Billy Madison Was Wrong! ...Peeing Your Pants Ain't Cool

Now that I have moved to Atlanta, and I am coaching at Crossfit North Atlanta, I have the honor of coaching our "Crossfit Women" class. One of the biggest differences in training a women's class is transitioning from working with a population of hypo-mobile (non-mobile), stiff, males ages 18-30, to training a population of hyper-mobile (super mobile), badass crossfit moms.
This changes the way I warm them up, prescribe exercises, and dictate mobility protocols for them. This change was very apparent the first time I coached a class with them that involved double unders. A few women came over, and kind of pulled me to the side and asked what they could do to substitute double unders. Of course, me, as a male who had predominately only trained tactical athletes and football players, replied "single-unders"…as they rolled their eyes, they replied, "ugh…yeah, that's not gonna work, I can't jump, I have a problem." Then, I understood. These ladies were referring to pelvic floor dysfunction.
I knew a little about pelvic floor dysfunction, but never had to talk to someone about it. So, I promised my CF Women class I would research, then write about it and link them to some resources. It also made me think about it in a military context. I am sure women in our military face this issue as well, but they just do not speak up about it like they have in crossfit. Women account for about 16% of our military, and this can really be an issue during a deployment, or military exercise. So, this is also for all my female tactical athletes, if you face this issue while jumping from a plane at 1200 ft, or during PT, then this post is for you.

THE BASICS:
First of all, lets get one thing straight--don't be embarrassed. But also, don't accept this issue. Peeing yourself during a WOD is NOT OK. Billy Madison and CF HQ are wrong. There is nothing cool about peeing your pants...

There was a crossfit video that created some controversy a year back about this issue of peeing during a workout. You can see the video HERE, and learn a little about the anatomy behind the pelvic floor.
As seen in the video linked above, some medical professionals think it is okay to pee when working out. While I am not a medical professional yet, as a believer in common sense, I disagree. If your body is reacting to something you are doing by peeing or pooping on yourself…something is probably wrong. If every time you brushed your teeth, you pooped your pants, I am sure you would try to figure out whats going on and how to stop it; and, peeing during a double under is no different.

SO WHAT NEXT?
In class, I harp on my athletes about proper setup for a braced spine (butt squeezed to set position, and belly tight to reinforce position) in everything they do for a reason…Because it matters! So, with that concept in mind, if you are having pelvic floor issues, add in setting the pelvic floor as well. In this video, Kelly explains this:

PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT!
You need to retrain your body and gain awareness and control of your pelvic floor. Another great article is one from Mobility WOD instructor/Marine/physical therapist Dianna DiToro found HERE. Dianna does a great job of breaking down this issue and has some great tips to help retrain and build your pelvic floor muscles.

OTHER ADVICE:
-For people I work with, I always advocate primarily training raw (aka no weight belt). Belts give you a false sense of security if you don't know how to properly brace in the first place. As soon as you master this concept and know how to truly set position, and are pulling some serious weight (more than 300lbs) safely with perfect form, then throw on a belt. There should be no reason you throw on a belt for your first set.
-Strict Movement is King (or Queen)! I like what Dr. Danny Matta of MWOD/Athletes Potential suggests, "Train like a powerlifter until you are strong enough to control your own body." If you are having a stability problem, you need to retrain your body, and go back to focusing on strict movement. For example, if your gym is doing jerks, and you are working on pelvic floor correction, sub in strict press. Danny has a great article about hyper-mobile athletes HERE.
-Stop worrying about "task completion" and focusing so much on the clock. You need to check the ego at the door. The only way to correct movement is repetition…and more importantly-CORRECT, WELL EXECUTED REPETITION. It takes 10,000+ repetitions to learn a new skill, it will take time to fix this and other issues you may have. Crossfit and weight training are all about getting better and having a better quality of life. The only way to set yourself up for success for when you are 80 years old is to harp on technique and placing a focus on quality over quantity. In a high rep deadlift/box jump workout your back doesn't give a shit about your time. Work for a PR of technique instead of trying to just beat a time that means nothing.
-Also, you can train/track progress by testing your pelvic floor as you work on this issue. Take whatever movement is causing you to leak (double unders, box jumps, etc) and each week as you strengthen your pelvic floor see how many reps you can do before you feel start to feel that you may leak. Be patient. You are all badass women and those small, untrained, weak pelvic floor muscles need time to get to the same level as all of your other bigger stronger muscles that don't fatigue as easily.

