BRCF

Fundamentals

First, let me be the first to welcome you to Bull Run CrossFIt and our community which is truly

"More than just a Gym!"

Bull Run CrossFit's Fundamental's Program is meant to teach you about the methodology we use in our gym along with the "fundamental" movements we use in our classes. Today you will learn 20 movements which form the base of all other movements we use in the Workout of the Day, or "WOD".

There is a lot of information, techniques, and terminology you will learn in class which you will inevitably forget, lol....so we recommend you bookmark this link and come back to it often or anytime you want to revisit one of the movements.

It was great having you in class and we look forward to seeing you in the gym. If you ever need to reach out with any questions feel free to email us anytime.

Brian: [email protected]

Melissa: [email protected]

What Is CrossFit?

Constantly Varied

Functional Movements

Relative High Intensity

What is a "WOD" or Workout of the Day?

Foundational Movements

Rowing

Double Unders

Rowing Like a Champion- Tips and Tricks to become better on the Erg.

Squats

Air Squat

Back Squat

Front Squat

Overhead Squat

Overhead Presses

Shoulder Press

Push Press

Push Jerk

Barbell Movements

Deadlift

Thruster

Kettlebells

Russian Kettlebell Swing

American Kettlebell Swing

Sumo-Deadlift High Pull

Bodyweight and Gymnastics

Wall Balls

Ring Row

Strict Pull-up

Kipping Pull-up

Butterfly Pull-ups

Slamballs

Burpee

Box Jump

Hang Power Snatch & Hang Power Clean

Slow Motion Snatch

Slow Motion Clean

There are a lot of different positions used in the Olympic Lifts which can be confusing. Here are the most widely used ones and seen at Bull Run CrossFit. These positions can be used for either the Snatch or Clean. We will list these from the highest position and work our way down to the floor. Please see the videos below for a full description and visual.

High Hang

Above the Knee

Below the Knee

Chalk- we love Chalk!!!

Chalk!! We use a lot of chalk in CrossFit, it helps with your grip, especially when it gets a little warmer outside. However, there is a right way to use chalk and a WRONG way to use chalk....lol (did you watch the video??)

You do not need as much as you think, a little goes a long ways

Hold your hands over the chalk bucket when applying chalk to your hands, this helps it from falling all over our floors

Only chalk your hands- this will transfer to the barbells, kettlebells, dumbells, and whatever else you are about to grip. No need to chalk the equipment ;)

When you're done- clean up the chalk prints on the floor and on the equipment with rags and mops that are out for everyone to use- Thanks!!

So- Enjoy the Chalk- but more importantly- RESPECT the Chalk!

Who here thinks that CrossFit means you must go as hard as you can, in every workout and that if you do not finish flat on your back and about to puke...that you are not doing it right?

If I removed the word CrossFit and said a 5k run....would you approach it the same way? Even in a 1 mile run- the principle of pacing still applies.

Pacing is the secret weapon of great athletes and the only way you are going to get better, safely and consistently. Without pacing, you are most likely training in the wrong metabolic pathways which will lead you to over-training, plateaus and frustration.

Understanding how to pace is paramount to your success in any sporting endeavor, so pay attention to what the workout is, how to approach it, and then pace the workout accordingly will get you much better results and faster!

It doesn't have to be as hard as you think.

One of the easiest ways to gauge your effort levels is by your breath. If you need to stop during the workout, which we all do, use your breath to make sure you are at the right pace. If you cannot restart in 3-5 breathes, you might be going a little too hard or fast so slow it down and stay in the right zone.

How do you "slow-down" when doing 50 burpees or 50 wallballs you ask? Easy, by "chunking" a movement into manageable sets you can keep your RPE where it is meant to be. Chunking is simply breaking up a bigger set of movements into more manageable, smaller sets helping you maintain your RPE and keep you moving consistently. An example of the above mentioned sets (50 wallballs) could be 5 sets of 10 with 3 breaths between each set or 10 sets of 5 reps. I have even went to doing singles with a breath between each one during longer workouts- the goal is just to keep moving without taking long breaks or hitting that 10 RPE scale.

Another strategy is to find areas in the workout to build-in rest to help maintain your RPE. When you have a workout with smaller rep ranges of let's say 5-20 you could use your transition to the next movement as your rest.

Lastly, you can even find rest during a movement!! Lets take a burpee for example... there is a top and a bottom for this movement where one could "rest". Taking a brief pause at the top or bottom of the burpee can often times give you just enough rest to keep going. Even the box jump has this same sweet-spot for rest. Standing on top of the box or on the floor before taking off again offers a perfect time to build-in some "rest" to help keep you moving smartly.

Start looking at each movement, or workout to see where "rest" can be found...and actually make you better, quicker!

If you ever have questions on how to approach a workout, ask your coach. They will help you strategize for maximum benefits!!

Nutrition

One of the most important aspect of wellness and the one thing that will make the biggest impact on how you look and feel is NUTRITION!!

In the picture above- CrossFit's Hierarchy of Wellness you see that the base of the pyramid is Nutrition and the bigger the base of your wellness pyramid, the taller or higher you can go with everything else.

My favorite quote is "You cannot out-workout a bad diet!" So no matter how hard you get after it in the gym, if you are not equally hitting it hard in the kitchen you are severely limiting your ability to be the best version of yourself.

Take a second and listen to this great VLOG from Ben Burgeron who explains this perfectly.