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Friday

190208

Workout of the Day

133

3 rounds for time of:

7 strict muscle-ups
50 squats
1,000-meter row

Post time to comments.

Just as there are many remote causes of plague—heat, insects, rats—but only one common cause, the plague bacillus, there are a great many remote causes of cancer—tar, rays, arsenic, pressure, urethane—but there is only one common cause into which all other causes of cancer merge: the irreversible injuring of respiration.

Comments on 190208

136 Comments

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Doug Brubacher
May 29th, 2023 at 11:57 pm
Commented on: 190208

CFWUx2 sub 1mu for pus/dips

28:58

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Shawn Hakimi
December 9th, 2019 at 4:11 pm
Commented on: 190208

29:58 Rx'd


Went singles all the way through on the MU, but they still started to break down a bit, tried my best to stay strict.

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Matthieu Dubreucq
November 20th, 2019 at 12:34 pm
Commented on: Is Cancer a Genetic or Metabolic Disease? Part 4

The more I read about MMT the more I am hopeful for a cure for Cancer.

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William Ma
May 7th, 2019 at 1:19 am
Commented on: 190208

33:46 (subbed 800m run for 1000m row)

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Nate Gordon
April 11th, 2019 at 4:10 pm
Commented on: 190208

20:53

kipping muscle ups with a red band

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Kevin Miller
March 13th, 2019 at 7:56 pm
Commented on: 190208

Scaled MU to strict pull ups and dips

16:55

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John Doody
March 11th, 2019 at 10:40 pm
Commented on: 190208

18:45- used a black band for the strict Muscle Ups

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Kury Akin
March 8th, 2019 at 2:36 pm
Commented on: 190208

27:52. S&S. 3R. MU 7,6,5. Sq 50,40,30. KB SDLHP 100,80,60.

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Kury Akin
March 8th, 2019 at 2:36 pm

MU all singles but as strict as poss

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Sam Pat
March 2nd, 2019 at 11:46 pm
Commented on: 190208

Rest day

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Jeff Chalfant
March 1st, 2019 at 9:30 pm
Commented on: 190208

25:04 rx’d except didn’t lock out right arm due to a wrist injury. Row times were 4:04.5/4:02.3/3:54

Pushed hard on that last row and Pukie paid me a short visit afterward.

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Pyer-Hugh Dion
February 26th, 2019 at 1:35 am
Commented on: 190208

3RFT

14 strict pull up

50 squat

4min sumo deadlift high pull

17:42

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Sebastien Hotte
February 26th, 2019 at 12:06 am
Commented on: 190208

Did 4 strict ring MU and 3 kipping.

33:03

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Manchild Manchild
February 23rd, 2019 at 9:21 pm
Commented on: 190208

subbed weighted pull-ups and dips (25#) for MUs, and 10 burpees for row


14:59

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Morgan Greene
February 21st, 2019 at 3:03 pm
Commented on: 190208

20:31 (MU were not strict)

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John Campion
February 20th, 2019 at 4:46 pm
Commented on: 190208

24:02 rx

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Chris Martinez
February 19th, 2019 at 3:15 am
Commented on: 190208

23:04


3 RFT

- 14 strict pull ups

- 50 squats

- 1000m row

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Matt Crouse
February 19th, 2019 at 2:32 am
Commented on: 190208

22:44 sub 7xchest 2 bar kipping, 14xstrict ring dips. Air squats unbroken, was inner workout goal

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Clarke Read
February 18th, 2019 at 9:04 pm
Commented on: Anatomy of Levers, Part 4: Third-Class Levers

If you've heard athletes talk about "muscle insertion points", this is where and why they matter.


To get a little mathy, the formula governing how much effort is required to move a resisting force around a third-class lever is:


Effort = Resistance * (Distance to Resistance / Distance to Effort)


where distances are calculated from the fulcrum.


In this formula, "distance to effort" is in the denominator. What this means is that to move the same amount of resistance, at the same distance, we require half as much effort if we double the distance between the fulcrum and the load.


In our joints, that "Distance to Effort" is the distance between the joint and the insertion point of the muscle - that is, the point at which the muscle attaches to the bone across the joint. So for a bicep curl, in theory, if your bicep were to attach further from the elbow joint, you would need less contractile effort from the muscle to lift the same weight than if it were attached closer to the joint.


I don't know if the variability between athletes is great enough to be practically meaningful, and I don't see insertion points brought up as much as they used to be, but conceptually they're significant.


(Source: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/levers-d_1304.html )

(And for reference: https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/biceps-brachii)

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Matthieu Dubreucq
November 20th, 2019 at 12:03 pm

Thanks for explaining this

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ART SHELDON
February 14th, 2019 at 3:20 pm
Commented on: 190208

M50/5'5"/155


3RFT-


7 C2B pullups

30 squats

400m run


11:34

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Hank McKibban
February 13th, 2019 at 1:11 am
Commented on: 190208

21:13 kipping bar MU

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Krishna Sachanandani
February 13th, 2019 at 12:20 am
Commented on: 190208

23:01 Rx

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Brian Rosenbaum
February 12th, 2019 at 4:31 am
Commented on: 190208

M/56/6'2"/178

MUs scaled to 7 per round with heels on 18" box progression, otherwise RX'd

22:21

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Nathan Bynum
February 12th, 2019 at 4:20 am
Commented on: 190208

Scaled to:

3 rounds for time of:

7 strict pull-ups

7 dips

50 squats

500-meter row

19:47

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Richard Foster
February 12th, 2019 at 1:20 am
Commented on: 190208

