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Author: David Gionta

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Changing How You Think About Fitness Progress

women walking to show how they make fitness progress walking together on a path which looks over the beach seen from behind

CrossFitters, and athletes in general are type A personalities. Go-getters. We are competitive and usually have a very strong inner drive to make fitness progress.  I believe this is a good trait to have in life and it also helps us to push ourselves during our training and or competitions. 

CrossFit is the sport of fitness. The revolutionary thing CrossFit did was combined all these different exercises and then tracked the data to see how fit people were getting. This has been great and it has helped thousands if not millions of people be introduced to health and fitness as well as improve their life in the same way.  

However, with hyper-competitiveness and intense training comes some issues. These may include strains, injuries, burn-out, technique failures, loss of proper technique, and many more. So how are we measuring fitness progress and how can we improve the process?

The standard way

Most people measure fitness progress in ways that are as old as time. These ways might include:

  • 1 rep max
  • Volume/rep maxes (such as 3, 5, 10, 20 rep max)
  • Size
  • Weight
  • Body fat

Of course all of these can be important and are great ways to measure fitness progress. That’s a reason they have always been used. They work, plain and simple. 

But to stay healthy and fit for life you also have to focus on recovery, movement quality, and overall well-being and nutrition.

Other ways to measure fitness progress

  • Number of days you maintain heavy work loads or high intensity workouts
  • Ability to stay injury free
  • Improved technique
  • Mobilization improvements
  • Recovery time after an intense WOD
  • Aptness to move in a pain free way
  • Potential to complete life tasks and care for one’s own well being

CrossFit, health, fitness, and life are about much more than how heavy you lift. It’s not about if you have abs or not, or if you can’t sit in a standard airplane seat easily because your legs are so big. I think your health and fitness should be utilitarian. In essence, fitness progress is about how your body serves you in day to day life.

Keep the big (life) picture in sight

You might move heavy weight, you might be 5% body fat, or maybe you have the biggest arms around. But if your joints constantly hurt, you have zero energy and are cranky, or you can’t reach behind you or across your body then what’s the point?!  

Your body is a machine, and it has to be taken care of. Like all well-built machines it can take a lot of abuse and mishandling before an important piece fails. And I promise that if you push too hard, eventually pieces will fail and break.

But a machine that is run at the appropriate RPMs, paid attention to, handled properly, and gets regular maintenance will serve its owner for a long, long time.  

Start caring about your body, it is the only one you get.

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Workout Motivation: Do It Anyway

young muscular woman with workout motivation working out barefoot in the gym holding a kettlebell

We all have those days. The ones where we could find any excuse to not workout. Sometimes it’s basic excuses: I’m tired, I have to work late, I’m sore. Sometimes there are very unique excuses that can try to derail us. If you’re feeling this way, maybe you need some workout motivation to get in the gym and do it anyway.

We have some highly dedicated members at our box. Today’s post is about one member and one particular incident. This member is not the type to make excuses.  In fact she is just the opposite. She simply does not miss a workout.

Last she showed up to her usual 6 am class time at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit. As she came walking in, I noticed she did not have shoes on.  Not just didn’t have CrossFit shoes on…she had no shoes on!

I looked at her with a confused look and she looked at me with a frown. She told me about how she had woken up and her shoes were not in the normal place she puts them. But, she didn’t want to miss class looking for them so she just came anyway in her socks. She asked if she could still workout.

Let me take a moment to explain to you: I LOVE not wearing shoes. I especially love not wearing shoes during workouts. I think it gives you a much better connection to the ground and it makes you slow down and appreciate the movements you’re doing. For a time, I only trained barefoot, and I highly encouraged others to do so. Not many people want to or like to so I usually now just save my breath and only use it as a cue to help with exercises such as deadlifts, squats, and running.

Anyway, back to this shoeless member. She was afraid I would say she could not workout since she did not have shoes. Well, little did this member know I was a strong supporter of working out without shoes. So I responded, yes of course. I told her how much I loved it, what to be careful of in that day’s WOD since she was not wearing shoes, and so forth.

