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.

Swimming, running, and cycling are great workouts, but they may occupy your time such that little is left if any for strength training. If you want to succeed as an athlete, strength training should be high on your priority list. This type of CrossFit training helps you to build power and keep healthy so that your muscles can sustain every workout. In CrossFit, you will have a quick and dirty way to push in your strength training through fun, but challenging workouts of the day and a supportive atmosphere to crown it all. CrossFit can be an excellent lens which you can use to focus on strength and power and identify any muscular imbalances that may be impeding your aspirations to hone a proper form. The critical aspect is to use CrossFit intelligently and work towards committing yourself to the regimen particularly in the offseason. It is highly advisable that you enlist the help of a trained coach because as a triathlete, you should not do CrossFit in your garage. Maximizing the Simplicity of CrossFit Of the many allures to CrossFit, simplicity ranks high. The exercises and movements are founded on classic strength training. The push-ups, the deadlifts, and the squats are often done with heavy weights which makes them explosive and excellent for building strength. Swimming, running, and cycling for hours is commendable, but it only enhances your stamina and not so much in building power. CrossFit movements such as sprints and kettlebell swings stand in the gap to bridge strength training. Building Function through CrossFit For you to benefit as a triathlete, your focus should be so much on the mechanics of each movement. If you have access to a certified CrossFit coach, he can help you in determining your areas of weakness such as bowing knees during squats. Such weaknesses have far-reaching effects in terms of your cycling and running mechanics. Over time, such weaknesses may impede your performance. Building Power in Off Season If you have always wanted to push your power and speed on the bike and run, there are CrossFit functional moves such as pull-ups, burpees, kettlebell swings, and 400-meter sprints. Using CrossFit during the offseason which for people in the northern hemisphere coincides with fall and winter is an excellent way to build power because it augments your need to run, bike, and swim. The 2 to 3-hour rides and runs do not to be done throughout the year but in the buildup to events. This means during the offseason, race-specific preparatory workouts can be substituted with power building CrossFit workouts. However, as the race season approaches, your workouts should change in the specification so that more focus can be given to your triathlon goals. During this season, your CrossFit exercises can take a dip to let’s say once per week.

CrossFit games are very sensational, and they offer so much to the athletes who have literally spent their entire professional career training for these Games. Winning or losing are the defining moments in these games, and therefore every athlete tries to put their best foot forward. Judging from the number of people who throng these venues, it is evident that there are expectations and preconceived notions about the Games. As a fan, you may not have had a chance to get behind the scenes and know what is going on with the preparation of the athletes and what they are expected to do at every stage. Below are some of the aspects you may never get to see in CrossFit events such as this. The Professional Atmosphere CrossFit Games are a professional sporting event not because of the monies winners receive, but the manner in which the CrossFit athletes are treated. At every stage, the athletes are treated with respect and dignity, which fosters a positive experience for the athletes and enables the entire competition to proceed more smoothly. Right from the judges to everyone around, the culture of mutual respect and communication is deeply entrenched. Intelligent Events Games are not like the Open, which is far much limited. The Open has five events, which anyone can perform even in their garage. This has allowed for inclusion, but regarding the CrossFit exercises, it is somehow limiting. When an athlete proceeds from the Open to the Games, they are confronted with a new set of unpredictable events such as sled pull, sled drag with weights of about 185 pounds, and many other challenges. For the athletes, it is the CrossFit spirit that pushes them on. The events are intelligent and challenge athletes in different ways. There is a thoughtful design that goes into them. Some of the events task various muscle groups while others task the same energy system, but the bottom line is that they are all brutal. Highly Organized Unlike other sporting events where you go and get identified at the entrance, CrossFit has more than nine stations which you pass through after getting identified. At every station, you are fitted with different things such as clothing or CrossFit shoes. There are even tailors on site who are just your clothing to ensure everything fits you well. After the check-in day, the administrators usually have a meeting with all athletes, and their schedule is well organized. They never run behind time and every minute counts. The Community CrossFit is known all over the world for its camaraderie among its participants. They cheer one another on and at some point, it feels as if it is not a competition, but rather a friendly union. It is a competition, and therefore, the mindset people have while coming into CrossFit Games is that of self-focus and reclusiveness. However, the story is different, and the sense of community cannot be hidden. There is outright friendliness from fellow competitors, and this is what makes the entire sport beautiful. If you only got a chance to see the behind the scenes events, you would walk away appreciating that indeed CrossFit Games is a totally different ballgame from your ordinary CrossFit events.