Dotcomscaled Option 2

3 rnds

7 toenail muscle up

50 squats (unbroken)

500 single unders

26:44

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Bethanie Giardina
February 11th, 2019 at 8:18 pm
Commented on: 190208

30 min

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Jeffrey Howard
February 11th, 2019 at 7:24 pm
Commented on: 190208

22:32

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Dmitry Zolotyh
February 11th, 2019 at 6:33 pm
Commented on: 190208

3 rounds for time of:

5 strict ring pull-ups

5 strict ring dips

50 squats

1,000-meter row

26:08

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Shannon Said
February 11th, 2019 at 8:43 am
Commented on: 190208

7 kneeling pull ups

7 strict Roman chair dips

Rest rx

28:25

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Coastie Nick
February 11th, 2019 at 12:09 am
Commented on: 190208

22:15


First 3 MU strict. The rest not so much...

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Jordan Eisler
February 10th, 2019 at 10:21 pm
Commented on: 190208

3 rounds for time of:

7 assisted pull-ups and 7 assisted dips

50 squats

1000m row

27:55

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David Mitchell
February 10th, 2019 at 9:19 pm
Commented on: 190208

3 RFT

7 strict muscle up progressions

50 air squats

1,000 meter row


24:35

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Bradley Sadler
February 10th, 2019 at 8:35 pm
Commented on: 190208

21:40 RX got two sets of strict rings unbroken then 5 and 2 for last round! Male 44 RX awesome one!

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Tomi Krznar
February 10th, 2019 at 7:05 pm
Commented on: 190208

3 x

14 PU

14 bench dips

50 SQ

4 min ergo bike


19:20

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Rebecca Cunningham Rose
February 10th, 2019 at 5:45 pm
Commented on: 190208

33.44 scaled to trx muscle ups from toes

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Viktor Wachtler
February 10th, 2019 at 11:56 am
Commented on: 190208

Subbed rows for 800m runs.

Otherwise RX.

Could string 4 MUs together in the last round.

28:00

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Randy Sigman
February 10th, 2019 at 5:11 am
Commented on: 190208

29:27

7 strict PU

7 blue band ring dips

1000m row (2 rds) 1000m ski erg (1 rd)

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Kisa Tiller
February 9th, 2019 at 10:39 pm
Commented on: 190208

Modified for injury. Only one functional rower at the gym right now so had to share.

7 assisted pull-ups (80-90lbs pulled)

7 assisted dips (80-90lbs)

50 squats

1,000/750/750-meter row

26:43 (incl waiting for the rower approx 2 min)

Fiancí© 24:58

Band assited muscleups

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Sean MacDermott
February 9th, 2019 at 9:30 pm
Commented on: 190208

1st round: 5 strict / 2 kipping MUs

2nd round: 1 strict / 6 kipping

3rd round: 2 strict / 5 kipping

28:26

M/46/188/6’0”

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Eric Love
February 9th, 2019 at 7:24 pm
Commented on: 190208

21:10 rx


So close to 7min split. That last row though...ugh


Thanks Coach

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Brian Conti
February 9th, 2019 at 7:05 pm
Commented on: 190208

23:50

Box assisted false grip MUs

Rows: 3:50, 3:57, 3:58

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Reymond Kiddoo
February 9th, 2019 at 6:16 pm
Commented on: 190208

35:04 rx

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Mike Andridge
February 9th, 2019 at 6:04 pm
Commented on: 190208

Scaled to

3 rnds

with 20# vest

14 strict ring rows

14 deficit push ups

50 squats

1000m row

29:17

before wod--squat snatch

1x115

1x115

1x125

snatch grip dl

3x145

3x145

3x145

m/48/175

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Christian Heck
February 9th, 2019 at 3:38 pm
Commented on: 190208

RX 17:05

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Christian Heck
February 9th, 2019 at 3:39 pm

Not RX . Did strict pullups

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Noor Greene
February 9th, 2019 at 2:30 pm
Commented on: 190208

28:57. RX’d.

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Il Xlll
February 9th, 2019 at 12:58 pm
Commented on: 190208

20:44

There's no rings.

So, I've done with bar.

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Rajat Samanta
February 9th, 2019 at 7:25 am
Commented on: 190208

strict pullup & rest RX = 21.min 25.sec!

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Natalie Dennis
February 9th, 2019 at 5:54 am
Commented on: 190208

36:40

Sub with 7 assisted pull ups and 7-5-7 assisted ring dips

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Dezert Sky Kiddoo
February 9th, 2019 at 5:51 am
Commented on: 190208

31:21 (kip m.u.)

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Max Black
February 9th, 2019 at 3:59 am
Commented on: 190208

20:50 but 7 pull-ups and 7 dips for Muscle Ups

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Craig Hicks
February 9th, 2019 at 3:55 am
Commented on: 190208

Great wod!