Usually when most people workout barefoot they are overly cautious in their movements. They almost don’t get a good intense workout because they are too focused on being barefoot. But she was flying!

While she was working out, I was thinking wow, she really does not allow any excuse to get in the way of her daily workout. I just thought it was a great lesson.

Hopefully her story is great workout motivation for you

Excuses will pop up. They might be the regular basic excuses or they might be off the wall wild excuses. The important thing is to do it anyway. Make no excuses and hold onto your workout motivation.

The excuse doesn’t matter. What matters is if you let the excuse stand in your way or not.

So get out of bed when you are tired. Don’t let working late keep you from your health and fitness. Use your circle of support to keep you motivated. And if you forget your shoes, workout anyway.

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Keeping Track Of Math During CrossFit WODs

woman writing complex math on whiteboard to show doing math during crossfit is difficult

Ever been mid-WOD and all of a sudden it seems like you can’t remember if you are on round 3 or 4? Or you decide to record your back squat weight after the metcon and now you can’t remember what that number was? If math is hard, math during CrossFit is truly awful. But, like everything in CrossFit, we can find out and how to improve.

Memory loss

You are 12 reps in on Grace. Then, all of a sudden, you can’t remember if you are on rep 13 or 18…what happened?!  

When our bodies are placed under high levels of stress the brain turns off the areas responsible for creativity, contemplation, planning, and critical thinking. It does this because years and years of evolution gave us the ability to form thoughts, create, and think, but it has yet to get rid of the ‘lizard brain’.

Lizard brain

The deepest, most basic part of our brain stem is often referred to as our lizard brain or reptilian brain. It is responsible for the most primitive stimulus: thirst, hunger, limb movement, habits and fight or flight. As we become more and more stressed, our brain reverts to this deep lizard brain and it shuts off the functions of the other parts. 

Your mind is basically saying, “we are under attack and your safety is in danger! You either need to stand, fight and kill the danger, or you need to run and get away from the danger!” 

Now, hopefully during a WOD your safety is not truly in danger, but your brain doesn’t really know that. All it recognizes is the stress it has been placed under. It doesn’t need to know if you are on rep 13 or 18 to survive, so the mind throws that little useless piece of information away. It will stay like this until the stress has been relieved and our breathing/heart rate has lowered to a normal level. 

Lizard brain to lizard king: tips for math during CrossFit

You may never sing like Morrison but you can train your brain to think more critically during stressful situations.  How do we do this?

Widen your view

Count how many people are in class, or look around and pick out everything that is a certain color. Widening your view forces your brain to power on, think through the stress, and pick up important details.

Concentrate on your breathing

Focus on how you are breathing. Is it short and fast? Or deep and controlled? Start breathing better and get oxygen to your brain so it can expand and get back to thinking beyond basic survival.

Don’t focus on one thing

Allowing yourself to have self imposed blinders will give you tunnel vision. This is great for survival because it allows us to take in every detail about the danger that is coming for us. But, it’s not so great for math during CrossFit. So, we want to break that. Keep your vision broad and don’t let it get too locked on one thing.

Give it time

You will find that sometimes you do these things really well and other times you don’t. It is like getting better at double-unders. Practice and time is the only way to get better at math during CrossFit. So don’t be too hard on yourself and just continue to practice.

Okay but how about fixing my math during CrossFit TODAY?

Well you probably won’t ‘fix’ it today, but we do have some tricks of the trade to help remember how to keep track of reps/rounds/weights/etc.

Write it down

At Buffalo Nickel CrossFit we use small personal white boards with expo markers. During metcons we make tallies for every rep/round or mark off the numbers and movements we have completed. There are some shorthand tips for keeping a workout log, if that’s something you want to try.

You can also write down your time when you are done, then roll around on the floor sucking wind for the next 5 minutes. Once you’ve finished your immediate recovery and come back to the world, you have your time already recorded!

