddle

levers, except that you keep your legs together.

This amplifies the difficulty by lengthening the

lever and creating a larger moment around the

core. Spotting is the same. If you can complete

a front lever in this fashion, you have mastered

a gymnastics B-level move. Although you will

probably not ever perform a front lever on

operations unless you happen to be ordered to

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continued page ...12

negotiate an anti-personnel, multi-variation alternating optical pulsing laser field, the strength, stability, and spatial awareness it requires youto develop will serve you well in plenty of other situations.

8. Handstand

Working handstands improves pressing ability, core strength, and spatial awareness, as well as increasing shoulder stability and flexibility.

Beginner Back to the wall handstand

Face a wall and place your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground in front of you.

Lock your arms straight, raise your hips high, and kick off with the leg you jump with; the

other leg will swing up and over toward the wall. You will have to kick hard, but dont

worry, you wont knock over the wall. A spotter can help the trainee get his hips aligned

over his shoulders and lift the legs into position, if needed. Press your hands down hardagainst the floor and shrug your shoulders toward your ears (active shoulders). You

want to have your hands as close to the wall as possible, and have your entire body flat

against the wall (you should be able to look up at your feet). Avoid arching your back,

which creates habits that will keep you from being able perform a handstand with no

support. Once you can hold this handstand on the wall for thirty seconds you are ready

to move on.

Intermediate Front to the wall handstand

Stand directly in front of a wall, with your back to it, and place

your hands on the ground in front of you. Walk up the wall

by moving your feet one at a time backward up the wall and

your hands toward the wall. It is a good idea to have a spotterfor this at first. Get your hands as close as possible to the wall,

attempting to have the front of your body completely against

the wall. You have two choices to get out of this position:

either walk your hands back out and your feet down the wall

or tuck your head and roll out on your back, if you know how

to do it. Once you can hold this handstand for thirty seconds,

you are ready to move on.

Advanced Partner assist handstand

Move away from the wall with a partner. This time when you kick into the handstand

your spotter will catch your feet and help you stabilize yourself. When your partner

feels that you are holding the handstand yourself, he will move his hands slightly away

from your feet, keeping one hand in front and one in back, ready to stabilize you if you

lose balance. You can control your forward and backward movement in the handstand

by using pressure from your palms and fingertips. If you are a real hero, you can now

try performing some handstand push-ups by bending your arms, lowering your head

toward the floor, and then pressing back up into a straight-arm handstand position.

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Combat Gymnastics- JT Williams, Wade Rutland, and Trip Lewis


CIRCUIT TRAINING

These movements were chosen to

accommodate as large a group as necessary.

It will take several days, at least, of learning

and practicing the movements before you

are able to make this into a circuit-style

workout. Do not give into temptation and

skip this teaching component; you are asking

for injuries or sub-standard performance if

you do. Once your trainees have a good

grasp of the beginner progressions, you can

have them perform those movements in a

conditioning circuit workout:

Set up stations for the eight movement

progressions. Each station can accommodate

groups of two to three; therefore, you can

run a group of 24 through a circuit using

one set of equipment for each station. Any

more than this and you will have to double

the equipment at each station.

Perform a ten-minute warm up.

Break the group into twos or threes

depending on equipment and send them totheir stations.

Give each group five minutes at each

station. While one trainee works, the other

one or two act as spotters, and then they

switch. Have them perform as many sets

as possible within the five-minute period.

If your soldiers are working hard and not

goofing off, they should be able to get in

three sets per station. Rotate to the next

station after five minutes. As the leader

you may have to forego your own workout

and spend your time correcting form and

coaching instead. This is technical PT, and

supervision is necessary. You can arrive early

or do your circuit at lunch so your soldiers

dont think youre a shirker.

Once everyone has been to all eight

stations, have then perform a ten-minute

cool-down.

You now possess the tools to bring the

body control abilities of your soldiers to a

much higher level. You may choose to

ignore this information because you cant

scrounge thirty dollars to make some

parallettes or because you are afraid of

looking silly by trying something new in

front of the other platoon commanders.

