CFJ June09 Collected

J O U R N A L ARTICLES
June 2009
title author
Built to Move Kilgore
Scaling: How Less Can Be More Weiss
Less Is More for Champion Runner Morse
You Be The Trainer - #1 Budding, et al.
Mastering the Jerk Starr
Is “Punishment” a Dirty Word? Warkentin
Forty Years in the Fitness Desert Eich
Toward Better Military PT Tests Hoff
You Be The Trainer - #2 Budding, et al.
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Built to Move
What do myofibrils have to do with push-ups?
Dr. Lon Kilgore explains how our bodies are constructed to produce movement.
Dr. Lon Kilgore
One of the reasons I do what I do is simply because I wanted to know how to make myself a better
athlete. From the age of 11, I read anatomy and biology books. I read them not for fun but to improve
my competition fitness in wrestling and weightlifting. Even in school I took elective classes I thought
would help me figure things out. In high school I took advanced biology, and my senior research project
was investigating the effect of different salt solutions and concentrations thereof on force production in
isolated frog muscle preps.
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Built to Move ... (continued)
From my earliest recollections, I wanted to know how The Anatomy of the Cell
muscle was built and how it worked. I wanted to know We are interested here in learning how the typical
how I could make things move. muscle cell is built, so we will consider only the basic
The Role of the Cell parts of the cell. We want to understand the anatomy of
the cell, not delve into the intricacies of molecular and
To understand how things move we first need to take
cellular biology.
a little look at how muscles are constructed—a little
anatomy lesson, if you will. Several early researchers identified common structures
of all observed cells: the cell membrane, cytoplasm and
Muscles are composed of thousands and thousands of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), although these terms
individual muscle cells. Small, tiny muscles have a few
were not used at the time (Figure 1).
thousand cells that can be less than a centimeter long.
Big, massive muscles such as the latissimus dorsi, which Cell membrane
covers a huge portion of the back, will have millions of Mammalian cells have a bordering and constrain-
muscle cells that can be up to 30 centimeters (about a ing two-layer membrane made of phospholipids
foot) in length. All together, muscle accounts for about (phosphate containing fats/oils). The cell membrane
40 percent of total body weight in an average human. contains the components of the cell and is selectively
permeable. It allows some materials to pass into or out
Let’s dissect the muscle down to the cellular level, look
of the cell while excluding other materials from passage.
at how a cell is built, identify its basic components and
All components of the cell are contained within the cell
briefly examine what each part does.
membrane. Anything the cell consumes or creates for
With his 1665 treatise Micrographia, Antoni van export must pass through the cell membrane. The cell
Leeuwenhoek provided us with the first glimpse at membrane can also be called the “plasmalemma.”
the primary building block of living things: the cell. It
took about 150 years of further study and experimen-
tation by many scientists before enough evidence
was acquired to allow zoologist Theodor Schwann From my earliest recollections,
to postulate in 1839 that “the elementary parts of all I wanted to know how muscle
tissues are formed of cells.” Schwann’s works (along
with the works of botanist Matthias Jakob Schleiden) was built and how it worked.
led to modern cell theory, where the cell is considered I wanted to know how I could
to be the smallest structure having all the properties of
living things. Those properties are: make things move.
• Homeostatic control, or the ability to regulate the
organism’s internal environment
• Organismic composition based on one or more cells
Cytoplasm
• Metabolic activity, or the consumption of energy Inside the cell membrane is a complex collection of
through conversion of non-living materials into cellular substances suspended or dissolved in water called
components cytoplasm. Other sub-cellular structures are suspended
in the cytoplasm, which is also where the first steps of
• Capacity for growth
cellular respiration (energy metabolism) take place.
• Capacity for adaptation, or the ability to alter form, When discussing the cytoplasm of muscle cells, the
function or both over time in response to environmental term “sarcoplasm” is frequently used.
challenges
DNA
• Responsiveness to external stimuli All cells contain DNA, or genetic material. In the most
simple cells, DNA appears as a single loop floating
• Capacity for reproduction, or the ability to produce
free in the cytoplasm. In mammalian cells, like those
new organisms.
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which make up our bodies, numerous strands of DNA A good analogy here would be a factory where different
are encapsulated within a membrane-bound special chemicals are kept in separate vats and mixed in separate
structure called the nucleus. DNA is essential for life and sequential mixing containers before a final product
because DNA makes ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is produced. The different compounds and reactions
makes protein, which in turn makes function. In the involved in manufacturing the product are kept isolated
most basic sense, DNA controls anatomy (how things from each other to keep the factory from producing a
are built) and physiology (how things work). random mess of chemical goo.
The invention of the oil-immersion microscope lens in Compartmentalization of biochemical compounds and
1870 led to a flurry of discovery in the late 19th century, processes within membrane-bound organelles prevents
including the elucidation of other structures, or “organ- interference between different reaction pathways,
elles,” that comprise the mammalian cell. provides the opportunity for sequential reaction control,
and allows the cell to produce compartments with
Organelles are well-defined and large-scale structures
differing internal environments specific to each reac-
(relative to the size of an individual cell) that carry out a
tion’s efficient completion.
specific set of functions within the cell. Many organelles
are “membrane bound”—completely surrounded by a Endoplasmic Reticulum
membrane. Membrane-bound organelles are crucial as The basic structure of the endoplasmic reticulum is
they allow different sets of biochemical reactions to be an extensive membrane network of sac-like structures
separated from each other so that they do not interfere called cisternae. Like the plasma membrane, the endo-
with each other during simultaneous operation. plasmic reticulum membrane is composed of phospho-
lipids and creates a bounded space, a networked lumen
Dr. Lon Kilgore
Figure 1: Schematic of mammalian cell organelles.

The prototypical representation we see in our textbooks and above does not show the true reality of how organelles are
distributed in the muscle cell. Nuclei are pressed up against the inside of the cell membrane and the other organelles are
crammed between the contractile elements.
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separate from the surrounding cytosol. There are three where they can comprise up to about 20 percent of the
types: rough endoplasmic reticulum (having associated total cell volume. They can also be found between the
ribosomes—see later description), smooth endoplas- myofibrils (protein filaments) of muscle. They are often
mic reticulum (having no associate ribosomes), and depicted as sausage-shaped, but their actual shape
sarcoplasmic reticulum (found in skeletal muscle). varies according to how and where they are associ-
ated with cytoskeletal elements. The most prominent
The rough endoplasmic reticulum plays a major role
function of mitochondria is rooted in energy metabo-
in producing lysosomal enzymes, secreted cellular
lism. A set of reactions intimately involved in ATP
proteins and membrane proteins, and it participates
production (known as the citric acid cycle or Kreb’s
in glycosylation (adding carbohydrate to proteins).
cycle) and the electron transport system occur within
The smooth endoplasmic reticulum functions in many
the mitochondria.
metabolic processes, most notably the synthesis of
lipids and metabolism of carbohydrates. The sarcoplas- Vacuoles
mic reticulum is a variant found specifically in muscle. These are membrane-bound compartments serving a
variety of secretory, excretory and storage functions.
These variants differ in the composition of the proteins
They may be called on to remove structural debris or
bound to their membranes and contained within their
waste from the cell, isolate harmful substances, and
lumens. This difference in proteins present alters their
store or release ionic molecules to maintain pH balance,
respective functions. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum
along with other housekeeping functions.
is a synthetic center, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum is
a regulatory center for calcium ion storage. The large Nucleus
stores of calcium within the sarcoplasmic reticulum can The nucleus is the largest cellular organelle in mammalian
be rapidly released into the sarcoplasm, which in turn cells and contains nearly all the cell’s genetic material or
initiates contraction in muscle cells. DNA (the mitochondria contain some DNA). It has an
average diameter somewhere between 11 to 22 microm-
Golgi Apparatus
eters and comprises about 10 percent of the typical cell’s
This organelle is composed of membrane-bound
total volume. The nucleus contains a viscous liquid,
vesicles. Normally a few of these flattened sacs (between
similar to cytoplasm, called nucleoplasm. Suspended
five and eight) will be in very close proximity, but it
in the nucleus is a sub-organelle—the nucleolus that
has been observed that several dozen can be stacked
is the site of ribonucleic acid synthesis and ribosomal
in some instances in some cells. The Golgi apparatus
assembly. Some cells, like red blood cells, are anucleate
takes vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum, fuses
(no nuclei present). Others, like cardiac muscle cells,
with them and modifies the resulting contents before
are mononucleate (one nucleus present). Still others,
delivering them to their intended destination, which
like skeletal muscle cells, are multi-nucleate (many
may include dumping the contents outside the cell. They
nuclei present).
also assist in lipid transport in the cell and in creating
lysosomes. Ribosomes
These small, non-membranous organelles were discov-
Mitochondria
ered in 1955 after the invention of the electron micro-
A mitochondrion has a phospholipid bi-layer membrane
scope. Ribosomes, themselves built partially from
(outer and inner). The layers have different composi-
ribonucleic acid (RNA), build proteins from genetic
tions (different lipids and embedded proteins present)
instructions passed from DNA to RNA. Ribosomes can
and therefore differing functions. Five distinct compart-
be found “free” (suspended in the cytosol), or they can
ments are present within mitochondria: outer mito-
also be bound to the endoplasmic reticulum, giving it
chondrial membrane, inner mitochondrial membrane,
the appearance of roughness, and thus the name “rough
inter-membrane space (between the outer and inner
endoplasmic reticulum.”
membranes), cristae (the folding of the inner membrane)
and the matrix (area within the inner membrane). Lysosomes
These membrane-bound organelles contain acid hydro-
Mitochondria numbers vary by location and cell type.
lases (digestive enzymes) and work to digest worn-out
A huge number of mitochondria are found in the liver,
organelles, food particles, or viral or bacterial pathogens
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that have been engulfed by the cell. The membrane of
Dr. Lon Kilgore

the lysosome allows a separation of the acidic lysosomal
lumen and the neutral cytoplasmic environments.
Myofibrils
Muscle fibers diverge from the physical shape of the
prototypical mammalian cell. They generally appear as
long cylindrical cells with tapered ends. Their scale is
fairly large, to the point of visibility with the naked eye
(Figure 2).
Each muscle cell, or myofiber, contains long filaments
of proteins called myofilaments, which facilitate human
movement. Myofibrils are composed of two basic
types of myofilaments: thick and thin. Thick myofila-
ments are made primarily of the protein myosin held in
place, relative to other myofilaments, by titin filaments
(another specialized protein). Myosin looks much like
two sets of golf clubs, each gathered up with the club-
heads protruding outwardly at different levels and
angles. The sets are connected handle-to-handle.
Figure 2: Tearing a very dry piece of beef jerky reveals small

groups of muscle cells that are visible to the naked eye.
Whether it is a training-induced contractile activity by blocking or facilitating the inter-

alteration in the chemicals actions between actin and myosin. The proteins are
organized into repeated sub-units called sarcomeres
present or a wholesale and form the functional unit of the muscle. A muscle
architectural change in the cell’s cell is well stocked with myofibrils running along,
structure, the effects of exercise parallel to, the long axis of the cell. These structural
orientations give rise to optical properties, causing the
on the human begin at the cell to appear striped or striated. Not all muscle cells
cellular level before they become have a characteristic banding pattern. Smooth muscle
cells from the vasculature and gastrointestinal systems
manifest in outward appearance are non-striated.
or performance changes.
Characteristics of Different Muscle Types
A trip to the grocery store for some beef jerky can
provide some excellent perspective on muscle anatomy.
Take a really dry piece of jerky and bite/tear it in half
Thin filaments are composed of the protein actin held (Figure 2). Carefully look at the ripped end of the jerky.
in place by another filamentous protein, nebulin. Actin’s The frayed and cotton-candy-like strands are muscle
configuration is reminiscent of traditional twisted rope, cells or small groups of muscle cells.
linear with a spiral groove coursing along its length. Actin
has two other proteins associated with its structure: Organelles can be present in cells in varying numbers or
troponin and tropomyosin. absent completely, depending on the function of the cell.
A red blood cell has no nucleus, but a muscle cell has a
Actin and myosin are the primary contractile proteins/ huge number present. This tells us that a red blood cell
myofilaments responsible for muscle contraction. is not meant to repair or recreate itself. It also tells us
Troponin regulates, through its action on tropomyosin,
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a training-induced alteration in the chemicals present or

a wholesale architectural change in the cell’s structure,
the effects of exercise on the human begin at the cellular
level before they become manifest in outward appear-
ance or performance changes.
How the Body Moves
Let’s consider how the myofibrils characteristic of
muscle cells function to produce movement (the physi-
ology component of this lesson).
Dr. Lon Kilgore
The accepted mechanism of muscle contraction is a

relatively modern concept, proposed in its most basic
form in the 1950s by H.E. Huxley. In his sliding filament
theory, the two contractile proteins, actin and myosin,
bind to each other intermittently and transiently when
Figure 3: Sarcomeric anatomy and function.
During a muscle contraction, the Z-lines are pulled toward neurally stimulated to do so.
the center of the sarcomere and the I-bands become smaller.
This produces movement. It’s a fairly easy concept to understand: your brain or a
reflex sends a signal out along a motor neuron (a nerve
feeding information to a muscle). The neural signal hits
that a muscle cell possesses the capability of repair and the muscle cell, which triggers chemical events inside
growth owing to the presence of a large complement of the cell. Those chemical events yield a binding of actin
genetic materials. Indeed, this is what happens. As a red to myosin, energy gets expended, and myosin changes
blood cell ages or becomes damaged, it is removed from shape, causing myofibril and cell shortening and a
circulation. A damaged muscle cell will use it’s genetic production of force.
power to stimulate the production of repair proteins to
re-establish normal function. Think of actin as a ladder lying on the floor. At the
distal end, the last rung of the ladder, is something you
Another example of differential presence is again in want. Think of sitting at the proximal end of the ladder
muscle cells. Most people are familiar with the concept opposite the object you want. How do you get the thing?
of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers. This is a Using your hands and arms you pull the far end of the
simplistic concept but works well here for illustration. ladder, hand over hand and rung by rung, closer to you
Slow-twitch fibers possess a large number of mito- until finally have the desired object within reach.
chondria. Fast-twitch do not. This anatomical difference
yields a functional difference in that the high numbers In this analogy you have behaved like myosin, cycling your
of mitochondria in slow-twitch fibers are energeti- hand contacts and force generation against actin (the
cally efficient, and slow-twitch fibers are thus fatigue ladder) to accomplish movement. Now think of doing
resistant. Fast-twitch fibers, having few mitochondria, this same task in tandem with someone else working
fatigue within a few seconds of maximal contraction. with another ladder, pulling their ladder and desired
object in the opposite direction. In this orientation you
Fast-twitch fibers are also larger than slow-twitch fibers and your partner are behaving like a sarcomere, the
and thus have more sarcomeric elements. More actin basic contractile unit of the muscle cell, pulling the ends
and myosin means a larger force-production capacity. of the system towards center. There are approximately
So it should be apparent, even with this short primer in 400 sarcomeres for every millimeter of myofibril. The
muscle anatomy, that anatomical form dictates physi- structure of a sarcomere allows for a cumulative in-series
ological function. This theme will be repeated over and shortening of the length of the entire muscle cell through
over throughout your study of anatomy. an energy-dependent mechanism (Figure 3).
It is very important to note that exercise training can A sarcomere is bounded on each end by a Z-line into
change the anatomical structure of a cell. Whether it is which actin is anchored. Myosin is anchored in the center
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of the sarcomere at the M-line and is represented by the
Dr. Lon Kilgore

