ESSENTIALS: COACHING

Matt Lodin corrects an athlete's squat by bringing him up to just below parallel, then refining other primary points of performance.

Flowmasters Michele Mootz and Katie Hogan introduce SLIPS (scales, L-sits, inversion, planks, and stretching).

James Hobart instructs a participant through the points of performance of the deadlift during a CrossFit Level 1 Course.

At a CrossFit Level 1 Course, Matt Lodin instructs a participant to not over extent at the top of the sumo deadlift high pull.

Dave Eubanks (CF-L4) discusses the importance of the overhead squat with a group of participants at a CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course at CrossFit SAC on Nov. 9, 2019.

Chuck Carswell speaks to CrossFit Level 1 participants about the relationship between technique and intensity, and the quest to achieve both simultaneously.

At a CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course at CrossFit HQ on Feb. 2, 2020, Joe Westerlin helps a participant to rectify her elbow position in the front squat.

At a CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course held at Autumo CrossFit on Nov. 23, 2019, Matt Lodin instructs a participant to keep his knees over his toes in the sumo deadlift high pull.

Filmed Dec. 1, 2007, in Charlotte, North Carolina, CrossFit Director of Certification and Training Nicole Carroll presents the basics of the overhead presses.

In order to effectively increase intensity, the trainer must first understand the factors that directly influence intensity. In short, the trainer must consider loading, repetitions, and speed/time. A common mistake made by novice trainers (and some who should know better) is trying to push all of these variables at once, too early in the process. Choosing one variable to manipulate at a time, observing the results, and adjusting accordingly will allow both the trainer and athlete to experience a degree of success that spurs enthusiasm and more consistent progress over time.

Dave Eubanks helps a participant achieve full hip extension in the med-ball clean during a Level 1 Certificate Course in 2019.

After mechanics, consistency is the next step in an athlete’s development. In this context, “consistency” has two important meanings that must be understood and applied before increasing intensity: 1) consistency of movement mechanics across multiple repetitions and 2) consistency of exposure to the stimulus.

The first step in any athlete's journey is to learn to perform basic movement mechanics. Movement mechanics refer to the physics of the movement or the relative positions, angles, and velocity of the body parts involved in the movement being performed. Mechanics create the structure of movement and dictate the safest, most efficient way to complete it.

The most powerful forces that can be generated by the human body are initiated, controlled, and dominated by the hip. Unfortunately, in the majority of trainees, some degree of hip dysfunction creates unsound postures and mechanics that reduce power and stability. Such faulty mechanics arise from inadequate training and insufficient practice of critical hip movements. We term this widespread fault “muted hip function.”

While the definition of CrossFit is both descriptive and prescriptive, the accompanying mechanics-consistency-intensity charter further elucidates how the program should be implemented.

To scale effectively, the fundamental principles of scaling must be thoroughly understood and creatively applied to each individual athlete.