An Explanation of Movement Compensation With Kelly Starrett

Kelly Starrett and Mike Giardina sit down at the 2022 CrossFit Games to discuss movement compensation in the CrossFit athlete. According to Starrett, movement compensation happens when an athlete moves in a way that is less effective and efficient, and therefore has less transferability. Compensation can be due to lack of ability, fatigue, possibly an injury, or lack of understanding of proper technique. Starrett says the risks associated with movement compensation are more about loss of power and transferability than about safety.

According to Starrett, coaching proper technique for functional movement means helping athletes move in the ways we were designed to move. It allows coaches to predict movement compensation when a movement diverges from efficient movement patterns, which also provides a language to communicate faults and corrections to athletes. The affiliate is the safest environment to increase functional movement capacity, Starrett says, and practicing solid technique allows us to push movement patterns beyond exercise, transferring them into sport and everyday life. This is accomplished by developing fundamental movement patterns and challenging them with increased loads, speed, distance, and reps. What you find, according to Starrett, is that CrossFit becomes the best diagnostic program on the planet. It becomes very easy to see when and where things break down, and that is exactly the point where the athlete needs to be coached — which is the concept of threshold training.