Whether consciously or unconsciously, we spend most of our days in doing activities with terrible posture. At work, we crouch over keyboards as our hips shorten and chests cave in from sitting. While driving, our arms are right in front of us, and our hip flexors are shortened by the sitting. As the body adjusts into this bad posture, it becomes very difficult to undo it. The good news is that kettlebell swing can help you correct your posture and prevent overuse of muscles. People who are not doing this exercise are destined to stay tight, weak, and fat for the most of their lives. Kettlebell swings when done properly work your posterior chain muscles which include the hamstrings, butt, abs, and back and combat all the ill effects of your body posture. The following verbal cues sum up the kettlebell CrossFit workout. Hike When swinging a kettlebell, every rep counts. From rep one all the way to rep 20, you should look as powerful and fluid. It is at this point that the hike pass is essential. The hike pass allows you to pre-stretch your lats. The lats are a powerful muscle found in your upper body and have a direct relationship with your glutes. For the hike, set your kettlebell at a distance of about 12 to 18 inches right in front of you. Then, push your hips back as you bend your knees slightly and keep your butt high. Grip the kettlebell using both hands and pull your shoulders into their sockets as you fire your lats. Hinge The hinge movement, unlike a squat, is dominated by the hips. As you push your hips back and keep your butt high and shins vertical, you are basically hingeing. The advantage with hingeing is that it overloads your glute and hamstring muscles thereby creating a natural balance between back and front. This, in turn, helps in preventing hip and knee issues. The hinge is fondly referred to as the foundation of the kettlebell swing. If you experience difficulties in hingeing, even swinging will be a problem. By the fact that the hinge loads the hamstrings, it is billed as one of the most powerful movement. Root This movement can best be summed as a standing plank where each of your muscles is tightened from shoulders downwards. Try to imagine you are growing roots through your feet, and the entire foot grabs the ground. Then, pull your kneecaps all the way up into your crotch. This flexes your quads. Then, squeeze your glutes and pull your shoulders as far as you can away from your ears. This is the true definition of root position. The kettlebell swing is basically a series of roots and hinges.  Float When you swing the kettlebell during CrossFit training, the float is what results. The advantage of this movement is that it ensures all your energies are focused not on trying to muscle the kettlebell to a given height, but on your glutes. As you go from the hinge movement to root, the kettlebell will float higher as you contract your glutes harder. Regardless of your CrossFit workout goal, mastering the kettlebell swing is the best thing that can ever happen to you. It will not only give you strength but also help you add pounds to your squat and deadlift.    

CrossFitters and professional athletes are among the most active people. However, for them to optimize their activities, they need the right shoe and not just that, but the right fit as well. Having the right shoe can mean the difference between active participation and just sitting on the sidelines. Podiatrists have also upped their game when it comes to foot care especially concerning special needs of athletes. Many cases of injury have been cited which are being caused by improper selection of shoes. When choosing CrossFit shoes, getting the right shoe can be deceptively complex. Most manufacturers do not follow the standards of width and length. Also, the sizes differ between brands and different styles. You could get a certain shoe size that fits well in one brand and struggles to fit when you pick another brand. Irrespective of the inconsistency, getting the right fitting shoe begins with measuring. Athletes should try shoes which are made in 2 to 4 widths per half size. Unfortunately, visiting most stores, you will find the shoes manufacturers make are only one width. Because of this, athletes whose feet are wider may have to compromise and choose shoes that are too long so that they can get the width they need. The Shape of the Shoe If you want comfortable shoes, it is imperative that you match the shoe shape with your foot shape. Feet come in a variety of shapes and shoes are massively produced with a limited number of forms. According to the manufacturers, the forms available should typically accommodate the various foot shapes characteristics. Size is not the only factor when choosing a shoe because if you get one that is of the wrong shape, it may result in sub-optimal fit. The shoe shape factor to bear in mind includes arch morphology, forefoot breadth, toe depth, instep height, and heel width. Shoe Stability Most manufacturers tend to capitalize on the concept of stability to boost their shoe marketing campaigns. Some of them go to the extent of promising you everything from allowing your feet to move just as nature intended, to limiting excessive foot motion. Depending on your gait needs, shoes combine different features to balance motion control and cushioning. For you to determine the stability of a shoe, try squeezing the sides of the heel counter. Stable shoes will naturally resist compression. The second test is to hold the shoe at the toes and the heel and twist it. Shoes that are torsionally stable will resist twisting. Pronation You may find some runners demonstrating overpronation which means their feet Evert excessively after making initial ground contact. This diminishes the natural benefits of shock absorption that come with pronation. Athletes who have low arches with moderate to severe overpronation, they need motion control shoes that give them maximum rearfoot control as well as extra medial side support. These shoes may integrate carbon graphite or plastic stabilization piece at the calcaneus. Don’t go for general shoes, but rather specific shoes for specific surfaces and activities. Your CrossFit training will be worthwhile if you invest in the right set of shoes.  