Switchin sides

I remember being new to CrossFit and I saw an athlete completing Grace. She would do a C&J drop the bar, step over it, turn around and then hit her next rep. Not only was it giving her a moment to breath and keep a working pace, but it also allowed her to narrow down the rep she was on in case she forgot.

If she was facing one way she was on even reps, if she was facing the opposite way she was on odd reps.  This can be helpful for movements like box jumps, pull ups, deadlifts, and more.

Checkpoints

Karen is a single movement high rep metcon, 150 wallballs for time. It can become very easy to forget where you are. Deciding beforehand that you will break every 20, 30, or 50 reps allows you to have a checkpoint. 

You might forget if you are on rep 60 or 80 but if you can think back through your big numbers it makes it a little easier to get caught back up.

Try some of these tips for math during CrossFit during your next WOD and let us know what you think!

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Getting Stronger: Energy, Fat And Protein

woman in white tank top getting stronger flexing her arm and standing on path

There are a few topics that people bring up to me and have questions about quite often. These are fat or weight levels, energy during WODs, and overall health or getting stronger. Today I thought we could hopefully offer some guidance about these issues and how to keep your fitness goals on track.

I’m lacking energy in my workouts

Or, a similar issue: it takes me a long time to recover from a WOD.

A lack of energy could be for a number of reasons. Sleep, hydration, nutrition, stress, getting over being sick, not being active for a while, age, the list goes on. 

If you’re a generally healthy athlete that is used to CrossFit-style workouts, gets adequate sleep, water, and so forth, then the answer could be calorie levels.  

Your body needs fuel. Even if you were to lay on the couch and not move a muscle your body is still working. Your lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, liver, digestive system. All of these organs take energy to keep working properly.

Now take into consideration all the hard work and exertion your body does during a typical WOD. If you want to get stronger, you have to make sure you’re refuelling your energy levels.

What do you mean “refuel energy levels”? 

First, food is energy. 

Our bodies are able to convert food into an energy source our body uses to function. We call this energy source ‘calories’. For your body to function, complete WODs, and recover in a timely manner, then you must have calories to burn. 

Think of a car. When the fuel level on a car is low or empty, then that car can’t go, or at least it can’t go very far. Same thing with your body. 

So how do humans refuel? We eat!  

I like getting stronger, but I don’t want to get fat

To make this easier, let’s just say “gain weight” instead of “get fat”. That means we could be gaining fat, or getting stronger and gaining muscle, but the point is that our weight is increasing.

First, gaining weight for an active healthy human who eats healthy is hard. Like really hard. For an inactive human eating poorly it is not hard. Yes, age, gender, genetics can all play roles, but for most people it is difficult. 

Think about losing weight. It is a process. You can’t eat one or two healthy meals and expect to drop those extra 20 pounds. Same goes for eating one or two unhealthy meals. They won’t make you fat.

Second, if you are active in some form of exercise that requires moving weight you will most likely see increased energy levels, firmness of muscles, and strength gains before seeing much actual weight change. You’ll also notice your clothing fitting better, improved rest, and more definition of your muscles. Most, if not all, of these changes will happen before you gain weight or get fat.

But I am a female and I don’t want to get “bulky”

I wish I got paid every time I heard this. Most times it is a female worrying lifting weights will make her bulky, and the simple answer is, “don’t worry you won’t”. 

Here’s the rub. Most females don’t naturally produce enough testosterone to get bulky. Males do produce more testosterone, but even then you probably won’t look like the people on the cover of fitness magazines without some help. And in this case, help means performance enhancing drugs, estrogen blockers, testosterone boosters, etc.

You will put on muscle, but this will be good solid toned muscle that will make you wonder why you didn’t start working out sooner. Also, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to shed fat. 

Lastly, by eating plenty of protein and getting stronger you will be able to lift/move more weight. This will show you how awesome you are because you will be doing things you didn’t know you could do. You will feel very accomplished and confident in your fitness abilities.