A-band. The area between the Z-line and the A-band,
the I-band, is variable in width. In a relaxed state the
I-band is wide. As the muscle contracts, Z-lines are
pulled toward the center and I-bands become smaller.
So the myofibrils, the long chains of sarcomeres that
are contained within the muscle cell, generate the force.
The force is transferred to adjacent cells by virtue of the
connective tissue surrounding each cell. This connective
tissue is called the endomysium, and the endomysium
surrounding one cell merges with that of its neighboring
cells.
A secondary level of connective tissue structure assists
in force transference. Surrounding significant numbers,
or bundles, of muscle cells you will find a thicker connec-
tive tissue called the perimysium. The perimysium and
all of the muscle cells within its boundaries are called
a fascicle. A fascicle is easily visible to the naked eye Figure 4: Connective tissues of the muscle—perimysium
and epimysium. These tissues culminate in tendons, which
(Figure 4). attach to bones and transfer the muscular forces that
produce movement about a joint.
There is one more level of connective tissue structure
that enables force transference: the epimysium. The
epimysium is the connective tissue layer that bounds greatly and rapidly, although it produces moderate force
whole muscle. So each layer of this connective tissue (directly proportional to the force generated by sarco-
tree is contiguous with the other and culminates in meric shortening). A muscle of identical mass to the
presenting as tendons at the muscle’s sites of attach- parallel muscle described above but whose fibers insert
ment to bone. into its tendon at 45 degrees experiences amplification
The shortening of sarcomeres results in the shortening in force production. It’s a math and physics thing with
of the whole muscle and acts to bring the two bones sines and cosines involved, but at the root of it there are
attached to the muscle closer together. If a muscle more muscle fibers packed into the same space. This
shortens, it contracts. type of muscle orientation will be capable of generating
much more force than the parallel muscle, although it
With the exception of the connective tissue surround- will occur over a shorter range of motion and at a lower
ing individual muscle cells (the endomysium, not visible velocity.
to the naked eye), a cross-cut piece of jerky or virtually
any steak at the grocery meat counter can demonstrate How does this tidbit of anatomical and physiological
the organization of connective tissues in the muscle. information help us teach or program exercise? Think
Bundles of muscle fibers are surrounded by connective of all the calf-exercise gimmicks out there proposing to
tissue (the perimysium) and collectively called fascicles. improve vertical jump or sprint speed. Now think of the
Bundles of fascicles are bounded by more connective multi-headed gastrocnemius muscle (the big one of the
tissue (the epimysium), forming a complete muscle. calf). It has muscle fibers that are pennate to its tendon
(the Achille’s or calcaneal tendon) and as such is biased
A structural variation in the way muscle cells are to produce force not velocity (you can’t jump slow).
situated within connective tissue affects the amount Fiber type and mechanical lever issues further limit
of force generated by the muscle (Figures 5A and 5B). the contribution of the gastrocnemius to jump height.
“Pennation” refers to the angle at which the muscle cells Placing a great deal of training attention on the gastrocs
lie in relation to the long axis of the tendon on which they with the intent of increasing jumping performance is
act. When a muscle’s fibers run parallel to the long axis likely time misspent.
of its tendon, the muscle is capable of changing its length
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Movement: From Cells to Sit-ups

A conceptual understanding of the anatomy of muscle
contraction makes it obvious that there is much going
on within a muscle during contraction. Indeed there is,
from individual molecules to the entire muscle. Muscle
anatomy forms the structural basis of contraction. From
the proteins that produce the force to the level of whole
muscle action, a simple understanding of how things
are built forms the core of our knowledge of how to
change their structure to improve their function. The
physiological processes inducing and supporting muscle
contraction are numerous, diverse and important to
know. Making muscle move requires the involvement
of the neural, cardiopulmonary, skeletal and muscular
systems, making it an integrated physiological topic for
later consideration.
About the Author

Lon Kilgore, PhD, is a professor of kinesiology at Midwestern
State University, where he teaches sport and fitness physiol-
ogy and applied anatomy. He has authored or co-authored
several professional exercise textbooks, numerous research
articles on the biology of exercise, and many articles that
interpret exercise science for the average coach and trainee.
His students have become university faculty, high school
and university sport coaches, private fitness practitioners,
physicians, physical therapists, wellness directors, and U.S.
national team coaches in weightlifting and cycling. He has
been a member or chair of the Sports Science Committee for
U.S.A. Weightlifting for more than a decade, a researcher
on the USOC Weightlifting Performance Enhancement
Team project, and a member of the Board of Certification
for the American Society of Exercise Physiologists.
Figure 5: Muscle pennation.

The biceps brachii (A) are muscles with “parallel” muscle fiber
Dr. Lon Kilgore
arrangement (parallel to the long axis of the tendon).

A bipennate muscle, such as the gastrocnemius (B),
has different sets of muscle fiber angles radiating from a
central tendon.
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Scaling: How Less Can Be More

There’s no shame in scaling a WOD. Here are some ideas on how to do it effectively.
Clea Weiss
Luis Albuquerque
Scaling is an important aspect of CrossFit, but one that’s often misunderstood. Correctly altering and
customizing workouts can increase your work capacity, make training more gratifying and keep your Fran
times well under 20 minutes—all good things.
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Scaling ... (continued)
Start Slow—Or Not

The Start Here page on crossfit.com suggests athletes
without experience in weightlifting or gymnastics should
spend a month or two learning the correct technique for
exercises while substituting simplified workouts for the
main-site WODs.
For example, a guy named Jason Khalipa posted a
scaled Fran time of over 12 minutes his first time around
back in late 2007. He was able to do the RX’d weight on
the thrusters but had to substitute jumping pull-ups. A
few years later he completed the thruster-pull-up WOD
at the 2008 CrossFit Games in 3:56 on his way to the
overall title.
Some elite athletes may realize they have to scale when
starting out with CrossFit, but the message hasn’t
always filtered down to everyone. How often do you see
a comment like this posted after a brutal WOD: “This
was my first CrossFit workout—awesome!” If jumping
into doing the workouts full-tilt gets people started out
happily, that may be preferable to not starting CrossFit
at all. On the other hand, being overwhelmed early on
will drive some athletes out of the box.
If you’re starting, it’s always best to work with a good
coach. But not everyone has the money, and good
coaches aren’t always available. Training yourself can
also work and may be preferable to working with bad
coaches. With enough patience, you can teach yourself
all the exercises in CrossFit’s arsenal. If you’re a solitary
CrossFitter, it’s worth making the drive to your closest
affiliate every couple of months for refinements and
improvements on exercises that you cannot teach
yourself.
If you don’t work out at an affiliate, then you are ulti-
mately the one responsible for learning to scale. It can
Scaling handstand push-ups is a great way to work up the
strength to complete the full movement. take months to learn scaling and apply it to yourself.
Expect to make mistakes. Everyone does.
The simple fact is that the WODs posted on crossfit. Scaling: The Pursuit of Power
com are designed for elite athletes with CrossFit expe-
rience, and almost all new CrossFitters will have to Some novice athletes will have to scale their entire
scale their workouts. But scaling properly isn’t easy. program. For athletes just learning weightlifting
It requires careful consideration and testing. It isn’t as movements, scaling may mean completing only body-
simple as picking a random weight and stripping a few weight movements in metabolic conditioning workouts.
bumpers off the bar before a WOD. Similarly, substitut- Once you’ve reached a level of proficiency with weight-
ing movements can be pretty tricky if you don’t know lifting movements that allows you to complete them
what you’re doing. for time, you can begin to work them into your met-con
workouts. The first month or so for a beginning athlete
So how do you scale to achieve the best results?
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may lack variation, but developing competence and 65 pounds has a power output of 64.3 watts. If the
virtuosity in the basic movements is more important same athlete scales the weight down to 45 pounds and
than doing complex movements as soon as possible. completes the workout two minutes faster, her power
output rises to 72.9 watts.
There are various ways to scale. How to elicit the most
effective response is both subtle and complex. You don’t Once again, reducing the weight and completing the
always scale by reducing the duration of workouts, for workout faster increased average power. But that
instance. Scaling correctly will increase work capacity isn’t always the most important component in every
more efficiently than attempting to complete workouts workout, particularly for beginners. This brings us back
as prescribed before you’re ready for them. Properly to the basic question: how do you scale?
lowering the weight and achieving a faster time will
actually yield a higher level of power.
The work and power output calculator on the Catalyst
Athletics website shows that a 5-foot-10, 180-pound If the WOD calls for 30 clean and
athlete who completes Fran with 95 pounds in nine jerks at 155 pounds, it’s clearly
minutes has a power output of 98.2 watts. If the same
athlete scales the weight down to 75 pounds and a met-con WOD. If you turn the
completes the workout two minutes faster, his power workout into 30 single reps with a
output actually rises to 115.7 watts. So using less weight
can sometimes be better.
minute rest between them,
Here’s another example of how using less weight can be
you’ve missed the point.
the right thing to do: a five-foot-five athlete who weighs
130 pounds and completes Fran in nine minutes using
Alex Cibiri/Element CrossFit
Using less weight can actually increase power output if you finish the WOD in less time.
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Lose the Ego, Lower the Weight

How low should you go when reducing the load? Probably
lower than you think. If you’re female or just starting
out and weigh significantly less than 175 pounds, the
prescribed weight will be too much. While elite women
can complete workouts with the weights prescribed for
men, many consider two-thirds or three-quarters of the
men’s weight to be the prescribed weight for women.
Women commonly use 65 pounds for a 95-pound
workout and 95 pounds for a 135-pound workout.
When you do a workout for the first time, pick a weight
that ensures you will complete all the reps. Consider
50 percent of the prescribed weight, or even an empty Jason Khalipa’s 12-Minute Fran
bar. Take a look at your time. Was it as fast and easy
as you thought it would be? If so, increase the weight “I had a hard time but still finished sub-five.”
the next time you do the workout. The increase could be That’s how 2008 CrossFit Games fourth-place
just a few pounds or right up to the prescribed weight. finisher Pat Barber described his first Fran to the
It all depends on how you did. Many workouts appear CrossFit Journal.
infrequently. You might find you can increase weight on
virtual shoveling because your deadlift has improved. We promptly told him to go to hell and continued
searching for an elite athlete who struggled with
It’s also critical to scale weight on workouts that include his or her introduction to CrossFit.
Olympic lifts or high reps of weight that might be too
heavy for you. You need to evaluate the point of the WOD. We found such an athlete in Jason Khalipa.
In CrossFit, one-rep max days exist for a reason: to build Khalipa, you’ll remember, won the 2008 CrossFit
strength while struggling with a heavy load. If the WOD Games—but his nice-to-meet-you WOD was
calls for 30 clean and jerks at 155 pounds, it’s clearly a neither fast nor pretty. When he ran into Fran back
met-con WOD. If you turn the workout into 30 single in December 2007, the champ had to scale things
reps with a minute rest between them, you’ve missed back.
the point. You want to scale the weight appropriately to
preserve the metabolic challenge. Find something that’s “My first CrossFit workout was at Crossfit One
heavy enough to challenge you but light enough to allow World in Union City with Freddy Camacho,”
multiple reps at a reasonable pace. Khalipa recalled. “My first workout was Fran.
Freddy obviously wanted to kick my ass.
“I used the prescribed weight on the thrusters
but was unable to do the pull-ups RX’d. Instead,
Freddy had me do jumping pull-ups times two,
and the workout took me about 12 minutes.”
Scaling:
While Khalipa knew there was something to this
The idea is to challenge yourself CrossFit thing after his first encounter, he never-
with all the exercises, neither theless headed back to Globo Gym for isolation
holding back on a strength nor work on his uvulous and upper dorsimus muscles.
Between sets of biceps curls and triceps exten-
pushing too hard on a weakness. sions—sculpting the guns, of course—he incorpo-
rated some CrossFit into his training. Eventually
he saw the light.
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Furthermore, jumping into a WOD that calls for a high

number of technical lifts is a bad idea if you don’t know
how to do the movement properly. There’s a reason “I had been doing Globo Gym workouts all my life,
most CrossFitters learn complex movements with a so what could possibly happen if I switched things
piece of PVC pipe, so don’t expect to perfect the snatch up for one month to try CrossFit out?” Khalipa
with a stopwatch going and 135 pounds on the bar. said. “Once I committed to CrossFit it was my
goal to complete all of the workouts as prescribed.
Fewer Reps: Turning Filthy 50 into Terrible 10 This was extremely challenging for me, especially
Lowering the rep count is also an option. Consider those workouts that involved pull-ups, handstand
cutting Murph in half or reducing Barbara to 10 pull-ups, push-ups and muscle-ups.
20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups and 40 squats. This keeps the “Every day I would practice what I sucked at. Over
same time frame and difficulty for athletes who quickly time I became more proficient at my kip and built
lose their stamina on body-weight exercises. While strength, which helped me to finally complete
preserving the symmetry of a workout like Angie may most of the main-site workouts as prescribed.”
be conceptually pleasing, don’t be afraid to scale only
the pull-ups or push-ups. About eight months later, Khalipa was crowned
the Fittest Man on Earth at The Ranch in Aromas,
How many reps should you cut out of a workout? One California.
way is to consider how difficult the prescribed repeti-
tions would be for an intermediate athlete. Beginner Your progression might not be quite as spec-
athletes should aim for a number of reps that will be as tacular, but the champ’s story should offer a little
challenging for them as the prescribed workout would comfort when you have to drop weight for Linda,
be for an intermediate athlete. Consider this tough substitute dips and pulls for muscle-ups, or knock
workout from Jan. 16, 2009: a round off Barbara.
For time: —Mike Warkentin

10 GHD sit-ups
10 hip & back extensions
30 95-pound thrusters
Alex Cibiri/Element CrossFit

50 pull-ups
30 GHD sit-ups
35 pull-ups
50 GHD sit-ups
20 pull-ups
Few athletes will be able to complete the first set of
50 pull-ups in a row, so when scaling this workout you
should pick a number that will take you at least three
or four sets to complete, if not more. But if you find
you have do the last 10 pull-ups as singles with rest in
between each one on the first set, you’ve bitten off more
than you can chew and you’re sacrificing your metabolic Scaling the movement itself is always an option if
the RX’d version is too challenging.
response.
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As with the pull-ups, the other repetitions in this workout You may want to do a one max set of unassisted
could be scaled to minimize recovery downtime. When pull-ups (even if this is a single pull-up) and then switch
scaling repetitions, one approach is to match your time to the assisted version on every single set of pull-ups
to the time an intermediate athlete would get perform- in the WOD. This may result in a larger overall number
ing the workout as prescribed. of unassisted pull-ups, but maybe not. Every athlete is
different.
Scale the Movement:
How to Manage Muscle-ups Additionally, don’t stop working on strict pull-ups after
you learn to kip. Kipping pull-ups are great. Doing them
Altering the movements themselves takes more thought.
exclusively would be unwise.
People who have difficulty doing pull-ups have a choice
between assisted pull-ups, jumping pull-ups or ring Some athletes can’t do muscle-ups, handstand push-ups
rows. While one pull-up substitution shouldn’t be used or other excercises. Even replacing each muscle-up
to the exclusion of all others, some substitutions work with four pull-ups may be too much some beginners.
better than others in specific workouts. Using assis- Start with one pull-up and one dip. Eventually you can
tance bands or Gravitron-type machines may develop increase to two, three or four pull-ups and dips for every
strength efficiently, but jumping pull-ups will better muscle-up.
preserve the metabolic stimulus of a workout. Consider
And don’t worry too much about doing the same number
using jumping pull-ups for a workout like Barbara. For
of reps for each exercise. If you’re substituting pull-ups
lower-rep workouts like Fran, consider assisted pull-ups
and dips for the muscle-ups in Nasty Girls, for example,
or ring rows for a pull-up ladder.
there’s no reason not to do 14 pull-ups and seven ring
How should you program for athletes who can do some, dips if you still struggle with ring dips but want to do
but not all, of the pull-ups in a workout? If you haven’t more than 21 pull-ups in the entire workout. The idea is to
planned to do so, having to switch to assisted pull-ups challenge yourself with all the exercises, neither holding
halfway through a workout can be discouraging. back on a strength nor pushing too hard on a weakness.
Luis Albuquerque
Of course, scaling up is always an option for firebreathers looking to test themselves.
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Scaling Rounds and Rest