Thank you

M/180/42/5’10 25:51


I’m really enjoying the the programming

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Jesse Montagnino
February 9th, 2019 at 3:47 am
Commented on: 190208

Black band assisted strict mu

23:35


D

7 black band- Pull ups and rows

30 squats

500 meter

17:57

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Jake Kiddoo
February 9th, 2019 at 3:16 am
Commented on: 190208

27:55 inter

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Matt Duplessis
February 9th, 2019 at 3:14 am
Commented on: 190208

M/31/5'9/175


22:36 Rx

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Phill Kiddoo
February 9th, 2019 at 3:11 am
Commented on: 190208

Scaled to kipping MUs

21:54

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Brandon Myers
February 9th, 2019 at 2:52 am
Commented on: 190208

18:51


5 strict pull ups

5 toe dips

35 squats

50 SDHP (no rower)

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Ryan Doherty
February 9th, 2019 at 2:44 am
Commented on: 190208

25:36 Scaled


Banded strict ring MU, rest RX

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Luke Rodina
February 9th, 2019 at 2:13 am
Commented on: 190208

19:50 modified muscle-ups

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Christopher Jacobs
February 9th, 2019 at 2:10 am
Commented on: 190208

24:20 RX'd

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Weon-Woo Lee
February 9th, 2019 at 1:56 am
Commented on: 190208

21:34 RX Fun and Hard.

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Tj Cantu
February 9th, 2019 at 1:56 am
Commented on: 190208

24:11 Scaled


Sub’d 7 strict ring rows & dips for the MUs and 4:20 min (1,000 M Row time) Airdyne Bike for the rower


This was probably the best one of the week for me because I did this after family pizza night and a beer. Typically I’d skip this WOD and post up on the couch, but not tonight!

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Jesse Delander
February 9th, 2019 at 12:54 am
Commented on: 190208

20:17

*MU not strict

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David Swicegood
February 9th, 2019 at 12:48 am
Commented on: 190208

29:40

Welcome back!


7 TRX pull-ups (should have done like 14)

2 25 sec L sits (getting better)

1000 m row (remember to engage middle back, fully extend legs, and pull the shoulders back and together)

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Nathanael Akin
February 9th, 2019 at 12:48 am
Commented on: 190208

21:40 Rx

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Michael Bishop
February 9th, 2019 at 12:35 am
Commented on: 190208

Scale to 500-meter row and four strict muscle ups due to dinner is getting ready and hockey game earlier today


18:36

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Stacey Carpenter
February 8th, 2019 at 11:50 pm
Commented on: 190208

3rds 7 strict ring row transition to MU 50 air squats 1000m row 24:39

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Chad Fox
February 8th, 2019 at 11:34 pm
Commented on: 190208

3 rounds for time of:

7 green band assisted muscle-ups

50 squats

1,000-meter row

Time - 19:13

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Brian Louchis
February 8th, 2019 at 10:51 pm
Commented on: 190208

18:58 Rx

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Eric Love
February 9th, 2019 at 7:25 pm

Fast!

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Tripp Starling
February 8th, 2019 at 10:17 pm
Commented on: 190208

3 RFT:

7 ring muscle up from Lsit on ground

50 air squat

800 m run


23:44


Really excited because I did all 21 muscle ups from Lsit on ground. Most ever prior to today was 1.


Thanks for the awesome programming!

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Alessandro Mattioli
February 8th, 2019 at 9:17 pm
Commented on: 190208

27:00

7 strict muscle up for round

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Alessandro Mattioli
February 8th, 2019 at 9:17 pm
Commented on: 190208

27:00

7 strict muscle up for round

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Nicole Deaver
February 8th, 2019 at 8:57 pm
Commented on: 190208

23:09

Subbed 7 pull-ups & 7 dips each round.

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Tom Perry
February 8th, 2019 at 8:14 pm
Commented on: 190208

57 / 169


Shoulder issue earlier in the week so no pulling pushing with the arms.


3 rounds for time of:

21 GHD sit-ups

50 squats

1.35mi bike (good sub for me for rowing as far as time goes)


20:41

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Richie Williams
February 8th, 2019 at 8:06 pm
Commented on: 190208

Did yesterday's WOD. Pr'd on Shoulders...💪

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Romain Grelier
February 8th, 2019 at 7:45 pm
Commented on: 190208

20:15

MU RING ROW TO PRESS

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Nathan Michael King
February 8th, 2019 at 7:39 pm
Commented on: 190208

27:30


1st Round

1 Strict Muscle Up

6 Jumping Muscle Ups

10 False Grip Ring Rows

10 Strict Ring Dips


2nd Round

2 Strict Muscle Ups

5 Jumping Muscle Ups

10 False Grip Ring Rows

10 Strict Ring Dips


3rd Round

3 Strict Muscle Ups

4 Jumping Muscle Ups

10 False Grip Ring Rows

10 Strict Ring Dips

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Js Smith
February 8th, 2019 at 7:35 pm
Commented on: 190208

I’m out. Legs & back need the rest. Prediction of snow later so may get a good shoveling WOD this evening.


Nicole, hope you were able to fix your rower!

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Nicole Deaver
February 8th, 2019 at 8:59 pm

Oh snow shoveling WODs are my favorite! 😉


I fixed it for now we will see how long it lasts. I tried not to pull too hard though just in case.

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Jacob Cram
February 8th, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Commented on: 190208

17:32 used a band for assistance on bar muscle ups and went as strict as i could. Subbed 100 reps of sdlhp with a 45 lb bar for the rowing

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Sebastien Fitzpatrick
February 8th, 2019 at 6:46 pm
Commented on: 190208

25:37 Rx

First round of MUs were unbroken, but went to singles real quick after the row.

