If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

In an effort to globalize Crossfit worldwide and achieve representation from all over the world at the Crossfit Games, Greg Glassman announced major changes to the Games and its qualifying method in early 2019. In this article we are going to analyze all these novelties and try to predict what effects it will have on the Games this year. In summary, the changes are as follows:

• The Open moves to October…wait, wasn’t there already an Open in April? Yes, but this is planned for the 2020 season, so in 2019 we will have two Opens, one for the 2019 Games and one for the 2020 Games.
• Regionals are suppressed.
• Instead of them, all countries with at least one Crossfit affiliated box will send their best man, woman and team to the Games.
• These classifieds will be determined by the results in the Open.
• It will also be possible to qualify for the Games by winning one of the 16 official Crossfit competitions held between November and June. These competitions for the 2020 games are the following:

1. Dubai CrossFit Championship – Dubai, U.A.E. – December 2018
2. Australian CrossFit Championship – Queensland, Australia- January 2019
3. Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival – Miami, Florida, U.S. – January 2019
4. CrossFit Fittest in Cape Town – Cape Town, South Africa – January 2019
5. CrossFit Strength in Depth – London, England, U.K. – February 2019
6. Asia CrossFit Championship – Chinese Mainland- April 2019
7. Mid Atlantic CrossFit Challenge – Baltimore, Maryland / D.C. Area, U.S. – April 2019
8. CrossFit Italian Showdown – Milan, Italy – April 2019
9. Brazil CrossFit Championship – São Paulo, Brazil – May 2019
10. The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown – Apeldoorn, Netherlands – May 2019
11. Down Under CrossFit Championship – Wollongong, Australia – May 2019
12. Reykjavik CrossFit Championship- Reykjavik, Iceland – May 2019
13. The Rogue Invitational, a CrossFit Sanctioned Event – Columbus, Ohio – May 2019
14. CrossFit French Throwdown – Paris, France – June 2019
15. The Granite Games, a CrossFit Sanctioned Events – Saint Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. – June 2019
16. CrossFit West Coast Classic – San Diego, California – March 2020
17. Pandaland CrossFit Challenge – Sichuan Province – December 2019
18. SouthFit CrossFit Challenge – Buenos Aires, Argentina – December 2019

• Only in 2019, the 20 best results of the Open who are not national champions or winners of an official event will be invited.
• Taking into account that we are talking about almost 200 athletes participating in the Games, the first WODs will be focused on filtering the participants down to a manageable number.
• Participants in the “teams” modality can only qualify through official events, but they will no longer be forced to train in the same box, which opens the door to super teams with the four “fittest on earth” in the same team.
• There will be 4 invitations to decide for the organization of the Games.

What effects does that have?

This is a medium-term bet that seeks to raise the general level of the Games several years from now, although during the first editions with this new format some quality may be sacrificed in the first competitions. It is difficult to get Crossfit to take off in many countries where it is practically impossible to qualify for the Games since the United States, Canada and Europe form the vast majority of the field.

With this new way of qualifying, participation in the Games is “democratized” since you do not have to travel to a Regional to be able to go to the appointment in Madison.

In general, from Fitenium we believe that this new approach to the Games will help to consolidate Crossfit as a world sport and that its popularity is not relegated to the countries where it is already established.

For example, we could say that Spain, Portugal or France could form 3 or 4 better soccer teams than the one that Northern Ireland presented in the last Euro Cup. However, the real possibility of teams like Northern Ireland qualifying for the European Championship makes football extremely popular across the continent. At the opposite extreme are the elitist systems of Rugby in which the same teams play the important tournaments since they put many obstacles to the emerging teams.

It could be said that quality is sacrificed to get everyone to participate in the Games, but if we don’t let the athletes from Morocco or Colombia dream, it will be difficult for them to focus on Crossfit and send higher-level athletes to the Games.

Of course this has a negative part and that is that the Crossfit Games must continue to be the setting for the “fittest of earth” and perhaps it can be called into question when the tournament field has less level than expected. There’s a fine line that shouldn’t be crossed before the Games is considered a joke, and Greg Glasmann has to be careful in his strategy in that regard.