Getting stronger in review

  • If you are lacking energy, or it takes a while to recover after an intense WOD, try eating more. Focus especially on good fats, carbs, and proteins.
  • Your body and muscles use these proteins, fats, and carbs as building blocks and fuel. Proteins help the muscles get strong, carbs and fats help the muscles actually move and function.
  • Gaining weight is much harder than you think. If you are active, healthy, and eat nutritious foods then it will take a lot of time, effort and energy.
  • Females don’t produce enough testosterone to get bulky. And muscle helps burn calories and shed fat. You will look/feel better, and be able to lift more weight. All of these will help boost confidence and you’ll feel great about your accomplishments.

Hopefully this will help you relax about the rumors that come with stepping into the health and fitness arena. 

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Zeke’s Biography

Zeke, the Buffalo Nickel gym dog. You know him, you love him. But where did he come from? Why does he only have 3 legs? What makes him the greatest gym dog ever? It’s time to answer all these questions.

What kind of dog is Zeke?

I’m not 100% sure, but we believe he is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix.

How old is he?

He is probably about 7. I got him when he was around a year old.

Where did he come from?

Zeke was found by my parents. They were walking and he followed them for 2.5 miles. He seemed like a good dog who obviously liked people so they brought him home. We put up signs and tried to find who he belonged to but no one claimed him. So, I kept him.

Did he always have 3 legs, two half paws and 1.5 ears?

No. I got another dog shortly after Zeke. They were both dominant personalities and did not back down from one another. The majority of time they were okay but one night in 2018 while I was working they got into a fight. 

They did a lot of damage to each other but Zeke had so much damage done that the only way to save him was to take a few toes, a leg, and half an ear. The vet did an amazing job and after a little recovery period Zeke was back to his happy go lucky self.

How is he the greatest gym dog ever?

Zeke greets everyone with a smile and a wag of his tail. He has certain rules at our gym, and for the most part he is fine with that so long as he can hang out in front of the fans and stay cool. He is very happy in a group and does not do well alone so that makes him perfect to hang out and cheer on CrossFit athletes. 

What does Zeke like?

He loves his right ear being scratched, sunbathing, going for car rides, belly rubs, rivers, lakes, pongs, and toys. He will not say no to a Greenie though.

What is Zeke’s favorite CrossFit movement?

Zeke loves burpees. He basically thinks it’s play time and wants to join the fun.

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How To Make Wall Balls Easier

woman sitting in gym to make wall balls easier holding medicine ball and smiling with her hair in a ponytail and gym equipment around her

The wallball. Some love it, some hate it. Regardless of how much you do or do not enjoy it, they’re a great core exercise that we all want to be faster/better at. There are a few common areas where most people could make wall balls easier for themselves.

Problem areas

Okay, so you know how to do a basic wall ball. But there are always places to improve. There are 4 areas of the movement that you could work on and make wall balls easier for yourself. They are:

  • Hands
  • Depth
  • Drive
  • Rebound      

Hands

Where the hands go on the ball makes a huge difference. This alone will change how wallballs feel tremendously. 

Proper hand placement will be under the ball, with thumbs pointed back towards your face. The ball should be resting against your chin here as well. This places elbows almost directly under the wrist which is a very easy position to hold

Athletes often place their hands on the sides of a ball and then try to crush it between their hands in an effort to hold it. This flares the elbows and does not allow the athlete good power delivery to the ball.

The biggest issue with the side/crush grip is it usually means the ball sits lower. Instead of being chin/face level, it sits throat/chest level or even lower. This makes it almost impossible to keep the chest in the upright position we want it to be during a squat.

Depth

It’s common knowledge that not going low enough in a squat (hips past parallel of knees) will count as a ‘no rep’. So, athletes typically try to bottom out a squat in an effort to forgo the ‘no rep’. The effort is appreciated, however the athlete is wasting valuable time and energy here.