The overhead press is one of the top CrossFit exercises an athlete can train on to build the upper body strength and power. Compared to a bench press, overhead press is a little more functional. It also gives you a lot of carry-over benefits between strength sports. Virtually anyone including strongman competitors, weightlifters, powerlifters, and functional fitness athletes can benefit from a well-executed overhead press. The following are the benefits of overhead press. Epic Core Strength Overhead pressing requires the participation of stabilizing muscles to give you a strong torso and posture. This is especially regarding the EMG activation of the external oblique, erectus spinae, and erectus abdominis. In a research done on bilateral and unilateral dumbbell shoulder presses, the EMG activation was found to be higher in the athletes who are standing and even more significant for those in unilateral pressing. Iron Made Deltoids The anterior or medial deltoids are the prime movers in the overhead press. These muscles are found on the front and center part of your shoulders. Additionally, overhead press strengthens posterior deltoids, which many upper body workouts do not manage to exercise. You can incorporate all the deltoid heads in different pressing movements, but not to the same degree. In order to move the weight, the overhead press depends on social deltoids. The movement is initiated by the anterior deltoid and progressed by the medial before stabilized or finished by the posterior deltoid. It is almost impossible to have a strong overhead press if your deltoids are not built. Stronger Bench Presses If your overhead press strengthens, your bench press will also. This is because both of these CrossFit workouts use the same musculature even though in one, the body is in a horizontal position while in the other it is vertical. For success in the overhead press, you need more of your upper back musculature, and this helps in strengthening the eccentric movement of the bench press. Increase Lockout Power As your strength increases, your ability to create power also does. With a stronger muscle, you will have a much higher neural capacity and an enhanced muscle thickness. All of these help in influencing the much power you can create as an athlete during your explosive bout. A stronger overhead press will improve strong lockouts irrespective of the form of overhead movement. An athlete will feel more comfortable when holding weight overhead with a heavier place. In addition to this, a stronger press will make your mechanics better even as you move maximal loads. Enhanced Jumping Abilities Whether you are doing a broad jump, a vertical jump, or a box jump, there are two things which are common. You need power and sufficient speed, along with a certain level of coordination and mechanics. Great jumps are nothing, but multiple joints working in unison. Mastery of overhead press will impact on your ability to generate arm swing power. With a proper arm swing, the height you jump can easily go up by about 30% as well as your velocity. Other benefits you may experience through overhead press include strengthening and building of your upper and mid trap as well as enjoying multi-sport carryover.

The female body has attracted lots of attention from a number of disciplines including art throughout the human history. Every artist has been coming up with a concept that defines what an ideal woman should look like and what beauty really is. Thanks to CrossFit, women have gotten an opportunity to work themselves out and define their own bodies thereby setting a bar against which they are perceived. The following are the concepts of the female body that CrossFit training has helped define. The Athletic Physique Historically, this type of figure has been the subject of continuous stigmatization because it did not match the widely acknowledged ideals. CrossFit is gradually breaking the mold and changing the fact that being too bulky, and masculine is also an acceptable concept of the female body. With many people joining CrossFit, the social mentality is also changing, and the athletic physique is gaining more acceptance. An Aesthetic of Excellence When you look at the body of a sports person, you are seeing the many hours these athletes have put in to push their physiques to the limit. The whole aim of the intense training is to enhance the athletic performance of the athletes. Sometimes this hard work gives an impressive image which is simply the proof of the strength and dedication these athletes have invested. CrossFit builds into the female athlete, speed, flexibility, strength, precision, and so many other attributes that give them extraordinary performance. As you watch every muscle contract to provide you with the right movement, you appreciate that CrossFit is not just about the bodily appearance, but also the excellence. Fighting to Compete The human body is capable of doing so much and sports, more so CrossFit brings this out in a very clear way. For women, the CrossFit programme gives them a means of escaping from the numerous expectations and stereotypes that they have been subjected to over and over again in the past. Through training, they get the right to compete in sports such as boxing and weightlifting which previously have been the preserve of men. In this way, women have shown the female body is not a weakling, but rather can achieve great performances through perseverance and training. As the variety of competitive disciplines increased in most parts of the world, CrossFit women increased their engagement in the sports, not for the purposes of attaining a skinny figure, but rather to make achievements, stay healthy, and socialize. Pushing the Limits of Performance CrossFit is a strong advocate of body types that defy socially imposed templates. By testing the limits of the female body, CrossFit enables the women folk to discover their agility, speed, and strength. There is no upper limit of performance that CrossFit imposes on women. All the workouts of the day are aimed at both sexes. There is no restriction concerning what the female body can do or become. The many levels of training and the spirit of comradeship make women feel more appreciated and welcome.