FINALLY:
Try to treat this issue yourself first. What I love about Dr. Kelly Starrett's Mobility WOD philosophy, is that YOU should take a crack at solving issues you have first…and if that still doesn't help; then, go see a medical professional. Another great resource is Jill Miller from Yoga Tune Up. Try some of the things suggested, and see if you can correct this issue. Talk with your doctor if you are concerned, set a realistic time frame to see progress, and track your progress or lack thereof.
If you do decide that you need professional help, go see a physical therapist who a.)specializes in pelvic floor issues, and b.) agrees that peeing yourself is not ok. There are lots of physical therapists who now specialize in the pelvic floor and can help if you need it.

Tactical Athlete Warm-up for PT

Tactical athletes MUST be a jack of all trades. They face the unknown every day. Fundamental movement skills will help them build a broad athletic platfom for them to become more athletic overall. All of this starts with the warm-up...

Traditionally, the warm-up for military PT is a complete waste of time. The days of the "hamstring stretch standing" are hopefully dead in military formations of today. While the Army's new PT program has attempted to fix the problems of the past, it is still lagging behind and some units are still using static stretching. I have said it before…our military tactical athletes are athletes and should be treated as such. I understand that a PT formation has its need for accountability and general disciple/order. But, at a certain point, when those formations are then handed off to the platoon/team/small group size, leaders need to then take into consideration how they can help their soldiers physically perform and excel.

First, is to design a proper warm-up. A good way to carry out a good/general PT warm-up would be to do something very similar to the way collegiate athletes, and good crossfit boxes run their warm-up. Things to take into consideration and what you want to try to implement are: a good general dynamic warm-up, some mobility drills, and movement specific preparation/training. 

An example of a warm-up would be:

-5 min light jog, or something to gets the heart rate up

-10 min of mobility work (open up hips, shoulders, ankles, etc…again, should be movement specific). Use bands if available, or in a future post we will discus IMD (improvised mobility devices). Save the soft tissue work for your recovery as it doesn't fire the CNS. 

-10 min on dynamic movement and movement specific preparation (if there is a upper body focus that day, work on opening up the arm, shoulder, and reinforce what good movement should look like….of if you are doing a long run, work on some running drills you can find over at crossfitendurance.com/run)

Some example of dynamic movements you could incorporate:

(all movements going about 20 yards each)

-inchworm

-walking lunges and reverse lunges

-A-skips

-knee hugs

-high knees

-power jumps

-leg swings (frankenstein walk)

-karaoke

-butt kicks

-bear crawls (regular or stiff legged)

-spiderman crawl

There are a ton of other drills that you can research. I prefer to pair a slower drill with a faster drill and alternate. For example: inchworm 20 yards one way, then butt kicks back 20 yards. All of these will help your soldiers general athleticism and help to prevent injuries. Also, it will let your soldiers know that you take their fitness and performance seriously, and show them you care and see them as the tactical athletes they are. 

MWOD on Surviving the Front Leaning Rest Position

Check out my guest spot on Mobility WOD where Kelly discusses how to survive the front leaning rest position and the flutter kick. Kelly has hacked these positions for the military community, and these simple tips can really help when you are in a world of pain. We all know that during a smoke session, if we are able hold this plank position, it will ensure that whoever is "bringing the hurt" upon us, is not going to be focusing their attention on us, and will instead be harassing some other sucker who is sagging or arching.
Let's be clear though-- this is NOT a position to do your push-ups from. This is for SURVIVING that position so that you don't burn out and. Cheat the movement in order to make it to the next event/day of basic, indoc, selection, academy, or any other time you may find yourself having to assume the front leaning rest while someone attempts to break you. Then, once it is time to push again, reset into the correct position first, and then continue to do your push-ups (see our previous blog post on the push-up):

-Your Push-ups Suck
-Push-up Pain
-Just Say NO to "Girl Push-ups"

If you aren't cheating…you are trying!

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2014/04/pro-episode-68-how-to-game-the-plank-and-flutter-kick-stress-positions-and-win-and-survive/

Hero WOD and Mobility Event

We had a great Hero WOD and Mobility Veterans Event on Saturday at Flagship Crossfit. We had a great turnout from Team RWB and everyone there killed it! Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us. Our next Event is coming up soon.
Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest news and updates...

"Whitten"

Five Rounds for Time:
  -22 KB Swings
  -22 Box Jumps
  -Run 400m
  -22 Burpees
  -22 Wall Ball

Should I Sit, Stand, or Look Ridiculous??

