Extreme But Simple Workouts During CrossFit Training

When bench pressing, your shoulder girdle should be kept in a RETRACTED position. This may take practice at first if you’re not used to it. Stand normal with your hands against the wall. Now take one step backwards. From here, without bending at the hip or leaning forward, stretch your arms out as far in front of you to try to touch the wall. That is the PROTRACTED position. To get to the retracted position, you have to do the opposite and pull your arms as far back as possible at the shoulder girdle (no bending of the elbows). In a sense you are squeezing your shoulder blades together. Practice for 5 minutes a day for a few days or a week and you'll have it down in no time. This is the position your shoulders should be in for the safest and most powerful bench press.
The bench press hits a large amount of upper body musculature with the primary focus being on the pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders, especially front and middle), and triceps (back of the arm). Any number of the secondary muscles will be hit, but these are the main ones that are being targeted. I’d note that some don’t feel that the bench press is a very good chest exercise; usually this is because they never learned to use the pecs while benching. I addressed this in detail in Benching with the Pecs. I’ve also seen it argued that the bench isn’t even a pec exercise and that it’s only triceps. While that might be true for some types of geared power benching, that certainly isn’t true for what I’m going to describe.
It’s safe to say that, in the US at least, the bench press is one of the favorite exercises of most trainees (especially males). Let’s face it, if someone finds out if you lift, their first question is invariably “How much do you bench?” And, while it’s difficult to decide which movement is done more poorly in the average gym (let’s face it, 99% of people have atrocious technique), the bench is right up there. I’ve seen staggering amounts of truly amusing things done on bench press, usually by guys who want to lift more weight to impress their buddies and/or hit the minimum macho poundage (which ranges from 225 to 315 depending on what type of gym you’re in). Never mind that the bench is realistically more or less responsible for more shoulder injuries than any other lift, the reality is that trainees will want to do it. So they might as well do it correctly. And that’s what I’m going to describe here. It’s always best to train with Crossfit Tampa personal trainers when starting your new fitness training.
Now, let me say right up front that I am going to be detailing a very specific variation on benching, which is the raw generic power bench press. Let me explain those terms. Raw means no gear as in no bench press shirts. Yeah, a lot of guys belt but, unless you’re using the belt to hold down your bench shirt, it’s pretty pointless. And I guess you could consider wrist wraps gear, I can’t say I’ve seen many non-power lifters use them. But raw in this context means no bench shirt.
My use of the phrase generic power bench may confuse some people. I’m using the term generic to delineate that this is the generic form I’d teach a beginning/non-competition athlete trainee under most circumstances. Yes, there are exceptions. With a bodybuilder, I might do something a bit different, for a power lifter, it would depend on their fed and their gear.

Your CrossFit WOD Should Include The Bench Press

The bench press is one of the most popular upper body exercises at the gym but also one of the most dangerous. If you don’t bench press properly you could risk hurting yourself, and not only that, if your form is wrong you won’t see any results as fast as you should.

Variations of the bench press - There are a few different variations of the bench press but these are the 3 major ones that are controlled by the angle of the bench: Incline Bench Press - Attacks your shoulders as well as your upper chest muscles; Flat Bench Press – Neutral position; Decline Bench Press - Allows you to lift more weight than the other two positions

What you must remember to do when performing the bench press - Safety is very important when performing the bench press due to the weight of the bar and its position directly over your chest. Keep these pointers in mind and you’ll lower your risk of injury.

Use a Spotter – The bench press is an exercise that you always want to use a spotter. In your later reps you might stall the weight on your chest and need help to get it up to the rack. Nothing looks worse than someone yelling for help when they can’t get the weight up to the rack. Also by using a spotter you can get a few more reps out of each set. This will help you gain muscles faster. Keep your thumbs wrapped around the bar- If you grip the barbell using a thumb less grip you run the risk of the bar slipping while you are pressing the weight. Chances are it will fall onto your chest and it’s going to hurt pretty badly. Stay at a comfortable weight - It’s not smart to always lift your maximum for the bench press. Start with a reasonable weight until you get comfortable with your form, then increase in small increments.

The average gym member will usually try to increase their bench press by doing more reps, sets, or weight on bench press. When in reality they will gain more strength and make better progress over the long term if they focused their effort on improving their bench press lifting technique rather than simply lifting more. It’s always best to train with Crossfit Tampa personal trainers when starting your new fitness training.

The best way to make big strength gains in your bench press in the shortest period of time is to improve your form. The techniques listed below are used by the best Fitness Trainers in the world. But keep in mind that changing your bench press technique can take a bit of getting used to and initially your poundages may go down before you get the hang of the new technique.

