Pursuit Training

THE ABILITY TO DO 20 UNBROKEN RING MUSCLE UPS IS NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT.

WHAT DO I MEAN BY THIS?

CrossFit is a sport dominated by stats.

CAN YOU...
- Squat 200kg
- Squat Clean 150kg
- Sn**ch 120kg
- Do 20 Unbroken Ring & Bar Muscle Ups
- Do a Mikko with 20 Cal
ETC.

When I began coaching I fell into the trap of thinking that helping an athlete achieve elite stats would be enough to get them to the CrossFit Games.

I WAS WRONG...

Don't get me wrong, having these stats is necessary for success in this sport.

BUT

It isn't sufficient.

THERE ARE A WHOLE BUNCH OF UNLISTED ABILITIES THAT ELITE ATHLETES ALSO EXCEL AT.

For example:
- Can you perform multiple squat cleans at 80% of your 1RM under fatigue?
- Can you perform 7 sets of your max unbroken ring muscle ups with only 30-60 seconds rest between sets?
- Can you still perform bar muscle ups after having pre fatigued your grip and core with T2B and Hang Power Cleans?

I'VE MET A NUMBER OF ATHLETES WHO ON PAPER LOOK LIKE THEY SHOULD DOMINATE THE SPORT.

HOWEVER

THEY CONSISTENTLY FALL THROUGH ONCE THEY ARE PUT INTO A 'CROSSFIT' SETTING, WHERE THEY ARE FORCED TO MIX THESE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS.


HOW I TACKLE THIS WITH MY ATHLETES
SINCE WORKING TOGETHER DINA HAS GONE FROM BEING ABLE TO PERFORM 1 BAR MUSCLE UP TO DOING 10 UNBROKEN.

Our goal is still to increase her max unbroken reps.

BUT

As Dina becomes more and more proficient our focus slowly shifts to ensuring that she can perform those muscle ups under extreme cardiac and muscle fatigue.

ONE OF THE WORKOUTS DINA WILL HAVE THE 'PLEASURE' OF TACKLING IN THIS COMING WEEK IS:

AMRAP 10
3 Bar Muscle Ups
10 T2B
17 Power Clean @ 25kg

The focus behind the workout is to begin introducing movements that will interfere with her ability to perform her muscle ups.

THE T2B WILL TAX HER MIDLINE.

The power cleans are light enough to force her into going TnG which will tax her grip.

WANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR BAR MUSCLE UPS?

Give the workout a go 🔥

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BOOK RECOMMENDATION:
SWITCH

One of my favourite quotes is:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit"
- ARISTOTLE

WITH THAT SAID, DEVELOPING THE HABITS THAT WILL SUPPORT YOU ON THE WAY TO YOUR GOALS ISN'T ALWAYS EASY.

Why is it so hard to go to bed 1 hour earlier than you usually do?

WHY DID YOU STOP EATING 3 PEACES OF FRUIT/VEGETABLES A DAY, DESPITE BEING SO HIGHLY MOTIVATED AT THE START OF THE YEAR?

Why have you gone back to spending 5 minutes on your warm up despite knowing all of the performance and injury preventing benefits of a good warm up?

THE ANSWER IS USUALLY THAT YOU TRIED TO BUILD A NEW HABIT RELYING ON WILLPOWER AND MOTIVATION.

Often, when we decide to introduce a new habit, it's a result of being in a highly motivated state, which is great!

BUT

Motivation is a volatile thing that can swing from day to day and hour to hour.

IN THESE SITUATIONS YOU MIGHT FALL BACK ON WILLPOWER.

The only problem with this is that willpower is a depletable resource.

MEANING THAT IT CAN RUN OUT.

When this happens our habits often fall by the way side, rarely to be started up again.


Switch shares actionable steps one can use to introduce and maintain habits.

RETURNING TO THE QUOTE AT THE TOP, I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE WHAT YOU REPEATEDLY DO.

With this in mind, educating yourself on habits may be the most valuable thing you do for your training and life outside of it (in my opinion).

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Looking for help when it comes to mastering your ring muscle up?

Wondering how to structure you nutrition around CrossFit competitions?

Find all the answers and more in the FREE Pursuit Training Facebook group 🤓

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THE LEAN BACK IN YOUR BAR MUSCLE UP SHOULD ALREADY BE STARTING IN YOUR ARCH.

I'VE MENTIONED IN A NUMBER OF POSTS THE IMPORTANCE OF LEANING BACK IN YOUR BAR MUSCLE UPS IN ORDER TO TRANSITION AROUND THE BAR.

(You can find these posts and more in the Pursuit Training Facebook group, link in bio)

While working on Darius's Bar Muscle Ups today we noticed that he was having trouble leaning back far enough before initiating the muscle up.

UPON COMPARISON WE FOUND THAT HE WAS VERY GOOD AT LEANING BACK...

BUT

AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURES BELOW.

Darius wasn't beginning to lean back early enough.

AS A RESULT, ALL THE FOLLOWING STEPS HE HAD TO DO (LIFT HIS FEET, POP HIS HIP, PRESS ON THE BAR, ETC.) WERE HAPPENING TOO LATE, CAUSING HIM ISSUES.