Recently, fellow veterans at my school, as well as the collegiate athletes that I work with have been complaining about problems associated with having to sit all day. The mobility-sphere is buzzing on the topic right now, so I figured I would jump in. While they recognize that sitting all day, cramped in a tiny desk is the culprit, many dont know how to fix the issue.
As with the barefoot running craze a few years back, many are just trying any solution to this problem and jumping in, not thinking about what they are actually doing...they are buying standing desks, bike desks, treadmill desks, laying on the floor with their computer desks, and anything else they hear about on the web that does not have them stuck in a chair. Sitting all day is horrible, there is no doubt about that; but standing in a horrible position all day, or heel striking (and not to mention looking ridiculous) on a treadmill desk all day is no better. Just as with barefoot running, those early adopters had to take a minute...reflect and perfect what they were doing. They learned to run from experts like Brian Mckenzie, understood the form and technique involved, and gradually eased into using less and less of a heeled shoe.
Understand that standing, running, walking, sitting, and even laying are all SKILLS. We harp on our form and are meticulously in thinking about our positions every minute when we are inside the gym; so why do we not do the same outside of the gym? These skills overlap and articulate with one another. Your form on a deadlift is just as important as your form when you stand (also known as posture).
For those of you stuck to a desk all day, confined to a seated position in a military vehicle, cannot stand up in your classroom, or at work....IM SORRY. It sucks, but for you- learn how to recover from sitting. Life will put us in some shitty position, we have to learn how to recover from being in a bad position. Also, learn the skill of sitting, get up whenever you can, and have a strategy to recover after your brutal 3 hour calculus sitting session...after all, you take your recovery session seriously after a brutal workout. Do the same thing for sitting. Dont know how to do so? There are hundreds of free videos on mobilitywod.com that will help you out.
For those of you with the freedom to pick a different option: Learn the skill associated with the desk you choose. Think about your new position. Are you setting a new "standing in a neutral position PR" today? As Kelly Starrett says, "your next position, is your best position." That is how you should look at standing at your desk. If it gets tough and you start slacking, try a new position. Take a seat for 10 min, try doing the couch stretch as you work.
There are a lot of great resources out there now looking at this issue. I have wrote a few blog entries and FB posts on the subject. I recommend checking out the blog post HERE from Athletes' Potential and books like the upcoming Deskbound from Dr. Kelly Starrett and his numerous videos on the subject.

Here is an example of how I approach my sitting:
I am personally treated as a child at my college...my 6'3", 195lb body is stuck in a desk built for a 5 year old, 5 days a week and am unable to stand during class. I choose the following options:
-Sit in an optimal position
-Stand up briefly, as often as I can!
-After class, immediately open up my hips with either a quick couch stretch, squat stretch, etc.
-When I get to our afternoon strength and conditioning football session/or home, I throw a band on my hips and really open them up, and as I have my athletes warm up...I JOIN THEM!. Or, if it was a rough day, I will barbell smash.
-For homework: I have a tall desk where I rotate between sitting at the high bar stool I have (so I can sit if I need to, but my hip is still somewhat open), stand, and do the Captain Morgan (as you will see if you check out the athletes potential video above).

BTW...I just set a new shoulder position PR. My posture is an ongoing war, and I am winning the Battle of Winged Scapula

FAIL!!!!!

Stay up to Date!

I am in full swing with my spring semester. I apologize for the lack of posts. Please follow us on facebook for updated posts, ideas, and tips. Please contact with any needs you may have, and we will respond as quickly as possible. As soon as the semester slows down, we will be back on blogger. Until then, like us on facebook to stay up to date!

OUR FACEBOOK LINK:
https://www.facebook.com/reloadandrecover

Christmas Came Early! And I Got a Box Full of Balls!

I want to thank Jill Miller and Robert Faust of Yoga Tune Up for donating a box of Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls to Operation Reload and Recover! I first discovered Jill after she appeared on MobilityWOD. Jill Miller is the queen of fascia and I have always enjoyed her guest spots on MobilityWOD, as her knowledge on movement and recovery is immense.
I'm no yogi, but I started to use YTU Therapy Balls because my body was so extremely tight that a lacrosse ball was just way to rough on many places that I tried to roll out. For those places that I needed to mobilize the most, a lacrosse balls was just too painful, so I was not really benefiting from myofascial release... as the key part is being able to RELAX and contract while treating soft tissue. The YTU Therapy Balls allowed me to actually relax and really treat my issues.
The YTU balls are softer (but not too soft like a tennis ball) and they are grippy, which is important...as anyone who has ever tried using a tennis ball has seen (tennis balls will just slide out from underneath you).
One of the most impactful things that I have learned from Jill is how important, and critical the psoas can be in treating your pain. For me, treating my psoas has been key in my rehabilitation. In an upcoming post I will talk about the psoas and show you some ways to mobilize it.
I STRONGLY suggest picking up a pair of the Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls. Put it at the top of your mobility want list. Or better yet…come out to a Operation Reload and Recover Event, we have a box of them now!!!

