Okay maybeeeeeee the picture is a little extra but…
In CrossFit flexibility is very important!
CrossFit has 10 Physical Skills that we work on in our training. The one that gets forgotten the most is flexibility but its use in CrossFit is evident in every movement that we do.
CrossFit defines FLEXIBILITY as: the ability to maximize the range of motion of a given joint
What we are looking for in CrossFit is to reach full range of motion in all of our movements.
We call this functional range of motion or range of motion we actually use in every day life.
We want to squat getting our hip crease below our knees
We want to press overhead getting our biceps in line with out ears
We want to deadlift with our back in a neutral or flat position
Here are 3 benefits of Flexibility
1-Prevents injury
Completing movements that require full range of motion of your joints when you don’t have it will eventually end with you having some sort of pain. Getting the adequate, functional flexibility for life and CrossFit allows you to complete tasks without sacrificing muscles, tendons, and even bone structures
2-Increases Power, Speed, and Strength
Completing an all out sprint or doing a 1 rep max power clean with full range of motions of ankles, knees, and hips allows you to access all of your musculature needed to emit full force. Without full range of motion of your joints you are only able to access portions of your musculature during strength, power, and speed movements. This greatly limits the amount of force you can create, resulting in less weight that can be lifted or less speed in a sprint.
3-Improves your ability to do daily activities
Being flexible makes daily life easier. Getting down to the ground becomes much easier. Picking something up from the ground becomes much easier. Doing chores and garden work becomes much easier. Working on home projects becomes much easier. And the list goes on and on!
As you can see the benefits of being flexible are well worth the pursuit in improving yours.
In our next article we will talk about what are test our for flexibility so you can see where you are at and what you need to do to improve where you are lacking!