Being a CrossFitter is all about learning new exercises challenging your limits and getting fitter. The ring stand push-up is one of the iconic CrossFit workouts you should try out. It was first seen at the 2010 Games, and ever since, it has made comebacks on many different fronts. It is a tough workout, and it tasks even the most qualified and fit human beings on earth. Ring stand push-up is an advanced movement. However, there is no reason that why you cannot achieve it. It is all about pushing your limits. Building the Right Foundations Before attempting this exercise, you have to build basic strength and balance. The following are some of the warm-up and prep exercises to perform. 3 strict pull-ups 3 strict handstand push-ups Freestanding handstand lasting 5 seconds The ring stands handstand push-up is a demanding exercise which requires a good sense of balance. This is because it is performed on equipment that is unstable and moving. It tasks your core to keep you stable over the entire range of motion. To improve balance, start by standing in an upright position with the distance between your feet measuring shoulder width apart. Then, take a 15-kg plate with both hands and raise it gradually above your head with your arms outstretched fully. Ensure your core is tight and adjust the plate until you achieve complete stability and hold in that position for 20 seconds. This CrossFit exercise helps you find your point of balance and trains your memory to keep your body tight in this position. Progression CrossFit is about progression. You need to build up with time by developing and strengthening your body system and technique in stages. When entering the ring handstand push-up position, hang the rings on a mat for the first few times and then grip them with bent arms. Then activate your core and push hard to propel your body and legs into an upright position. It is important to train form and strength before you embark on speed. Flexibility is Critical This exercise requires good flexibility. To wake your body up, ensure you mobilize your shoulders and do quick warm-ups with strict presses and quick presses. To successfully complete ring handstand push-ups, you should work to develop your shoulder stability. Lock Your Feet This is critical in handstand push-ups. To do this, straddle your legs out and then around the straps when you kick your legs up. Using your feet, hook back inside the straps to enable your outer foot to be in contact with the strap material. Position Your Body Vertically To make this cross-training movement efficient, stay as straight and vertical as you can. Your knees, feet, hips, and shoulders should be aligned in a straight vertical line. If your spine is curved, you will have a closed shoulder angle which makes things a little bit harder. The final tip to conquer this movement is to grip the rings. In doing this, keep your wrists tight because allowing them to bend can affect the ulnar nerve. This can have a bad impact on your balance.

The squat is a common type of CrossFit workout which gives your body an all-around exercise. Squatting is simply bending your hips and knees while the bar is on your upper back. While squatting, ensure you keep your knees out and your lower back neutral. To complete the squat, come back up from the lowered position and lock your knees and hips at the top. The reason squats are known as compound exercises is that they work on your entire body. To move the weight, your legs bend and straighten as your abs, and lower back muscles stabilize your trunk. The shoulders, upper back, and arms are responsible for balancing the bar on your back. Therefore, a lot of muscles are worked up all at the same time and not just your legs. Compared to exercises such as bench press and overhead shoulder press, the squat works more muscles, especially when having a heavier weight. Squat Pains As it is with many workouts, the possibility of injury in squats is not remote at all. When doing squats, you may experience some pains, and it helps to know what they are all about. Neck Pain If you hold the bar wrongly, squats can hurt your neck. Your muscles must support your weight and not the spine. If you squat with a loose upper back, the bar will stress your spine which is dangerous. Instead, you should squeeze your upper back before unracking the bar in the CrossFit gym. During your squats, stay tight so that the bar won’t move on your back and roll over to your neck. Never use a foam pad, wrap a towel around the bar, or a manta ray. These wrappings put the bar higher and further away from the hips. This, further makes it easier for you to lean forward, therefore, hurting your back. Simply hold the bar right without band-aid solutions. Wrist Pain Holding the bar with your hands will certainly hurt your wrists. This is because holding the weight presses your wrists down and bends them back thereby stretching them past their normal range of motion causing pain not just to your wrists, but also to your elbows. One of the ways to avoid this is supporting the bar with your upper back muscles which are bigger and stronger. Another cause of wrist pain is holding the bar too low. When you squat low bar, it must rest between your rear shoulders and traps. If it rests at low, it will slide down as you squat. This will force your hands to hold it back which causes wrist pain. You can temporarily use wrist wraps to give you support, but at the end of it all, it is your form and equipment that you have to fix. Knee Pain This pain occurs when your knees cave in or travel too far forward. When squatting, push your knees to the side and your hips back at the same time. Go down gradually until your hip crease is below the top of your knees. Squatting like this strengthens the muscles around the knees thereby enhancing support for the knee joint. Other types of squat pain include hip pain, lower back pain, groin pain, and elbow pain. If you concentrate on your form during CrossFit training, most of these pains will go away.