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Craig Collins
February 8th, 2019 at 6:32 pm
Commented on: 190208

Limited time, so I scaled down:

3 rounds for time of:

- 7 Chest to Bar Pull Ups

- 50 Air Squats

- 400m Run

14:36

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Adam King
February 8th, 2019 at 6:17 pm
Commented on: 190208

5 strict pullups

30 squats

750m row

18:00

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Adam King
February 8th, 2019 at 6:17 pm

3 rounds

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Giulio Barbini
February 8th, 2019 at 6:14 pm
Commented on: 190208

7 bar mu

50 squat

100 reps on row with 20 kg

3 rounds

13:58

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Kerri Olkjer
February 8th, 2019 at 5:57 pm
Commented on: 190208

So, I can’t do anything near a muscle up yet, will look up a progression for next time. 24:20 without the muscle ups. That was a lot of squats...

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Joseph Fox
February 8th, 2019 at 5:25 pm
Commented on: 190208

27:52

Squats as RX all rounds. I have never done a muscle up and am presently unable to do one (Note that I didn't say CAN'T do one. Just not there. YET) Modified as follows:

1st round did box jump bar muscle ups.

2nd same for muscle ups, but did 500M row and 500M ski erg. 3rd round did 5 strict pull-ups, 10 tricep extensions, ran a half mile and rowed 500M.

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Hendrik Bünzen
February 8th, 2019 at 5:13 pm
Commented on: 190208

42:44 rx’d

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Shane Azizi
February 8th, 2019 at 4:58 pm
Commented on: 190208

23:30 Rx

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Christopher Baker
February 8th, 2019 at 4:39 pm
Commented on: 190208

Crazy scales today....unexplainable knee pain and popping so no squats or rower.


No rings for MUPS


16:08

so 3 rds of:

7 Strict Pull-ups

7 strict Dips

40 Walking lunges (somehow doesnt hurt knee)

3 Minutes on AMT (approx. 45cal)

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Vincent Dahlqvist
February 8th, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Commented on: 190208

21 min, scaled muscle-ups to kneeling muscle ups

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Jonas Buysse
February 8th, 2019 at 3:38 pm
Commented on: 190208

17'36" Scaled


5 Rounds

7 strict pull ups (ub - 3/2/2 - 3/2/2)

7 ring dips (ub)

50 air squats

1000m row

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NA
February 8th, 2019 at 3:11 pm
Commented on: 190208

5 Minutes warm up airbike

3 rounds 4 time

7 slow banded bar muscle ups

50 deep clean air sqeats

1,000 meter row L6/4:08 L7/4:07 L8/4:11

22:21

5 minute d/u practice, keeping arms close to side...

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Michael Arko
February 8th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
Commented on: 190208

Subbed like this:


3 rounds of

7 L-pull-ups

7 ring push-ups

50 squats

40 cal ellpitcal (Level 12)


19:52

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Aaron Le-Flay
February 8th, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Commented on: 190208

19:36

Used a band for the muscle-ups. Not the correct stimulus, I know. Drilled box msu post wod.

Squats and Row RX.

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Lisa Stanley
February 8th, 2019 at 12:41 pm
Commented on: 190208

23:23 did ring row to presses

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Lisa Stanley
February 8th, 2019 at 12:43 pm

Ring row to ring dips I meant - still getting my oxygen back

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Christopher Sanchez
February 8th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
Commented on: 190208

Where is the scaling for beginners and intermediates???

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Adrian Aguilar
February 8th, 2019 at 3:39 pm

They've stopped doing that this year. However, if you use Beyond the Whiteboard they have two scaled tracks that are really useful.

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Js Smith
February 8th, 2019 at 7:30 pm

Christopher, scaling is done by committee this year instead of by HQ. Look for posts by CHRIS SINAGOGA, ERIC O'CONNOR, JUAN ACEVEDO, and STEVEN THUNANDER for scaling ideas.

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Dave DeCoste
February 8th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
Commented on: 190208

29:01 Rx

Moving from garage for MUs to basement for rower slowed me down a bit. Good workout!

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Thomas Eichholzer
February 8th, 2019 at 11:02 am
Commented on: 190208

No time at all today, and still sore from squats lately...


3rds not times (under 10min, cant say)

6 pull-ups

6 Dips on a bar at waist Level

20 squats (to sore in quads and pain in right foot)

and, damnit, forgot the row...now I see it


Then some baby-muscle-ups (feet on Floor) and false grip drills.

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Claire Fiddian-Green
February 8th, 2019 at 11:00 am
Commented on: 190208

26:21. Rx row and squat (arms crossed at chest for squat). For MU subbed 7 strict pull up attempts + 7 strict dips on dip bar Rx.

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Alessandro Lugari
February 8th, 2019 at 10:33 am
Commented on: 190208

24:01 rx!

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David Williams
February 8th, 2019 at 4:14 am
Commented on: 190208

21 min RX

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Sebastien Fitzpatrick
February 8th, 2019 at 6:45 pm

You were either flying on the rower, or crushing those muscle-ups!

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Eric Love
February 9th, 2019 at 7:36 pm

Nice

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Eric O'Connor
February 8th, 2019 at 4:13 am
Commented on: 190208

This mix high and low-skill gymnastics combined with the medium duration row looks like a fun combination. Is anyone going sub 20 minutes on this?!


Here are some scaling considerations:

Strict Muscle-ups: I consider the volume of this movement to be fairly high, but, being that there will be about 5 minutes between efforts, I don’t expect high level athletes to spend a ton of time here. I will coach my athletes into a scaling variation that keeps the movement strict….no kipping today! For today, I will use variations with feet on the ground as taught at the CrossFit Level 1 Course for all athletes today and save bands, etc. for another day. The easiest scaling option will be to have my athletes start with their feet directly below the rings, with legs bent, and utilize lower-body assistance, as needed, throughout the range of motion. Here is a demo of this movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj1_c6biyFc . This movement looks “too easy” at first glance, but, when done in a slow and controlled manner, it can provide quite a challenge. From here, I can simply increase the difficulty by straightening the legs with the feet in front of the rings. The further the feet are away from the rings the harder the movement will be. The difficulty of this movement can be further increased by elevating the feet on a box.