Altering round and rep prescriptions is a particularly good
strategy for slow runners and rowers who are develop-
ing respiratory capacity. If three rounds of a five-round
workout take more than 25 minutes to complete, some
modification is required. You don’t want the workout to
turn into a long, low-intensity effort of limited benefit.
You can reduce the number of rounds, but you can also
increase the length of rest.
Consider adding an extra minute to the rest periods
in Fight Gone Bad, for example. For some athletes, the
result will be higher output and intensity than when
doing the workout as prescribed. Adding rest intervals
to workouts can also increase output. Using the Catalyst
Athletics work and power output calculator again, if a
five-foot-eight, 150-pound athlete can perform 12 rounds
of Cindy in 20 minutes, his power output is 72.82 watts.
If that athlete takes a two-minute rest halfway through
and completes 15 total rounds of Cindy in 22 minutes,
Doing ring pull-ups with a false grip is a good way
to get closer to that elusive muscle-up. his output rises to 82.75 watts.
You might also want to try a workout without the clock.
For handstand pushups, substituting push-ups with It could really help you. Or you might feel lost, confused
elevated feet is preferable to using a partial range of and purposeless. The first time you attempt a heavier
motion. Plyometric boxes work well, and athletes can weight or an RX’d workout, consider not timing yourself.
place their knees on the box for additional assistance. You can still push yourself with intensity, but removing
GHD sit-ups are easily replaced with normal sit-ups. If the stopwatch can take some of the pressure off. This
you want to work GHD sit-ups into your workouts, you is a good idea when completing exercises you are just
can split the set into half GHDs and half regular or Abmat learning—such as Olympic lifts—as part of met-con
sit-ups. Similarly, back extensions are easy to replace workouts. Without rushing, you can focus on perform-
with supermans or good mornings. The Exercises and ing complex movement patterns, breathing and staying
Demos section of the CrossFit website is rich in videos conscious.
showing progressions for different movements. Spend
time with these videos. Knowing When to Fold
Sometimes it’s OK not to scale. If you have consistency
with the movements and you’re really dying to see what
your Fran time is, go for it. If you have a solid founda-
“If you don’t work out at an tion in body-weight movements and want to gut out
affiliate, then you are ultimately a full Murph before you’re ready, it probably won’t kill
you—but maybe skip the weight vest.
the one responsible for learning to
Taking on a little too much is totally humbling. It will
scale. It can take months to learn probably remind you of one of your first workouts.
scaling and apply it to yourself. It’s good fun to be reminded of your own limits every
Expect to make mistakes. once in a while. But if you take on too much and feel
your form is breaking down beyond a safe point, do the
Everyone does.” unthinkable: quit the WOD. It takes times to learn when
quitting is prudent and when it’s just slacking. Knowing
the difference is important.
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If you’re just starting out and can’t judge whether to
Luis Albuquerque
hold back or push harder, hold back. Once you’ve been
doing CrossFit for a while and learn what your real limits
are, push harder.
Skill practice is important for all athletes. If you have
extra time, practice kicking up into a handstand 50
times. Practice kipping every day, even if no pull-ups
appear in the WOD. Work on L-sits and skin-the-cats
because basic gymnastics skills are incredibly useful.
Education is also important. For beginners, the three-on,
one-off schedule itself may need to be scaled. If you find
yourself too sore and exhausted to work out on the third
day, dedicate your time to learning more. Read Mark
Rippetoe’s Starting Strength or Greg Everett’s Olympic
Weightlifting. Start learning about the Zone and Paleo
diets, or spend some quality time in the archives of the
CrossFit Journal.
Careful scaling works—but it takes planning and experi-
ence. Track your progress, evaluate the results of your
scaling and correct your mistakes. Talk to other coaches
and athletes and ask for advice. Think, plan and educate
yourself.
Most importantly, keep at it. While it may seem
that you’re always scaling or just completing basic
movements day-in and day-out, you’ll eventually start
cranking out impressive CrossFit performances. The day
will come. Just keep hitting the scaled workouts with all
you have: blood, sweat, tears and patience.
Scaling now is one of the best ways to avoid scaling later.
About the Author

Clea Weiss has been CrossFitting for a little more than a
year. She just graduated from Cornell University and has
just opened an affiliate in Ithaca, NY, CrossFit Ithaca.
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Less Is More for Champion Runner

Scott Hartley thought his running career was over. Then he discovered CrossFit at 44.
Now he’s among the fastest masters runners in the United States,
running many fewer miles than his rivals.
Parker Morse
Scott Hartley is defying just about everything: the odds, conventional wisdom and his own running past.
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Less Is More ... (continued)
There is no unanimity about the correct way to train Early in March, Hartley, from Nunn, Colorado, won
middle-distance runners, but most coaches follow a the 800-meter and one-mile races at the 2009 U.S.A.
model laid out by the legendary New Zealand coach Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships. In April,
Arthur Lydiard in the 1960s. Lydiard coached Peter he won the masters mile at the Drake Relays, one of the
Snell, Murray Halberg and Barry Magee to Olympic biggest and oldest track meets in the United States. On
medals. Lydiard’s system centers on high volume a 200-meter indoor track, Hartley ran 1:57.89 for 800
aerobic development as a base, followed by a cycle of meters—within four seconds of his all-time PR, which he
training for strength (through hill running or bounding set half a lifetime ago as a Division II collegiate athlete
and springing drills), followed by speedwork on the at the Colorado School of Mines. The American Record
track. The program concludes with tapering before a for that distance in the 45-49 age group is 1:56.29.
peak race.
Put another way, Hartley is running between 20 and 40
In the base phase, Lydiard’s athletes ran a volume that percent of the miles run by other athletes at his level.
will strike CrossFitters as so outlandish that it looks like He’s working just as hard, though, because his training
a misprint: up to 100 miles a week. Today, few runners calendar is liberally sprinkled with names like Michael,
beyond collegians and professionals run that many Fran and Cindy. Figuring out how those workouts made
miles. Almost all runners find a lesser program adapted a frustrated, retired runner with back problems into
to their abilities, but most nationally ranked runners still one of the top masters middle-distance athletes in the
rely on Lydiard’s principles and run a lot of miles a lot of country requires going back to Hartley’s college days.
the time.
A Background in Speed
Not Scott Hartley. His system involves fewer than 20 Hartley was a track runner in high school in Colorado
miles per week and (so far) very little of the Lydiard- but hadn’t intended to run in college. But like many
style training phases.
Workouts like Fight Gone Bad helped Scott Hartley improve performance while sharply decreasing mileage.
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engineering schools, the Colorado School of Mines had

problems with first-year students gaining weight. One
of the ways they chose to address the issue was with
a compulsory physical-education course for credit. The
only requirement was that the students in the course
had to show up, run two miles and go home. “Some
guys,” Hartley recalls, “took the whole hour. I’d get there,
run as quickly as I could, and go home.”
Hartley is running between

20 and 40 percent of the miles
run by other athletes at his level.
Hartley was spotted by the track coach. He wound up

on a partial scholarship, running for Mines in the Rocky
Mountain Athletic Conference, one of the toughest in
the NCAA Division II ranks. Hartley ran 400 and 800 Scott Hartley decided to lift his way out of
meters, racing around 47 to 48 seconds in the 400 and back pain—and it worked.
1:52 for the 800. He held the Mines indoor record at
600 meters (1:25.7) until 2008. I’d went to see doctors and physical therapists who
Like many talented runners, Hartley was at loose ends told me I would just have to live with it, that there was
for competition after graduation. Most track meets are degeneration in my lower back, and that was the way it
closed competitions for collegiate athletes, so the most was. I’d pretty much written off running.”
obvious route for runners hoping to continue running
Lifting Your Way Out
is road racing. “I did some five-Ks,” Hartley recalls,
“training five to 10 miles a day. I broke 15 minutes one A middle-distance runner looking for a coach would
time.” not likely pick Conrad Shaefer’s resume out of a stack.
Shaefer is a champion water skier who came to CrossFit
This period was also the beginning of Hartley’s cycle of “in order to maintain a competitive edge (and) stay
injury. healthy and injury-free.” Shaefer is a Level 1 certified
“I would train for three or four months and start feeling CrossFit trainer at CrossFit Eaton, a few miles south
like I was getting into good shape,” he explains. “Then I’d of Nunn. Shaefer was a co-worker of Hartley’s at an
get hurt. I would pull a quad or my back would start to Anheuser-Busch brewery.
ache, and it would take months to heal. I’d only get to a “We were talking about how I couldn’t drive in a car
certain level before I’d have to stop. I’m pretty stubborn, because of my back,” Hartley says. “Conrad said,
and I’m sure I did that several times before I gave up.” ‘Maybe you should think about lifting your way out of
By the time Harley stopped, his five-K times had climbed the problem.’”
two or three minutes. Shaefer suggested Hartley’s back problems and his
“It got to be agonizing,” he remembers. “My lower-back recurring quadriceps injuries could be addressed by
problems had reached the point that I couldn’t ride in a balancing the strength Hartley had built from running.
car for long periods because my legs would go numb. They started with air squats.
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“I couldn’t do it,” Hartley recalls. “I couldn’t keep my

weight on my heels. I would go down and my weight
would go to my toes and my knees would go forward.”
It took months of patient stretching and strengthen-
ing, along with core strengthening and work on other
aspects of his fitness, before Hartley could do proper air
squats. Now they’re a mainstay of his training.
“It’s hard to even think I was at a stage where I was
concerned about that kind of stuff,” Hartley says.
Hartley’s tight hamstrings and tendency to rock to his
toes during a squat is unsurprising when you watch the
video of his victory at Drake. Hartley’s stride, like that
of most successful middle-distance runners, doesn’t
put any weight on his heels. There’s no over-striding,
and at toe-off his leg is at a 45-degree angle from the
vertical—just what Lydiard advised. Hartley attributes
this to his approach to training.
“I don’t like jogging,” said Hartley. “I want to go fast and
get it done.”
The Low-Mileage Training Plan
Hartley’s combination of middle-distance training and
CrossFit has meant an extraordinarily low-mileage
program. A typical week in February included no runs
longer than four miles and frequent speedwork.
Sunday:
Eight sprint intervals with treadmill at extreme incline,
using either Tabata intervals or 30 seconds of work
followed by 20 seconds of recovery. Workout is occa-
sionally taken outdoors and performed on a hill.
Tuesday:
3x400 meters at 1:00 (4-minute-mile pace)
Thursday:
4x400 meters
Friday:
Michael: 800 meters, 50 back extensions and 50
sit-ups for three rounds.
Scott Hartley: proof that you can be strong and fast.
The high percentage of speedwork (what runners
sometimes call “quality” workouts) shows how judging
Hartley’s program by mileage shortchanges it. Hartley
is running as much speedwork as is recommended in
a typical Lydiard program for 1,500-meter runners.
He’s skipping the base phase, the point of which is to
build up the strength the runner would need to handle
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the speedwork. Thanks to CrossFit, Hartley now has He continues: “My weight hasn’t changed at all. My
strength in reserve. The schedule, he says, “maximizes appearance has. It’s been nice not to have to give up
work.” strength in order to run.”
Hartley has been tinkering with his training program less The Last Piece: Racing
than a year now. One piece he’s still working on is peri- Both Hartley’s program and Lydiard’s are designed to
odization: the adaptation of daily workouts to a larger prepare the athlete for competition. But finding quality
cycle geared toward delivering the athlete to competi- races was a problem for Hartley.
tion well rested and in peak condition. The current cycle
works like this: after a competition, Hartley’s mileage “I might not have heard of masters track at all,” he says,
comes down and his strength work goes way up. “I’ll do “but I just happened on these two old guys throwing
lots of heavy lifting” in that stage, he says. a hammer at the Colorado State University track” in
nearby Fort Collins. They told him about a meet coming
up, and there he learned about the indoor season.
The paradox is that even masters meets don’t have
much to offer Hartley now. Only events such as the
“My weight hasn’t changed at all. Drake Relays, which draw a national-class field, offer
My appearance has. It’s been nice him much competition.
not to have to give up strength “I’m planning on running in an open meet in Fort Collins
in order to run.” on June 13,” he says, hoping to find younger runners who
can give him a challenge. Then it’s on to the outdoor
—Scott Hartley Masters Nationals meet, to be held this year in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, in July.
He ramps up the running component as the next compe-

tition gets closer. Only in the last week before competi- Masters Miling
tion does he back off both running and lifting. Shaefer
Hundreds, if not thousands, of runners have
says, “Scott programs his own in-season training... This
run under 4:00 since Roger Bannister first
leads to some degradation in other physical capacities.
ran 3:59.4 in 1954, and the mile remains the
He returns to solid CrossFit programming in the off-
only frequently run “imperial” distance in an
season to rebuild himself.”
otherwise all-metric sport. (Olympic and World
One of the more quoted lines from doctor, author and Championship competitions feature the 1,500
late-in-life runner George Sheehan is his characterization meters instead, a slightly shorter race which
of each runner as “an experiment of one.” Hartley says of was established on French 500-meter tracks
his new regimen, “This just happens to work for me.” around the time the English were building
quarter-mile tracks.)
Shaefer says Hartley’s program is “all Scott. I work
on making sure he does the movements in CrossFit However, only one runner over the age of
correctly in order to maximize his benefit and give him 40 has ever run sub-four: Irishman Eamonn
the solid foundation (for his running training).” Coghlan in 1994. Coghlan ran his record 3:58:13
indoors, where he was most comfortable. As
Hartley says, “Conrad introduces the workouts. I pick
a professional, Coghlan ran 83 sub-four miles
the ones I like.”
and won the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose
“I hadn’t lifted much before CrossFit,” he adds. “There’s Games seven times, earning him the nickname
an element of danger, and I won’t lift by myself. When “Chairman of the Boards.”
you have it right, it gives you great explosiveness.”
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“If I can’t find open or college meets, it’s hard to push

myself,” says Hartley.
What Hartley has found is a small community of older
runners, spread around the country, redefining what
“older runners” are really capable of. He’s raced many of
the same athletes at the indoor nationals and at Drake.
“It’s fun to see these guys” at the different races, he
says, and as he learns their racing styles he gets better
at planning his own races.
The motivation is evident in Hartley’s voice when he
sums up how far he’s come since he started CrossFit:
“I’m feeling stronger now than I’ve ever felt in my life.”
The chuckle in his voice makes Hartley’s next words
sound like a joke, unless you know the context—the
blistering 800-meter times discussed in the second
paragraph.
“I’m not faster yet, but I’m working on it.”
About the Author

Parker Morse is a web programmer and freelance track
writer in Amherst, Massachusetts. He has covered three
World Championships in Athletics, the Beijing Olympics,
and more national championships than he cares to count,
writing for Runner’s World, Running Times and New
England Runner, among others. He has run 2:02.4 for 800
meters and 34:04 for 10,000 meters, and his heels still
come off the ground when he tries to do air squats.
Parker Morse running the “media 800 meters”

at the Osaka World Championships in 2007.
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Three of CrossFit’s top trainers program a

workout for a hypothetical client.
What workout would
you program for this scenario?
Tony Budding created

a hypothetical client Steve is 42-year-old banker and has been
named Steve and a CrossFitting for six months. He can do most
proposed workout of the main-site WODs as RX’d, but some of
to challenge the them just barely. Steve often scales workouts
programming skills back a little so he can keep moving. He follows
of some of CrossFit’s the main-site workouts most of the time and
best. Here’s what he comes in for personal training once or twice a
came up with... week as his schedule allows.
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YOU Be the Trainer ... (continued)
Today is Thursday. Steve will be in later

today. It’s time to program his session.
THE TRAINERS
Here’s what Steve has done this week.
Monday:
Rest
Tuesday:
Scaled version of Diane.
21 deadlifts (185 pounds) and 15
handstand push-ups. Then, 15 deadlifts
and 10 handstand push-ups.
Finally, 9 deadlifts and 5 handstand
push-ups. Steve’s time was 9:40.
Wednesday:
Kelly as RX’d. Tony Budding, CrossFit HQ
Five rounds of 400-meter run, 30 box
jumps on a 20-inch box, 30 wall-ball
shots. Steve’s time was 32:45.
The proposed workout:

50-40-30-20-10
Kettlebell swings
(1.5 pood or approximately 53 pounds)
Push-ups
Is this a good workout for Steve today?