When you switch up your CrossFit diet and workout routine, you expect some changes in your muscle growth process. However, this progress may decline or even come to a halt despite your continued efforts. The question many CrossFitters ask is, what causes such a decline in muscle growth? Numerous factors are influencing the ability of your body to pack on gains. Some of these contributing factors include diet, fitness program, sleep schedule, and even your state of mind. Knowing which of these affect you can help in putting you back on the road to packing more muscles. Inadequate Sleep If you are not getting quality sleep every night you go to bed; your muscle growth process will be affected. Sleep inadequacy increases the level of cortisol hormone which wreaks havoc on your human growth hormone. Also, the ability of your body to store glycogen is inhibited, and this has a negative impact on muscle growth. To fix this, target about 71/2 hours of sleep every day and keep your stress levels low as you go to bed. Insufficient Protein Intake If you want to add more muscle, you need to increase your protein intake. The reason is simple; protein has amino acids which are the compounds responsible for repair and buildup of muscle tissue. Failure to consume enough amino acids may hinder muscle growth. As part of your CrossFit nutrition, include approximately 7.7 grams of protein per kilogram of your bodyweight. This means, if you are weighing 200 pounds, your protein intake should range from 109 to 154 grams daily. You can combine both plant-based and animal-based proteins to fuel your muscles. Alcohol Intake Muscle growth tends to be hindered by excessive intake of alcohol. When you drink too much of alcohol, your body system summons the antioxidants used for muscle growth and instead redeploys them to metabolize the alcohol. To fix this, it would be a lot of good to cut out alcohol altogether or limit yourself to 1 or 2 indulgences per week. Also, take several glasses of water so that you can reduce the number of drinks you consume in total. Too Much Cardio Cardio is great for fat loss, but if you overdo it, it can suppress your muscle growth process and instead initiate a muscle-burning or catabolic state. Remember your goals are to increase in strength and size and these cardio workouts must not dominate your workout. You may include high-intensity interval training workouts and some cardio sessions into your workout of the day program, but your priority should be in weight training first. Dehydration It is good if you focus on ingesting proteins and carbs to bulk up, but to stay hydrated is equally important. Water is critical for the digestion process which means if you don’t get enough of it, it negatively impacts the digestion process. Your muscles will lack the essential nutrients, and your CrossFit gym performance will dive. Ensure you train all muscles not just the trophy muscles and mix things up. CrossFit is good at this, and if you maintain the discipline, you will get the best results.

CrossFitters who are true to the spirit of rigorous training activity may experience a sense of boredom on rest days, and this can dampen the benefits meant for such a day. There is a feeling somewhere at the back of your head which is hard to shake off making you believe that there is something that you are missing out on by taking a rest. It is important to know that though stamina, strength, and speed are important in CrossFit training, rest is equally vital. You can only go for so long before your body begins to rebel in an attempt to recover. By varying the way, you rest, your body can have ample time to recuperate while at the same time keeping your mind at ease. Dangers of Not Taking Rest Days Unless you are cut from a different stone, your body requires a break at some point. CrossFit as a sport is structured in a way that breaks down muscle so that it can rebuild them up. However, if the rest period is not integrated, the muscle breakdown initially meant for a good cause can begin hindering development. Strength loss, fatigue, and injury are concerns that come up when you are too active at a level that is intense and demanding. Overtraining will hinder your physical abilities and can also have a detrimental effect on the state of your mind. If your body doesn’t operate to the expected standards, your mind begins taking a toll leading to irritation, frustration, and lack of concentration. This is why you are not doing anybody a favor by taking a day off. When Should Rest Days Be A majority of CrossFit training experts are of the opinion that rest days should be planned for the 4th day. This means 3 days of workouts and 1 day off. People with little flexibility in their schedule patterning rest days this way gives them a fantastic option which ensures the body gets some relaxation. On the other hand, if you have a tight schedule that only leaves specific days open, having 2 days rest per week is a good option. You can either set these days in advance if you love prediction and regularity. Thursdays and Sundays can be your days off. That said, it is important to listen to your body. If you are feeling run down, it may help laying low for that day waiting for your body to be up again. Spending Your Rest Days There is no script cast in stone that outlines how rest days should be spent. Remember this opportunity is to help you ease your tight muscles and get the maximum possible recovery benefits. Even though you are not in the CrossFit gym, you can incorporate some light cardio, stretching, and a little bit of yoga just to spice things up. If you love adventure, you can consider swimming, hiking, or just walking around trying to work up your heart rate.

