Its that time of year when gyms everywhere are filled with new comers and resolution hopefuls. The month of January is devoted these people as they begin to tip toe into a new world of health and fitness. I welcome them with open arms and look forward to slapping them silly with a good ole CrossFit workout.
For the rest of you, let’s get back to work! This post is about the little things. Two very simple things that will change your world.
First, Hook Grip. Its well known by every Olympic weightlifters that hook grip is key to a stronger clean or snatch. As illustrated in the picture, hook grip is simply wrapping your fingers over your thumb. Trad
itional grip requires the thumb to be over the fingers. At Mike’s Gym, hook grip isn’t an option, you (and everyone else in the room) will face a militant burpee penalty if you fail to use hook grip. Maybe its time I start this sort of incentive training in my classes.
When first transitioning yourself into hook grip, you can expect pain. This is common for anyone who has never conditioned their hands to this sort of grip. Some beginners will also have the thumb bruise (turn black and blue) this is normal and will pass with time. Taping the thumb is always an option, as is sucking it up. Over time you will build a tolerance to hook grip and will use it every time. It will change your lifts for the better!
Second, Hollow Posture. The first thing little gymnast in training are taught is core strength. T
he abdominals are some of the most important muscles in the body for gymnastics (and many other sports…CrossFit). Having strong abs is crucial to being successful in many CrossFit skills as everything is core to extremity. Maintaining the hollow position during a free standing handstand, handstand push ups, kipping pull ups, and even push ups will improve these skills immensely. Hollow position can be executed by squeezing the hip bones to the rib cage, fulling engaging the abs, and flattening the curve in the lumbar all while remaining flat.
This is terrible hollow posture (or lack thereof) and there is a lot of pressure on the lumbar spine:
This video demonstrates Hollow Rocks, which are a great training technique to improve all your gymnastics skills.
Editors Disclaimer: This blog was created and edited with the help of 3 crazy, demanding children running circles around me. Please forgive my typos. Any blog is better than no blog at all.