They not only spend the time reaching the full bottom of the squat, but now they have to spend the time reversing that distance. Moving their body weight and the ball through that space requires much more energy.

They also usually lose the tension in the core, knees, and back, which they must regain before completing the movement. This also uses energy we could be focusing elsewhere.

A good depth is hips just breaking the plane of parallel. Here the athlete is able to keep tension in the right areas and save time and energy on the descent and the drive.

Drive

Wallballs can appear to be a very arm heavy movement. And, done improperly, they are. The drive is what I call from the bottom of the squat until you release the ball again. Basically the upward movement.

Beginner athletes often try to use only the arms and heave the ball up to the proper mark. This is what causes more work for the athlete.

Most humans create the largest and most efficient power through their hips and from their leg drive. This is one of the great things about being bipedal. The drive is where athletes should be focusing on getting a super aggressive leg drive and hip pop. 

Try this: push the floor away hard, squeeze the butt and pop the ball up. This will help drive the ball to the mark with minimal effort from the arms. 

Hopefully, this will save the arms for another movement in the metcon.

Rebound

The rebound is just like in basketball. The ball comes off the wall and we are reaching out to take back control. Obviously rebounding with a medball and wall balls is totally different than basketball, but we still need to practice this movement.

Athletes will usually drive the ball up, arms outstretched and stand there waiting for the rebound. As their hands take possession, control and, most importantly, the weight of the medball they squat down.  

A Rx medball is relatively light considering most other weights CrossFit uses, but it is usually a high rep movement. And, after high reps, even 8, 10, 14, 20 pounds becomes tiresome. So how do we try to make this easier? 

It involves matching the speed of the ball’s descent. As the ball falls, the hands will receive it, but then we must squat in sync with the ball. The theory is, if you squat at the same speed as the ball, you are able keep the ball ‘weightless’ until you are on the drive.  

The one issue that can arise here is this can pull an athlete onto their toes. This can cause improper squat form and place them too close to the wall to effectively complete the movement. But as long as this issue is addressed it will no longer be an issue until the athlete becomes overly tired.

Key ways to make wall balls easier

Focus on perfecting your hand placement. Keep your hands under the ball with thumbs pointed toward you.

Don’t squat too deep. Just breaking parallel is fine.

Drive through the movement with your legs.

Squat in sync with the ball on your rebound.

If you can follow these four tips, it will make wall balls easier. Much easier!

Do you have any other tips or tricks for wall balls? If so, we would love to hear about them.

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Consistency Vs Intensity When Working Out

man wondering about consistency vs intensity running on a road and wearing headphones and shorts and a tshirt

It’s a difficult balance, consistency vs intensity. Intensity is a cornerstone of CrossFit methodology. And yes, it is important that certain workouts are high intensity. But another key to actually seeing results from a fitness or diet plan is consistency. 

For some people consistency is easy. They like routine and structure in their day to day lives. For others, it can be more difficult to maintain and follow a plan. And while the stimulus of an individual WOD might be intensity, the goal for health and fitness is to be consistent with your effort.

Is consistency better than intensity?

When it comes to your fitness and you’re wondering about consistency vs intensity, the answer is to go with consistency. Here is why.

Choosing a health/fitness/diet plan shouldn’t be difficult but it is. With literally hundreds of different options out there, who knows what to pick?! Do you go with intermittent fasting, keto, macros, CrossFit, cycling, weightlifting, movnat, yoga…? And the list goes on and on.  

A large majority of us are attracted to the latest and greatest. When anything new comes out or some sort of exercise gains popularity, people flock to it. 

Most of these ‘fireworks’ are very fickle. I say fireworks because these are the people who start something and have tons of enthusiasm and are overly excited. But, for most of these people, that excitement and enthusiasm is hot and fast burning. They quickly lose interest. With a bang, pop or fizzle they are gone. Onto the next thing.

I think it is important to try and experience every opportunity one gets. However if you want to see results it is important to stay consistent and with a program long enough to see those results. 