Ok, so you know how to position yourself for the bench press. Now all you have to do is raise the bar off the rack with your elbows locked and position it above your chest. Keeping your elbows locked lowers the risk of the bar falling on your face. Now lower the bar to your chest while keeping your elbows at right angles to your torso. When you push the barbell back up keep it in a straight line and your elbows beneath the bar. Don’t forget to keep your shoulder blades together and your chest up during the press.

Include The Bench Press In Your CrossFit Workouts

The Bench Press is the most popular lift in the gym. It's the upper-body exercise that lets you lift the most weight. The Bench Press builds upper-body strength like no other exercise & that's why it's part of StrongLifts 5x5 program. Unfortunately the Bench Press causes most injuries, especially shoulder injuries. This article will teach you how to Bench Press with proper technique so you can bench more weight without injuring yourself.

It’s a very common question I get asked all the time in the gym, via email and on the forums. “Can you give me some tips for increasing my bench press?” You see the bench press is often used to measure a guy’s strength. The heavier your bench, the stronger you are right? Wrong. Now anyone who’s knows anything about lifting weights and body strength knows that that this is absolutely not true. However, as far as upper body exercises are concerned it’s probably the best exercise to measure upper body strength.

So I’m going to give you my top 10 tips for increasing your bench press. I have hit bench press plateaus before, and I can tell you from personal experience that not being able to up your bench press for a matter of months is extremely frustrating. But using these tips below has always got me through the plateau to add those extra pounds.

Power up your triceps - I would say in about 80% of cases where guys have asked me for increasing bench press tips, their triceps have been holding them back. You need to hit your triceps hard with big exercises like close grip bench press. Don’t waste your with cable machines, stick to heavy dumbbells and barbells. It’s always best to train with Crossfit Tampa personal trainers when starting your new fitness training.

Shock your chest into growth - I know it’s easy to stay with the routine you are comfortable with. Ask yourself this question: “Am I really training out of my comfort zone?” Most people are not. Yes, they train hard but they’re not pushing themselves as hard as they are capable of. So switch your workout up, vary the intensity. Vary the rest between sets. Do supersets. Do 30 pushups at the end of each set. Get the picture?

Don’t over train - I know it’s tempting to train more often because you think the more you train the bigger you’ll get. This myth holds back many lifters, especially beginners. You have to get out of that mentality and start thinking about “less is more”. The quality of your reps, sets and exercises is more important than how many you do. Stick to training your chest once or twice a week, there’s no need for more unless you’re trying to break the world record bench press!

Get plenty of rest & sleep - This goes hand in hand with my previous tip, and is part of the basics of building muscle. Your muscles repair and grow while you’re sleeping and resting, so getting enough rest and sleep is essential for muscle growth. Get at least 8 hours sleep and plenty of rest between workouts.

Common Crossfit Workouts That Get Left Out

A very common question that you will get come clients while working as a personal trainer in the Tampa bay area is, Can You guys Help Me Improve My Upper Body Strength. Guys tend to be a little meat headish and for men, the bench press is one of the quickest ways to judge ones strength. From your high school workouts to the NFL combines every year, the main workout you will be judged on is the bench press. Benching will not be a one workout fix, but should definitely be included in your Crossfit training or workouts of the day.
The Bench Press exercise is one of the oldest most common workouts when training, yet people neglect this workout when putting together their Training Programs. Benching is very effective and will quickly build up your entire upper body with a consistent workout schedule. Many people will say that their reason for not including Benching in their routine is because of injuries. Bench Pressing is very hard on your joints, mainly your shoulders. It has its pro's and con's, but there's no workout that builds your upper body like bench pressing. It's this reason you should include it, and if you know the keys to properly benching, injury will be more avoidable. I will discuss some basic tips to proper Bench Pressing.
From Personal Experience, I've always made sure to Power Up or Loosen up my triceps. Triceps are a part of the body that rarely get worked out by people, yet alone warmed up. This will hold you back if you do not. Workout your triceps first before bench pressing. Also try to stick to free weights. Also it's important to remember to start slow and do not overdo it. First it's not work the injure trying to impress your friends. Two, obtaining strong lean muscle mass is achieved by constant workouts. Sometimes less is more in exercising. Quality sets and sticking to your routine is key. Maybe benching two times a week should be enough for a beginner. Also you need to rest, and your muscles need to rest too. Get plenty of sleep, but I'm sure your body will be telling you this. CrossFit Tecnica is an award winning Crossfit Tampa fitness gym.