For athletes that can do some strict muscle-ups but the volume is too high, I will have them do 2-5 strict muscle ups or attempts on the high rings and then perform the remaining reps with a muscle-up scaling option suggested above.


Squats: I consider the volume of reps to be manageable and will have most of my athletes perform them as prescribed. For new or de-conditioned athletes I will reduce volume each round and focus on excellent mechanics being maintained. Ideally, I do not have to reduce range of motion for any of my athletes. If the full range of motion cannot be completed, without pain or safe mechanics, I can have the athlete squat to a target above parallel and work on full range of motion technique in the warm-up at low reps and slow speeds.


Rowing: I will have most of my athletes complete the full distance, but I will encourage them to row the first 2 rounds at a moderate pace, allowing for better performance on the muscle-ups. In some circumstances, I’ll use time guidelines to assess when reducing distance may be beneficial. For example, if I have an athlete that is likely to row the initial 1,000 meters in over 5 minutes I will consider reducing the distance each round. For athletes that are beginners or de-conditioned, I will likely reduce the distance each round or have them row for a designated time duration each round.


Equipment Restrictions: If running this workout in a group class is difficult, due to a lack of rowers, consider a modification to replicate the stimulus. For example, today could turn into a partner workout, performed as follows:

3 rounds of:

Partner 1: 4 minutes of rowing or 1,000-meter row

Partner 2: AMRAP 7 Strict muscle-ups and 50 Air squats while partner 1 is rowing.

Partner 2: 4 minutes of rowing or 1,000-meter row

Partner 1: AMRAP 7 Strict muscle-ups and 50 air squats while parter 2 is rowing.

*Note: This workout will most likely lead to increased volume of the gymnastics elements.

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Robby Fromin
February 8th, 2019 at 1:10 pm

Thanks for taking the time to share this Eric. I made good use of it.

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Steven Thunander
February 8th, 2019 at 1:49 am
Commented on: 190208

Globo Scale: If you can hang rings for this one and can do Strict Ring Muscleups, do so. Strict bar Muscleups, or

strict bar muscleup progressions are also acceptable here. Otherwise, 7 strict tempo chest to bar pullups (1 up, 2 with chest in contact with bar, 5 second decent) and 2/1 tempo deep strict bar dips. If you have rings, 7 tfalse grip chest to ring pullups, 7 strict ring dips, 7 strict muscle up transitions (use bands if necessary for this movement).


Squats (for all): Same (No arm momentum/swinging shit, have hands on body). Think Prisoner squats, or cross your chest with your arms. As always to full depth and extension.


Row: If no rower available, sub 800m treadmill runs with medium grade or 800m runs on the track, or 50 cal assault bike/ 60 cal Aerodyne.





Note for all: If you have Strict Ring Muscleups and regular bar muscleups, try for some strict bar muscleups this time, whether in the warmup, or as a sub for the strict RMU. Strict bar muscleup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxOcwafv5lo (WFS)

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Josh Blake
February 8th, 2019 at 3:14 am

What’s your obsession with “strict” air squats?

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Jim Rix
February 8th, 2019 at 1:44 am
Commented on: 190208

I really look forward to seeing if and how the new/old programming on main-site is reflected in the Games workouts.


While I know its a great exercise, I'm tired of rowing!

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Js Smith
February 8th, 2019 at 7:28 pm

Jim, sure hope you didn’t just jinx us all. Hehe!

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Juan Acevedo
February 8th, 2019 at 1:33 am
Commented on: 190208

Intended Stimulus

.

This is a long effort. The length of this workout makes it a solid aerobic piece. However, the strictness of the muscle ups and the amount of reps on the squats will target your anaerobic systems greatly. The muscle ups will work your strength, the squats your stamina. This means your lungs and heart will be going, and your muscles will be burning. You are pulling with the arms for strength and for length. You are pushing with the legs for reps distance. This will get nasty, just hang on. Athletes should find a modification for the muscle ups that preserves it strictness. Scale the number of reps in the squats so that you can complete all rounds with at most one break. If the rower is your enemy keep it at 1000, if it is your friend keep it at 1000. Today let it be long.

.

OPTION 1

3 rounds for time of:


7 toenail strict muscle ups

50 air squats

1000 meter row

.

OPTION 2

3 rounds for time of:

5 vertical ring rows

5 baby muscle ups

5 toenail/box ring dips

35 air squats

1000 meter row

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Juan Acevedo
February 8th, 2019 at 1:33 am

For videos check @dotcomscaled on Instagram

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Chris Sinagoga
February 8th, 2019 at 1:11 am
Commented on: 190208

Champions Club Scaling Notes


STIMULUS:

I’m going to go ahead and call this one Just a Workout. And again, this is not to say it’s a throwaway or it’s stupid or there’s no benefit. I’m saying it’s in that in-between range of kill yourself intensity and slow for quality. Muscle ups are only going to be so fast. And with 50 squats coming before the rowing, the row will only be so fast. Then to have to go back and do muscle-ups again after the row… you’ll probably have to take a few breaths before jumping back to the rings unless you’re okay with failing the first few reps.