This philosophy means that when starting a program it should be easy, practical, and enjoyable. This helps most people to become consistent. These principles allow the large majority to see regular and steady progress over a long period of time. As much as people like new and shiny things, they are addicted to results. Fitness helps you feel and look amazing.

Intensity can be dangerous

I think every member at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit has had a period of absences at some point. Vacation, work, surgeries, and life in general can keep people busy. Sometimes a week or two from the gym just happens. This is probably the case with anyone reading this as well.  

We all know how it feels that first day or two back after being gone for a week or so. It is rough, we feel slow, or like we have lost everything we worked so hard for. Our joints feel tight, and we probably breathe a little harder than we did when we were consistent.  

When you are consistent, and exercise 3-5 times a week, you might be sore and tired, but after a warm up you probably feel okay and ready to work out. That is the consistency doing its job. 

Remember how you felt after 2 weeks off, and now imagine that you are going to try a 1 rep max deadlift. After your attempt you will take 2 weeks off, and try it again. You will continue to do this for 8 weeks total. I think anyone would agree this can be dangerous. You could get seriously injured not doing anything for 2 weeks, walking in and trying to move heavy weight.

Intensity probably won’t get you the results you want

Let’s flip the coin now. You have just started a new training program from Buff-flex-stud-muffin that promises you will be strong, have a 6 pack, and only have to work out 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks. 

So you complete your 4 weeks. It was really hard but you made it and now you are wiped out and just need a couple days to rest. But a couple days turns into a week, which turns into a month, and then 3 months.  

You fireworked! You came in hot and fast, but it was too hot, you couldn’t maintain that heat for very long. And now you are so burned out that it’s hard to start again. Your results are gone, and you are left feeling demotivated instead of inspired to keep going.

Consistency vs intensity: what to take away

Be consistent. Some days you may not feel like exercising or you look at the WOD before leaving the house and decide that looks hard and you don’t want to do it. But go do it anyway. You will feel better and you will have checked off one more consistency box. Plus, the great thing about CrossFit is that it promotes variation across workouts. We recommend getting in cardio, strength training, bodyweight fitness, team sports…anything you want, just to stay active.

When and if you choose a new program, make sure it is easy, practical, and enjoyable starting out. When I say easy I mean easy to follow. If your program looks like an IKEA instruction manual you might have to try even harder to be consistent with it. Try to find a balance of consistency vs intensity, and you’ll be an unstoppable force.

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Proper Weight Distribution In Workouts

woman standing outside bending over with weight distribution in workouts touching toes in sneakers

The human foot is truly amazing, 26 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. At one time in human history, the feet were used as a second set of hands. They helped us hold things, climb trees, carry heavy loads and pick up items off the ground. Nowadays most feet don’t have to work that hard, and it shows. This is another reason exercise is so important: it helps our feet be useful again. Keeping proper weight distribution in workouts is often an overlooked part of fitness, but it’s very important.

In modern times, the one thing our feet can still do extremely well is balance our bodies. Before you say, ‘but I don’t have balance’, I can assure you that is not true. If you have ever walked without falling, stood on the tips of your toes, jumped, or any other movements that almost everyone has done then you have balance. 

Science time

Weight feels easiest to lift the closer it is to your natural center of gravity and the more inline it is with your base. This is usually directly over the center of our feet, between the balls of our feet and our heel.

To illustrate this, go grab a gallon of milk, water, or something that is roughly 10 is pounds. Hold it in front of you and keep it touching your chest. Hold it there for about 10-15 seconds. Pay attention to what your body is doing. Are you leaning? Are your toes grabbing the ground? Do you feel even weight distribution?

Now, extend that arm away from your chest and try to make your arm as straight as possible. Can you hold it in that position for 10-15 seconds? Did you notice what your body did as your arm extended? What changed the longer you held that position?

