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Tips For Front Squats: Destroyer of Weakness

tips for front squats includes watch and sneakers and headphones and sports bra laid out on plain background

The front squat is one of the ultimate movements to expose an athletes weaknesses. It is also one of the best exercises to destroy those weaknesses and improve strength, balance, and mobility. You may find some tips for front squats useful as you continue to train.

If you know me, you know I am a fan of Zercher squats, which you can read about here. I also love front squats. Okay, I don’t really enjoy them that much but they are some of the best squats a person can do. Here are some reasons why, and some tips for front squats.

Why this movement is important

Weaknesses

A person’s back squat can be “cheated”. The weight being placed on the back of the shoulders helps balance a person. It also helps align the bar more directly over the mid-foot allowing the athlete to move more weight. 

There is less emphasis on core stability which means a beginner athlete should be able to load a back squat heavier. The front squat will illuminate weakness in the core, shoulders, back, and obviously the legs. It also will also paint a more detailed picture of an athlete’s mobility or lack thereof.

Safety

As the name implies, during the front squat the bar is in the front rack position and will fall to the ground. This means it will rest on the clavicle, the shoulders, and in the palms. 

If done correctly an excessive amount of forward lean and the bar will not be able to maintain its position. This acts the same way as a rev limiter on an engine. 

Someone who has incorrect front squat posture will be unable to squat heavy weight in the front squat. Therefore, the front squat is arguably safer than the back squat

Posture

While we are talking about posture, the front squat can help us desk-bound humans with our sloppy posture.

As an athlete becomes more advanced at the front squat their posture should improve more. Since the front squat requires more core strength, and a more upright torso, then these muscles are made stronger. This means your posture in daily life should improve as well.

Shoulder health

Nice smooth, supple shoulders will help you feel more confident in the front squat position. 

Mobility is a use it or lose it skill set. We are born with amazing mobility. Watch a small child move and you will see what I mean. Over our life most of us will lose mobility and range of motion. The good news is we are usually able to gain it back! 

One way to help that mobility is the front squat.  Ideally, we want the elbows to be pointed forward when we are in the front squat position, triceps should be parallel to the ground. 

If this isn’t the case for you, don’t be too down on yourself. Simply by attempting the front squat you are doing more mobility work than the large majority of people in the world. Here are some good ways to get started on mobility work, to kick you off in the right direction.

Simple tips for front squats:

  • Focus on range of motion instead of increasing weight quickly.
  • Make sure your heels stay on the ground.  The weight will try to pull you forward, by focusing on your heels you should be able to keep the chest more upright.
  • Find what width of grip feels comfortable on the bar.
  • Using pauses and tempos will help build a strong front squat without the need to increase weight.
  • If you have trouble getting the hips down and keeping the torso up, focus on ankle and hip mobility drills.
  • Balanced athletes should have a front squat that is roughly 85% of their back squat. If yours is less than that you should focus on increasing quad strength.
  • Use your elbows to lead you out of the bottom of the front squat.  Pushing your elbows up will help your torso open and your chest rise before the hips.

Want more tips for front squats? Set up your free No Sweat Intro with us today and start improving.

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Keeping High Intensity Workouts Sustainable

man with short hair sitting on workout bench in gym making high intensity workouts sustainable by resting holding his phone

High intensity and CrossFit go together like shoelaces. In fact, ask someone who has recently gotten their L1 (CrossFit’s base coaching certificate) what CrossFit is and they will likely tell you it is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. It is CrossFit’s claim to fame – being able to do more work in less time. We manage to make high intensity workouts sustainable, and an effective method for working out.

Why it works

The nice thing is that high intensity can be different to everyone. An 85 year old who has never worked out a day in their life might squat to a tall box 20 times and have an elevated heart rate. For them, this is high intensity. 

Meanwhile a 23 year old athlete might do 20 full depth squats with 250 lbs and get the same elevated heart rate. This is high intensity for them. That is why CrossFit has the ability to change lives. It can be applied over a broad spectrum of people and abilities.

High intensity works great for fat loss, muscle building and getting more done in less time. If you have ever seen a track sprinter and a cross country runner next to each other you know what I mean. The cross country runner usually looks malnourished and the sprinter looks like a bodybuilder.

There’s always a downside

However as with all good things there is a downside to high intensity workouts. It simply is not sustainable.

Your heart rate can only stay so high for so long. And the higher it stays, the shorter amount of time it can stay that way. Even professional athletes can only maintain their true 100% for a few minutes before they have to break or reduce that level of intensity.

It’s similar to miles per gallon and RPMs of an engine. The higher the RPMs the fewer miles per gallon it will go. There needs to be some kind of trade off.