My thoughts on scaling the strict muscle-up are kind of addressed in the comment above. I still think a slower, stricter kip is a good option, but Coach says to ditch that one for now, so I would take his word for it; strict pull-ups (try a higher pull) and strict dip (or ring push-up) help build the strength.


GROUP:

Aside from the dips/strict pull-ups, I like to sub rope climbs for muscle-ups when the technique is not there and practice the MUs during the warmup throughout the week instead. You could do 3 rope climbs per round or so. If there is not enough pull-up bar/dip bar space available, or ropes, or rings, strict burpees would be a good sub in my opinion. Do an honest push-up, keep the feet together and shins vertical, and jump as high as possible.


Or do this as a partner workout. One person on the rower and one on the MU/squat station. So your MU variation and then as many squats in the remainder of the time it takes your partner to row the 1,000m. Then rotate for 2-3 rounds.


WARMUP:

Squat —obviously

Jump rope — cadence for running is subbing for row

Push-up — prime shoulders for dip

Kb swing — work on flat back/core to extremity for rowing

L-sit — because we should


KEY MATCHUP: “strict” muscle-ups vs. fatigue. Like pull-ups, you’ll naturally start doing some form of kip. Try to limit that as much as possible.


SCALING THIS WELL WILL CAUSE ME TO: get something out of the muscle-up station that is a combination of muscle fatigue with a slight touch of “Why am I breathing heavy on this?”


GENERAL FEAR LEVEL (1=REST DAY, 10=PR-DRIVEN FGB): 5. I like Just a Workouts because there’s not a lot of pressure one way or another. You feel “more accomplished” than a for quality workout, and not as miserable as a benchmark. Still a tough one, though. No doubt.


GENERAL EMASCULATING LEVEL (1=WHO DOES RING HSPU ANYWAY?, 10=THIS TEENAGE GIRL IS DEADLIFTING MORE THAN ME): 3. Most people will have to scale muscle-ups in some way.

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William Ma
February 8th, 2019 at 2:23 am

Thanks for adding in the warmup! These are amazing.

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Chris Sinagoga
February 8th, 2019 at 1:07 am
Commented on: 190208

So I just wanted to give some thoughts on all of the strict movements that have been programmed recently, and a lot of this came from Coach's comment on my scale from a few days ago (or weeks now, as I’ve delayed posting this), “Ditch the flailing (“kipping”) muscle-up. The strict ring row & dip combo is great.” I was thinking about this the rest of that day and watched carefully during my sessions, and really been thinking about it ever since. Not sure if this is the best place to post, but here we go:


The first thing I think about is really a question: What exactly is "strict"?


Take the HQ demo of a strict pull-up: https://youtu.be/aAggnpPyR6E

James does not kip, so it's a strict pull-up. But he appears to be a little bit overextended, especially as he starts the pull. On the recent strict pull-up demo, it’s a lot cleaner but if you look closely there’s still a mini flinch in the spine as she pulls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRV5YKKaeVw


Now take the HQ L-sit demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DemH-mw1O9I

Julie is keeping more still than I could on rings, and James has his hips way higher than I could ever hope for. On the on the other hand, both are seeing their shoulders roll forward quite a bit.


So does "strict" simply mean no momentum or holding completely still? Or are we talking about keeping integrity through the entire body, not just the moving parts? What about legless rope climbs? We aren’t using our legs for support, but we are definitely kipping (at least, I am.) And an L-sit rope climb starts with good intentions then slowly becomes more of a lazily-written lower-case “j”. You can always take the best in the world (like Julie and James) and tighten things up a bit. Always. No matter what athlete. So how do we know if a movement is really “strict?”

This is where I think gyms need to make their own standard. During the floor L-sit/handstand workout, best believe my shoulders were rolling forward. When I do them in a warmup, or for practice, I try to keep them back. Just depends on the workout. Pull-ups at the start of Strict Cindy? No movement in the spine. 17 minutes into Strict Cindy? Not so much.


Second thing that comes to mind is the “Babies session” I coach. There are currently 15 kids (3-9 years old) in that session that come in on Sundays at 1 pm and we do climbing/swinging stuff every day they’re in there.

Out of those 15, 8 can do pull-ups.

Out of those 8, 5 can do strict pull-ups.

Out of those 5, 1 can do a single perfect, strict strict strict pull-up.

The natural progression I have seen over the past three years coaching them is kipping and flailing with the knees and feet, then less of a kip, then less of a kip, then no kip, then nothing moving except shoulders and elbows. This is how I view kipping at the gym when I coach the regular sessions. When I see the word “strict” in a workout, I remember that we’re using a version of a movement that doesn’t seem as natural as its “kipping” counterpart, so that must mean we’re trying to emphasize building strength. I can see that coming from either decreasing the kip (my preferred way) or increasing range of motion. If I never get my chin over the bar on pull-ups, or I never do full muscle-ups in the workout, throwing in full ROM kipping ones to sub for strict when I normally do other “strict” modifications, to me, is beneficial. I have seen this lead to better strict pull-ups and push-ups, and I think it would go for muscle-ups (assuming there’s a false grip), rope climbs, and other things.


Third thing is realizing that I need to do more strict work - whatever that means - for myself and my gym. And I have this recent string of programming to thank. Sometimes I get caught up in wanting to make every workout compatible with the “Compare to” link. Sometimes I just don’t want to hear complaints about not getting a “good workout” in for the session. And sometimes I let my own bias get in the way (I really like kipping.) But results are results. Since the new year we’ve seen 3 people get strict pull-ups who’ve never had them before, and lots more go from just being able to hang to doing halfway up strict pull-ups. We saw prs across the board on Cindy (we did it regular benchmark style, not strict). And I like the control that we’ve been showing in things like handstands, deadlifts, and squats.


