CK-FMS Weekend - I'm a bad person, but I can still swagger clap!

Arrgh!!!! The CK-FMS Pirates

I'm a 5! On a good day I'm a 9 or 10.

What am I talking about? The Functional Movement Screen. A few basic tests that tell you how you move. Of course it's a bit more complex than that but that's the basis of it. The scoring is simple you can get a 0,1,2 or 3 for each movement. Some things (Shoulder mob for example) get scored per side. I knew I was a mess physically going to the workshop, I had no idea what type of mess I was. If you just show up take the test and have no pain you can get at least a 7.

Does this mean I'm a bad person? No, but it does mean I have A LOT (cue Brett Jones pause for effect) of work to do. An ideal score would be a 14 with no asymmetries (balanced). First things first I have to take some time off and address my injuries and pain. Yes I said take time off. So if you're a client of mine or take a small group class and I screen you, don't give me the but, but, but if I tell you to rest and work correctives for a week or 2. Don't tell me that not running, taking class or doing swing for a week is going to kill you. If you get injured as a result of any asymmetries it will be A LOT (cue Brett Jones again) longer than 2 weeks you'll be off.

My mobility "Dad" and "Mom" Mark and Nikki Snow

What does this mean for me? 2 weeks of doing correctives and crocodile breathing (belly breathing). I thought I was going to be doing pistol progressions until a check of my ankle flexibility. 4 inches is good for running (yes this means A LOT of you shouldn't be running). After some foam rolling and stick work I managed to get 1/4 of an inch on the right ankle (Achilles rupture) and 1/2 an inch on the left. The best way to describe this is to use the analogy Brett and Gray repeated this weekend. You have 2 employees, 1 takes a 15 minute smoke break every 15 minutes, the other guy keeps working. A body of imbalances and dysfunction (but I'm not a bad person). So I'll be working some of the correctives I learned this weekend. What does this mean for you? Well if you're my client expect to get a movement screen in the next week. First because I care and second because I need practice. I need to submit a case study to receive my certification.

This was a great weekend, even with my dysfunctions. I got to meet some new RKC's, get my form evaluated and checked, learned a ton of stuff and saw some friends from the San Diego RKC that I attended. I have a new tool in the tool kit to use as well. Well off to the gym to work on my active straight leg raise and loosen up my heel cords so I can get some mobility in these ankles.

Pharaoh out!!!

Don't forget the fundamentals

Often in training we push the envelope. How much can I lift? How fast can I go? How many reps can I get in x amount of time? How fast can you run a 5K? How fast can you do your RKC Snatch test?

How many times do you go back and work the basics? How many times do you actually go back and take care of the foundation? How many times do you try to improve your technique so that the end result will be a much better outcome?

Recently with my training I've noticed something was missing in my swing. It also meant that my cleans and snatches lacked the necessary "oomph" needed to be efficient. So today's training for me called for 2 hand swings and 15 minutes of snatches. Remembering what my swing felt like during my RKC certification I decided to work from the ground up. I started off with deadlifts, working on rooting and the vertical plank. Next came the hover so I could feel the weight and lock everything in place. Next was the hike back so I could let gravity control the bell. Last was the hike to stand, firing my quads and glutes. After 10 minutes I began my 2 hand swings. I found exactly what I was missing since the RKC. 

Does this mean my swing is perfect? Ha! Hardly! I have made some changes to my swing. Next week I travel to Minnesota for the CK-FMS certification and hope to have some more tweaks done to my swing. But today showed me that going back to the foundation is something that's needed in order to make improvements. 

What does this mean for you? Well if kettlebells is your thing take some time once or twice a week and drill the fundamentals of the swing. If you're a fighter, spend time shadowboxing and really be critical of your technique. Use the drills you first learned when you learned how to jab. Are you a runner? Think about what you're doing with your arms, sit on your butt and do arm drills. Stand facing a wall and do wall runs. It may add 20 extra minutes to your training session, so be it. Isn't the end result worth 20 extra minutes?

Pharaoh out!