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December 11, 2006
Push Presses in the Wee Hours of the Morning
Hey...KOOL-AID! Coach is smoking the CFO crack on CrossFit.com!
Aminta showing the "arms by ears" finish position of a push press.
Hand, shoulder, mid-hip, and mid-foot (base of support) all form a straight line at the finish position when pressing something overhead.
The one slight correction Aminta needs to make is to have the center of her hip just a tad back, so that it's directly over her base of support.
Nice work, Aminta!
Random Findings
I like to wander the Internet and read about all things fitness-, health-, and performance-related. A lot. Way too much, in fact.
Anyway, here are a couple of great links I came across today:
1. Here's video of some women competing in the recent American Open Weightlifting Championships:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNXZgKj2mCU
The first clip from this video is neat. It shows just how little the bar actually drops from its apex in the snatch (using a line that traces the path of the bar). You needn't pull the bar up high--you need to pull yourself under!
My favorite clip is at 3:37. It shows one of the competitors doing a snatch from the profile view. Watch how little the bar drops and how quickly (and smoothly) she gets under it. Beautiful stuff.
(As a side note, the woman in the video at 3:37 makes a slight technical error. Can you spot it? If so, post to Comments.)
For those of you who were practicing snatches this weekend, check it out!
I found the link to this video on the Performance Menu's wonderful discussion forum.
2. To justify watching the video I just discussed, check out this neat little bit of science:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3204/01-resup.html
Basically, scientists have found that the human brain (specifically, the mirror neurons of the brain) fires in the same way when performing a physical movement as when viewing someone else perform the same movement. The caveat is that you have to be skilled in that movement (i.e., you have to have trained that movement pattern).
So practice the Olympic lifts and watch others as well.
Additional reading on this topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron
I found out about this study on another CrossFit Affiliate website, Again Faster.
Happy reading and happy training!
Posted by Mike Minium at December 11, 2006 4:39 PM
Comments
Thanks for sharing Mike. That video was awesome - I want to do snatches tomorrow! I think the mistake she makes is right at the beginning of the lift it looks like she leads with her butt instead of pushing with her legs and as a result, probably using a little of those precious back muscles. Am I right???
The depressing thing about this video is how low these women were able to get under the bar on their catches for both the snatch and clean. I can barely break parallel without bending my chest between my knees. DAMN! Also, my stance is obviously way to wide. DOUBLE DAMN!
I have written too much again. Sorry. I have a problem with the idea of a short post.
Candace
PS. What is the kool-aid??
Posted by: Candace at December 11, 2006 6:36 PM
yeah, good video. i think one of those women was the one from all the crossfit videos.
in an unrelated note, Ann and I just made our first meal using coconut oil, and it was awesome! F@#KIN' delicious! Stir fry never tasted so good. unfortunately, no meat (tofu - Ann's vegetarian).
Posted by: Jonathan at December 11, 2006 7:52 PM
cool video!
All I can see is that she shifts her feet slightly forward right at the top of her extension, but I'm not even sure that's an error.
Posted by: Sam L at December 11, 2006 7:52 PM
1) She extends too much before the scoop like Candace said.
2) Or the bar is a bit away from her body, so she she "squatted forward" into the bar.
Either way she looked smooth and powerful.
Candace: "Kool-Aid's here, bringing the fun, Kool-Aid's got thirst on the run..."
Posted by: Timbo at December 11, 2006 9:15 PM
oh yeah! gotta love Dane Cook
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyMSGPE90tk
Posted by: Jonathan at December 11, 2006 9:58 PM
Love the info on your site boys
Minium...who is wearing the crossfit.ca camo shirt in your murph video??
I gotta come down and hang with you lads sometime
How is biz?
patty
Posted by: Patty at December 12, 2006 12:00 AM
The fellow with the CrossFit.ca shirt is Sam Larson, see Athlete Spotlight post here:
http://tinyurl.com/y9d4aj
Check out http://crossfit.com for a little CFO-inspired controversy.
Posted by: Max Lewin at December 12, 2006 7:35 AM
The lifter at 3:37 has jumped forward from her starting position.
Posted by: peterh at December 12, 2006 1:47 PM
Patty,
Great to hear from you. Business is going well; we're moving in the right direction but not where we want to be yet. We're actually in the midst of a search for a new box. Just gotta keep getting people fit one athlete at a time.
As an aside (and not directed specifically at Patty), I see a lot of remarks about the nice work Max and Mike are doing with the website or with CFO in general. I wanted to take a moment and thank our superstar trainer, Nicole Okumu, for her contributions to CFO, both online and offline.
Nicole deserves every bit of credit for the success of our ever-growing operation, and then some. Nicole is often the wise voice of reason in conversations that go on behind the scenes between Max, her, and me. And have I mentioned that she's a dynamo trainer yet!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nicole!
And I know our community thanks you, too, for all of your effort, professionalism, and skill.
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 12, 2006 3:30 PM
Jonathan,
That Dane Cook clip is a riot. Too funny!
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 12, 2006 3:40 PM
Yes we LOVE Nicole!
Posted by: annie Vought at December 12, 2006 8:00 PM
Hey CFO crew, Ann&Jonathan Nice work on the kool-aid (-:
I agree with Mike NICOLE is the most kick ass trainer I have ever had!
I think it will take me a lifetime to catch up to her MetCon times!
Mike 1AM post again though this time I'm in Japan
Posted by: Franklin O at December 13, 2006 12:52 AM