Darlene and I drove up to Rockwall, TX this past Friday for a Gymnastics Cert.  Jeff Tucker, of GSX Athletics, puts on gymnastics certs and Mary and Mike, of CrossFit Rockwall, hosted.  It was an awesome time!

CrossFit has regular and optional continuing education available to those who are interested in a wide range of subjects pertaining to our CrossFit training endeavors.  The point of the Gymnastics Cert isn’t to make gymnasts out of everyone but, rather to “educate you in basic gymnastic movements which in turn will allow you to progress in your CrossFit workouts.”  What does that mean?  Gymnastic movements, within the realm of CrossFit, are those body weight movements that are foundational to what we do and how we do it.  Pull-ups, push-ups, all over flexibility, shoulder strength, core strength…the foundational stuff.

And speaking of core strength…tuck and pike and hollow out, hold a hand stand correctly and skin the cat…do these things…no… master these things and you will laugh with abandon at the simplistic and silly notion that real core strength can be attained with crunches on a ball.  Your shoulders have never been stretched until you’ve been inverted in rings but you can’t (that should read SHOULD NOT!!) do that until you can hold yourself solidly in rings and curl tightly in a tucked position and … its a progression kind of thing you’ll need to see.  With all of the gymnastics, if you will take the time to honest-to-goodness build the strength and flexibility you will have a rock solid foundation for your lifts, your martial art, your sport outside of CrossFit or within CrossFit if this is your sport.

Leave no holes or gaps.  Take the time to be a solid athlete; a well-rounded and a jack of all trades athlete.  Then you will truly be able to take on anything that comes at you in life or sport.  How cool to feel that freedom of always being able to respond to a challenge with a self-confident “No problem!”

Thank you Tuck!