How to make high intensity workouts sustainable

So how do we keep intensity high without having to slow down? This is where the popular abbreviation HIIT comes in. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training.  

Here is how it works. You work really hard for a short period of time and then rest. You do this over and over again, usually in a predetermined amount of time.

One of the most famous ways to do this is Tabatas. Ta-whata’s??? Tabatas. Tabata is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, who we will talk about in a different article. Basically, he studied HIIT and came up with a 20 sec of work to 10 sec of rest ratio.

Typically this is done 8 times back to back. Tabatas are great because 20 seconds of work is not a long time and most people can work very hard for that little amount of time.  10 seconds of rest is just enough time to catch a couple of breaths.  

If you have never done a tabata or multiple rounds of a tabata then you are probably looking at 20 seconds of work like a joke. Trust me, it is not.  You will soon be wondering how 20 seconds is so difficult and why you are sweating so much.

Tabatas are just one way to use HIIT. You can stretch the work and rest time out to be longer but the idea is to keep the work time short enough to where you can consistently produce high levels of intensity. 

So as effective as high intensity is, resting during your WOD can be equally important. This is a key way to make your high intensity workouts sustainable.

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How To Squat Deeper: The Quick Fix

man learning how to squat deeper doing a deep bodyweight squat in a gym wearing a grey shirt

We all want a deeper squat, right? I think having a great air squat position is one of the best things you can do to for your health and fitness. So, how to squat deeper – quickly and easily? We will get to that in one moment.

But first…

Please understand I am not saying you should forget about mobility. It’s important to keep trying to fix any actual issues in your squat.  This is just a quick way to give your squats some variety and help hit full depth if your mobility is not there yet.

With that out of the way, here’s how to squat deeper:

It’s all in the ankles

Did you ever notice how when you squat down and are on your tippy toes, like a catcher, that you can bring your heels to your butt? But when you try to keep your feet flat on the ground then your butt doesn’t even come close to your heels? What’s up with that? 

That’s called ankle mobility and is probably the number 1 reason you can’t squat deeper. You can do ankle mobility exercises to improve your squat. Or, there is a super simple fix.

So how to get a deeper squat? Simply elevate the heels.

The right way and the wrong way to squat deeper

Obviously, you shouldn’t be loading a heavy squat and then squatting down with all your weight on the balls of your feet. This would be the wrong way.

The correct way is by taking something thin, such as change plates or a small strip of rubber matting about ¾ of an inch or so, and placing it on the floor. Place your heels on whatever your item is and now squat. 

Your squat should instantly be deeper. It should also give your heels a solid platform to balance on and push against. This helps you to come out of the squat. Doing this is essentially the cheap version of lifters.

What are lifters?

Lifters are shoes designed specifically to give you a deeper squat position. 

They are used in the sport of Olympic lifting as well as CrossFit and general training. These shoes are designed to be very tight fitting and rigid. The sole is made of hard dense materials. This lets the athlete press out of the squat  without excessive foot movement.

Lifters can be beneficial to some athletes. But, in the words, of Louie Simmons, “Don’t have $100 shoes and a 10 cent squat”. What he means is that it’s best to focus on your form and mobility in your squat before going and spending money on high dollar lifters.

But remember, squat deeper with your ankles

For the longest lasting and healthiest fix, concentrate on your barefoot squat and increasing mobility and range of motion. 

Using lifters or poor-mans lifters can be very beneficial, and is just one more tool in our toolbox. Just don’t become reliant solely on that one tool.  

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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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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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Quality Over Quantity For CrossFit

man in judge shirt looking for quality over quantity when woman deadlifts barbell

A phrase I love is quality over quantity. Yes, I know CrossFit is filled with AMRAPs and all about completing movements in the shortest amount of time. And for a metcon, speed and quantity is definitely important. But is it better than solid repetitions that reach full ranges of motion?

At the end of the day, we do CrossFit for fitness, not to impress other people by winning. And when it comes to fitness, we can’t cut corners.

Why quality over quantity matters

Spend more than 3 seconds watching any group metcon at any CrossFit box and you will see people who would receive a ‘no rep’ in competition. 

I get it, most CrossFitters have a type A personality. To an extent we are all competitive, and we want to push ourselves, we want to win. So of course when a coach yells ‘3, 2, 1, GO’ we are going to try to move as quickly as we can. Is every single rep going to be absolutely perfect? No, of course not. But, you should always strive for quality over quantity.

Today at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit we are doing box jumps. So as our example we’ll use box jumps. The most common ‘no rep’ on box jumps is failing to fully extend your hips and knees when you land on the box. 

Now, I don’t think the large majority of CrossFitters intentionally don’t lock out their hips. They are simply trying to make better time or get more reps in. But does your time or rep count really matter if you aren’t doing the movement to the standard everyone else is?