Decide for yourself or continue reading
the article. Compare your answer to
our trainers’ opinions. Post your results Adrian (Boz) Bozman
to comments.
San Francisco CrossFit
3-2-1... Go!
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Adrian (Boz) Bozman

San Francisco CrossFit
We need to keep Steve safe. Another alternative to consider would be
programming a weightlifting day for Steve
Let’s not crush him.
after all the huffing and puffing he’s done
Today’s proposed workout has too much this week. A clean-and-jerk or snatch day
volume. It includes 150 kettlebell swings. might fit nicely. The loads won’t be heavier
Steve had to scale deadlifts two days ago, than the deadlifts he did two days ago. He
and he did wall-ball shots and box jumps should be able to manage his fatigue and
yesterday. That’s a lot of hip extension hold his form because he won’t be doing
already this week. His glutes, hams and low many reps. If Steve’s form does break
back are already pretty trashed. down, I’d use the session for Olympic lifting
practice. After all he’s seen this week, I
If Steve were a hard-charging firebreather,
wouldn’t expect any 1RM PRs.
this workout might be reasonable. But
Steve is not training for any specific event Here’s another idea: weighted pull-ups
right now. We should be building him up, might be another nice “weightlifting”
not tearing him down. Let’s be prudent. We alternative here. Sprinkle in some skill work
want to promote a conditioning stimulus and Steve ends up with a highly productive
without going so far that training time is session that sets him up for a great next
lost due to soreness or injury. cycle of workouts.
Let’s dig in deeper. Steve has done a lot My bigger point is there are many ways we
of pressing this week but no pulling. So can go with Steve. We need to think long
push-ups may not be the best fit, either. term. People see the quick improvements
The rep scheme for the workout might be CrossFit promotes and many think that
altered from 50-40-30-20-10 to 25-20-15- faster results will always be better.
10-5. This will still pack a wallop and allow
But it makes no sense to burn out a guy
Steve to finish quickly. That might be nice
like Steve. He could end up with significant
after two longer workouts this week.
muscular soreness in his lower back and
But why not consider bigger changes? have some choice words for the trainer.
This week Steve has seen a lot of hip
I’m not suggesting going easy on Steve.
extension but little hip flexion. How about
Just adjust the intensity to his limitations.
some sit-ups? Let’s just use the plain ol’
The progress will come. More often than
feet-planted AbMat (or equivalent) sit-up.
not, good training is a patient person’s
Nothing fancy. And how about adding
game.
pull-ups?
Now we have our new workout for Steve:
25-20-15-10-5 of pull-ups and sit-ups. This
is quite different from what Steve has done
this week. He can hit the workout hard
without getting destroyed.
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E.C. Synkowski
CrossFit Boston THE TRAINERS
I do not like the proposed Thursday
workout for Steve. There are four main
reasons.
First reason:
It’s another high-volume met-con, like Kelly
the day before.
Second reason:
Steve is likely worn down. This will be his
third day in a row working out. The volume
in the proposed workout is again high. His
intensity will likely suffer.
Third reason:
Steve hasn’t done any short workouts yet
this week.
Fourth reason: E.C. Synkowski
The proposed workout is another pull-push CrossFit Boston
combination, like the Diane workout he did
two days ago.
If we needed to keep this workout generally
similar to Tony’s proposal, I would scale
it from 50-40-30-20-10 kettlebell swings
and push-ups to 21-15-9 and maintain the
weight at 1.5 pood.
A completely different workout would be
far better. Let’s make this a strength day.
How about 5x3 (or 5x5) back or front
squats? We’ve already done plenty of
overhead pressing this week.
I’d love to throw in some snatches or clean
and jerks, but I think Steve may be too
neurologically fried to hit them with any
significant load. I’d rather open with them
on the next cycle. Chris Spealler
CrossFit Park City
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Chris Spealler
CrossFit Park City
Scratch the whole workout. It’s too much. The pull-ups will be tough. But I want
Putting Steve through 150 kettlebell swings Steve to stay away from pressing today.
doesn’t make sense. Steve’s posterior chain The hang power snatch is designed to be
is already a bit fried from the 45 deadlifts more technical, and the lighter load will
and 150 wall-ball shots earlier in the week. lay off the posterior chain a bit (compared
to full squat snatches). This will be a great
Today, let’s focus on pulling and time
opportunity for Steve to focus on how
priority. Normally, I would like to see some
well he is moving and how that affects
heavy work like a 3x3 push press or push
his rep-count score. The sit-ups are there
jerk. But I think even this would be too
more or less as filler. I want him working
much, especially considering Steve’s slower
into that 12-minute range but don’t want to
times on the heavier deadlifts from Diane.
smash him. They will be tough but provide
I’d program a warm-up of mobility drills good recovery from all the pulling in the
and some work on Olympic lifts with light first two exercises.
loads (or other technique work on things
I also think it’s important to give him an
Steve struggles with, such as double-
opportunity to really push himself. Diane
unders or muscle-ups). The main WOD
seems like it was a bit of a slugger and took
would be a Tabata Mash-up of pull-ups,
him a while to do. Kelly is a longer workout,
hang power snatches at 75 pounds and
and although tough, it’s a bit more paced
sit-ups.
out.
(A Tabata Mash-up means using the Tabata
The idea here is really making Steve work
interval while alternating exercises. In this
hard but not overtraining him with the
case, that would mean doing max pull-ups,
same movements. The Tabata interval
snatches and sit-ups in 20 second intervals,
provides us with a built-in rest, which
each followed by 10 seconds of transition
allows us to hit the work intervals harder.
time. There are eight rounds total.)
Post-WOD: stretch out the hips, low back,
Why? The total workout time for Steve is
hammies and lats. Foam roll as well. I think
already set. The work is up to him. It will be
this is super important as people start to
12 minutes and allow him to work in some
build up some significant work capacity.
short intervals. I think this is a great option
The more we are capable of doing, the
for someone who needs some recovery
more we have to stay on top of taking care
but may still have the ability or energy
of ourselves.
left to work super hard. I can gauge how
he’s feeling by his performance in the first Steve sounds like he’s getting close to this
couple of rounds and tell him to slow down point, and we want to make sure we stay
or pick up the intensity depending on what on top of his recovery.
his technique and motivation are like.
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The Last Word:

Tony Budding, CrossFit HQ
Good programming is both art and science. Ninety percent of your genetic potential is
Programming for individuals is different still worlds better than isolation movements
than programming for groups. Setting the and cardio at the Globo Gym. And it gives
workout of the day for your gym is different you a little breathing room to guess wrong
than programming a single workout for one and have more fun. You can always ratchet
athlete. up the effort over time if Steve keeps
coming back asking for more.
In this scenario, we know enough about
Steve to recognize that the proposed All three trainers recognized this and
workout is far from ideal. All three of our modified the programming accordingly.
trainers wanted to reduce the volume and If Steve has pretty solid pull-ups, Boz’s
get him away from excessive hip-opening idea of a 1RM weighted pull-up combined
and pushing movements. All three at least with some skill work could be ideal. It’s
considered going heavy. completely different from every other
workout and movement trained this week.
There was some disagreement about But if Steve is still working on high-volume
what to do heavy, particularly around the pull-ups, the 1RM weighted pull-up
Olympic movements (clean, jerk, snatch). probably wouldn’t be enough of a challenge
Good programming could only happen to comprise an entire workout.
here with more extensive knowledge
about Steve’s history and the quality of Speal’s idea of the Tabata Mash-up is also
his mechanics in these movements. It’s great because it’s extremely difficult for
certainly possible that Steve would be too an athlete to run this workout alone. As a
fried to be able to give the Oly lifts a legit trainer, you can really help him manage his
effort, or it could be that the intense focus effort within each 20-second interval, and
required for a heavy Oly day is exactly the you can keep score for him. This allows
challenge Steve needs. Chances are pretty him to focus exclusively on his effort.
good, though, that Steve’s proficiency in Done properly, this is an excellent bonding
the Oly movements isn’t sufficient to wreck workout.
him physically, and a good dose of technical E.C.’s idea of heavy back squats could also
instruction with gradual weight increases make for a productive session. It’s hard to
could be a perfect session. push back squats to the limit alone, as there
Fitness is capacity across broad time and is no easy way to dump if you get stuck.
modal domains throughout life. Many Having a trainer there to spot can give Steve
factors are at work here, including a psycho- the confidence to go where he wouldn’t
logical aspect. Steve is relatively new to by himself. He’s still pretty fresh to the
CrossFit, isn’t young enough to aspire to program, so he should still be seeing good
becoming a top Games competitor, and gains. With the spotting, he’s likely to set a
seems to have a full life. Quality of life PR, which is always a good thing.
is probably more important to him than There’s no black or white answer when it
maximizing performance. I’m sure he wants comes to ideal programming, but hopefully
a good bang for his buck, and none of these these trainers have given you some solid
trainers was suggesting taking it easy on reasoning for how to think about effective
him. But it’s probably smart to aim for 90 programming.
percent, leaving a little cushion.
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Mastering the Jerk

The jerk is the preferred method of getting big weight overhead with power.
Legendary weightlifting coach Bill Starr breaks it down from drive to lockout.
Bill Starr
In the early ‘70s, as the sport of powerlifting grew and the military press was dropped from Olympic lifting
competitions, the bench press replaced the overhead press as the standard for upper-body strength in the
United States. As a result, Olympic lifters were, for the most part, the only group of strength athletes who
continued to do any sort of overhead lifting. Although only a few continued to do military presses, they all
did a lot of jerks.
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Mastering the Jerk ... (continued)
In recent years overhead lifts have experienced a

revival in strength routines, and they’re also a big part
of CrossFit. Of course, with my background in Olympic
lifting, I’ve always encouraged my athletes to do presses
and jerks—even my female athletes.
I’m convinced that the strength gained from doing any
type of overhead work is much more transferable to
any athletic endeavor, although I believe flat or incline
presses can be most beneficial to overall strength when
done properly. Now, more and more scholastic and colle-
giate strength coaches are seeing the value of these two
overhead movements and adding them to their players’
programs. Similarly, CrossFit athletes are putting weight
overhead in their quest for total fitness.
Everywhere you turn you’ll see ads pushing some
product, exercise gadget or video that claims to enhance
core strength. “Core strength” has become a trendy
phrase. But overhead lifting makes all the groups that
constitute the core a great deal stronger in a manner
few other exercises can match. Elevating a loaded
barbell overhead and holding it in position for five or six
seconds strengthens the muscles and attachments of
the arms, shoulders, back, hips and legs.
Technique Depends on Strength
Some think they need a coach to teach them the jerk.
Certainly a coach who knows his stuff is an asset, but
I taught myself how to jerk by looking at photos in
magazines and watching others perform. I practiced
the form until I knew I was doing it right: the bar would
float upward in the proper groove to lockout. All my
fellow lifters in the ‘50s and ‘60s learned to do jerks the
same way, which means you can as well if you have the
desire.
I can, and have, taught rank beginners how to jerk. Yet,
it is my contention that an athlete will be able to learn
the jerk much more easily if he or she spends some time
strengthening the shoulder girdle and back, plus the hips
and legs. Use squats for the hips and legs, power cleans
for the back and military presses for the shoulder girdle.
The military press is more useful in this regard than
inclines, flat benches or dips because it requires that the
bar be held in place overhead at the conclusion of each
rep. This helps the athlete to get the feel of supporting
a heavy weight overhead and also strengthens all the
muscles that are part of that supporting process.
The jerk is a combination of strength and technique.
If you lack either one, the iron will probably hit the floor.
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While the arms pay a much bigger role in pressing than A truism that many often forget is that technique on any
they do in jerking, they still need to be strong in order to exercise is directly dependent on strength. Walking is a
control and sustain a heavy weight overhead. A press is learned physical skill. In order for a toddler to toddle, he
done more deliberately than a jerk, so it’s more of a pure must first become strong enough to support himself on
strength move. That’s a good thing when trying to build his feet and move forward. A patient recovering from
a solid strength base. Pressing heavy weights also builds hip or knee surgery has to relearn how to walk and can
strength in the back, especially the higher portion. This only do so after he or she has regained a certain amount
is very valuable when jerking maximum loads because of strength. So the stronger you are, the easier it will be
those larger upper back muscles are then capable of for you to master the technique in the jerk.
supporting a great amount of weight.
Skip the Split Step—For Now
There are other benefits from pressing prior to learning There are two ways to jerk a weight from your shoulders
how to jerk. Pressing teaches the proper line in which the to a locked-out position overhead: push jerks without
bar needs to travel upward. This is the same line used in moving your feet or with a small skip to the side, and
jerking. When someone learns to press, he or she knows splitting your feet fore and aft. Both styles are effective
how to position the bar properly across the shoulders. and legal in competitions. It’s mostly a matter of which
This is the same for the jerk, although the positioning one suits you the best.
of the elbows is often different for some athletes in the
two lifts. I’ll comment on this a bit later on. Even if an athlete has decided on the split style, I still
start him or her with push jerks. One of the most difficult
parts of learning how to jerk is the start. You have to
utilize your legs and hips to propel the bar upward.
This is quite a contrast to overhead pressing, where
It is my contention that an the shoulders and arms assume this responsibility. In
athlete will be able to learn the pressing, the primary groups are in the shoulder girdle.
In jerking, they’re in the hips, legs and back.
jerk much more easily if he or she
Push jerks force you to focus on those more powerful
spends some time strengthening groups and will teach you to establish a precise line of
the shoulder girdle and back, plus flight without having to think about moving your feet.
While teaching this exercise, I do not want the athlete
the hips and legs. Use squats for to move the feet at all. I want him or her to learn to drive
the hips and legs, power cleans the bar just as high as possible in the correct line while
for the back and military presses maintaining a perfectly erect upper body, then locking
it out.
for the shoulder girdle.
Initially, I have the athlete drive the bar upward and lock
it out without re-bending his knees to rack the weight.
Of course, this means using light weights, but that’s fine.
I want the athlete to establish a pattern of driving the
So in preparation to learning the jerk, spend six weeks bar just as high as possible, then following through to
or a couple of months honing your form on the press the finish. Once this is established, more weight can be
and moving the numbers up. If you focus on improving used and foot movement and re-bending of the knees
the press and increase your best by 40-50 pounds, it’s is permitted.
going to be much easier for you to do jerks correctly
because your upper body is going to be considerably Your grip for the jerk will be the same used for cleaning.
stronger. The same holds true for your back and lower After you clean a weight, either by power cleaning or
body because you’ll be hitting your squats and power full cleaning, you don’t want to have to alter your grip
cleans hard at the same time you’re leaning on your for the jerk portion of the lift with a heavy weight lying
presses. on your shoulders. This is extremely awkward and will
change the starting position.
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In this same vein, if you are doing a great deal of bench

