Ours is not a gym built of 20-somethings straight off of competition’s fields or olympic athletes preparing for for their next event.  Not that we don’t have fine athletes or fierce competitors, but our main clientele is more likely to be in their mid to late 30′s, married with kids.  That’s probably because Matt and I are in our late 30′s, coming up on 16 years of marriage with 2 kids.  The pluses to 20-somethings is that they haven’t got the wear and tear on their bodies yet that will slow them down later.  Hopefully, with training in CrossFit, they can avoid so many of the problems that plague those of us a shade older.  The pluses of being an older athlete, and if you train hard with us you ARE an athlete, is that you are usually more aware of your body and its abilities, strengths and weaknesses.  Each of us needs to be an active participant in keeping/getting our bodies in top shape and keeping them there.

2 weeks ago, I went to Austin to hear and learn from Kelly Starrett how we can be active in our own injury prevention and health.  Aches and pains, poor posture and poor mechanics in movement all add up to first, small aches and discomforts and then bigger problems until you’re not comfortable or able to do a movement in that new ‘sport’ that you’re doing over there at CFC.   The problem isn’t CrossFit, not to say that CrossFit or all trainers in CrossFit are infallible.  The problem is most often that CrossFit points out or highlights your problems.  It finds the weak point in your game, the hole in your armor.  That slumped forward position that you’ve had ever since you first started to sit at a computer for hours on end per day is damaging to your shoulders when you then attempt to take a bar over your head with regularity.  Believe it or not, but your thumbs are not supposed to point at each other when you stand.  Weird!  And swayed backs are not okay, even after carrying children or running for miles on end.

Getting functional and into top shape takes a multi-pronged approach to fix.  Firstly, if the issue is something that is a gross imbalance/tightness/weakness then there needs to be professional help in getting you out of the hole.  We, Matt and myself, have had dramatic improvement with Airrosti treatments with Dr. Doug Pendegrass.   As any of the CFC athletes who have worked with Dr. Pendegrass can attest, his is not a relaxing kind of massage help but a much more aggressive type of soft tissue therapy.  The plus to what he does is get in and get on with the fixing.  This leads to the second part of the fix – you HAVE to be a partner in your own healing.  You have to do your best to straighten up and walk tall and move smoothly.  Each workout should be preceded by and then followed by stretching, foam roller and lacrosse ball work.  The warm up and cool down processes listed on the board at the gym are the bare minimum.  If you do any of the prescribed movements and don’t feel truly stretched or warmed up then you need to do something…more.  Something bigger, different, greater than the prescribed warm up and stretches in order to make the improvements in your flexibility that you need to.  Each of us has different needs in every area and flexibility is no different.  Hunt for the tight muscle group and stretch it!  Static stretches shouldn’t be the only method that you use to increase your flexibility.  Utilize the foam rollers.  If you don’t know how to use them just ask!  Rest/skill days would be great for this.  Short workout days would be great for this.  Every day is great for this!  If the foam rollers aren’t doing the trick then get in that knotted muscle with a lacrosse ball.  Those are the hard, yellow balls usually residing in the red shelves.  If you can’t find them then ask where they are.  This isn’t rocket science folks.

Our bodies, as we age and as we push them harder and farther than generations before us need to be taken care of or they will shut us down.  Do your part for your health!