My favorite mobilizations with YTU Therapy Balls are:

1. Using the pair in the bag for thoracic mobilizations. For anyone who needs a lot of t-spine work, (which a majority of our military and first responders do from wearing body armor and carrying heavy loads) a pair of double lacrosse balls are just to rough sometimes. YTU balls are the way to go.

2. Neck Mobilization. I do this one (@5:10 on video) when I watch TV or have been working on the computer for a while and my neck is tight. You would be surprised at how tight your neck can be, This would be great after a jump or a ruck march. As the ball has some grip, gently push the ball into your neck, give the ball a twist to take the slack out, and gently look away in the opposite direction…repeat in different places, and on different sides.

3. Ankle Mobilization. Again…great after/before a ruck march and just after wearing boots all week long.

Interview With Olympic Rower Kristin Hedstrom

About a week ago, some fellow coaches and I had an awesome rowing workshop at Bladium Crossfit with Olympic rower, Kristin Hedstrom. Kristin is an amazing athlete and I cannot thank her enough for taking the time out to coach us. It was great being coached by an elite Olympic rower, and we all learned a lot. I had the opportunity to sit down with her and ask her a few questions:

1.  Damper setting...a much debated topic in the crossfit world. What damper setting should a typical crossfit athlete use for a typical WOD involving rowing less than 1000m at a time?
The numbers on the side of the erg act as a guideline. Instead of going off that, hit "more options" and "display drag factor." This will give you an actual reading of the drag on the machine. Row at a decent pace (like 70% of max), see what number it gives you, and adjust it up or down based on what number your'e going for. Shoot between 120 and 135 - lower end if you're a smaller female, higher end if you're a bigger male. I heard some people saying they want to throw it up to 10 on the damper setting. I was surprised; as elite rowers, we do very little work at a 10. It makes the load really heavy, so you'll burn out sooner and it won't be efficient. What you want is to put a lot of power into each stroke but still be able to keep the fan moving and take a lot of strokes per minute, which is possible on the lower drag setting.

2.  What is the most common fault you spot while people are rowing?
You see this one all the time and it makes all rowers cringe: after finishing the stroke, people bend their knees first and then have to lift their arms over their knees. Instead, your hands should come away from the body, then the upper body pivots over at the hips, THEN the legs bend. It's more of a three-part motion up the slide. 

3. What does your typical warm up look like?
For a 500 / 1k on the erg? 10 minutes rowing at about 70% pressure, stretching, then 5-10 more minutes of going 10 strokes hard, 20 strokes easy. The "hard" should be at the split and rate you want to hold for the race and the easy should be paddling. 

4. What does your typical recovery look like?
From any hard workout, it's at least a 15 minute cool-down, then taking care of the priorities: refueling and rehydrating while stretching and foam rolling. 

5.  I saw on your twitter that you made an interesting looking "kale-mango-pineapple-greentea-coconut-flax smoothie"…there was no recipe; will you share it or should we just burn it from our memory?

Oh man, my smoothies get a little crazy sometimes, depending on what I have in the kitchen. I never follow a recipe. I just throw stuff in and if it tastes yucky, add a little more of this or that until it's better. More often than not, you can't go wrong. Going off of memory, that recipe looked something like: 

1/2 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

1/2 cup frozen kale 

1 tsp matcha tea powder + 1/2 cup water

3/4 cup light coconut milk

a couple tsp ground flax seeds 

a couple tsp chia seeds

6. What is next up for you (when is your next major competition or what are you currently training for)? and how can readers find out more about you?
I'm going for the Olympic Games in 2016, but the most important upcoming race is the 2014 World Championships. National selection for that starts in April. You can follow on my website - www.kristinhedstrom.com - where you'll find links to my blog, twitter account, and ways to support me. 

Thanks again to Kristin for taking the time out to speak and work with us. Go check Kristin out and help support our Olympic athletes. There is a huge misconception that Olympic athletes make a ton of money like NBA or NFL players…they don't! These athletes bust their ass pursuing their passion, simply for the love of their sport. For 99% of these athletes there is NO money in becoming an Olympic athlete…hopefully this will change

“@spartangrass: KendrickJFarris do you do the Olympics for the money?” What money?
— Kendrick J. Farris (@KendrickJFarris) November 29, 2013

USOC pays 25k for gold 15k for silver and 10k for bronze, this hasn't changed in over 10 years and due to inflation it's about 5k less.
— Kendrick J. Farris (@KendrickJFarris) November 29, 2013

Kristin and my fellow coaches after a great rowing workshop

What Makes a Hero?

