The Specific Warm Up

Last week in our blog post, we touched on the importance of the general warm-up. For more on what that may look like here is our general front squat warm up from last week if you have not seen it: https://youtube.com/shorts/FVqSrOfKIuk?si=UxxqlRRSSA6ujtKN

Not only as a way for athletes to access the ranges of motion needed for the workout, but also as a tool for coaches to begin the conversation around how athletes are feeling, both subjectively and objectively. This helps us map out what the day may look like for each athlete.

Once we complete the general warm-up, we begin transitioning into more specific movement patterns. Often, this includes identifying a main movement and spending additional time on it using a progressive approach. This is where athletes truly develop and where modifications can be made based on injuries/ limitations etc. But generally if an athlete can move through a range of motion pain free this is their time to practice and develop that range of motion depending on the day’s intention we will modify it as needed from there on an individual basis.

As we work toward achieving optimal mechanics done consistently, most of this time is spent with a PVC pipe or an empty barbell. Whether a heavy day is programmed or the lift is being used within a conditioning piece, both scenarios apply intensity…either through load or threshold. This makes it even more important to continually reinforce that mechanics done consistently allow for proper intensity . At the end of the day, we aren’t just looking for intensity … we’re looking for Safety, efficacy and efficiency, all things that deliver better technique. 

The Below Graph is interpreted by Coach Greg Glassman in an Article you can find here: https://www.crossfit.com/essentials/technique

Think about when Coach Bill Belichick tells his athletes to “do your job.” In this case, an athlete’s job is to move well as often as possible to elicit the best adaptations over a lifetime. Often, it’s up to us as coaches to show and uphold that standard in whatever the movement is and have our athletes work towards it while showing empathy, honesty and most importantly that we care. 

For athletes who are already proficient movers or who have been training for a long time, this process is still incredibly valuable. It provides an opportunity to refine weak areas and improve efficiency. In fact, coaching athletes who already move well is often where the greatest adaptations occur—through subtle teaching, observing, and correcting. Even the best movers can move better.

That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about fitness: no matter how fit you are, there’s always room for improvement—as long as you’re willing to leave your ego at the door.

In today’s video, I give an example of what our specific warm-up might look like as we build off last week’s general warm-up for the front squat.

See Video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/UugNecwuIZs?si=GwZFIvwstbFuGNAs

In next week’s blog post, we’ll discuss how we typically structure our strength and conditioning work to allow for optimal results—and, just as importantly, to allow coaching to take place while athletes are moving through relative intensity. This is something that’s often missed in a group class setting. Something that is truly an art.

,Coach Paul