Most people will be able to stand with the weight touching their chest with relative ease. But as our arm extends in front of us, it changes our center of gravity in a much different way. You might have felt pressure in your toes as the weight moved forward. Then you may have felt your body adjust and the pressure went to your heels as you leaned back to compensate for the weight change.

So what does this have to do with CrossFit and lifting?

For safety and best performance, it’s important to do our lifts to a high quality. Some common lifts in most any gym, especially a CrossFit box, are squats, deadlifts, presses, and olympic lifts (snatch, clean & jerk). All of these require moving weight, usually a barbell along a vertical path. Anytime you add outside weight to your body, your body has to move and adjust to make up for the change.

Of course in functional and dynamic movements like the ones above there are many variables that can determine how well you complete the movement. A reason you might be having trouble lifting heavier weights, or you keep missing reps is due to how your feet are affecting weight distribution in workouts.

Take push press for example. A common error is the weight shifting into your toes when you bend the knees to start the movement. This is often referred to as the ‘dip’. So, if you dip and feel your toes grab the ground you will either not be able to complete the lift because the weight will drive out in front of you instead of overhead. Or, your body will get used to this happening and adjust/compensate so you can complete the lift.

Of course you might be strong enough to complete the lift even though you dipped into your toes. But think of it this way: if I were going to push someone would I use just my fingertips to apply pressure? Or would I put my whole palm flat against them and then push? I would definitely be able to deliver a much more forceful push with my whole palm compared to just my fingertips.

Applying proper weight distribution in workouts

Start paying attention to what your feet are doing in your lifting. You might need to slow lifts down, or break them into pieces, especially the more dynamic and aggressive ones. 

When you deadlift do you feel pressure evenly through the whole foot or do your heels lift up and the weight presses into my toes? Has a coach ever told you to lift your toes off the ground during a squat in the hope you keep your heels down? Side note, this is a terrible cue, don’t use it. What about when you catch a clean or a snatch – what are your feet feeling? Do they feel stable and secure or do you stand up quickly because you are losing your balance?    

Remember there is a reason your foot is the way it is. Parts of it provide balance and stability while others provide a solid platform so we can apply power and drive to move, carry and live healthy. Listen to your feet, often they are telling us minor fixes for weight distribution in workouts that can help in major ways.

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The Fitness Benefits of Gymnastics

woman in gym doing benefits of gymnastics handstand

Do you struggle with gymnastic movements? Is spatial awareness a complicated concept for you? Do you want to improve your lifts? Have you ever hit your head on the door frame, as you’re getting in the car?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then effort training fundamental gymnastics, is your answer. You’ll be amazed at the benefits of gymnastics to your general fitness.

In “How to Build World Class Fitness in 100 Words” by Greg Glassman, 50% of the movements listed are gymnastics movements. On the CrossFit theoretical hierarchy of development, training gymnastics comes before weightlifting. Suffice it to say, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced athlete, there are many benefits of gymnastics.

Most people’s first thought when struggling with gymnastics movements is that they need to work their technique and mobility. Though those things are important, strength is usually something they need to build first. That can be accomplished in part by weightlifting, but weightlifters can also become stronger by improving their gymnastics skills. 

Benefits of gymnastics in CrossFit

The combination of functional movements is one of the beauties of doing CrossFit. Shoulder strength for handstand push ups can be improved by doing presses, but it can also be improved by doing handstand work.

If you want to improve your Olympic lifts, you might need to improve your core strength. Some great movements to increase core strength and stability include L-sits, planks and V-ups. 

Some other benefits of gymnastics are control, coordination, spatial awareness, movement quality and mobility.

But gymnastics isn’t fun!

Gymnastic movements aren’t always fun. Usually people want to spend time practicing their Olympic lifts or doing more “fun” skills. It’s not often that one wants to practice their kip swing, strict pull ups. How often do you hear people mention wanting to work on their air squat or push up form? 