CrossFit is a high-intensity sport that blends functional fitness including kettlebells, Olympic lifts, and calisthenics with the competition. It offers you a unique way through which you can build your cardio fitness. To get the most out of this sport, you should consider joining a CrossFit gym which is alternatively referred to as a box. Through the WOD at the box, you will enhance your strength, power, and stamina. Shifting from Sedentary to Solid As you gradually shift your lifestyle from the couch to the CrossFit box, you will notice your cardio improving. A study that was done in 2013 and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditional Research revealed how the participants improved in VO2Max in just ten weeks of training. The training involved exercises such as overhead press, squat, and clean and snatch done in quick succession.From this study, we can base our argument that a CrossFit workout program involving intense moves can significantly improve your cardiovascular ability even if the workouts are short.Within the period of training, your body will make notable adaptations at the cell level such as oxygen usage, fuel metabolism, and waste removal by multiplying the number and increasing the function of your mitochondria. Boosting Your Stamina and Fitness Levels You may not be a beginner in workouts and training, but you may want to increase your fitness levels. CrossFit can help you to improve your stamina and boost your speed on the trail, track, and slopes. Through the strength and power gained with the help of CrossFit, you can exercise for longer durations, and your muscles will not exhaust. For competitive athletes whose first love is endurance sports, CrossFit can enhance their cardio.There is a temptation in CrossFit to simply settle at the WOD. This may be inappropriate particularly for your personal needs. You have to go beyond and replace your junk miles with CrossFit workouts that are targeted.The type of exercises that are best for you largely depends on what your goals are, but to start you off following are some of the suggested workouts.Core CrossFit Workouts – In this category, exercises such as V-ups, hollow rock, and toes-to-bar are recommended.Plyometric Moves – This group of exercises brings together workouts such as single-leg hops, jump rope double unders, and burpees.Bodyweight Exercises – Here, workouts including pull-ups, dips, step-ups, and push-ups can do you a lot of good.Functional Resistance –This category of CrossFit workouts brings together back squats, kettlebell swings, and push presses. Most endurance athletes pick a handful of these exercises and include them in their CrossFit workout plan. Concentrating on these moves for 20 or 30 minutes for a period of 3 to 4 times a week can bring you the transformation that you are looking for. Combine this with other targeted cardio training in your fields such as swimming, running, cycling, triathlon, and skiing for the best results.

Motivating yourself to exercise can be a challenge on its own; let alone the task of choosing the kind of shoes for the sweat sessions. However, believe it or not, getting the right shoe can make your training experience exciting. Cases abound of athletes who have faced injuries as a result of using the wrong types of shoes. The question is, what do you look at when buying a shoe? There are those who go with brands while others are attracted to the appearance of the shoe. While that is fair enough, the best place to start when looking for a new pair of athletic shoes is the sole. Walking Shoes   If you are planning to predominantly use your shoes for walking, look for a pair of shoes that has extra cushioning on the soles, is lightweight, and supportive. Such kind of shoes will adequately support the ball and heel of your foot. In case you are suffering from arch pain or arthritis, you must look for a rocker sole. This is because rocker sole will encourage your feet to roll in a heel to toe motion. Running Shoes When choosing a running shoe, the most important consideration is shock absorption. Buying shoes with soles that are made from carbon rubber will give you more stability and will last you longer despite their stiffness and heaviness. If you have flat feet, avoid highly cushioned running shoes and instead go for flatter-soled shoes. Although cushioning important, but at the same time, thin-soled shoes allow for more sensation. For aerobics, blown rubber-soled shoes are more popular because of their high level of shock absorption. Cleated Soles If you are into sports such as soccer, baseball, and football, you need shoes with cleats. Cleats refer to small metallic or plastic protrusions which make it possible for you to freely move on grass or other soft materials. There are some cleats which come together with the sole which for others you have to clip them on. Baseball and football cleats often have spikes under the toes. For soccer, the cleats do not have a toes spike because this would drag and hinder kicking of the ball. Court Soles Athletes who play their sport on the court such as volleyball, basketball, and tennis should go for soles that are light, flexible, and durable enough to allow for swift and sudden side-to-side movements. Unlike CrossFit shoes, shoes designed for court sports require a softer sole, a hard court, and great tread for better traction. There you go! When out looking for sports shoes, go for shoes that will serve you well either in the gym or outdoor sports.

