Back Squat 3-3-1-1

Overhead Squat 3-3-1-1

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Reminder:
Saturday night is movie night at CFEC. We will be showing the CrossFit
movie "Every Second Counts" for all to see. So, bring your friends,
family and neighbors to see this inspiring new movie centered around 5
incredible CrossFit athletes and their road to the 2008 CrossFit Games.

GET YOUR ROW ON

by Lisa Barbara

Rowing requires a certain amount of skill and body awareness.  To perform a correct rowing stroke, you need to follow good technique that is based on the bio-mechanical principles of the human body. This will ensure that you will be as efficient as possible with your stroke, as well as help reduce the chance of injury.

Although there will always be variations of the rowing stroke, mostly due to variance in body types, builds and muscular imbalances, the ideal rowing stoke can be shown in five different phases: the start position, the leg drive, the arm pull, the release and the finish position.

In the start position, your body should be upright, shins vertical, and your upper body pressed against your thighs. Your arms during this position should be straight and relaxed.  During the leg drive phase, both your legs should push down into the footplates; your body will begin to lever backwards, pivoting about the hips. Throughout the movement you should keep driving back, making sure that both arms remain straight coordinating the pull on the handle with the leg drive. During the arm pull phase, your body stops levering backwards. Both arms pull the handle past the knees and strongly in to the body. Throughout the movement your legs are flat and forearms are horizontal. During the release phase, your arms stay relaxed and fully extended, as your body rocks forward from your hips. You slide 
forward, making sure to maintain your arm and body position.  When the stroke is finished, both of your shins are vertical again, with your upper body pressed against your thighs. Both arms are straight and relaxed. You are ready to start the next stroke.

Some common faults on the rower:  Leaning back too soon on the drive (called rocking on) deprives the body of the proper power from the legs because the hip opens too soon.  Pushing back too soon with the seat without pulling on the handle (called shooting the tail), wastes all of the leg power because the handle barely moves.  Slouching in the seat, over-reaching at the catch, pulling too soon with the arms before the legs and hips are finished driving, or leaning back too far puts extra stress on the back.  As you return the handle, make sure it passes the knees before the knees bend.  This will force your torso to lean forward before the seat slides back to the catch, thereby putting the body in the correct body position at the catch.  Like everything else we do at CFEC, review and practice the movement prior to ramping up the intensity, then focus on the movement.