It must be taken into account that 2019 was the first year in which the participation in the Open decreased compared to the previous year, so once the Crossfit brand is mature in its main markets, opening new markets is usually the way to proceed in these cases. In 2019, 357,000 participants were registered compared to 416,000 in 2018. However, we can highlight that the number of affiliates was the highest in history with 15,000 affiliates sending their athletes.

And what about the athletes?

We believe these changes are positive for both recreational and professional athletes. Our reasons are as follows:

• More possibilities to qualify: until now you only had the possibility to compete in the regional assigned to your country, which means that there is only one event that qualifies you directly. There are now 16 competitions throughout the year and athletes can choose which ones to focus on.
• Reduced risk of an injury ending your season: suppose you spend months training for your regional and a week before an untimely injury makes you unable to participate. With the current system your season is over. Now you have more opportunities to reschedule your events and qualify for another qualifying event.
• Flexibility for training programs: in line with the above, before you had to be prepared for a competition in March and then for the possibility of regional ones. Now with more events you can schedule yourself in a different way and take better advantage of your peaks in shape.

We must bear in mind that in 2018 430,000 athletes registered for the Open and only 1,600 went to the regionals, which is 0.3% of all those registered. If you are part of that 99.7% of athletes who did not go to the Regionals, these changes do not affect you at all.

conclusions

Change is often scary, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. This sport is changing and whether these changes are positive or negative for us is more within our expectations and desire to get the positive out of these changes than the changes themselves. You have to know how to adapt to changes and never stop training due to a lack of information.

However, this new scenario opens possibilities about the direction that Crossfit Inc is taking and its vision for the future. Although the first impression is that Glassmas’s vision is to create a sport on a global scale and he has the ambition and tools to achieve it.

What do you think? Do you think these changes are for the better or for the worse? Leave us your comment.

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If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

There is no doubt that the deadlift is one of the best exercises for building muscle, gaining strength, and improving overall fitness. At Fitenium we advocate doing Deadlifts as long as there are no health problems. Contrary to what many people may think, doing a Deadlift with correct technique strengthens the back muscles and reduces the risk of injury and pain.

The Deadlift is a very popular and effective exercise for working the lower back, trapezius, forearm, quadriceps, and gluteus. So why do some people prefer not to deadlift? Training with heavy compound exercises has some cons that make some users give up training this way:

• Technique is even more important when you train heavy than when you go light.
• Compound exercises are much more demanding for the Central Nervous System than isolated ones, the sensation of effort and fatigue is greater.
• If you were to injure yourself, the injury could be more serious.
• It’s tougher mentally.

However, we consider that the benefits are much greater, so we recommend our users to train heavy but always with the most perfect technique possible. Do you want us to talk about the pros and cons of training heavy? Get in touch with us at our email info@fitenium.com so that we know your opinion.

There are many variations of the Deadlift, among which the most common are the following:

• Conventional Deadlift.
• Sumo Deadlift.
• Hex Bar Deadlift.
• Romanian Deadlift.
• Deadlift with Dumbbells.
• Deficit Deadlift.
• Rack Pull.

As you can see the possibilities are endless, but we will focus on two of the most common versions: Conventional Deadlift and Sumo Deadlift. The main difference between the two is that in one case it is that in the conventional deadlift the arms surround the legs and in the sumo it is the legs that are on the outside.

Conventional Deadlift Sumo Deadlift

The difference in technique between the Conventional and Sumo Deadlifts is easily recognizable and even a person new to the world of weights will know the differences just by seeing the execution. Although in general the same muscles are exercised, the different variants are more demanding of some muscles or others. In 2002, an electromyography study was conducted on 13 athletes trained while performing Conventional and Sumo Deadlifts at 12 repetitions.

In this study, it was concluded that most muscles are exercised in a similar way except the Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medius, and Tibialis Anterior, which received greater stimulation in the Sumo Deadlift and the Gastrocnemius had a significantly greater activation with the Deadlift. Conventional.

