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For those of you who don't know newly minted trainer Nicole O., she started CrossFit (and the Zone) last year. Since that time she has made amazing gains: She has two children under three years old, and at 35, she has reconfigured her body and is in the best shape of her life. Nicole has radically changed her body composition, flensing 50-60 pounds of inert metabolic material and gaining at least 10 pounds of lean muscle.
Here we see her doing 50 free squats in 55 seconds with perfect form (full ROM, full extension at the top, toes off the floor). She is a metabolic monster and this was too easy: we should have had her do 100. She also deadlifts 145, a PR and a huge increase from where she started last year.
When Nicole started CrossFit, she literally could not jump up 3 inches. She could not jump onto the curb! Here we see she has overcome her fear of heights, as she jumps onto a 24-inch box, climbs a 15 foot rope and jumps to a high bar from the top of the box.
Bonus: one sweet chin-over-bar kipping pull-up!
Inspiring!
In addition to being an ever-improving athlete and an outstanding trainer, Nicole is also a great sport.
I shared some thoughts with her over the phone earlier this afternoon regarding her deadlift technique, which she asked me to post here for the benefit of others out there who may be watching the video.
Nicole commits a common technical fault in the deadlift: she raises her hips too fast. This results in the legs extending prematurely and the remainder of the lift being done primarily with the back.
This can come about in two different ways, although the second is much more common:
1. The athlete cannot get down into the proper starting position (chest high, arms directly over bar, tri-lat tuck, whole body tight and engaged, arch in back).
2. The athlete can get down into the proper starting position but cannot maintain the hip/back angle (relative to the floor) during the beginning part of the pull.
The problem with either of these scenarios is that the athlete creates a potential shearing force on the lower back.
Now Nicole, who has nice body awareness and great flexibility, pulls it off because she's able to maintain a tight, arched back throughout the whole pull. But she dramatically increases the length of the pulling lever (her upper torso) by taking such a shallow angle (her back relative to the floor). In this case, she hasn't injured herself, but she's severely limited the amount of weight she can pull.
At this point, if she doesn't correct her form, she'll either be stuck at her present deadlift weight (the theoretical maximum she can lift using only her back) or she'll injure herself trying to lift too much (her back will eventually give in and round).
I wish there were an easy answer to how to correct the technique so that the hips don't rise too fast. But it's simply a matter of practice. There's a strong neuromuscular component to this lift (as well as to the squat and just about every other move we practice in CrossFit) that will need to be rehearsed over and over, starting with super light weights.
Expect to see some follow-up footage of Nicole in the coming weeks showcasing her improved deadlift form.
I've also included below the link to a great photo and ensuing discussion on the deadlift from CrossFit.com.
Pay close attention to the comments from Tony B and Coach, both of whom nicely elucidate some of the finer points of deadlift (and clean) technique.
http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/000664.html
You are beautiful girl! Seeing you in action makes me smile.
:-)
We are big fans of you too!