It’s like saying you ran a mile in under 4 minutes, but you really just ran 1200 meters (¾ mile) and rounded up the distance. Sorry buddy, not a mile, and not a true mile time.

Cheater cheater, pumpkin eater

As large as CrossFit is, it is still a small and tight knit community. Your city or town might have tons of boxes, but your reputation will follow you even if you move boxes. As a coach and box owner, I don’t want members who purposely shave reps, or don’t complete movements.

Why I want box members who prioritize quality over quantity

  • One bad apple can spoil a bunch.
  • You are telling everyone your ego is more important to you than your reputation.
  • If you ever do compete you will have to relearn all the movements you cheat on, or go through the embarrassment of being ‘no repped’ in a public setting.
  • And I don’t want a box I attend or own to be known for being cheaters.

If your ego is so fragile that you need to cheat on reps to “win” and that makes you feel better, by all means go right ahead. Just know your reputation of a cheater will carry from one box to another. If your CrossFit life and personal life meet, it will follow you there too. Everyone will know you as a person who doesn’t prioritize quality over quantity, and is likely to cut corners in other areas of life too.

Rx ain’t Rx if it ain’t Rx

My personal favorite…people who mark they did a workout Rx, when it wasn’t Rx. 

For those who don’t know CrossFit slang for doing something exactly like it is written is ‘Rx’. It basically means ‘as prescribed’ hence the ‘Rx’ abbreviation. 

Now, if a new athlete checks Rx, there is a good chance they just haven’t been informed what that means. But, once again, let’s take the WOD we did at Buffalo Nickel CrossFit today.

Kelly Rx:

  • 5 RFT
  • 400m Run
  • 30 Box jumps 24”/20”
  • 30 Wallballs 20lbs/14lbs

So if a person modified any part of this, like did 4 instead of 5 rounds, used a shorter box, or a lighter wall ball, any of these would be a reason that the WOD would not have been done Rx. To be Rx you must do the work EXACTLY as it is written: quality over quantity.

By setting a high standard and then holding yourself to it, you will become better. If you can’t do Kelly Rx and modify it by using a lighter medball weight, it should drive you to get stronger, and do it Rx.  

Personally, I love when I get into a WOD and it slaps me across the face. It acts as a motivator! Remember, the chase is the fun part for me. 

You better pack a lunch

I used to work with an amazing human being, Russell Miller. I was in my early 20s and Russell was in his 50s. We worked at an equine farm together doing general maintenance and grounds-keeping. Russell was one of those people who could make anyone laugh. He was constantly messing with people in a fun and joking way, and he would take as good as he gave.

After we worked together for a while we both would mess with each other, and I would tease him about being so old, he would say something like, “Boy if you want a piece of me you better pack a lunch”.  He was telling me if I wanted to fight him and win, I better be ready to work for it.

When there is a tough WOD I still think to myself, this is going to be long….you better have packed a lunch. It makes me smile to this day and helps motivate me to push myself. The fight isn’t going to be easy, but you just might beat the old man. 

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What Is Butt Wink And Is It Bad?

man in black t shirt doing butt wink squat on a box

There are a few topics in fitness circles that have polarizing sides and can cause major arguments. Sumo vs conventional dead lifts? Is CrossFit dangerous or not? Is butt wink bad? These are all touchy subjects.

Butt wink, as it is so lovingly called, is when someone goes lower into their squat (hopefully after they pass parallel) and their hips rotate and tuck under them. Basically, this allows them to get into a deeper squat position. The controversial aspect is around if butt wink is dangerous, or causes back problems.

If you don’t want to read and learn, here is the short answer. It depends, but most people have some degree of butt wink and are okay.

Here’s the long answer.

Why does butt wink happen?

Basically there are two schools of thought here. The first is that butt wink is an anatomical thing that is more prone to happening to certain people. The other perspective is that butt wink is a mobility issue and can be fixed. 

Most people, myself included, fall to the anatomical side. With that said, I do think having better mobility can help. But mobility can only do so much. It can’t move your anatomy.

So what are the anatomical reasons? Believe it or not, people are different. Some people have wider/deeper pelvic bone structure than others. Others have longer/shorter femurs, and the femur head might sit higher or lower on the hip. The femoral neck can also be shorter or longer on some people. Your femur length to torso length ratio also plays a factor.

Basically there are tons of anatomical reasons that a person might have butt wink. 

But what about the mobility part?

Like we said, mobility can help you squat in a better position but it can’t do anything to change how your hips are built. Your mobility won’t change your femur to torso ratio. 

However, a major player in the mobility game during a squat is your ankles. If the ankles are tight and immobile then a perfect squat is going to be very difficult or maybe not possible. By increasing ankle mobility and range of motion, you’ll be able to squat in a much healthier way.