I recently read this article which reviewed several studies on what makes humans want to take heroic action and if we are hardwired for it. It was an interesting article based on several different experiments. Basically, scientists came up with a few ideas hypothesising that, doing something charitable, "provides an intrinsic reward that is neurologically similar to ingesting an addictive drug", giving people a "high on being heroic" and that being compassionate or heroic can be likened to a muscle that you can condition by certain practices.

...Blah blah blah....For those of us who have served, we can offer a different perspective on this topic. In my experience, what makes a soldier take heroic action in combat is LOVE. Its the love for his brother in arms, a bond which is incredible strong. I would die for any of my brothers that I served with and know that they would do the same for me. Its not that anyone wants to be a hero, they just want their brother next to them to make it home.

What You Can Learn from Stanford's Offensive Line

I am a HUGE college football fan. I grew up in the south, so all I knew growing up was SEC power football. Being out here in the Bay Area for the past year, I have started to catch more Pac-12 games now. I have been a huge fan of Stanford's O-line all year. I finally got my chance this Saturday to go to my first Stanford football game out at "The Farm" in Palo Alto.

As a student of human movement and a football strength and conditioning coach, I love watching them line up. They have a very unique (to me) type of o-line this year. They line up shoulder to shoulder (sometimes with even 9 on the line!), and come at the D-line hard from a 4-point stance most of the time.
I am loving their approach of reverting back to a 4-point stance. I try to encourage my own players (although it is hard as a S&C coach, not a position coach) to do the same. I see how much more potential these guys can have when the can get down low in a 4-point stance, keep their feet straight, and ensure their knees do not cave in. When they get off the line, they can generate much more power and be in a optimal/stable position. I also notice that the players who tend to line up (on offense or defense) without letting their knees come into a valgus knee position tend to not wear knee braces…weird! Mobility is incredibly important for these big men.
 I think a big problem with O and D line players occur when they constantly line up with knees coming inside their feet throughout their career. They become comfortable in this vulnerable position, which makes it that much easier to injure their knees once they take a shot to them. I think if these player were to work more on creating a stable, externally rotated position, they would not be as susceptible to knee injuries. Sure…its football, and when a 300lb linemen falls on your knee, a 300lb linemen falls on your knee! Those injuries will happen and there is little to protect them from this type of injury. But, we can avoid some of the other (more common) injuries that occur by simply teaching our players what a more stable knee position looks/feels like and work on mobility, not just squat #'s.
For those non-football player out there, the same goes for you. Knees out is= OPTIMAL (or, per Takano and the recent debate online over the cue "knees out" maybe I should say- "not letting your knees collapse in once in any type of squat stance so that knees track inside the feet", or whatever cue you want to use...the bottom line is- that allowing knees to cave in is=NOT OPTIMAL). Getting up out of a chair, squatting, jumping, lifting a couch, riding a bike, or PLF'ing during a jump from a C-130 on a DZ…they all should be done with awareness of not letting your knees come crashing in. Can you make a block in the NFL with knees in? Can you clean 405lb with your knees in? Can you live your life with knees caving in all day? SURE!….but it is not optimal and isn't the BEST possible position for performance and injury prevention.
Practice makes permanent…and that goes for both good and bad practice. If you practice good positions, they become your default position; just as if you practice bad positions.

The player on the left has much more of a stable/strong base, and like
I mentioned above, this an help prevent certain injuries

VIDEO OF STANFORDS O-LINE: 

What have you guys noticed this college football season or think about the 4-point stance?

Movember is Winding Down…But, Don't You Dare Shave!

Repost From Buffleblog.com:

Pentagon Study Finds Beards Directly Related To Combat Effectiveness (via http://www.duffelblog.com)

TAMPA, FL — Forget new gear, weapons, or sophisticated targeting systems. The newest tool coming to combat troops is low-tech: beards. In a report released yesterday, research think-tank Xegis Solutions noted that beards have a direct correlation…

---

I Just Vomited in my Mouth...

Captured another gem today on BART…and after just talking about not sitting like a duck too! The way that this chicks femur is pointed one way, and her tibia is spinning off almost 45 degrees the opposite way makes me cringe. Wonder what she is thinking about….maybe, "hmmm…what doctor should I call to repair my ACL?"

Look Familiar??