pressing, you need to change your routine if you want
to be successful in learning how to jerk. Doing benches
too often is the primary reason most strength athletes
end up with tight shoulders. That’s why the majority of
Olympic lifters avoid benching entirely.
Another problem area for many when they first start
racking heavy weights across their shoulders is the
wrist or wrists. Two ideas will help. First, should there
be a lot of pressure exerted on your wrists when you
rack a weight, either to press or jerk it, tape or wrap
them securely. Second, stretch out your elbows to
take some of the stress off your wrists. You can do this
alone, but having someone assist you is more efficient.
Fix a bar inside a power rack, grip it firmly, then have a
training mate elevate your elbows, one at a time. Once
it hits a sticking point, continue to exert tension on the
elbow for another six or eight seconds. Switch to the
other arm, then do them together. While the training
mate is pushing up against the elbows in a gentle but
firm manner, the athlete must keep the torso erect. The
procedure doesn’t work when the athlete leans back and
away from the discomfort—and, yes, there is discom-
fort, particularly at first.
The Dip: It’s Shallower Than You Think
After you’ve loosened your shoulders and elbows and
taped your wrists, you’re ready to proceed. Using a clean
grip, fix the bar across your frontal deltoids. It should
not be set against your clavicles (collarbones) because
it’s painful, and doing so repeatedly can damage those
You want the bar to move up, not away from you, bones. It’s also a weaker starting position than if the bar
so an erect torso is critical to jerking. is locked on your front delts.
I want to note that inflexible shoulders will pose a A good rack position is easy to accomplish. Merely lift
major problem for those trying to push or split jerk. The up your entire shoulder girdle by shrugging and you will
very first step for many athletes is to do loosen tight have a nice pad of muscle to cushion the bar as it lies
shoulders because when an athlete has stiff, unyielding across your shoulders. Your upper arms may be set a bit
shoulders, he or she cannot rack the bar properly nor higher for the jerk than the press. I’ve seen some lifters
lock the bar out correctly overhead. who had their triceps parallel to the floor, but that was
not the norm. Most had their elbows a bit higher than
You can use a towel, a piece of rope or a stick. Hold it over what they used for the press, but not much. However,
your head and rotate your shoulders back and forth. As you don’t want your elbows to be too low because this
the muscles and attachments warm up, assume a closer will cause you to drive the weight out front and you
grip and work them more. Do this prior to doing jerks, don’t want that.
while you’re doing them and after you’ve finished the
workout. If you happen to have very stubborn shoulders, Jerks can be done after you power or full clean a weight,
stretch them again at night. They will loosen up if you but while learning the lift, it’s best to take the weight out
persist. of a power rack or staircase squat rack. Once you have
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The dip is not a quarter squat. It has to be shallow if you want to generate big power.
it set properly, lock the bar down into your shoulders. Learning how far to dip down will take some trial and
Make it part of your body. This will give you more error. You need to dip low enough to allow you to put
control on the initial drive. You feet should be shoulder a mighty thrust into the bar, but not so low that you
width apart, with toes straight ahead. Before making a cannot do so effectively. As a rule of thumb, the shorter
move, tighten your entire body from your feet to your the dip the better. You don’t want it to resemble a
traps. You must have a rock-solid base when you jerk. quarter squat. If you dip too low, you’ll find it’s much
If any muscle group is relaxed, that will adversely affect harder to accelerate the bar upward and drive it in the
the lift. Now you’re ready for the dip. correct line. A really low dip usually forces the lifter to
lean forward, which will cause him to jerk the bar away
from his body rather than straight up. The dip is a short,
quick, powerful stroke.
Before making a move, tighten
It’s useful to practice this move without a heavy weight
your entire body from your feet on your shoulders. Use a broomstick or empty bar
to your traps. You must have a until you get the feel of what you’re trying to accom-
plish. Remember that your upper body must stay rigidly
rock-solid base when you jerk. straight, so contract your back muscles and pull your
If any muscle group is relaxed, shoulder blades together. Drive the bar or broom-
that will adversely affect the lift. stick upward to lockout. Don’t bother re-bending your
knees at this point. Just concentrate on a powerful start
Now you’re ready for the dip. coming out of the dip and a strong lockout. When this
goes smoothly, add weight and continue jerking the
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weight to arm’s length without re-bending your knees

or moving your feet. The key to making heavy jerks is
in the start. Once you master that move, you’re way
ahead. Do this form of jerking for a session or two, then
you’re ready to put more movement in the lift and put
more weight on the bar.
It must be understood that

jerking a heavy weight isn’t just a
matter of applying raw strength
to the bar, like performing a
squat or deadlift. It’s knowing
how to utilize several athletic
attributes, such as timing,
co-ordination and speed along
with strength.
Pulling Under and Pushing Back

After dip and drive, the bar should soar up over your
head. At the moment the bar hits its apex, dip down
again and lock the bar out, then straighten your knees
and finish the lift. As you re-dip, don’t let the bar float
free. Rather, push up against it forcefully. This helps
keep the bar in motion and allows you to maintain
control of the line of flight. You should be high on your
toes at the end of the thrust and your entire body erect.
If you aren’t in that position, you’re giving away power,
and being on your toes lets you move back to a solid Efficient jerking requires a vertical bar path.
base much faster. Any deviation can rob you of power and ruin the lift.
When the bar is locked out overhead, continue to push front even a bit, there’s no way for the lifter to bring it
up against it. Merely holding a heavy weight overhead back in the proper line. A splitter at least has a chance
is passive, exerting pressure up into it is assertive and to save the lift. A push jerker does not, so time must be
builds another level of strength. The bar should be spent practicing the start or gains will be minimal.
directly over the back of your head. That places it over
Lower the bar back to your shoulders in a controlled
your spine and strengthens all the muscles that support
manner if possible. This can’t be done with really heavy
the spine, along with the hips, glutes and legs.
weights, but try anyway. Cushion the descending bar
Although driving the bar straight up and close to your by bending your knees slightly. Then stand up and
face is a definite asset to the split style of jerking, it’s an make sure your rack is set correctly and your feet are
absolute necessity for the push jerk. If the bar jumps out where they should be. Take a breath and do another rep.
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Breathing isn’t the factor in jerking as it is in pressing Grip, rack and posture are the same for the split as the
because the jerk is an explosive lift that only takes a push jerk. The dip and drive are also identical. The differ-
second or two to complete. So breathe just before the ence is the split itself, where one foot moves forward
dip and drive and again when the bar is locked out. and the other backward. The feet have to move fast,
and they have to land correctly and at the same time.
The final step in doing a push jerk with a heavy poundage
All the while the bar has to be kept under control. It’s
is to move your feet after the drive. Again, you’ll be high
a high-skill move and can only be achieved with lots of
on your toes, which makes movement easier. This move
practice.
is all about timing and makes the jerk a quick lift. The
instant you’ve finished driving the bar upward, move Which foot moves forward? The answer will reveal
your feet. Just a quick skip to the sides is enough. And it itself the very first time you try a split jerk. Bill March
has to be done aggressively. If there’s lag time, the bar had the unusual talent of being able to extend either
will falter or stall and you will have no way to set it in foot forward, but he was a unique athlete. Try moving
motion again. both feet forward and you’ll discover which feels more
natural. Achieving perfect foot placement depends on a
It must be understood that jerking a heavy weight isn’t
number of factors, the most important being your foot
just a matter of applying raw strength to the bar, like
positioning at the start. Your feet must be exactly beside
performing a squat or deadlift. It’s knowing how to utilize
each other, shoulder width apart and toes straight
several athletic attributes, such as timing, co-ordination
ahead. From there, they move straight back and straight
and speed along with strength. This is exactly why the
forward. If you start with a wider foot placement, your
jerk is such a beneficial exercise for athletes in a wide
feet will tend to swing inward, and if you start with a
range of sports. Whenever someone employs these
narrow foot placement, your feet will end up on a line
attributes over and over in strength training, they
and severely affect your balance when you lock out the
naturally carry over to other athletic activities.
bar and attempt to recover.
I recommend doing jerks in sets of no more than three
Your lead foot will only travel, well, a foot—no more
reps, except for the lighter warm-up sets. The reason:
than the length of your shoe. Your other foot will go
when the bar is returned to the shoulders after each rep,
much farther because it’s your lever leg. With moderate
it always slips out of the ideal position just a tad. When
weights the back foot may only move a short distance.
the weights get near maximum, a tad is a lot, so by the
When the weights get demanding, forcing you into a
third rep the bar may be way out of position. It’s quite
deeper split, it may move as much as two feet or more.
difficult to readjust it because the lifter is tired from the
However, you don’t want to get in the habit of going into
previous reps. In some cases, I limit the reps to two so
an extremely deep split because that will make recovery
the lifter can maintain a perfect starting position. Then,
much harder, or even impossible.
if more work is desired, I just add in extra sets. That’s far
better than having the lifter do reps where the bar is not
set correctly on the shoulders. When an athlete jerks
from a poor starting position, he or she has to do the
entire lift differently. This breeds bad form.
Not only do your feet have to
land in a specified place, but they
Pros and Cons of the Split Step
also have to get there fast and
There are advantages and disadvantages in using the
split style in the jerk. On the plus side, the drive doesn’t at the same time. Slam your feet
have to be as precise. A bar that runs out of line, either into the platform, and if you hear
too far forward or slightly back, can be guided back into
the correct position because one foot is out front and
“bang-bang” rather than just one
one back. And a lifter can go lower in a split than he or “bang,” your timing is off and
she can by merely dipping under the bar. On the negative you need to correct that flaw.
side, foot movement is much more involved than it is for
the push jerk. Placement is critical to success.
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Another mistake many make is allowing their entire have to learn to get the timing down. Re-bending the
back foot to land on the platform, or they turn it to one arms after the bar is locked out or pressing a weight to
side. Only the toes of the rear foot should make contact lockout is not acceptable.
with the platform, and the foot needs to be straight.
Also, you must wait until you have completely finished
Either fault will cause a balance problem. The front foot
the drive before moving into the split. You must put
is planted solidly and your knee should extend slightly
enough thrust into the bar so that you have time to
out over the foot. Ideally, your feet will hit in the exact
make the move. That means you need to be high on
same spot on every rep. That’s what you want, but it
your toes with your body erect before you switch your
doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice, and a great
keys to the split portion of the lift. When you move,
deal of it. One way to learn is to take some chalk and
you must be a blur. I loved watching proficient jerkers.
mark the platform where you want your feet to be in the
They would take their dip, then in less time that it takes
split. Then, after you do a split, see how close you came
to blink an eye, the bar would be locked out and they
to hitting those marks.
would be recovering from the split. A good key to think
There’s more. Not only do your feet have to land in a of as you’re moving into the split is to slam your lead
specified place, but they also have to get there fast and foot into the platform rather than just placing it there. It
at the same time. Slam your feet into the platform, and if will help you move both feet much faster and will also
you hear “bang-bang” rather than just one “bang,” your establish a more solid bottom position in the split.
timing is off and you need to correct that flaw.
One more note about the rear leg. I know many top
As if that isn’t enough, your feet should hit in the split lifters bend their leg in a split, but your foundation will
at the same instance that you’re locking out the bar. If be more solid if you keep it straight, or as straight as
your feet hit at different times, that will have an adverse you can. Those who can get away with this are always
effect on your base and balance. If your feet hit before exceptionally strong. Most aren’t in that category.
or after the act of securing the bar overhead, it will
As soon as you split and have the weight locked out, don’t
usually cause your elbows to bend and this will result
hesitate in that position. Recover right away. Lingering
in a disqualified attempt. Of course, if you’re just doing
in the bottom of a split can only cause trouble.
jerks as a dynamic exercise and have no intention of ever
entering a contest, don’t worry about that form mistake. Your rear foot should move first. Should you slide your
If you have plans of competing in an Olympic meet, you front foot back first, it will leave the bar dangling over
Don’t let the bar control you: drive your shoulders into your ears and push against the weight.
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thin air. With moderate weights, bring the rear foot About the Author
forward a few inches, move your front foot just a bit, Bill Starr coached at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City,
then you should be able to stand up without any diffi- the 1970 Olympic Weightlifting World Championship
culty. With max poundages you may have to slide your in Columbus, Ohio, and the 1975 World Powerlifting
back foot forward a couple of times before moving your Championships in Birmingham, England. He was selected
front foot. Of course, if you’ve only taken a shallow split, as head coach of the 1969 team that competed in the
the recovery is a snap. Tournament of Americas in Mayague, Puerto Rico, where
While you’re recovering, you must keep pushing up the United States won the team title, making him the first
against the bar. Exert pressure into it and think about active lifter to be head coach of an international Olympic
stretching upward as you keep your entire body as tight weightlifting team. Starr is the author of the books The
as possible. Stand up, hold the bar over the back of your Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football
head for a few seconds, then lower it just like I suggested and Defying Gravity, which can be found at The Aasgaard
for the push jerk. Reset and do the next rep. Company Bookstore.
Pick a Style and Master It

Drilling with light weights or even a broomstick is quite
helpful in learning the timing, speed and co-ordination
required to perform split or push jerks.
Which style to use? The one that feels right, or the one
you’re better at. The Hungarian middle-heavyweight
Arpad Nemessanyi was one of the few lifters at the ’68
Olympics in Mexico City to use the push jerk. Through
an interpreter I asked him why he used that style. The
reply? “I can do more.” It’s basically that simple.
The strength gained from jerking heavy weights is
extremely beneficial to a wide range of athletes and
particularly useful to throwers in track and volleyball
and basketball players who need vertical strength to
excel. In addition, jerks are an asset in nearly every
athletic endeavor I can think of.
When done perfectly, the jerk is an aesthetic combina-
tion of power and grace, and that’s why so many athletes
take to them so readily. They’re much more than just a
strengthening exercise. They’re feats of strength that
require a very high degree of athleticism. Agility, timing,
quickness, co-ordination and determination are needed
in order to jerk a heavy poundage.
Learn how to do the lift correctly, whether you select the
push or split style. Diligently practice your technique.
Then you’ll be ready to advance to a higher level of func-
tional strength.
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Is “Punishment” a Dirty Word?