Ignore this information at your peril,

however, as gymnastics training is by far

the best physical training that soldiers

can perform to increase their body

control abilitya skill that may save

end.

Although Im lucky enough to work out

primarily with kindred spirits at CrossFit

NYC, a few times a week I head around

the corner from my apartment to

commercial gym. When I dogasping my

way through the WODIm inevitably met

with uncomprehending stares, as though an

alien had suddenly descended from the sky

and plopped itself down in front of the pull

up bar.

But if my ways seem strange to my

gymmates, theirs are equally bewildering to

me: hours-long sessions spent wandering the

floor, punctuated by short sets of preacher

curls or goes at the hip-adductor machineHow, I wonder, can people work, day in

and day out, so inefficiently? The answer,

recently realized, is practice.

And not just at the gym. Studies show that

the average American worker spends te

hours a day at the office, yet, after chatting

with colleagues, surfing the web, and

strolling to the water cooler, accomplishes

just one and a half hours of actual work. In

other words, 85 percent of the time most

people spend at the office goes completely

down the drain.

Like most CrossFit converts, I was initially

drawn in by the brutal efficiency of the

approach: such little time, such great results

Which is why, marveling one day at the com

parative inefficiency of the gym-goers around

me, I started to wonder if what flows into

the gym also flows back out. If most people

bring bad habits from work to working out

could I take good, CrossFit-instilled habits in

the opposite direction? Could I Tabata my

job?

Bottom-to-bottom Tabata squats (http:/

www.crossfit.com/cf-video/bottom-to-

bottom_1.mpg) are, in my mind, one o

the purest expressions of CrossFit, perfec

examples of what, at CFNYC, we joke

about as the First Law of the WOD: If

it looks easy on paper, youre probably

screwed. Until youve tried B2Bs yourself

its nearly impossible to believe that

four minutes is long enough to have any

Tabata My Job- Joshua Newman

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Each of the three snatch balance exercises

begins with the bar in a racked positionon the upper back, as for the back squat.

Starting with bar on the back, rather than

in the front rack position, gives the athlete

greater control and easier access to a line

of action that is truly upward and not

derivative.

Each exercise begins from standing,

bar on the back, with a snatch grip. In

the pressing snatch balance the athlete

slowly lowers the hips into a squat while

simultaneously extending the arms to press

the bar overhead. In the heaving snatchbalance the

athlete executes

a very short and

powerful dip and

drive to initiate

the movement

(bending briefly

at the knees

and hip and

then powerfully

extending to

drive the bar

upward) and then comes

to rest at the

bottom of the

overhead squat.

Both the

pressing snatch balance and the heaving

snatch balance begin and end with the

feet slightly wider than shoulder width, the

same as in the catching stance of the clean

and the snatch, which is also the squatting

stance of the rock-bottom overhead

squat.

The snatch balance, in contrast, begins

in a narrower stance, with feet directly

under the hipsthe pulling stance that

is the starting position for the clean and

the snatch (what Coach Burgener often

calls the jumping stance). The snatch

balance requires the athlete to initiate the

movement with a strong dip and drive,

then dive under the bar and move the feet

to land in the slightly wider catching stance

with the bar overheadall explosively

and in an instant.

The pressing snatch balance and

the heaving snatch balance are more

commonly used for beginning and

intermediate lifters, whereas the snatch

balance and overhead squat are typically

used with experienced weightlifters.

Each of these exercises, not unlike

the overhead squat, must be learned,

practiced, refined, and perfected with a

dowel or PVC pipe before any appreciable

weight is introduced. Practicing in this

mannerwith negligible loadconstitutes

an excellent warm-up tool that not onlyreadies the athlete for more rigorous

work but

also reinforces fundamental mechanical

skills vital to more athletic and complex

movement.

Generally, weightlifters will be able to

handle more weight in the snatch balancethan in the snatch. The boost this gives to

confidence and control with maximum

snatch loads is one of the primary benefits

to training the snatch balance family. At

any given weight, the dynamics of the

snatch are wickedly greater than those of

the overhead squat. The snatch balance

can help bridge that gap.