A lot of times, we figure we have it down, but there is really a lot of room for improvement. CrossFit isn’t just about getting from point A to point B. The grace and skill it takes between points A and B of a rep will ultimately improve the proficiency of the movement.  

It takes time and dedication to fundamentals to really improve on some of the more “fun” movements and hit those PRs you’ve been chasing. 

If you’re struggling with a particular movement, or have a movement or PR goal that you’re chasing, get with a coach and schedule a personal training session. A knowledgeable and experienced coach will be able to provide not only a set of eyes to watch your reps, but also pointers and cues to correct mistakes.   

The coaches at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit can identify flaws in your movements and give feedback to address key fundamentals that might be lacking in your current training.  This way you are ready to crush those goals!

By Kari Reed

Categories
Blog

How To Avoid Heat Stroke

man holding basketball drinking out of bottle which is how to avoid heat stroke in the summer

Summer is here! The heat is on, and it’s only getting hotter. Staying healthy isn’t just about lifting weights and doing metcons. It also means trying to take care of ourselves as a whole. During this season, knowing how to avoid heat stroke and heat exhaustion is crucial for looking after ourselves.

Staying hydrated is something to be taken very seriously. CrossFit is fun. You may think we try to kill you with some WODs, but we actually want you to be healthy and feel good. Here are some tips for staying hydrated, cool and healthy during the summer months.

Stay hydrated and cool

Water, water, water. Seriously – get tons and tons of water. In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, it is not only hot but humid too. And we sweat buckets! 

You have to get lots of water. With that being said, your water also needs to replenish you. Electrolytes, and certain minerals need to be fed back into your body when you are sweating as much as we do in the summer. Minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium are all found in your sweat. Make sure you allow your body to get extra of these so you stay healthy.

Also, get in the shade and in front of a fan. The sun can be physically and mentally draining when you are in it for hours on end. Plus, your skin can only take so much heat and sun before it becomes damaged. Do your body a favor: hydrate, shade, and fan.

Heat exhaustion vs heat stroke

Heat related injuries can be very dangerous. If the proper precautions are not taken, they can result in major problems and even death. First and foremost, it’s important to know how to avoid heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

However, if either of these heat injuries do occur, quick actions and proper medical attention are crucial in treating them. But how do you know exactly which heat related injury you’re dealing with?

Symptoms of heat exhaustion:

Heat exhaustion is one of the three heat-related injuries. Heat cramps is the mildest and heat stroke is the most severe. Without treatment, heat exhaustion can develop into heat stroke quickly, which is very dangerous.

  • Heavy sweating.
  • Weakness.
  • Cool, pale, clammy skin.
  • Fast or weak pulse.
  • Possible muscle cramps.
  • Dizziness.
  • Nausea or vomiting.
  • Fainting.

How to treat heat exhaustion:

  • Move person to a cooler environment.
  • Lay person down and loosen clothing.
  • Apply cool, wet cloths to as much of the body as possible.
  • Fan or move victim to air conditioned room.
  • Offer sips of water.

Symptoms of heat stroke:

Heat stroke is more serious than heat exhaustion. It requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms include:

  • Altered mental state. The patient may be confused.
  • One or more of the following: throbbing headache, confusion, nausea, dizziness, shallow breathing.
  • Body temperature above 103°F.
  • No longer sweating but has become dry.
  • Rapid and strong pulse.
  • Fainting/losing consciousness.

How to treat heat stroke:

  • Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 911 or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal.
  • Move the victim to a cooler, preferably air-conditioned, environment.
  • Reduce body temperature with cool clothes or a bath.
  • Use a fan if heat index temperatures are below the high 90’s. A fan can make you hotter at higher temperatures.
  • Do NOT give fluids.

Final tips for how to beat the heat

Paying attention to how your body feels and performs is the key to staying healthy and safe. No WOD is worth possibly dying. Instead, remember how to avoid heat stroke and heat exhaustion. And know how to treat them if you do suffer a heat injury.

Stay hydrated and healthy, and have an awesome summer.

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