Standing By The Crossfit Workout Programs

Thousands of people whose lives really do depend on that kind of adaptability – firefighters, soldiers, police officers – swear by the Crossfit Tampa training regimen. It’s so popular that the Canadian Armed Forced and US Marine Corps have allowed top trainers to speak to until leaders and extend their knowledge of fitness and operational readiness.
Of course, Crossfit isn’t just for steely-eyed combat professionals. It’s one of the fastest growing trends on the exercise circuit, and it’s easy to see why. It combines movements and drills from many different exercise disciplines, like track, Olympic lifting, and gymnastics.
In a serious, real world emergency situation, you’re not likely to lift a huge amount of weight, take ten minutes to breathe, and lift another huge amount of weight. You’re going to make smaller presses at full intensity for a longer period of time. There are plenty of ripped weightlifting types who couldn’t jog for a mile to save their lives, and plenty of sleek runners or swimmers who don’t have the raw power needed to be much use to you and your friends on moving day. If your goal is to swell up until you look like a character from Street Fighter, this isn’t for you. Crossfit builds a strong base of fitness without bias, under the assumption that a real world condition like combat, sports, or survival will reward peak all-around fitness and punish a specialist who isn’t as well rounded.
As a result, it’s built around these base measures of fitness: endurance, stamina, flexibility, speed, agility, balance, strength, coordination, accuracy and explosive power.
This workout is targeted to build your competency in each measure of cardiovascular fitness. It works to build a strong base of metabolism across the phosphagen pathway, which you tap into for activities that last fewer than ten seconds, the glycolytic pathway, used for moderately powered activities that last for several minutes, and the oxidative pathway, used for low impact activities that last for an extended amount of time.
Crossfit’s competitive aspect did a lot to improve my involvement, too. Every day, you’ve got the chance to compare yourself against others in the daily workout. If you find a group online that’s just starting out or posting results as you, trying to improve your performance and post lower times than them is a simple but compelling way to keep your focus. Like any other regimen, working in a group eases the load. The community online and in-person is almost universally helpful, encouraging, and motivated by a desire to help their partners succeed.

This type of workout to lose weight is becoming very popular these days. This clearly shows that one-dimensional approach has been proven limited to get the perfect figure. Less weight does not always mean to have a perfect physique. It involves bone density and muscles mass. If you are choosing to lose weight, then you must be strong, agile and have endurance as well. This exercise helps you in the development of multiple, diverse skill sets at the time of losing weight.

Making Crossfit Safe For Beginners

CrossFit is a workout regimen that gets you good at everything (running, weightlifting, gymnastics etc) with a simple approach. There is a WOD (workout of the day) that you have to perform. Do a WOD 2-6 times a week and you’ll get in the best shape of your life. Finding a great Personal Trainer Tampa Fl. would be the best way to ensure safety and the best results.

Use of these workouts is aimed at enhancing the overall health. These workout routines incorporate various forms of exercises like sprinting, weightlifting, gymnastics, etc. The different areas of fitness in which CrossFit workouts operate are stamina, endurance, flexibility, strength, balance, power, agility, speed, accuracy and coordination. The workouts incorporated in CrossFit are useful for enhancing work capacity of the body in different areas mentioned above. These workouts help in bringing about hormonal and neurologic adaptations. The methodology of working out has been both appreciated and criticized by people. Promoters cite these above mentioned pros of this methodology of working out. Critics on the other hand consider exercising in this manner as unscientific. Studying the underlying principles of CrossFit is therefore important. Let us have a look at some of the CrossFit workouts for beginners through this article.


The workouts incorporate different types of exercises. Various exercises included in CrossFit routines make them very useful in working out the different body parts. Workouts for women and men do not differ much. Methodology of this exercise doesn't categorize a particular form of workout in certain type or section. One has to perform these exercises on the basis of degree to which he/she can stretch the body. These exercises help the body to become strong and flexible at the same time.

A workout is most definitely a High Intensity Workout, where you are expending a massive amount of energy in a short time. I’ve felt that eating low-carb on workout days has hindered my performance a bit, so I’m going to try adding in some more non-gluten carbs (about 100-150g) around my workouts. The muscle cells do need glucose to fuel anaerobic respiration, which is a biochemical fact.

In CrossFit there are benchmark workouts that are usually repeated at-least once a year. The workouts cover all ten general physical skills; respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Increasing your performance in these workouts increases your overall fitness level. On beyond the whiteboard we automatically keep track of your benchmarks. I’m going to continue going there three times a week, this time doing the workout of they day instead of the beginners course. I will write a post later about my results with adding carbohydrate around a workout and I’m still going to keep the carbs low during non-workout days.

In order to undertake workouts safely it is important to first understand the basic principals of Power/Olympic lifting and how to apply this to a CrossFit workout.  Technique is essential for each different movement and during the range of beginner classes we will take you step by step thorough each of the movements guiding your progress to make sure you get the most out of your future workouts.