I’m on board with more practice of strict movements. I think every gym, or individual athlete needs to decide what exactly constitutes “strict” for that particular movement, then use the benchmark workouts to test.

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Eric Lee
February 8th, 2019 at 1:19 am

I'm a long-time reader, seldom poster :) thank you for writing up notes for all these workouts!


When those strict ring MU showed up in the regionals Nate workout, I think the standard was that "legs had to be straight, feet in front of the body and hips could not provide assistance in elevating the body". Maybe some of that standard could be incorporated into pull-ups too?


This looks like a great workout regardless; I don't do main site workouts exclusively but I think I'll give this one a try this weekend!

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David Mitchell
February 8th, 2019 at 1:42 am

Hey Chris, not sure if this helps clear a few things up, but I recently attended the cfgymnastics course, and I think I can explain what you are seeing. On the video of the strict pull-ups, what you should be noticing is the athlete starting in a hollow position, and initiate the pull-ups by first pressing down on the bar engaging the lats. This gives the appearance of a less linear path, but is a great strict movement. She is not gaining vertical momentum from the rapid change of arch to hollow, which would be the kip.

The L sit when in a hollow hold from a ring support or parallettes, have the shoulders forward the same as if you were teaching a new athlete the Hollow hold from a tuck and having them reach as far as they could towards their feet.

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David Mitchell
February 8th, 2019 at 1:54 am

Although after reviewing the video of the strict pull-ups, yes they do appear to start in extension instead of a “gymnastics hollow”. But then again I also struggle under fatigue to maintain a strong hollow throughout the movement when strict.

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Chris Sinagoga
February 8th, 2019 at 4:01 am

Thanks for the replies Eric and David.


Eric, I like that idea about feet staying in front of your body. I never thought about making that a standard. Maybe something like you need to be able to see your toes then entire time (including at the top). Any complaints from my athletes about me being overly picky will now be directed to you haha!


David, I see what you're saying about activating the lats. I'm wondering if just using a reverse grip automatically puts you in that good position from the shoulder and lats anyway? That way you can just focus on either 1) the kipping motion or 2) keeping everything tight and controlled.


It's not the extension that I think is wrong. Pulling while in extension is important. It's the involuntary spinal movement (from my perspective at least) that I think would put a hamper in it being truly strict, especially with the capacity those athletes appear to have

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Chris Sinagoga
February 8th, 2019 at 4:10 am

As for the shoulders in the hollow hold, usually it's best to prioritize spine first. And reaching the arms up to our feet helps take out lower back out of overextension. Once that is good, then we should have them move their shoulders back without losing spinal position.


Also in the L-sit, the shoulders are loaded. And while it's always good to practice stable positions whether loaded or not (one of the reasons I'm a fan of Steven Thunander (Globo Gym Scale) talking about keeping the arms locked out in the air squat, just make sure thumbs are up), allowing the shoulders to roll forward upon bringing the legs up is like letting them roll forward while catching a clean at the bottom. First goes the shoulders, then the upper back, then the lower back.


Like I said, I just think it depends on what you want to get picky on. There are times to nitpick on everything, and times to pick one thing and let the rest happen, and times to let the reigns off. I'm still trying to learn what's the best time for each.

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Thomas Eichholzer
February 8th, 2019 at 11:18 am

Fist thing; i think you're talking more on virtuosity than on standard. To me, no momentum is strict. But the imput of Eric is the better answer i guess.


Then; I don't have to much time now, but want to start this discussion somehow: In other Sports there is a lot of empathy on strict pull-ups over kipping (Gymnastics, Calistenics, Fitness etc.). Kipping is considerred as cheating. And there is a lot of critic against Crossfit because of the kipping.


I remember someone somewhere explained the empathy on kipping in crossfit (was it Greg glassman in the Journal?) Kipping Pullups are more "Output".

In the Crossfit-Definition of Fitness, Fitness is something like "work done in a period of time" (please help me rephrase, im not native english and dont have time to Research just now). In an other articel in the Journal (dec2018?) you will find more on Topic "work done in a period of time"


I once searched the Internet for learning the skill "kipping pull-up" and found a good tutorial by a Crossfit-Gymnastic-Expert (dont know where). So according to this expert kipping alows to do more reps in a given time because of consectuive mouvement, especialy in competition to do more reps simply.


So together with the Definition of Fitness: More reps in the same time=more Output(see above)=harder.

Scaling strict pullups with an exercise that is, by Definition, harder, seems ilogic.


So there you have reason why so many People from other Sports critic kipping pull-ups. In the tutorial I found, you would have to master the strict pull up first, becauce kipping demandes more flexebility and puts more stress on Joints etc. Like: if the Body (muscle, Joints, tendons) is not prepared with controlled movements, then its not best idea to jump in with momentum.


Sorry for Long comment, would love to discuss this more, but gotta go

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Chris Sinagoga
February 8th, 2019 at 1:22 pm

Thomas, thanks for taking the time to comment.


Like I said, from my observation with the Babies session, kipping is a natural movement that has always come before strict. I'm talking about kicking/flailing, etc., not the gymnastics kipping pull-up in specific. I don't give any of them any instruction and they kip as best they can to get up there.