Your gym teacher may have had you running laps after class, but you won’t find
much punishment in CrossFit. John Welbourn and Mike Burgener talk about
“motivational consequences” and how they can focus an athlete.
Mike Warkentin
Basketball practice, circa 1987.

You rimmed out on a foul shot, and the coach has you
running laps while the rest of the team scrimmages. He’s
just seen Full Metal Jacket and is modeling his coaching
style on Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. He berates you
every time you pass by, as if you missed the shot on
purpose, and he’s threatening you with more laps.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
The scene is as comical as it is archaic. But many of us
have had the pleasure of meeting an authoritarian in
a track suit who uses a nubby piece of chalk to draw
a direct line between punishment and performance.
That line certainly exists for a few select players who
will almost demand the rod after telling a coach where
to shove the carrot. Many more athletes simply don’t
respond to punishment.
What your gym teacher might have called punishment
can indeed be found in CrossFit from time to time. In
CrossFit Endurance WODs you’ll find the occasional
“foul,” such as an isometric squat for two minutes if one
running interval is slower than its predecessor. Similarly,
Will Ramos
“penalties” sometimes appear in CrossFit Football

workouts. Olympic Lifting Certs are characterized by
bouts of burpees.
Some coaches think they’re drill instructors.
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“Punishment” ... (continued)
Nevertheless, coaches such as John Welbourn and He continues: “No one ever needed to threaten me or
Mike Burgener don’t view the additional work they get after me to go out and work out and train. I just
infrequently assign as punishment, and they certainly figured it was part of the job. You go out, you do it and
don’t use it to beat athletes into submission. you come home. You go out and you bust your ass every
day. I think that’s the way these things should work. If
Motivation: Is It in You? you have to get up in somebody’s face and scream and
A former NFL lineman who created CrossFit Football belittle them, then you probably shouldn’t be there—and
and now coaches at CrossFit Balboa, Welbourn didn’t neither should they.”
have much use for punishment as a player, which
explains why it only rarely finds its way into his football
program. Welbourn always felt it was his responsibility
to stay focused and motivated while in college at UC
Berkeley or in the trenches with the Philadelphia Eagles “I’ve learned not to say
and Kansas City Chiefs. He expects the same thing from ‘punishment.’ What I say is
his athletes.
‘motivational consequences.’”
“I’ve played for coaches who were huge punishment
guys... and I don’t necessarily buy into that because I’ve —Mike Burgener
always been intrinsically motivated,” he says. “I’m able
to get my own motor going. I don’t need someone to
scream at me to do it.”
Focus means you’re prepared to yell “Yay, burpees!” at any time, even with quads burning at the bottom of a front squat.
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As a coach, Welbourn chooses to rely on his athletes to

demand a high level of performance.
“I wouldn’t say I’m that much of a cheerleader,” he
explains. “If you’re there and you showed up, you want
to do a good job. I can’t understand why you’d show up
and not want to do a good job.
“I don’t know if I’d be a great high-school football coach.
I probably wouldn’t be very great at motivating people
with punishment or fear. They’re there. They want to
do their best, so coach them up. And if they don’t want
to do it, find someone else who will. I take the total
NFL approach, where if someone doesn’t want to do
something, there’s five people standing behind him that
do.”
Yay, Burpees!
CrossFitters as a whole are pretty motivated. Few
lazy people will tangle with a CrossFit WOD, and
firebreathers don’t require a whole lot of encourage-
ment. Nevertheless, Burgener takes a slightly different
approach to coaching because he sees Welbourn as the
exception and not the rule.
John Welbourn believes athletes need to look “John Welbourn is a different dude,” Burgener says.
inside themselves for motivation. “That guy’s a professional. He’s made a lot of money
in his lifetime as a professional. He had to intrinsically
motivate himself to do that kind of stuff, and he did. So
a guy coming in and yelling at him, he could care less...
He’s intrinsically motivated. High-school kids, most
athletes, are not intrinsically motivated. They’re extrin-
sically motivated.”
Burgener, of course, is famous for the burpees that make
their way into his Olympic Lifting Certs. Some might call
“If you have to get up in them punishment, but they would be wrong.
somebody’s face and scream and “In 32 years as a public school teacher, I’ve learned
belittle them, then you probably not to say ‘punishment,’” Burgener says. “What I say is
shouldn’t be there—and ‘motivational consequences.’ And motivational conse-
quences really depend on the particular situation.”
neither should they.”
Burgener sees weightlifting as a team environment, and
—John Welbourn he uses burpees to ensure that the group isn’t led astray
by a few individuals.
“If you’re working out as a team and a kid is dicking
around and not doing the things he needs to be doing,
not focusing and concentrating, then I’ll give the whole
group burpees,” he explains. “That’s a motivational
consequence, and I’ll have the kid that’s messing around
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Mike Burgener says he uses burpees to focus athletes, not punish them.
not do the burpees... That kid would feel very embar- “I tell the CrossFitters that are taking the cert that I’m
rassed and consequently he would come back and be going to teach the class the same as I taught my high-
more focused.” school classes before I retired,” Burgener says. “One of
the things about dealing with high-school kids is making
With CrossFitters, Burgener takes a similar approach
sure that when you’re dotting the I’s and crossing the
even though there’s certainly limited “dicking around”
T’s and getting down to the minutia and details, they’ve
in certification groups. While high-school kids might
got to really pay attention and focus. (At a cert), they’re
be led astray by disinterest or any number of adoles-
tired, they’re sore, they’re down in that overhead squat
cent distractions, CrossFitters usually lose focus due
position with that PVC pipe, they’re getting their butts
to fatigue and the challenges of learning a very compli-
kicked with the PVC pipe, and consequently their minds
cated movement.
want to start wandering.
“Anytime I say the word ‘burpees,’ they have to yell out
‘yay, burpees!’ When I say ‘burpee’ and I try to trick
“It’s amazing what transformation them and I get half the class saying ‘burpees,’ or they’re
slow to react, then I know that I’m losing them, losing
takes place when you have their focus. So I’ll stop and they have to demonstrate
that threat, that motivational that they know how to do burpees.”
consequence of doing burpees.” The coach says he rarely has to integrate motivational
consequences to keep the group dialed in, and the
—Mike Burgener burpees themselves have actually developed into an
oddly enjoyable part of the cert.
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“It’s amazing what transformation takes place when

you have that threat, that motivational consequence of
doing burpees,” he says. “Very, very rarely do I have to
do very many burpees. Part of it is in fun, anyways.”
To Each Their Own
Whether you call it “punishment” or “motivational
consequences,” it takes a clever coach to get the best
performance from his athletes. Keeping a group focused
can be a tricky task, and each athlete within the group
requires a special approach. Some will need to have
their hands held, while those of the John Welbourne
variety will need a few terse technical instructions and
little else. Still others may indeed need a good round of
burpees followed by a few laps and a tongue-lashing.
“There’s some athletes that you just need to kick in the
ass,” Burgener says.
About the Author

Mike Warkentin is the staff writer for the CrossFit Journal.
He is pictured at the right doing burpees after submitting
a manuscript with several typos. Mike is preparing for his
Level 2 Cert in September. And the pressure is really on, now
that his evil editor has added this note.
Talk about motivation!
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Forty Years in the Fitness Desert

Paul Eich, a.k.a. Apolloswabbie, toiled many years in a wilderness of plyometrics shoes
and Bowflex. In 2007 he finally found his way to the Land of Murph and Cindy.
This is his story.
Paul Eich
Courtesy of Paul Eich
I hit a couple of home runs in the fourth grade. From then on, my athletic career was mostly downhill. In
2007, I discovered CrossFit and everything changed. It’s been quite a journey, with many lessons learned
along the way.
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Forty Years ... (continued)
was right around the corner. I tried it all: everything from

calisthenics and hill sprints to working plyometrics with
funky platform shoes to a sordid affair with a Bowflex. I
sweated through many hours of weight-room work but
didn’t know the difference between bodybuilding and
powerlifting. I dreamed, but only dreamed, of being able
to do the Olympic lifts.
My life never felt boring, but it got more exciting in
February 2006. I got a call out of the blue to saddle up
and ride to Iraq. I was a happily married 42-year-old
father of three. I was struggling to make time to train and
wasn’t expecting to be on the ground in combat. Five
days after getting the call, I was running in formation at
a U.S. Army base.
I’d always trained hard when deployed. Over the years,
my workouts and goals had varied. For the days leading
up to my Iraq deployment, and after settling into Camp
Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad, I did short-to-
medium runs combined with some bodybuilding and
powerlifting. Days with 200-meter sprints added needed
intensity. I had “invented” a workout consisting of reps
to failure of power cleans, followed by reps to failure of
back squats, followed by air squats. But workouts that
used to generate rapid improvement were no longer
working. I had been lucky enough to have outlived the
Chris Spealler helped Eich live his dream of potency of my previous training methods and needed a
performing Olympic lifts. better program to sustain my blue-collar athleticism.
I think of myself as a blue-collar athlete, which is to say The breakthrough came in Baghdad in December 2006.
I work to be fit and have consistently done so since I A fine young soldier, Sergeant Alan Fetter, suggested I
was 18. But I don’t have a lot to show for it. Sure, I ran look at crossfit.com. I scanned the site for about three
a sub-six-minute mile in college and squatted 375 once weeks and started reading about the concepts behind
upon a time. I earned a black belt in a traditional karate the crazy workouts. My first actual workout came on
school. But my fitness score was exactly in the 50th Jan. 9, 2007. The prescribed WOD was a 5x5 shoulder
percentile during Aviation Officer’s Candidate School, press. Soon after I attempted and survived notable
and I’ve never run further than 10 miles. These kinds of CrossFit WODs such as Helen and the Filthy 50, and I
numbers don’t even impress me. I’d put my hat in the knew I was onto something good.
ring for two years of Division 3 football but didn’t record
Almost 40 years after starting, I was stumbling out of
much playing time. There were always small triumphs
the fitness wilderness.
along the way, such as learning to kick-turn at age 28 or
playing on an undefeated intramural flag football team. Fulfilling a Dream—35 Years Later
In very small ponds, I sometimes enjoyed moments of
The old saying goes, “When the student is willing, the
dominance. But the more competitive the arena, the
teacher will be there,” and I did my best as a CrossFit
more obvious my limitations became.
student. I read every article, watched every training
I’ve wasted a bunch of time feeling frustrated with video and tapped the comment boards for advice. Before
those athletic limitations but recognized long ago how our garage gym was completed, I didn’t always have all
much better my life was when I worked at some aspect the equipment I needed for the workouts. I managed
of fitness. I always expected my athletic breakthrough pretty well to meet the intent of the WODs in Camp
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Victory, and after my return home I found that a $125

barbell/weight package and a backyard pull-up bar
worked wonders. Participation in my command’s fitness
workouts prevented obsessive three-on, one-off pursuit Paul Eich and Josh
of the main-site WODs. Eventually, I took a leadership
role so I could help my fellow sailors while sustaining Feb. 26, 2007, was a nasty time in Iraq.
my own CrossFit goals. They called me “The Punisher”
but came back for more. I had left home exactly 12 months prior and
was within two months of redeployment. I
Using CrossFit, I exceeded previous PRs in every lift but was excited to get home and get to know my
the squat and bench press in about six months’ time. then-15-month-old son. My mom’s cancer
I was by nearly every measure more fit than when was in remission, and I had lot of catching
I played collegiate sports. My progress accelerated up to do with my wife and our older kids.
after I attended a Level 1 Certification. But why spend
over $1,000 US to attend a certification when I had no As I looked for that day’s WOD, I found it
intention of ever becoming a trainer? I was dead set on was Josh: 21 95-pound overhead squats
learning all I could. At the cert I was stunned at how bad and 42 pull-ups, 15 overhead squats and
my form was for even “simple stuff” like air squats and 30 pull-ups, and 9 overhead squats and 18
deadlifts. So I started squatting a lot: furtively at work, pull-ups. Staff Sergeant Josh Hager died less
around the house, whenever I could. It helped. But when than 60 miles away from me at a time when
I attended a Level 2 Cert in May 2008, I discovered many soldiers, sailors, and Marines were
my squat needed still more work. I’m plugging away, making the ultimate sacrifice in Ramadi
with my compass set for virtuosity and mastery of the specifically and Al Anbar generally. I took a
basics. deep sense of grief and purpose with me the
entire day.
Everything I needed to know was available for free on the
main site, as Coach Glassman told us at the Level 1 Cert. It seemed strange. I was confronted with
But correct implementation eluded me. I had run into the death of fellow Americans daily, some
the same stumbling block many CrossFitters encounter: I had trained with. I didn’t know Josh. Why
the inability to self-coach. Few of us are skilled enough I was able to, and why I chose to, hold onto
or learned enough to maximize our own improvement. the grief I experienced isn’t clear to me. My
Those who shy away from paying for coaching may be grief built through the day as CrossFitters
giving up performance. Many of us end up wanting to posted both their thoughts and their times.
kick ourselves in the ass after discovering how much It was moving when Josh’s teammates and
faster we improve with good coaching. commanding officer weighed in. It became
nearly overwhelming when Josh’s wife,
Heather, and his father, Kris, reached out to
us. I was eager to get to the gym and grateful
to have a workout to give my grief to.
It was as significant a day for me as any I
Many of us end up wanting to spent in Iraq, as I made the simple and
kick ourselves in the ass after obvious connection between the grief we
discovering how much faster we feel for the fallen and how I could use that
grief in a meaningful way—to “earn it.” The
improve with good coaching. point was made in the film Saving Private
Ryan: it is on all of us to “earn it.”
continued...
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CrossFit reignited a long-held dream of mine: learning

the Olympic lifts I had first seen as an eight-year-old
watching the 1972 Olympics on TV. But until August ... Paul Eich and Josh
2007, I had never done more than a few medicine-ball
How we earn what we’ve been given is likely
cleans and hang cleans. Then I had the good fortune to
different for us all. For me, the essence is
cross paths with Chris Spealler, the elite CrossFit athlete
making the best of each day, each moment,
who owns CrossFit Park City.
each chance to be loving to the ones we
When Chris put me on an Oly platform, I had no idea love, and always seeking what is good.
what I was in for. I was near collapse from the double
My children know about Josh Hager. I hope
whammy of Elizabeth done properly (with squat cleans)
they’ll learn what it means to “earn it.” I find
and the lack of oxygen at 7,000 feet above sea level. I
in each Hero WOD a renewed commitment
have never been so humbled. But by December 2007 I
to relish the liberty I have. It’s an infinitesi-
was able to do a 15-minute workout that included both
mal marker of that pursuit that I completed
10 cleans at 205 pounds and 100 pullups. It was a break-
Josh’s workout five minutes and four
through, and I recently broke the 10-minute mark on
seconds faster in 2009.
Elizabeth. Breaking through the clean barrier reminded
me of one of Yogi Berra’s best: CrossFit “is 90 per cent
mental, and the other half is physical.” F
If we’re going to mention physical benefits, I should note
that CrossFit has changed my appearance so signifi-
cantly that people actually talk about it out loud and to
my face. After my return from Iraq, just three months
into my CrossFit journey, a superior proclaimed, “Paul
is back, and he is in shape!” It was a typical comment.
Strangely enough, I’ve twice been asked, “What do you
do for your chest?” No one ever asked about my “ches-

ticles” back when heavy chest days were the heart of
my training. CrossFit’s functional movements have me
seeing and feeling muscles I never knew I had.
CrossFit: Dangerous or Therapeutic?

