Practical Application of Bracing

JT Scott | 08/04/2013 | 13

Today’s WOD is another run at Open 13.2. Note that there is NO scaling up allowed today – the goal is to see how much work you can get done. The best way to direct every ounce of available power to your rep count is to make sure none of that power is diverted by bad form.

Bad form, in this case, includes spinal hyperextension or forward inclination of the chest on shoulder-to-overheads, cat-backed or high-hipped deadlifts, and sloppy “pots and pans” box jumps. Most of these faults have one thing in common: an unengaged core. Even if your feet aren’t rooted to the ground – as happens in box jumps – you’ll need to find that engagement from feet all the way to head as you move.

So this “bracing” thing that we continue to emphasize is super useful for everything we’re doing today. Also, something I did this weekend.

On Saturday morning I climbed onto my motorcycle and hit the road for New York City. That’s a good 4 hour ride, and one stop for refuel. On a bike like my biggun, that’s also 4 hours of heavy vibration from the bike engine and lots of bumps from our quality New England pavement (not to mention the Bronx-Queens Expressway… sheesh).

Fortunately, core bracing fixes a lot of things. I kept my shoulderblades down, my midsection tight, and my pelic tilt neutral – and even after 4 hours of shake, rattle, and bump I felt just fine.

Yes, this is a stock photo. No, I have never taken the mid-life-crisis photo of me standing near or sitting on a bike.

Just as the spine-stabilizing strength developed by single-arm loading can help a rugby player withstand impacts on the field, and having a rock-solid neck kept Miranda Oldroyd from having her spine severed and dying after a car accident, my suspicion is that engaging the spinal bracing we’ve been working with by riding could keep the spine neutral and prevent the disc herniations and other chronic use injuries often seen in long-distance bikers.

Long time Harley riders in particular report back pain as an unfortunate and unavoidable consequence to years of enjoying their favorite transport. I submit that this is not the case: lots of CrossFit (particularly the SFCF/CFSV flavor, emphasizing bracing and midline stability) can keep riders happy and healthy for many years. I’m also pretty confident that we can identify ways it can help you stay happy and healthy in your hobbies, too.

Monday, 8/5/13

Strength:
Low Bar Back Squat 5×5
(“sets across” if you have a prior 5RM to work from, otherwise 5-5-5-5-5)

WOD:
CrossFit Open WOD 13.2
AMRAP 10:
5 Shoulder to overhead (115/75)
10 Deadlifts (same bar)
15 Box jumps (24/20)
* Do Not scale up! There is no RX+ today – just move faster and do more work.