An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. (2002) Escamilla ^RF1, Francisco AC, Kayes AV, Speer KP, Moorman CT 3rd.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Sumo Deadlift versus the Conventional:

Advantages:
– The Sumo Deadlift stance is more stable.
– It is less demanding for the lower back.
– The range of motion is shorter.
– It is easier to keep the spine neutral during the Sumo Deadlift.

Disadvantages:
– The Sumo Deadlift technique is more complex.
– It is more demanding for the Abductor and Femoral Biceps.
– Requires greater hip mobility.
– Less transfer to other sports or real life.

Is the Sumo Deadlift easier?

When we ask ourselves if the Sumo or conventional Deadlift is easier, we mean if a person with correct technique in several exercises is going to lift more kilograms on average in the Sumo Deadlift than the conventional one. It is very common to read that by having the Sumo Deadlift a much shorter route you can lift more kilos than in the conventional one, but is this really so?

Normally when we are going to make a record, the lift does not usually exceed 5 seconds. Even the world’s most fought records are very very rare to exceed 10 seconds. You should have enough energy to do all-out effort for 8-10 seconds without a problem. However, if we talk about doing the maximum number of repetitions with a certain weight, that difference in travel can make a difference since repetition after repetition accumulates.

On the other hand, when you fail a RM you don’t fail because you are weak throughout the entire lift, you fail because you are weak in your weakest part of the lifting chain. Therefore we believe that the difference between a longer or shorter lift is negligible.

It is worth mentioning that the mythical Eddie Hall Deadlift of 500 kilos was made with the conventional technique.

What technique suits me?

There are several factors to determine what type of Death Weight is best suited to you, as it depends on your anthropomorphic measurements and mobility. Basically we can establish in a very general way, that if you have longer arms than average, the conventional deadlift is better for you and if you have short arms, the sumo deadlift is more suitable for you. It’s not the only factor though, as hip mobility is more important in the sumo deadlift, so if you have hip mobility issues you may be more interested in the conventional deadlift.

Last but not least, injuries are a determining factor when choosing one variant or another. If you have lower back problems you should tend to the sumo deadlift, but if you have knee problems it is better that you try the conventional one.

You can ask the following questions before choosing a variant:
– Which variant do you feel more natural?
– Which variant allows you to lift more weight?

If the answer to both questions is the same, you should stick with that variant. We also recommend that you try both variants and stick with the one you feel most comfortable training at submax loads and stick with that one.

Belt, yes or no?

Another very important debate is whether you should train with or without a belt. There are radically opposite positions, with people who think that you should always deadlift with a belt while other people believe that you should avoid using a belt whenever possible.

Scientific evidence (1) and (2) indicates that wearing a belt can help you improve your performance in key exercises such as the squat and deadlift, but there is no evidence that it reduces the risk of injury as long as it is used correctly.

Therefore, if you really have a very high interest in your performance and you know how to wear a belt, since you have to squeeze the abdomen to increase intramuscular pressure, you may benefit from wearing a belt. If you don’t fall into both categories you can still benefit from beltless training and progress without increased risk of injury.

conclusions

Do deadlifts, the one that you like the most and that suits you. Although no exercise is 100% mandatory and you can do without any exercise, it is nevertheless true that few exercises are more efficient for your progress than the Deadlift, whether Conventional or Sumo.

If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

Crossfit is a great and totally addictive tool to get fit and improve your health and fitness that is used by thousands of people all over the world. It is a proven and studied system that offers improvements in the level of performance and body composition throughout the world. However, Crossfit’s detractors accuse this discipline of being harmful, due to the fact that complex exercises are carried out, with high intensity and with medium-high loads. The reality is that injuries in Crossfit happen like in any sports discipline and to deny that would be to ignore reality.

And study from the Kennesaw State University of Georgia, United States carried out for 4 years with more than 3000 participants concluded that the ratio of injuries per 1000 hours of Crossfit is 0.74, quite inferior than other sports such as football, hockey, basketball, rugby and many other sports according to this review of studies conducted by the University of Queensland.

It seems likely that the idea that Crossfit is very harmful comes from the fact that the majority of the population comes into contact with Crossfit by looking at the Crossfit Games u other competitions where professional or semi-professional athletes go to the maximum, leaving technique aside in order to get one more repetition or start a second off the clock.