Within CrossFit, the kip also came naturally out of the demand for doing, like you said, more work in less time. Now coaches just need to set standards on the kip to make sure it can be done 1) efficiently, 2) safely, and 3) effectively.


Virtuosity can be a standard.

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Thomas Eichholzer
February 8th, 2019 at 2:10 pm

I agree. On the other hand i dont have to teach my kids how to fall, this happens naturaly. (Sorry, i mean this as funny as possible) in Pose Running we learn to relearn running, we learn deadlifts and squats. Those are natural movements, but well...


ok, I see your point as well.


For standards I like to add, straight arms at bottom, chin over bar at top. This is obvious but i see lot of people failing. Its ok as a progression, but i call it half-pullup.

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Chris Sinagoga
February 8th, 2019 at 4:26 pm

Good point on the running! It's the only way we can move forward (or any direction for that matter.)


Here's a question to think about: why is straight arms at the bottom and chin-over-bar the universal standard for a pull-up?

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Js Smith
February 8th, 2019 at 7:29 pm

Whoa! Got some good thoughts here, gents. Thanks for the great info every day. Really gets the brain going!

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Thomas Eichholzer
February 8th, 2019 at 8:17 pm

@chris; Im courious what you think, why this is the standard. I could write hours about it. In short its the one move from a-z. Doing less is easier and engages not all muscles, doing more needs other muscles or other emphasis (like pulling faster or false grip). Still its one step in a continous progression. Rows are easier, and there are many options to make it harder.

In the meanwhile; heres the description from the crossfit gymnastics training guide:

Performed with arms locked out at the bottom and chin above the bar at the top. Lat activation initiates the movement before the arms begin to bend, and the hollow is maintained throughout.

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Tyler Hass
February 9th, 2019 at 4:43 am

Thomas, as you pointed out, CrossFit defines fitness as "power output over broad time and modal domains". The first part is easy to interpret as "increase your power output as much as possible". However, making a movement easier almost always increases power output. The second part: "over broad time and modal domains", should not be forgotten. We can all agree that the ability to do hard things implies you can also do easier things. If you improve your ability to lift heavier weights and do more challenging skills, you also get better at lighter weights and easier skills. Your modal domain expands.

In the case of the muscle-up, doing a kipping/flailing swing up to a chicken arm support and then kipping through the dip is a dead-end movement. You don't develop the strength, control over the rings or shoulder mobility that a strict muscle-up develops and carries over towards more advanced skills. It will be great to see more people develop a strict muscle-up. It's a worthwhile skill to master.

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Chris Sinagoga
February 9th, 2019 at 5:04 am

Thomas:

"Still its one step in a continous progression." BAM! I think you hit it perfectly there. And if you see that, you'll realize chin-over-the-bar is not the only standard to hold by. Higher or lower can serve a purpose if you know why you're doing it. Same with the kip and strict.

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Chris Sinagoga
February 9th, 2019 at 5:10 am

Tyler, thank you for the comment my man!


Do you think it's possible to practice a kipping muscle-up in a way that it wouldn't be a dead-end movement?


Also, do you think you could practice the strict muscle-up, or pull-up, in a way that it would be a dead-end movement?

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Tyler Hass
February 10th, 2019 at 3:06 am

Hey Chris,

There is a move in gymnastics called a front uprise, which is a closer relative to the kipping/flailing muscle-up than the strict muscle-up. This is a powerful front swing up to a support done with minimal bend in the arms and no contact with the straps. The back uprise is the same thing from a rear swing.

I think "kipping muscle-up" is a bit of a misnomer. It's kind of like calling the kettlebell swing a "kipping deadlift".

I'm not a gymnastics purist (point your toes!) by any stretch. But a muscle-up is defined in gymnastics as a brute strength pulling movement. No technique, such as kipping or swinging, assists in getting up on the rings.

The kipping muscle up as I usually see it is a front uprise with an early pull from the arms, legs akimbo during the swing, flying into a chicken arm support and riding the straps during the dip (aka Smith Machine ring dip). Any movement done with sloppy execution (low virtuosity) is a dead end movement.

It’s a good question about whether or not strict muscle-ups can be a dead-end movement. I would say no. There are many progressions continuing on from the muscle-up. Plus, it’s a pre-requisite for getting up on top of the rings and doing advanced ring work. Before adjustable height rings, the apparatus itself was a dead end until you could do a muscle-up!

I agree with the point you made to Thomas that kipping and strict both have a purpose as long as you are mindful of their intent.

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Chris Sinagoga
February 10th, 2019 at 2:39 pm

Tyler,

"I think 'kipping muscle-up' is a bit of a misnomer. It's kind of like calling the kettlebell swing a 'kipping deadlift'."

- I agree completely Tyler. It is a kipping deadlift! Or a deadlift is a slow, unathletic kettlebell swing. And I don't think that's a bad thing or a good thing, but rather something to observe and study and find uses for (any kind of jumping or Olympic lifts for example).


I like to practice kipping muscle-ups as a skill transfer for the Olympic lifts. It's about "unweighting." When you feel the bodyweight leave your hands then it's time to move to your next pose.


The false grip is something that, for most people, would be unique to a muscle up. Pull-ups, rope climbs, holding a baseball bat, and grabbing onto a railing to help yourself up when you've fallen are all done, as far as I know, without a false grip. But, like you pointed out, if your purpose is to develop strength for pulling and pushing, then it's very useful.


Lastly I never thought or knew about the adjustable height rings point you mentioned. Cool stuff!

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