THE TAKE AWAY

WHEN WE DO KIPPING PULL UPS, T2B, C2B, ETC. OUR CHEST POINTS FORWARDS DURING THE ARCH PHASE.

When we do bar muscle ups, we need to begin leaning back slightly as we enter our arch so that our chest begins to point more upwards.

THIS OFTEN RESULTS IN BETTER TIMING FOR THE REST OF THE MOVEMENT.

WHO AM I?

THE ACCOUNT HAS GOTTEN A BUNCH OF NEW FOLLOWERS SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO RE-INTRODUCE MYSELF 😄

My name is Emil Matthews

I OWN PURSUIT TRAINING WHICH IS A COACHING ORGANISATION THAT'S FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING ELITE CROSSFITTERS.

Specifically Pursuit Training is built to help athletes who want to compete at the quarterfinals, semifinals and CrossFit Games by providing individualised coaching.

FUN FACTS ABOUT ME:
• I grew up in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
• I once spent 3 hours cycling home from a night out on my mum's bike which had a puncture.
• I'm addicted to cereals.

FINDING THE BALANCE IN YOUR HANDSTAND IS OFTEN EASIER IN A HOLLOW.

Michael and I are currently working on his freestanding handstand.

ONE OF THE AREAS THAT HE HAS STRUGGLED WITH IS SHIFTING IS CENTRE OF MASS FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS.

(A key element when it comes to a freestanding handstand - see the videos 'Pillar 2: Balance' & 'Pillar 2.1: Freestanding Handstand' under the Handstand Guide/Vejledning for more)

From experience, when an athlete has issues with this, it often helps to spend time helping them develop a hollow position while on their hands.

IN THE PICTURE BELOW MIC IS IN 2 DIFFERENT POSITIONS.

ON THE LEFT MIC IS ARCHING HIS BACK AND ALSO HAVING TROUBLE GETTING HIS FEET TO LEAVE THE WALL.

And when he does manage to make them leave, he quickly lost his balance.

IN THE POSITION ON THE RIGHT, WE CAN SEE THAT MIC IS IN A HOLLOW POSITION.

HE ALSO FINDS IT MUCH EASIER TO PULL HIMSELF FROM THE WALL, COMMENTING THAT HE FEELS MUCH MORE IN CONTROL WHEN HE DOES.

The key for Mic was focusing on hiding his butt away as much as possible.

THIS CAUSED A POSTERIOR TILTING OF HIS HIP, RESULTING IN A HOLLOW POSITION.


THE TAKE AWAY

There are 100's of videos and pictures online which prove that being in a 'hollow' position is not a requirement for a handstand.

HOWEVER

I often find that athletes have an easier time developing an understanding of how to manipulate their centre of mass if they practice with a hollow position.

IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH CONTROL AND BALANCE IN YOUR FREESTANDING HANDSTAND, THEN CONSIDER REASSESSING WHICH POSITION YOU ARE IN.

THE CHIMP PARADOX

I'm an emotional person.

LOOKING BACK ON MY SPORTING CARRIER WITHIN RUGBY, 100M SPRINT AND CROSSFIT, I CAN FIND MANY MOMENTS WHERE THOSE EMOTIONS HELPED DRIVE ME TO SUCCESS.

HOWEVER

WHEN I LOOK BACK AT THE COUNTLESS MATCHES, EVENTS AND COMPETITIONS I'VE COMPETED IN...

It doesn't take long for me to find situations where those emotions got in the way of performance, or made competing a bitter sweet experience.

Getting sent off in a rugby match for fighting.
Throwing my running shoes in disgust after taking 2nd in a sprint event instead of 1st.
Placing really well in a CrossFit competition, but being unable to enjoy it due to the constant comparisons I was making in my head.
To name but a few.

For the longest time I was ambivalent about my emotions.

THEY BRING ME ALL THIS HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS.

Yet they can also hurt the ones I love and bring me misery...

TODAY WHEN I REFLECT ON MY EMOTIONS I IMAGINE THEM AS FIRE.

They can power the most amazing things.

BUT IF YOU LOSE CONTROL...IT'S GOING TO HURT.

Working with a number of the best CrossFit teams and athletes in Denmark and Europe, that fire is something I recognise in a lot of the athletes.

FOR A LOT OF THOSE ATHLETES THEIR EMOTIONS ARE RAW AND UNHARNESSED.

Sometimes they lead to performances that are beyond belief.

AND OTHER TIMES I WATCH AS AN ATHLETE IMPLODES UNDER THOSE EMOTIONS.

As a coach, giving athletes tools and structures to help them use their fire is something I'm super passionate about.

BUT

It's also something that takes time and requires a lot of personal reflection and thought from the athlete.

IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A STEP IN THE DIRECTION OF UNDERSTANDING WHY YOU SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE YOU DO.

And why despite your best efforts you may act in ways that don't align with the person / athlete that you want to be.

Then I'd recommend reading 'The Chimp Paradox'.



In the Pursuit Training Facebook group I’ll be providing more books and providing summaries as well as arguments for why I feel they are relevant for athletes.