As I got more acquainted with CrossFit, I’ve never been
able to understand the folks condemning CrossFit
for its supposed dangers. Driving is dangerous. More
Americans die in car accidents than via a combina-
tion of war, CrossFit, poisonous snakes, skydiving and
lightning strikes, but we’re all expected to weigh the
risks and make the choice to drive or not. Fitness is the
same. The question is not whether CrossFit has risk but
whether the benefits outweigh the potential dangers—
but people ignore the numbers. CrossFit has fewer
injuries per hour than basketball, soccer or softball.
When I started CrossFit, I had plenty of medical issues,
including chronic shoulder pain and a surgically rebuilt
knee. I couldn’t do a squat with full range of motion After forsaking Bowflex, Paul Eich had many great CrossFit
because my knee wouldn’t bend far enough. I couldn’t moments, including competing in the 2008 CrossFit Games
hang from a bar to do a pull-up without special care to and meeting Freddy Camacho of CrossFit One World.
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prevent sharp shoulder pain. I had hurt my back due the CrossFit. My blood lipid profile wasn’t bad before I
to my lack of strength and my ignorance of how to use started CrossFit, but in the last two years I’ve sustained
what strength I had. HDL cholesterol above 60 points, LDL levels are down
10 points, and triglycerides have been below 50. My
I bought a book about shoulder rehab about a month
blood pressure, at 120/70, is the lowest I’ve seen as an
before stumbling out of the wilderness. This book
adult. In college it was always 130/90.
prescribed a series of exercises that would have
consumed more than an hour of training time each
week. A month into CrossFit, my shoulder pain was a
thing of the past and no tedious hours were wasted on
shoulder rehab. CrossFit is helping people to
It’s taken two years, but I’ve added six inches of depth restore normal functionality to
in squatting. A recent workout included 3x3 heavy front bodies that have been deprived
squats, 1x20 back squats and a WOD with 45 95-pound
overhead squats. The next day, I had no knee pain. of it by lives spent in chairs.
I’m required to have an annual flight physical, which has
provided me with a chance to document the impact of
The author’s children, Hambone, The Bee and Rainbow (l-r),

are happy to have a fit, confident CrossFit dad around to get them on the path to the perfect overhead squat.
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was right to do so—just as no amount of machine-based

leg strengthening will enable a big squat, no amount of
abdominal crunching or soft-round-ball flopping would
have assisted me in establishing the rigid trunk strength
I’m chasing now. The upside of my now-stronger but
not-strong-enough core is that even after two years
of CrossFit, I know I still have room for improvement.
That’s exciting.
I also learned about the finer points of lifting. Should
you lift with or without a belt? What kind of shoes
should you wear? Should you deadlift with an overhand
or alternated grip, and should you use a hook grip? The
endless debate is unproductive. Variation is a potent

element of CrossFit. I don’t train with a belt because, by
definition, if I’m lifting the most I can lift, it’s enough to
generate the training effect. I want to gain strength, not
lift larger weights.
Paul Eich hanging out with Sarah Dunsmore, winner And shoes? When the unknown and unknowable
of the 2009 Midwest Regional Qualifier.
challenge presents itself, what’s the probability you’ll
face it while standing on a plywood platform wearing
If you listen long enough, you’ll hear this kind of story heeled Olympic lifting shoes?
repeated often. CrossFit is helping people restore
normal functionality to bodies that have been deprived What about cleans vs. power cleans? The answer is
of it by lives spent in chairs. This is one element Coach simple: mix it up. Chase performance gains by varying
Glassman is suggesting we examine with the Three- benchmark WODs, especially after a plateau has been
Dimensional Definition of Fitness and Health. CrossFit reached. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A foolish consis-
asserts that high-intensity exercise will have the highest tency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” and CrossFit
impact on favorable physical adaptations. In the coming challenges us to be thoughtfully inconsistent. Emerson
years, I think we’ll see larger and more common corrob- didn’t say, “You pays your money and you takes your
orative evidence as CrossFitters generate results like chances,” but that applies just as well. It’s your body:
these. you get to decide for yourself.
More CrossFit Lessons

I’m a slow learner. It took me a long time to figure out
abdominal muscles are critical to nearly every func-
tional movement. As I pursued speed and power, I
I think the desire for
had repeated and delightful “a-ha moments” as I kept transformation is
discovering abdominal engagement was both necessary nearly universal—and
and productive. Who knew a strong gut would help with
the shoulder press? Obviously, to properly generate and CrossFit provides it.
transfer power from the hips, the midline must be rigid,
and the abs are an essential ingredient. How did I miss
that point for so long?
I’ve always been piss-poor in any measure of abdominal Even two years out of the fitness wilderness, I keep
strength. My excuse was my relatively long waist, and learning. I had a breakthrough this spring when James
when lost in the fitness wilderness I dodged attempts (OPT) FitzGerald discussed scaling and pacing on
to develop superior abdominal strength. In one sense I CrossFit Radio. Athletes often compromise power
production as they fatigue. They pace the workout and
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the speed at which they execute the movements. It was In a word: transformation.
a “eureka” moment. I thought: “Holy shit, that’s me!”
Whether browsing the self-help section of a bookstore
So I acted. I still have to break WODs into manage-
or stumbling around Internet ads, we see strong
able chunks, but I’ve sharpened my focus on intense,
evidence that many folks seek the means to redefine
powerful movements from the start to the finish of a
the possibilities in their lives. Many or most of us want
WOD. It’s a totally different training experience.
to blast through limits, eliminate self-destructive habits,
This is a good example of what you can get from CrossFit and build new internal and external resources. I think
Radio. It’s a no-brainer. You can’t afford to miss the the desire for transformation is nearly universal—and
shows. Find a way to use a PDA or MP3 player to listen CrossFit provides it.
in your car or gym.
Milestones
Helen was my first named WOD. I did almost every-
thing wrong: wrong order, wrong numbers and the worst Most of us want to blast through
imaginable rookie kettlebell swings. My low-back pain limits, eliminate self-destructive
the next day let me know I had more research to do.
habits, and build new internal and
My first Helen with unbroken pullups was much cele-
brated. But my time was still well shy of my 10-minute
external resources.
goal. It took until March 2009 to add that milestone.
There was much rejoicing.
Another memorable milestone was reaching 29 pull-ups

last summer. That became possible only after I got the
correct feel for the kip at my Level 1 Cert. Max pull-ups
reached 32 after I learned the butterfly kip. As a young
man, my limit was 21.
The Filthy 50 was another named WOD I attempted
early on. It took me 51 minutes and I had to sub several
movements. But in October 2008 I completed it in
under 30 minutes using only one substitution.
I reached a new PR of 365 pounds for the squat in
January 2008, which was an increase of 12 percent in
12 months. About a month later I notched a 400-pound
deadlift—a 23 percent increase. CrossFit is a strength
and conditioning program.
Are these blue-collar numbers? Sure, in the CrossFit
pond, as are the other numbers in my progress chart. But
in the larger world most of us encounter each day, I have
come to believe these are measures of elite fitness.
The Payoffs
Does improving one’s benchmark WOD times have an
impact outside of CrossFit? Why are CrossFitters, myself
included, so passionate about our fitness program to
the degree that we are Kool-Aid-drinking, Greg-and-
Lauren-admiring, cult-like devotees? Why is that so? Paul Eich works on transforming himself,
one air squat at a time.
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For me, it was transformational to have new fitness goals

to pursue and a program that allowed me to achieve
them. Competing in the 2008 CrossFit Games left me
both humbled and fiercely proud, but the life transfor-
mation comes in the daily courage check, the chance
to test myself physically and mentally against whatever
challenge crossfit.com delivers.
It’s transformational to wake up every day knowing I
am as fit as I can be, and that confidence transforms
how my children see their father. CrossFit transformed
my family as we all embraced the fun and learning and
intensity of CrossFit. It transformed my wife, Janet. She’s
been fit since the day I met her, but new is her excite-
ment about chasing performance. She beams while the
kids and I cheer victories such as a 400-pound CrossFit
Total or reaching another pull-up milestone (her latest
was 22).
Like most of us, I’ve gained potent new friendships
and bask in the vibrant, intelligent, intense CrossFit
community. For the athlete who will do the work and
suffer the discomfort, CrossFit will allow you to redefine
your fitness possibilities, and there’s unexpected but
potent carryover to your day-to-day life, whether
your primary job is parent, first responder or military
professional.
What’s Next?
About the Author
Performance improvements made it easy to stay with
Paul (Apolloswabbie) Eich is a CrossFit Level 2 certified
CrossFit in the beginning. Now that I’ve made all the
instructor. He is in his 19th year of service as a naval officer
easy gains, I wonder what will sustain my excitement
and has logged over 3,000 hours in U.S. Navy aircraft. Paul
for working “CrossFit hard.” On the other hand, I’ve
trains in his garage gym and at CrossFit Memphis, and he
only just begun to learn how to bring this transforma-
blogs at apolloswabbie.blogspot.com.
tional fitness to others, and I’m certain that will be an
even larger challenge, and potentially more rewarding. I
have performance goals, skills goals and coaching goals
to pursue in what is now my third year in the fitness
promised land.
As I think of these issues, I’m reminded of a favorite
lyric from the Rush song Prime Mover: “The point of the
journey is not to arrive.” CrossFit is so broad in scope
and deep in technical detail, it may be best to enjoy it
one WOD at a time.
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Toward Better Military PT Tests

A frontline report on why military fitness tests are important
and how they might be improved.
First Lieutenant Matthew Hoff, U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division

Courtesy of U.S. Army
I write this from an iffy Internet connection in Iraq at Joint Security Station Loyalty. My current vantage
point as a U.S. Army Platoon Leader assigned to 5-73 Cavalry (Panther Recon) has caused me to wonder
whether current PT tests might be improved to better measure what’s most important: the ability to perform
strenuous physical tasks in combat situations. What follows is one soldier’s modest attempt to identify
problems and solutions.
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Military PT ... (continued)
Current tests don’t always pinpoint strengths and weak- perform a single push-up suffers from a serious lack of
nesses. The feedback they provide to service members strength. But what about an 18-year-old soldier who can
and their chains of command is not always as useful as perform 72 push-ups in two minutes but cannot press
it might be. It’s no secret that the basic tests are not his body weight over his head? According to the Army’s
designed to measure the fitness of the elites—or even test of upper-body strength, he gets the highest possible
the moderately fit. The tests are an attempt to ensure score of 100 points. He comes across as an exceptional
a minimum standard of fitness for all service members. performer. The soldier could be left with a dangerous
The tests yield easily quantifiable results that can be misperception of his own strength.
rewarded or punished.
The running component of military fitness tests varies
The tests also make sense from an organizational point from service to service. But all suffer from the same flaw:
of view. For example, the U.S. Army Airborne School attempting to measure both speed and endurance in
at Fort Benning, Georgia, runs hundreds of potential the same test. Two soldiers of the same age and gender
students through the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) who each run two miles in 12 minutes will receive the
in a period lasting only a few hours every week. Elite same score. But the result does nothing to differenti-
schools have higher standards. They may add distance ate between a soldier who runs a steady six-minute-
to runs or repetitions to exercises or require a ruck mile pace and a soldier who hammered through the
march lasting several hours. But there is still not enough first quarter mile in 70 seconds and then slowed down
focus on combat readiness. dramatically.
The current APFT bills itself as a test of muscular Combat and combat-support roles are physically chal-
strength and endurance. The test consists of two lenging. Operations test service members in all 10 of
minutes of timed push-ups, two minutes of timed sit-ups the fitness domains familiar to CrossFitters: cardiovas-
and a two-mile timed run. The scoring is scaled based cular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flex-
on both age and gender and is plotted on a 300-point ibility, power, speed, agility, balance, co-ordination and
scale. Obviously, a solider of any age who struggles to accuracy.
The author suggests the standard two-mile run may not be the best way to measure combat readiness.
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Service members must be fit enough to perform constant
Cpl. Jessica Hampton/U.S. Army

work for weeks on end interspersed with periods of
exertion lasting from seconds to hours. But current tests
don’t measure how well a soldier can perform a variety
of non-standard physical tasks. These include lifting
and carrying unusually shaped and unevenly distributed
objects—usually under the weight of anywhere from 40
to 90 pounds of equipment.
The soldier could be left with a

dangerous misperception of his
own strength, all because the
APFT has failed to provide enough
information to pinpoint the
soldier’s weaknesses.
The tests do a poor job at evaluating the first four or five

of CrossFit’s fitness domains. The other domains are
ignored entirely. Non-athletes can and do perform well
by training specifically for the tests even though they
aren’t really in good shape and lack essential combat
fitness.
In recent years we have seen some movement toward
more functional military fitness testing. The Canadian CrossFit’s emphasis on functional movements makes it
ideal for military application.
Forces Land Force Command has a fitness test that
includes digging a trench, marching 13.2 kilometers in
Lance Cpl. Patricia D. Lockhart/USMC

gear with a weighted load and evacuating a casualty
100 meters. The U.S. Marine Corps has recently imple-
mented a Combat Fitness Test (CFT) that includes
lifting a 30-pound ammo can overhead and dragging a
casualty.
Here are some preliminary ideas about how the APFT
might be improved. The proposal includes five tests, a
500-point base scale and the elimination of maximum
scores. Elite performances could produce scores above
500. The format would also eliminate age and gender
grading because gear weighs the same for everyone and
the enemy doesn’t discriminate.
Modified Murph A buddy carry is a much better test of combat readiness
Run 800 meters, 50 pull-ups, run 800 meters, 100 than push-ups and sit-ups.
sit-ups, run 800 meters, 100 push-ups, run 800 meters.
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Will push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run prepare this soldier for battle?
A time of 20:00 earns 100 points. A point is either Stations and Combat Outposts that house only 20
added or deducted for every six seconds from that soldiers, will have barbells and flat benches.
time. For example, a soldier who completed the event
in 18:00 would earn 220 points. This would incorporate Cardio/Respiratory Endurance, Part I
all the events of the current APFT into one workout and This would be a five-mile off-road run wearing the
add an aspect of mental toughness. The scoring system standard physical training uniform of shorts and running
eliminates the incentive to conserve energy by quitting shoes. The test will be worth only 50 points. A time of
once the maximum has been achieved. 32 minutes—a six-minute-mile pace—would score the
50 points. Every 15 seconds slower will cost a point, and
CrossFit Total every 15 seconds faster will earn a point. Implementation
Many former high-school athletes are familiar with the of this test poses the greatest practical challenges.
basic lifts in CrossFit Total: the squat, the press and the
deadlift. CrossFit Total is primarily a test of strength, Cardio/Respiratory Endurance, Part 2
and it eliminates the size advantage held by smaller, This would be a 400-meter sprint run on a flat surface
lighter soldiers. I’m five foot four and agree with the or track if possible. It balances the advantage that
common complaint that the current APFT is biased in a distance-focused runner would otherwise have. It
favor of soldiers shaped like me. Soldiers would perform tests anaerobic capacity and provides information the
all three lifts on the same day. Dividing the weight total two-mile test leaves blurry and the five-mile test barely
for the three lifts by 10 gives the soldier a score on the touches on. This test is also worth only 50 points. A
100-point scale, with scores over 100 possible if any soldier who can run the course in 60 seconds will earn
soldier manages to break 1,000 pounds. Any military the 50 points, with one point added or subtracted per
base with gym equipment, including Joint Security second over or under that time.
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The Combat Fitness Challenge Practical Problems