  In 2006, Mark Rippetoe, a weightlifting coach conceived a strength test for the CrossFit community that consisted of a series of three main CrossFit exercises. These workouts were the overhead press, deadlift, and squat. The CrossFit total is designed to be more accessible compared to the Olympic lift and assess the functional strength of the whole body. Followers of CrossFit do the CrossFit total each month to measure gains in terms of their strength. The Methodology Before performing the CrossFit total, you are required to do a thorough warmup. You can do this best through dynamic stretching and some light cardio. After your done with the general warmup, you can then perform the squat, overhead press, and deadlift in 2 to 4 sets. This will prepare you for your test lifts. The rule set by Rippetoe in CrossFit total is that you should do up to 3 attempts at each of the three exercises to establish your repetition minimum. In your first attempt, pick up a weight that is heavy, but which you know you will be able to lift. In the second attempt, go for a weight that is closer to your best. In the third and final attempt, go for a weight that will help you set a new personal record. For each of the lifts, record the weight of your heaviest in each exercise and then sum them up to calculate your score in CrossFit total. Selection of Exercises All the workouts in CrossFit total are done while standing. This gives them an excellent carryover to sports and real-life activities. Just like in CrossFit training, proper technique is essential. However, compared to Olympic lifts which are somewhat technical, the overhead press, squat, and deadlift are easy to learn and much more straightforward to perform. The bench press which is not included as part of the CrossFit total is done while lying down. According to Rippetoe, this reduces its functional benefits. You do not need any specialized equipment to do CrossFit total, and for this reason, it is considered very accessible irrespective of where you decide to workout. Using the Results After you have completed your attempts and you have your score in CrossFit total, you can compare what you have scored with other CrossFitters and the benchmark as known as the normative table. Based on your score, you will be ranked as untrained, novice, intermediate, advanced, or if you score the highest, elite. Apart from making an overall results comparison, you can single out the individual exercises and compare them to ascertain areas of weaknesses. The goal of CrossFit total is to strive to maintain your current bodyweight and enhance your loose body or total weight. These are indicators of functional strength.

 Right from the first exercise, the physical demands placed by CrossFit training on your body starts sculpting it. You gain strength, and your body is in a better shape to meet the varied requirements of the sport. Your heart becomes efficient, your muscles stronger, and your overall body leaner. It is essential to understand how your body adapts to the CrossFit conditions because this will help you appreciate the changes in your body, and how CrossFit makes you a better version of yourself. On the Inside The body system constantly experiences stress, but thanks to its mechanism, it can adapt well. Physical stressors such as exercise cause stress on your body leading to a process known as general adaptation syndrome to kick in so that it can force your body to adapt. There are three main adaptation stages: The Alarm Stage When the body encounters a stressor that it is not accustomed to, such as a physical demand, it can’t possibly meet completely, stress piles on your cells, which are called upon to meet the demand. Cells that get stressed beyond their capacity end up being damaged. For instance, muscle tissue cells also known as muscle fibers get disrupted. The cell membranes are degraded, and this causes swelling which is the reason why you spend the next day or two moving in pain. The Resistance Stage Within a span of 36 to 48 hours, your body system gradually transitions out of the alarm stage. At this point, it has assessed the damage, responded adequately to it, and is now in the repair process. The body response system is very logical. When it encounters a demand that it is not adequately prepared to meet, it starts a battle to achieve stasis so that it doesn’t slide back to the alarm phase again should you encounter a similar stressor in future. This means the cells do not just repair themselves and go back to their pre-damaged state, but they graduate to another level where they become better at meeting the demands of the stressor. During the resistance stage, muscle cells take up a significant amount of proteins and synthesize them to form micro-filaments which are required in muscle contraction. This stage which may take as long as four days creates more filaments which means an increase in force and strength. Exhaustion Stage At this stage cells which are not fully repaired are subjected to other stressors causing damage and another cycle of the alarm process. With time, the insufficient repair time leads to over-training and breakdown. One of the first signs of over-training and inadequate recovery is subpar physical performance. You will find your WOD times getting worse and increasingly it will be harder for you to lift loads which you previously managed quite easily. The length of time your body spends on the resistance stage is very important. This is why rest is a very critical part of the adaptation picture. The other important aspect is nutrition especially intake of sufficient protein to help in the repair of muscles. The third and last element is that your stressor must be continually changing. For this reason, CrossFit uses different movements for different days to expose your body to various stressors.