TUESDAY'S TIP OF THE WEEK: Don't Put The Cart Before The Horse

Coach Dan Goldberg:  muscle-up at the 2014 NE Regional

Being a member at a CrossFit gym is very motivating.  You see people doing things like handstand walks and muscle-ups and it motivates you to want to try those skills.  Before kicking up into a handstand or jumping on a pair of rings, remember that there is a proper progression to achieve those skills safely.  You have to learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run.

Attempting a skill before you are ready can result in a couple things.  You could fail miserably or you could get hurt.  Failing isn't the worst thing in the world.  It may motivate you to work harder to achieve your goal.  Injury will set you back in your training and take you much longer to reach your goal.

I have seen people, with a tremendous amount of power and strength, be able to kip themselves over a pair of rings and achieve a muscle-up.  I have seen these same people develop shoulder pain over time.  They develop shoulder pain because they to not have the proper mobility in the shoulder joint and proper connective tissue strength in the shoulder to perform this movement safely.  They are able to accomplish the movement because of their great power and strength, but they are unable to accomplish the movement safely.

It is important to understand that you can increase muscle strength much faster than you can increase ligament and tendon strength.  Many times an athlete will develop enough muscular strength to accomplish a movement without developing the proper amount of connective tissue strength to perform the movement safely.

The take home message here is to BE PATIENT.  Do not be in a hurry to knock out a bunch of repetitions of a high skill movement.  Work diligently over time to develop the proper mobility and connective tissue strength to perform movements safely.

Posted in: Tuesday's tip of the week