Mastering your body's movement

The Fundamentals – Bracing (courtesy of CrossFit Invictus)

Written by Mike Hom

This rather simple concept is easily forgotten by many people but holds some astonishing long-term repercussions. Let’s quickly discuss why bracing is important in a nice, simple flowchart:

So how do you do it? To begin, imagine your entire torso and butt in 360 degrees. You want that entire column of your body to be just that: a strong, immovable column that does not bend, does not shift, does nothing but keep your spine neutral and wedded to your hips. This happy marriage is often overlooked in the chase for extreme lumbar extension. While we initially want people who have problems with lumbar flexion to learn how to obtain a lumbar curve, we also want them to think about their entire body, and in particular their spine and hips, as one happily married piece. In order to make this happen, do the following:

• Pull your shoulder blades down and back to stand as tall and proud as possible.
• Inhale and pretend like someone is about to deliver a life-threatening punch to your gut and you need to brace yourself for this. What you will do is contract your abs, obliques and a whole slew of muscles that make up your 360 degree torso as hard as possible. You are doing this because you are trying to protect your internal organs and your spine from any irreparable damage caused by this potential trauma. (To tighten your brace, exhale and squeeze even harder, maintain that tension and inhale again.)
• You should still be standing tall and proud – locking down your midline stabilizers should not cause your posture to change.
• Squeeze your glutes (your butt) as hard as possible. This helps to keep your spine and hips wedded together.
• Push your knees out to the sides and “spread the ground” by trying to kick your heels away from you as if you were trying to tear a piece of paper under your feet.

By this time, you should notice your whole body is about as tight as it can possibly get and you should feel like you’re working hard just to do this. This is the most extreme, dare I say ideal, bracing you can do. Aim to go through these steps in order to provide yourself minimum risk and maximum return while training. But beware, mastering the breathing takes some practice – so PRACTICE! Do it while you are warming up, going through basic movements, etc…. Just to provide yourself some individual feedback, try to do one air squat as you normally would. Now perform one air squat with the bracing process described above. You should feel more “integrated,” as if your entire body’s individual body parts are truly working in concert with each other.Hopefully, everybody who reads this blog will learn to move their body with proper bracing and allow me to take the quotation marks off the word “integrated” in the future.

As always, big thanks to K-Star of San Francisco CrosSFit for the inspiration and knowledge to use the aforementioned verbiage!

Comments

[mario c]

Hey Jimmy: I like the Bracing article. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Why not enlarge the flow chart and tape it to a wall at the Box.

[G]

Chief, this was written by one of CrossFit Invictus trainers. One of my favorite affiliate blogs out there.

[G]

Great suggestion; it will be on our to do list

[todd]

good post. I am sure focusing on that would lessen the lower-back tightness.

[todd]

a DNF on the attempt to do rx chipper. Muscle-ups at fatigue got me. But felt good with everything else upto that point.

Good group, good energy today.

[Arnold]

2000m row
2 sets of 10 BP 95# trying to get the rhythm.
20 GHD front and back

Thanks for Sundays guys!

[Wheezy]

Awesome article, copy and printed and hopefully can put it to memory by the time I go back for the next WOD.

[Famelicious]

Thanks for posting the article.
I have to take several people for helping me out this morning..
Summer- thanks for texting me to get my ass out there.
Ian- thanks for pushing me to do chipper with you guys.
Sharon-thanks for adding the plates on my barbell.
ACF-thanks for my ripped hands.

25:10 65# thruster 95# squat cleans 24" box 20# DB,DU (only did 15*ring dips 15*pull-ups in the end..

Love the open gym!!!!!

[Andrew J.]

I didn't read the article before working out; however, it meshed beautifully.

Goal: Establish 3 rep max baseline for back squats:
95 - 115 - 135 (2nd attempt)

JB corrected my stance and grip. I held the bar more at the base of the neck; JB helped me shift it down to more the top of the scapula(?). Also, I gripped the bar; JB taught me place the base of my palm on the bar and steady the bar by applying pressure against the bar instead of steadying the bar by gripping. It reminds me of being attached to a yoke. The corrected stance makes pointing my knees outward more natural. The corrected stance and bracing my body (as explained in the article) made squats feel a lot more solid!

95 - 115 - 135 (failed both attempts, felt muscles tiring)

Thanks again JB!

[ray]

Bench Press 1-10-1-20-1-30

185-165-205-135-215(PR)-120*

Got 28 on the set of 30 before failing. Enjoyed this format, first time doing this on bench. Lots of laughs doing this with Silverback, SOS, Ian and JB

Did 1000 m row with JB before the strength WOD and worked on MU

[G]

Glad everyone's reading the post. As coaches we use all sorts of cue methods: auditory, tactile, visual, etc. Some folks, it would take reading...for their "A-HA "moment.

Great to see the big crowd during Open Gym today: The Lasts, JDS, Andrew Jackson, Sharon, Ray, Summer, Toddzilla, The Barbarian, Famelicious, Ian, Disco D., SOS and Silverback.

Hero WOD: Stephen
30-25-20-15-10-5 Reps of
GHD Sit-Ups
GHD Back Extensions
KTEs
95lb Stiff Legged DeadLifts

27:27 (Rx) KTEs slowed me down. 95lb Stiff legged deadlifts felt like traveling through time, good old BB days.

Thanks for the push JB.

[Hernan The Barbarian]

Chipper 32:06 (95# thruster, 115# SC, 24" bx and 25 # DB, 3 ring dips and 3 Pull ups for MU )

I really didn't want to do this one. Thanks a bunch Todd for the push. Great working out with the Sunday crew.

[Katie]

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!!

[sharon]

Helen:
3 rounds
400 m run
21 kb swings (35#)
12 pull ups

first time Rx-ing Helen

16:54

[She-Ra]

Hope everyone had a superb LUVVE day :) I spend most of mine at the gym too. Famalicious huh? Thats pretty sexy.. fits perfectly! Sharon.. when are you gonna come up here so we can board? I am itchin to carve. Great job on Helen too!

Hope you guys have been doing good. I hear it's been chilly. brrrr.. Miss y'all

Today:

Max snatch
76-96-101-106(M)

Grr.. I had 106, but it kept falling in front and behind.. so I just need to keep tight

and

AMRAP 8 Min
4HSPUs 1 Ab Mat
8 KBS 53#
12 GHD sit ups

6 rounds 16reps!! Beat my last AMRAP by a whole round.. AND I'm still fighting a cold! Feeln goodd

[Ian]

Bench Press 1-10-1-20-1-30
175-165-195-155(Failed 19)-215(failed)-135(failed 22)

Then did the chipper with everybody.

[Nicol disco d]

5000m row
15/15 Ghd
timed 2000m row 10:30