Pressing Snatch Balance

[video]

Greg Glassman


Skill Transfer Exercises for the Snatch

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Heaving Snatch Balance [video]

Snatch Balance [video]

end.

Greg Glassman


Skill Transfer Exercises for the Snatch

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Initial Drill: Pizza Rocks

Hold your hands, palms up, out to your sides at shoulder height, as if youre holding a pizza in each. Your fingertips should be pointed

back and elbows pointed forward. Sit and roll back, keeping your eyes on your toes, to candlestick and squash the pizzas on the floorbehind you. While pressing your palms into the floor by your ears, roll forward to stand. As you get more comfortable with the drill, you

can push and begin to lift yourself a little off the floor.

Tucked Backward Roll

Start this skill standing stretched with arms straight up overhead, not allowing them to drop forward. Then sit and lift your feet to rol

onto your back. As you rock onto your shoulders, squash the pizzas. Keep driving your toes over your head in the direction you are

rolling. Push on the floor with your hands as you roll over and stand up. Drive the roll by lifting your toes over your head, not by throwing

your head or shoulders back. Keep your feet and knees together, and keep watching your toes throughout the motion. Do not allow your

knees to land on the ground as you roll over. [video]

Roger Harrell

Backward Roll Drills

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Tucked Backward Roll with Lift

Perform a backward roll, but as your hands contact the floor, push aggressively to lift yourself well off the ground as you roll over.

Maintain the tuck and continue to drive your toes over the roll.

Bent-Arm Back Extension Roll

Perform a backward roll but as you roll onto your shoulders, shoot your feet toward the ceiling and push into a handstand. Do not throw

your hips up or let your head lift. Maintain a hollow body position, lead the skill with your toes, and keep watching your toes. Ideally, you

will arrive in the handstand still looking at your toes. You can build more initial momentum by keeping pressure with your legs and pushing

back aggressively just before you contact the floor with your butt. Keep your torso upright as you sit back; do not lean forward. [video]

Straight-Arm Back Extension Roll

Positions are critical for a successful straight-arm back extension roll. If the bent-arm back extension roll is practiced properly, the sitand roll back phase should be dynamic. Start this skill standing with your arms up by your ears, palms turned away from your body and

thumbs facing forward. Sit back into the roll trying to build as much momentum as possible. Maintaining a tight line and keeping your

hips turned under is crucial for maximizing momentum. As you roll back, reach back to the ground. You want your hands to contact and

begin pushing as soon as possible, but do not throw your arms, head, and/or shoulders back. As your feet leave the ground, drive them

aggressively upward as you push back on your hands. Keep your body tight and hollow, look at your toes, and ride into the handstand.

You will need to fight to keep your arms straight. [video]

Drills for Straight-Arm Back Extension Roll

1. Work the straight-arm back extension roll by first locking your fingers together. This forces your arms to turn out and positions your

hands properly.

2. Perform a straight-arm backward roll and end up in a hollow prone support.


Roger Harrell


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3. Perform a straight-arm back extension roll, but instead of completing the handstand, aim short of the handstand and immediately rollforward to stand. A hollow, tight body should be maintained throughout this drill.

Backward Roll Variants

1. Straddled backward roll: Begin by standing in a straddle. Sit back and reach for the floor between your legs. Roll backward,

maintaining the straddle to a straddle stand. Do not bend your legs.

2. Piked backward roll: Begin by standing with legs together and then sit back piked (i.e., bent at the hips), reaching for the floor. Drive

your toes over the roll without bending your legs to stand.

3. Consecutive explosive rolls: Perform tucked backward rolls in series. Attempt to push off the floor so that when your feet

contact the floor at the end of the roll they are already well in front of you, driving you into the next roll. The goal should be to pop

up higher and rotate farther on each consecutive roll.

Backward Roll Common Mistakes

1. Throwing head and shoulders back to drive the roll. The roll should be driven by lifting your feet and legs.

2. Not enough push with the hands. A weak push will make the roll uncomfortable as it will allow a lot of weight to be placed on the

head.