Many people claim that dairy, gluten, carbs, or even wholefoods are giving them issues. Surprisingly, some of them didn’t have problems with those foods early in life. The question is, could there be a reason for this? Experts in CrossFit training have observed that excessive dieting just like excessive exercise may force the body to adapt to the stress that is constantly being exposed to. There is no doubt that our bodies are super adaptive machines, but this can work against us depending on the scenario. For instance, an adaptation imposed by diet may favor or work to your disadvantage. Dietary Distress Cycle Going on a fad diet or moving back and forth between diets can cause digestive distress and many other negative symptoms. There is a cycle which develops carrying with it the element of food intolerance. When you are exposed to a new diet, your hormones which include glucagon and insulin change. This, in turn, causes a change in metabolism and negative symptoms which then make you go back to your old diet. The old foods may also react with your body leaving you either helpless or with no option other than getting back into your new diet. Carbs Not Serving You Well Most of the people who have problems with carbohydrates never had them before. In fact, they used to load decent amounts of carbohydrates without any signs of negative health effect. However, somewhere in the course of their life, they try out a fad diet from which they start experiencing digestive issues such as acid reflux, bloating, and lethargy. In some cases, these people have been told that the problems they are experiencing are as a result of adaptation or detox of the new diet. Others believe that the reactions they are experiencing are because of their age and their bodies cannot handle the same foods they did before. Getting on to the Wrong Diet When you start seeing problems with your CrossFit diet, it could be that you are on the wrong diet. For instance, ditching animal products can cause a lot of metabolic adaptations. Increasing the number of vegetables and cutting down on meat can push the stomach into an alkaline state which works to reduce stomach acids. If you avoid fats and all of a sudden you introduce higher amounts of fat in your diet, can make you queasy. When you are on a low-fat diet, your gallbladder adapts. If you re-introduce fats at higher levels, it creates confusion and puts you at a greater risk of gallstones. The above scenarios are quite common, and chances are high you may have encountered one of them. The bottom line is, if you don’t have a diagnosed medical condition, it is a good idea to revise your CrossFit nutrition and establish a healthy relationship with your diet. Listen to your body and not just the diet app or guru.

When lifting a barbell overhead, you have an option of a simple shoulder press or a complex jerk. The shoulder press is mainly for hypertrophy. In the middle of the complexity of a jerk, lies the push press which is an excellent CrossFit workout for every athlete. Looking at it from a physical standpoint, the push press is important in helping you develop a stable trunk while at the same time highlighting deficiencies in your mobility. They also help you to train heavy loads overhead in a proper strength endurance format. Push press is dynamic, and it recruits the lower body and trunk, making it an excellent way to push heavy rep schemes way beyond 15 reps. Push Press Training Cues Several training cues can help you perfect push press. Some of them include: The Grip When doing push press, the width of the grip should be slightly outside the shoulders. If you find yourself having a rough time rotating your shoulders externally or you have large biceps, try a wider grip. Some CrossFitters start their push press with the same rack position as that used in a standing shoulder press. This is incorrect because it places your body at a mechanical disadvantage and makes it vulnerable to shudder-to-shoulder injuries. Contrary to the shoulder press, the push press requires that your upper arm be parallel to the floor in a position similar to that of a front squat. This will make your wrist slightly cocked, and the barbell well gripped. Prepare to Dip The push press uses the lower body and trunk in a dynamic way to get the barbell overhead. For this reason, the setup needs to be different from the press. The goal here is to maintain a stacked spinal column while at the same time exhibiting force throughout the lift. To achieve this, take a wide stance with your feet externally rotated and toes out. The stance you take should be similar to that of the front squat CrossFit exercise. The Dip Before heading to the dip and drive, take a large belly breath and hold it. This will not only protect your lower back but also help in facilitating a transfer of energy from the legs to the barbell via the trunk. When beginning the dip, flex slightly at the knees as you push them out in the same way you should do in a squat. This is meant to be a quick movement because it is shallow and violent. The Drive This is nothing more than a redirection force. Performing the drive is hugely dependent on creating tense musculature throughout your trunk and legs as you quickly extend your knees, hip, and ankles. Putting it Overhead The moment you initiate the drive, the barbell should then hop upwards. This is where you need to utilize your upper body and finish the lift. Compared to the other phases, this is a rather weightless phase you should finish by rotating the arms into a similar position as that of a shoulder press. When the bar is knocked out and your feet stable and flat, you can lower your barbell to its original rack position. Push press is a specific CrossFit training tool whose purpose and the outcome will be determined by how well you execute it.