From evacuating casualties to resupplying ammunition, The implementation of this form of fitness testing
moving irregular objects quickly is a necessity of almost presents several problems. First, it would be nearly
any combat situation. That’s why this challenging test impossible to test a large number of people at once.
would be conducted in full combat gear. It’s also why A week would be required for complete testing, with
the test would be worth 200 points—much more than one event scored each day. Otherwise, results will be
any of the others. skewed by fatigue. Schools that process large numbers
students would have to dramatically alter their schedule
The test would make use of equipment ubiquitous on
or use an alternate test. Conducting all testing at the
military bases. The workout is as follows:
squad level would require more oversight in order to
• Run 100 meters. ensure standards are properly enforced. Finally, the test
• Pick up two 20-pound sandbags and carry them might simply be too challenging for all soldiers in all
400 meters. units. Some will suggest having separate tests based
on a soldier’s Military Occupational Specialty.
• Climb over a six-foot-tall wall or barrier.
But current operations in the War on Terror have shown
• Pick up a 70-pound ammunition can and press it
that everyone in uniform needs to be a warrior.
overhead in any way.
• High crawl 50 meters.
F
• Hit an eight-foot, 10-foot and eight-foot target
five times each with a 20-pound sandbag. There
will be a sandbag in front of each target, and the About the Author
targets will be about five feet apart. This is a sort of 1st Lt. Matthew Hoff is the Scout Platoon Leader assigned to
“sandbag wall ball.” First Platoon, Bandit Troop, 5-73 Cavalry (Panther Recon),
• Pick up a duffle bag filled with sand weighing around 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. He is
150 pounds and run back to the starting point. currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
All the movements in this test are completely functional. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at
Carrying tough-to-grip objects; climbing; moving with a West Point (2007). An Infantry Officer, he has achieved
low profile; lifting a large, irregularly shaped object; and Ranger, Airborne and Air Assault qualifications.
carrying a large amount of shifting dead weight are all
Courtesy of 1st Lt. Hoff.

good approximations of realistic tasks soldiers face in
the field.
The scoring mechanism for this event would differ
from the others. While there would be no limit on the
points available for the event, the test would also have
a competitive aspect. The soldier can score 175 points
with a time of 15 minutes. Every five seconds will either
win or cost the soldier one point. The remaining 25
points would come from the soldier’s placing within his
unit.
The competitive factor in this event is unique and
essential. A cliché often heard in war movies goes
something like this: “In war, a silver medal is a body
bag.” That’s a bit melodramatic, but it’s nevertheless
important to reinforce the value of winning. Competition
is a great way to differentiate between those who excel
Recognizing that he won’t fight terrorists while wearing
under pressure and those who freeze under it. board shorts, the author trains for combat in full gear.
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A HYPOTHETICAL CLIENT WANTS TO SET A PR

ON CINDY WITH TORN HANDS.
What workout would
you program for this scenario?
Tony Budding’s
latest creation is a
client who’s training Jenn has been doing CrossFit for just under
hard to get to the a year. She has her heart set on competing
CrossFit Games. The in the CrossFit Games. Her qualifier is in five
qualifier is coming weeks. Jenn has tremendous gas and tons of
up fast. What are heart. She’s extremely competitive.
the pitfalls?
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At 28, Jenn is five-foot-seven and 140 Sunday:

pounds. She is a quick learner but has Rest
several bad habits she’s mostly broken.
Monday:
Six years ago, Jenn was a Division 1 Six 400-meter sprints with a timed
field-hockey player in college, where 2-minute break. Her times (in seconds)
she had some mediocre weightlifting were 72, 79, 74, 76, 73 (threw up), 96.
training—all power cleans.
Tuesday:
Jenn’s squat is plenty deep, but she Three sets of overhead squats: max reps at
is quad dominant and tends to canti- 110 pounds, max reps at 88 pounds, max
reps at 65 pounds. She got 6, 29 and 46
lever forward. Pull-ups are her self-
reps, respectively.
proclaimed nemesis. It took Jenn three
months to get her first one, and now Wednesday:
The pull-up ladder (1 pull-up in the first
she can do about 15 in a row when
minute, 2 the second, etc., until you can’t
fresh. Her Fran time is just under eight complete the required number within 60
minutes as RX’d but 2:28 with jumping seconds). She failed at minute 11 but kept
pull-ups. Ironically, Jenn’s pull-ups doing as many pull-ups as she could each
are slightly better than her ring dips, minute. She went 25 minutes until she
muscle-ups and handstand push-ups. ripped her right palm badly. She left very
frustrated.
Jenn is strong. She has a 275-pound Thursday:

deadlift, a 200-pound back squat, Ran 5 kilometers in 21:03.
a 175-pound power clean and a
165-pound squat clean. Her max The proposed workout on Friday:
overhead squat is 120 pounds, but she Cindy (max rounds in 20 minutes of 5
can do 20 reps at 95 pounds. She can pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 squats).
press 105, but her best jerk is 130. Jenn showed up with her hands taped up,
eager to break 20 rounds for the first time.
Jenn trains exclusively at her local What do you do? Do you let her go for
Cindy? If so, what kind of coaching do you
CrossFit affiliate. She comes in at
give her to help her set a PR? Or do you
least five times a week, and on several program something different for her? If so,
occasions she’s been forced to take what do you program? Why?
a rest day after training nine days
Post your opinion to comments and read
straight. on to compare your answer to those of top
Here is the breakdown of Jenn’s CrossFit trainers.
training so far this week: 3-2-1... Go!
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Andy Stumpf
CrossFit HQ trainer
Five weeks is not much time to make a Every day I would warm her up with squat
huge difference, but I believe it is enough therapy and the Burgener Warm-up.
time to work on weaknesses and hopefully It’s essential that she work on fixing her
improve mechanics that could make a quad-dominant squat and perform Olympic
difference at the qualifier and the Games. lifts at least once in every three-day
cycle. With improvements in her squat
Looking at Jenn’s numbers, I think we
and O-lifts, all her numbers are going to
have a pretty good athlete on our hands.
improve. They are good as it is, and they
The bottom line is she is very competent
will only get better.
with lower-body stuff and pretty weak up
top. This doesn’t surprise me based on I would devote two days of the three-day
her sports background. Her last week of cycle for hard training, with the third desig-
training is re-enforcing her lower-body bias: nated for mostly skill and technique work.
two days of running, one day of squats with The skill day would not necessarily
light load overhead, and some pull-ups. The fall on the last day but could fluctuate
difference in Fran times speaks to this as based on the previous day’s training. I
well—she crushed the thrusters. would work on her kip, handstands, Oly
mechanics, running mechanics, ring work,
If she came to me with five weeks until the
etc. At the end of the practice day would
qualifier, I would train her differently: Cindy
be a five- or seven-minute met-con WOD.
on Friday? No. Best-case scenario she
Time domains for the other two days of the
gets her PR and sustains no further injury
cycle would hover around the 15-minute
to her hands. Worst-case she tears even
mark and not exceed 20 minutes.
further and will be limited leading up to the
qualifier. Second, she doesn’t need a PR Once we split to the two-on, one-off
on Cindy to prep for the qualifiers. She has plan, one day would have both a strength
other areas that need work. component as well as a WOD. The other
day would be a 12-to-15-minute WOD. I
Instead of Cindy I would program
would train her up until two to three days
something like as many rounds as possible
before the qualifier, then have her rest until
in two minutes of two push jerks at 115
the event. Her performance at the qualifier
pounds, five ring dips and 15 squats. I
and the time to prep before the Games
would choose that type of workout to
would determine the route my coaching
highlight her deficiencies but still give her
would take.
a good met-con challenge. Saturday and
Sunday would be mandatory rest days,
and then we would begin training again
Monday. On Monday I would put her on a
three-on, one-off routine for three weeks,
then a two-on, one-off routine for the two
weeks leading up to the qualifier.
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Maggie Dabe
CrossFit Fairfax
I’d force Jenn to take a rest day. I’m
concerned about her not getting enough
THE TRAINERS
recovery. This week she has been training
hard for four days straight. She definitely
needs a day off. With a ripped hand, and
after having done at least 55 pull-ups two
days ago (10 minutes on the pull-up ladder
plus whatever number of extra pulls she
got in the next 15 minutes), letting her go
for Cindy would not be a wise decision.
Jenn seems to be determined and wants to
improve her performance. She’s willing to
work hard. However, she needs to under-
stand that rest is as important as training
and dieting. My job as a coach is to help my
clients understand the role recovery plays
in athletic development and the effects
insufficient rest will have on their bodies. ANDY STUMPF
A lack of rest will not allow her complete CrossFit hq
regeneration, and her training will see a
decrease in performance. With adequate
recovery, Jenn will be able to train more
and her performance will improve.
With the qualifier coming in five weeks,
I would advise her to take two days off
during the week. I wouldn’t recommend
she train more than three days in a row.
Also, she needs to focus on her weak
areas (not only pull-ups). She’s obviously
a strong athlete, but it looks like she needs
to work on her technique to improve her
jerk as well as her overhead squat. I’d have
her come back to the gym on Monday to
work on her jerks (3-2-2-1-1-1-1). With a
105-pound press, she should be able to jerk
heavier than 130 pounds. Either postural
or mechanical faults need to be addressed Maggie Dabe
and fixed—set-up, dip, timing, transition CrossFit Fairfax
from the dip to the drive, pressing too
early/waiting too long, catch, etc.
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Think of Chris Spealler going for 100

pull-ups in a row as a PR, or giving a
maximum effort in competition. I have
absolutely no issue with that.
But ripping her palms to the point that
it will make further training difficult and
painful or impossible isn’t helpful to Jenn’s
goal. She only has five weeks to competi-
tion and could be building her pull-ups, but
now she is very likely not going to be able
to do them well or for very long. She likely
won’t be able to PR on Cindy and will be
very disappointed. She will very possibly
cause further tearing in the process,
inhibiting her chances of pushing hard and
Lisa Ray setting PRs on other workouts in the next
CrossFit Flagstaff week. Her goal should be getting ready for
Jenn is a strong, athletic girl. competition, not knocking herself dead
beforehand with overtraining and injury.
But staying the current course will result in
overtraining and possibly overuse injuries, Today, I would strongly encourage Jenn to
which will not benefit her training over the do Cindy with jumping pull-ups, thereby
long haul. I would like to sit down with her saving her hands. I would have her go as
and have a conversation about the benefits hard and fast as she can to get over 20
of rest days in her training, as well as smart rounds of jumping Cindy. Doing so will still
training while she’s in the gym. I would at allow her to work out with the rest of the
this point also like to talk to her about her group and push hard for a goal, and it will
diet, encouraging her to fine tune that with preserve the metabolic stimulus and some
as much competitiveness and heart as she of her pride.
gives her physical training. If her diet was/
is dialed in, it would help her recover better I would then literally bar her from the gym
from her hard training, and I also believe for two days straight with the homework
her pull-up numbers would come up. of watching three movies of her choice,
reading CrossFit Journal No. 21 and healing
At the moment, she has badly torn hands, her hands.
again creating a detriment to her training,
especially something she really wants to
get better at. I really feel that there is a
time and a place for going to the point of
destroying yourself. Intensity is important,
and occasionally pushing yourself to the
brink of injury is totally acceptable.
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and a conscious balance of maintain-

ing strengths and improving weak-
nesses. He doesn’t specifically suggest
educating her about why. Is this a
difference between male and female
trainers? Or does Andy determine
that in this case the best way for Jenn
to break her overtraining is to simply
follow directions and experience the
difference?
Some coaches are soft and sweet.

Others are loud and harsh. Some try to
educate their clients about why they
should train a particular way.
The Last Word Others just provide commands. Good
Tony Budding, CrossFit HQ training is about getting the best
All three trainers recognize Jenn is at risk real-world results for your clients. The
for overtraining. Some athletes have to be only way to do this is to consider and
driven hard to reach their potential. Others, manage all the factors that contribute
like Jenn, need to be reined in to achieve to success. Among the most signifi-
their maximum performance. Why is this? cant are technique, intensity, nutrition
Because intensity is the key to optimizing and rest.
results. Without adequate rest, no one can
maximize workout intensity. How do you know if you’re doing it
right? Success is obvious: increasing
Andy and Maggie point out the need to numbers of clients getting better and
improve Jenn’s mechanics on the funda- better results.
mental movements. Lisa and Maggie also
focus on the psychological. They want to
improve Jenn’s understanding of balance,
nutrition, rest and when to push really hard.
Jenn is a former collegiate athlete, so she
knows how to push.
The trainers point out that she doesn’t
need to work harder—she needs to work
smarter.
Andy suggests a very specific approach

for Jenn leading up to her competition,
including an increasing number of rest days
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J O U R N A L ARTICLES

Built to Move Kilgore

Scaling: How Less Can Be More Weiss

Less Is More for Champion Runner Morse

You Be The Trainer - #1 Budding, et al.

Mastering the Jerk Starr

Is “Punishment” a Dirty Word? Warkentin

Forty Years in the Fitness Desert Eich

Toward Better Military PT Tests Hoff

You Be The Trainer - #2 Budding, et al.

Dr. Lon Kilgore

Figure 1: Schematic of mammalian cell organelles.

that have been engulfed by the cell. The membrane of

Dr. Lon Kilgore

Figure 2: Tearing a very dry piece of beef jerky reveals small

Whether it is a training-induced contractile activity by blocking or facilitating the inter-

a training-induced alteration in the chemicals present or

The accepted mechanism of muscle contraction is a

of the sarcomere at the M-line and is represented by the

Dr. Lon Kilgore

Movement: From Cells to Sit-ups

About the Author

Figure 5: Muscle pennation.

arrangement (parallel to the long axis of the tendon).

Scaling: How Less Can Be More

Start Slow—Or Not

Lose the Ego, Lower the Weight

Furthermore, jumping into a WOD that calls for a high

For time: —Mike Warkentin

Alex Cibiri/Element CrossFit

Of course, scaling up is always an option for firebreathers looking to test themselves.

Scaling Rounds and Rest

If you’re just starting out and can’t judge whether to

About the Author

Less Is More for Champion Runner

engineering schools, the Colorado School of Mines had

Hartley is running between

Hartley was spotted by the track coach. He wound up

“I couldn’t do it,” Hartley recalls. “I couldn’t keep my

He ramps up the running component as the next compe-

“If I can’t find open or college meets, it’s hard to push

About the Author

Parker Morse running the “media 800 meters”

Three of CrossFit’s top trainers program a

Tony Budding created

Today is Thursday. Steve will be in later

The proposed workout:

Is this a good workout for Steve today?

Adrian (Boz) Bozman

The Last Word:

Mastering the Jerk

In recent years overhead lifts have experienced a

In this same vein, if you are doing a great deal of bench

weight to arm’s length without re-bending your knees

It must be understood that

Pulling Under and Pushing Back

Pick a Style and Master It

Is “Punishment” a Dirty Word?

Basketball practice, circa 1987.