Possible Assists

1. Do consecutive backward rolls down an incline mat or grassy hill for gravity assist.

2. As the roll progresses, a spotter can place one hand just above each hip to lift and push the student over in the roll. [video]

end.


Roger Harrell


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noticeable fitness effect. After, its equallyimpossible to believe you survived those

four minutes.

So, the Tabata protocol seemed an obvious

first place to look for CrossFit insight that

might translate to the office. At its heart,

Tabata is simple: eight brief intervals of very

intense effort, separated by an equal number

of even briefer intervals of rest. As twenty

seconds of job productivity seemed slight

even by my procrastinatory, distraction-

prone standards, I decided to stick with the

idea but adjust the time-frames, bumping upto ten minutes work, five minutes rest. Eight

intervals, then, take exactly two hours.

Heres how it works: Take the eight

tasks at the top of your to-do list. This is

important. Dont cherry-pick tasks, as it

leaves the ones you dont want to face

floating on your list for weeks on end. As

painful as each B2B Tabata interval may be,

its also brief enough to be endurable; the

same goes for ten minutes of any of your

work tasks. Whip your interval timer out

of your gym bag, and set it for eight ten-minute/five-minute repeats. Fire it up, and

jump in on the first task.

When the bell chimes, stop. Seriously,

stop. It doesnt matter if you arent

finished. Just put down what youre doing.

Youll get to it later that day, or, for painful,

avoided tasks, in the next days Tabata

pass. Then spend five minutes goofing

off. Surf the web, hit the bathroom, fire

spitballs at the obnoxious guy two cubicles

over. It doesnt matter what you do, so longas its not work.

But, once the timer next beeps,

immediately jump back in for task number

two. Hit it hard, knowing that, as soon as

you start, youre literally just minutes from

moving on.

Rinse and repeat until youve made it

through the two-hour block.

Sure it doesnt sound like much But

www.crossfit.com

The CrossFit Journal is anelectronically distributedmagazine (emailed e-zine)

published monthly by www.crossfit.com chronicling a

proven method of achievingelite fitness.

For subscription informationgo to the CrossFit Store at:

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-

info/store.html

If you have any questionsor comments send them to

[email protected].

Your input will be greatly

appreciated and every emailwill be answered.

Joshua Newman

Tabata My Job

Advisors:

Brian Mulvaney

Tyler Hass

Carrie Klumpar

Photography:

Lauren Glassman

Wade Rutland

the first morning I tried it, Tabata My Job

helped me blow through more work in two

hours than I had in whole days the week

prior. Even better, it allowed me to cross

off several tasks that had long been looming

at the top of my list. In fact, in future Tabata

runs, I discovered that many of the scariest

tasks were actually remarkably briefwell

within ten minutesonce I finally buckled

down and jumped in.

By the end of the first week, Tabata My Job

had become a daily fixture. I took to blocking

out 10:00 am to noon on my calendar and

avoided taking calls or scheduling meetings

in that window. That way, no matter how

badly any day fell apart, at least Id havelogged focused work on eight separate

items.

Following my lead, a few fellow execs took

to daily Tabata My Job intervals as well, all

with similarly stunning results. Just as at the

gym, functional and intense seem to be

universally effective precepts at the office.

And just as regular CrossFitting seems to

leave most people even more likely to put

their fitness to use during the rest of the

day, a morning Tabata My Job actually left

us all more likely to crank through other to-dos throughout the afternoon.

Of course, along with function and intensity,

CrossFit stands equally on the third pillar

of variety. So, over time, weve begun to

explore other potential CrossFit-crossovers,

in the hopes of achieving even greater

results by mixing things up. As those ideas

are still works in black-box-testing progress,

theyll have to wait for future journals or

message board discussions. But, suffice it to

say, the Tabata My Job success has left me

looking at CrossFit in a whole new light. Itsno longer a way of thinking I employ just

when working out, but one Im trying to put

to work (and play) throughout all of life.

Along with CFNYC, Joshua runs Cyan

Pictures + Long Tail Releasing, a movie

production and distribution company.

http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/http://www.crossfit.com/

crossfit journal - combat gymnastics - issue 39

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