If you have been keen enough, you must have heard something about barefoot running. As a matter of fact, there is a whole shoe collection dedicated to this style of running. Athletes have embraced the idea of running with semi-naked feet, and it has become part of their lifestyle. There is a small band of biomechanical experts who believe that running backward prevents injury and burns lots of calories more than the conventional way of running. CrossFitters seem to agree with this. They have integrated this style of running in their CrossFit training routine particularly in pre-WOD warmups. A recent study on the backward technique of running has shown that it is a worthy exercise and can be used as a standalone training technique. Comparative Study University of Milan researchers conducted a comparison study between forward and backward running to find out the effects of each. They used a running track lined with pressure sensors and cameras as their testing ground. Muscles and Tendons The findings of the study showed that forward runners hit the ground with their back foot, but for the backward runners, they hit the ground with their forefoot and then slanted forward. This impact proved effective in firing different muscles than when running forward. Running forward was found to cause muscles and tendons to be pulled tight when landing and then released during takeoff. This movement created some sort of elastic energy just like a rubber band. On the flipside, backward running created coiled muscles and tendons when landing and during the launch phase when muscles stretched. Burning Calories The amount of energy used by runners during backward running was found to be 30% more than that used during forward running at the same speed. The participants in the study lost approximately 2.5 of their body fat through reverse running. This can be attributed to the unconventional technique provided by backward running. If you are in the CrossFit gym trying to find your form, reverse running can be a much greater and safer training technique. It works well even for athletes suffering from bad knees because the impact it has on the vulnerable joint is far less.

The L-sit pull-up is a much higher challenge compared to the ordinary pull-up exercise. It changes your center of gravity thus making it a little bit more difficult to execute. On the core strength, this exercise increases the challenge as well, especially for the lower abs. Because of its difficulty, this CrossFit exercise is great for learning and practicing proper dead-hang pull-up technique. Compared to other difficult workouts, the L-sit pull-up is much easier to learn because it combines two main exercises which are pull-ups and the L-sit position. When you master these two exercises separately, putting them up together is much easier, and the below tips will help you do this. Doing L-Sit Pull-Ups While hanging from a pull-up bar with your shoulders packed down and elbows locked, get into a dead hang position. Then, raise your knees to a level where your thighs are parallel with the ground. Lock your knees and point your toes to extend your legs straight in front of you. While performing your pull-ups, maintain this L-sit position. Before you start pulling yourself up the bar, exhale forcefully. The extent of your pull-up should be where your arms are fully flexed, your chin at or above the bar, and elbows behind your ribs. Pause there for a moment and then slowly lower yourself down until you get a full elbow lock. As you descend, inhale. Tips for L-Sit Pull-Up Technique With L-sit pull-ups, repetition speed and tempo are very important. Perform your reps slowly and under control always. Do not jerk or kip your way through the movement. Do not allow your body to jerk down into the bottom dead hang position. Make the transition gradual and controlled so as to prevent shoulder and elbow problems. When you initiate the L-sit pull-up with a strong exhale, make sure you contract your entire core musculature hard. Tuck your tailbone forward and roll your hips up with a slight abdominal crunch. Squeeze your thighs and glutes as you keep your knees locked, and your toes pointed out. The L-Sit Pull-Up Progression Once you can do about 10 dead-hang pull-ups with good control and technique, you can now start L-sit pull-ups. This is how to work your way up to this phenomenal CrossFit workout. Phase 1 –Here, you combine pull-ups with knee raises. Do at least 10 reps of hanging knee raises, 30-second hanging knee raise isometric hold, and 10 reps pull-ups with a hanging knee raise. Phase 2 – In this phase, you combine pull-ups with knee raises. Do at least 10 reps of hanging leg raise, 30-second hanging leg raise isometric hold, 10 reps scap pull-ups with leg raise isometric hold and at least 10 reps pull-ups with a hanging leg raise. The above progression is just an experiment because there are many other variations you can come up with yourself. The most important thing is to keep on challenging yourself progressively as you take on harder exercises.