But is butt wink bad?

It can be. Once again, most people have some degree of butt wink somewhere in a full “ass to grass” squat. That doesn’t automatically make it bad. However, it also doesn’t mean it is totally acceptable for every person. This is especially true if you have lower back issues.

The ‘bad’ part of butt wink is that any time the spine is loaded and rounds then you open yourself up for injury. You might get lucky and be okay for a while but after many many reps where this is allowed to happen, your chances of injury increase.

If a person who does not have any previous lower back issues does a squat with no load (i.e. bodyweight) then the risk is relatively low. But the heavier the weight and the sooner in the squat the butt wink occurs, the more likely there will be lower back problems and pain. 

For a person who already has lower back issues, even a bodyweight squat or high reps of bodyweight squats can cause pain.

What to take away

There are a few things to keep in mind.

  • Don’t just forget about mobility and blame your butt wink totally on your genetics.
  • Video yourself squatting, or have a coach who knows what to look for watch you for multiple reps.
  • If you have pain or issues, stop. That is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.
  • Work on increasing your mobility first, before worrying about anything else, unless it is pain.
  • Be okay working with some lighter weights while your body is adjusting and breaking bad habits.

How I deal with my butt wink

For me, I get butt wink just below parallel. If I sit all the way into my squat, it is pretty pronounced. My ankle mobility could be better, but I do try and work on it every week. I don’t squat massive weight, or even anywhere near what most other males my age and size do. I don’t have pain or low back issues and generally I feel fine in my squats.

Now, if I were coaching myself here is what I would say: You should focus on improving the ankle mobility and core strength (to help keep the chest up in heavy squats). As long as you don’t have any pain or discomfort you are probably okay to continue just like you have been.  But if something does cause you problems, let me know and don’t just think it will go away.

If you have any questions with the squat, butt wink or anything else please let us know. We love to help!

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The 7 Most Functional Movements

woman doing one of the most functional movements

There are 7 movements that known as the most functional movements. These are the movements that the human body moves through (or at least should move through) on a daily basis. This is why they’re the ones we should do in the gym most often as well.

The conventional/commercial approach to fitness is machine based (often seated and with some resistance that usually focuses on one muscle group). There is a focus on aerobic over strength/function, and multiple “helpers”. These might be handles to hold onto and brace while doing hamstring curls, or a pull up machine with a platform that helps you lift yourself.

If you are a bodybuilder or physique competitor, this can be very helpful and important. But what if you are a human who just wants or needs to be stronger/healthier to live a longer and happier life? That is where functional movements come into play. 

So, what are the 7 most functional movements?

Squat

If you have ever sat down and stood up, you have done a squat. This movement can range in difficulty. Easiest is a supported squat, using something to hold onto as you sit/stand all the way. The hardest is an overhead squat or a pistol (single leg squat). These are many variations in between.

Hinge

Ever bent down and picked something up off the ground? Congratulations, you have done a deadlift. There are also countless variations of the deadlift. You can also adjust the load and range of motion for any level of ability.

Lunge

Lunges are quickly becoming one of my favorite movements. They have good transfer to walking/carrying and can be easier for beginners than a full on squat. You can easily adjust the load, and do these using each plane of the body. That is to say, they can be done forward, backward, sideways, and up/down.

Push

Yes, of course pushing a sled looks cool and is what everyone pictures first. But presses also fall into this movement. Bench press is probably one of the most well known, but strict presses, jerks, seated presses and others are all part of this movement pattern.

Pull

Pull ups, rows, rope climbs, and band-pull aparts. The pull is such a simple and underestimated movement. I can promise the pull is used much more in daily life than we realize. It is definitely one of the most functional movements. Pull movements help us to develop nice strong back and shoulder muscles.

Rotate/Core

Everyone knows doing 1000s of sit ups a day will give you a strong core right? No, definitely not! Planks, side planks, weighted holds, crawls, and rocks are all great ways to build a stable core. The core is one area where, if you increase its stability and its strength, you will get stronger in every other movement. Core movements are not to be overlooked.

Walk/Carry

I would say general locomotion falls under this. Can you move yourself through time and space effectively? Can you do that with weight, and can you do it for short fast distances, can you do it with weight, or over varying terrain? Walking, crawling, running, or jumping? All of these seem and sound easy, but when you start adding weight or reliving a movement we have forgotten (the crawl), you start to increase the difficulty. 

Why to focus on these movements

The nice thing about the most functional movements is that they can be combined in an unlimited amount of ways and variety. On top of that, they are actual movements you will use in life – unlike some machines found at a commercial gym (pec-deck)!

Interested in starting functional fitness? We would love to guide you, contact us today to get started.

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