CrossFit's Fundamental Exercises

[Coach]

Here are CrossFit's foundational exercises. Detailed descriptions, discussion, links, and comments about these movements and their derivatives would be of immeasurable value to many.


1. Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Bench Press
4. Push Press
5. Jerk
6. Clean
7. Snatch
8. Thruster
9. Glute Ham Raise
10. Back Extension
11. Sit-up
12. Muscle-up
13. Dips
14. Push-up
15. Rope Climb
16. Press to Handstand
17. Pull-up
18. Lunge
19. Kettle Bell Swing

OK, I'll start.

Pull-up

The pull-up is probably well-known to almost everyone who visits the Crossfit site. It is easily broken down into seperate steps:
1. Begin by hanging from a pull-up bar, hands pronated (facing away from you) and about shoulder-width apart, thumbs wrapped over the bar along with your fingers.
2. Pull with your lats, biceps, and the rear head of your deltoids (shoulders) -- with your head back and looking up to the sky -- until your chin clears the bar or, better, your upper chest touches the bar.
3. Lower yourself to the starting position.
Notes: keep your body tight and minimize 'sway' of swinging. Momentum is the enemy.

Check the Workout Archives for some brutal pull-up workouts. One of my favorites is 3-5 rounds of 90sec wall-ball/max. pull-ups.

Links to some pull-up sites:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/.../WtPullup.html
http://www2.truman.edu/~d1349/reconron.html
http://www.easychin.com/

[Ross Burke]

Alllllllrighty then, I'll tackle the

Deadlift...

1. Pick a weight comensurate with your ability and experience, and set up a barbell with that weight,
2. Stand up straight with the bar in front of you, about 1" in front of your shins,
3. Spread your feet to a little wider than shoulder width, and toes pointed slightly outward,
4. Arms hanging down slightly ouside and in front of your hips,
5. Now keeping your head up, and your low back flattened, arched if possible, lean slightly forward with the upper body and push the hips back,
6. Bend at the hip and knee simultaneously driving the hips back slowly as you drop toward the floor,
7. Find the bar with your hands and grasp it with your hands slightly wider than your legs,
8. Keep your head up and low back erect, tighten your abdominals, and pull your shoulders back,
9. Drive your hips forward for all you're worth as you stand with the bar in your hands,
10. Come to a complete stand, locking the knees and arching the back slightly, hips thrust slightly out to the front,
11. Now holding the barbell, begin at Number 5 and repeat....head up, hips back, bend slowly until the weights just touch the ground, then stand again.....

There are plenty of archived workouts incorporating the Deadlift,

Links to some Deadlift sites:
www.ironsport.com/article/detail.asp?
http://www.wpse.com/gb/deadlift.html

[Frank C Ollis]

Bench Press anyone?
The first thing of note is that for our purposes, I think we should alter the lift a little, I do.

***WARM UP AND STRETCH***
1. Lie on a flat bench with eyes directly under the bar.
2. Keep feet flat on the floor with hands spaced evenly, slightly wider than shoulder width. (for training, I raise my feet to recruit more stabilizer muscles)
3. Tighten your shoulder blades and back.
4. Lift bar off the rack lower the bar to the chest.
4. Drive the bar up to arms length while exhaling. Drive the bar in as straight a line as possible.
5. Repeat 2-4
6. re-rack bar

To liven things up, I change my grip width around on every set. Even if only by a couple inches.
While I despise gloves, I do suggest using chalk on your entire hand. I carry a small stiff bristle brush in my gym bag to clean the knurling. In possibly no other lift would a dropped bar be as deadly.

And by the way, USE A SPOTTER OR SAFETY CAGE!!!

Could someone tell me what the Muscle-up exercise is. I am not familiar with this exercise. I would also like to know what the Kettle bell swing is. Thank you,

how do you do properly do a powerclean vs. a clean & jerk?

Thanks.

[Frank C Ollis]

Rob,
A muscle up is done on the rings. It takes you from a hang position to a dip position on the rings.

Thank you Frank.
Coach posted a video of the muscle-up.

Rob

[Dan John]

I posted this earlier, but it didn't seem to make it. It is my attempt to explain some of this:

http://danjohn.org/biblio.html

Could anyone inform me what a push-press is?
And I hope my assumptions are correct:
HS Push ups are hand stand push ups.
Thanks,

Rob