However, we cannot transfer elite competition to the recreational sport that is practiced by 99% of crossfitters in the world. We cannot forget that Crossfit is practiced under the supervision of a professional monitor and the vast majority of them are concerned that their clients perform the exercises with the correct technique and intensity. However, even having the correct advice, we cannot ignore the fact that Crossfit injuries occur and most of them, as in all sports, are preventable with adapted work, correct rest and training with good mobility.

Within Crossfit, shoulder injuries have been reported to be the most common. It is normal since there are a series of very common exercises that demand the shoulder joint, such as the Overhead Squat, Snatch, Clean, Push Press, Thruster or Push Jerk to name a few. The shoulder joint is not specially designed to bear weight like the knee or hip, and it is the most mobile joint in the human body. Many of these Crossfit exercises put pressure on the shoulder, especially in gymnastics or handstand pushups. This stress, particularly when the athlete is fatigued and technique may be compromised, can lead to shoulder injuries.

The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the body, it is formed at the junction of the humerus with the scapula. Other parts of the shoulder are the acromion, which is a bony projection off the scapula, the clavicle, which meets the acromion at the acromioclavicular joint, and the coracoid, which is a hook-shaped bony projection from the scapula.

How to avoid shoulder injuries?

• Maintain a correct technique: it seems obvious but it is the most important thing. Most injuries come from forcing the joint by doing exercises that we do not master well or with a load that we cannot move correctly. In the end for amateur crossfitters, the competition is with oneself, so if we need a few more seconds to rest or remove a disc from the bar, it is surely the wisest decision for our long-term performance.
• Strengthens the joint: We continue with the obvious, but strong muscles and tendons are less likely to be damaged. We recommend these exercises to strengthen our rotator cuffs and thus prevent many injuries:
  1- Turkish lifting
  2- Inverted row
  3- Rowing pendlay
  4- Facepull
• Train shoulder mobility: a good base of joint mobility and stability is key to being able to perform the most demanding Crossfit exercises without shoulder injuries. Of course, this won’t guarantee you won’t injure yourself, but a foundation of strength and mobility is the cornerstone of healthy shoulders. We recommend these exercises to work the mobility of our shoulders:
  1- Stretching in “door frame”
  2- Shoulder dislocation
  3- “Five ways” with elastic band
  4- Wall extensions
• Warm up your shoulder before training: no matter how much mobility and strength you have, starting to push jerk as you enter the door of your box is buying tickets to win a shoulder injury pack. Before training, both a general and a specific warm-up are essential before starting the day’s work. For the general warm-up we recommend some cardio exercise at a low-moderate intensity to raise the general temperature of our body and raise our heart rate. Doing 500 jump ropes, rowing 500 meters or 50 jumping jacks can be a good general warm up before training.
  On the other hand, specific warm-up is just as important, in this case for shoulders. A good warm-up could be the following:
  1- Cat-Cow Pose: 12 repetitions
  2- Slides on the wall to : the more the better!
  3- Y’s, T’s y W’s: 8 repeticiones
  4- 3 or 4 minutes of approximations to the weight with which you are going to work in the exercise that you are going to do.
• Train pulling exercises more than pushing: this can be counterintuitive, but to maintain balance between the anterior and posterior chain, experts indicate that we should do more pulling than pushing exercises, even in a 2:1 ratio. Why is that? Currently, most of the activities to which we are regularly exposed contribute to the mastery of the previous chain, for example working at a desk, driving or sitting writing on WhatsApp are things in which we spend many hours a day. Being a bit dramatic, the modern lifestyle hates the posterior chain. How can we compensate for this? It’s simple, do more pulls. Try to do 2 reps of a pull exercise for every push rep. This may seem like an exaggeration, but it is quite effective. Also, having a strong and stable back is a great help to improve your Bench Press, Squat and Deadlift. To get to or get close to this ratio, we can use various methods.
  1- Do 1 or 2 pulling exercises in all warm-ups.
  2- Super series every push with pull.
  3- Pull heavy first in every workout.
  4- Do pulls throughout the day with an elastic band.
• Stop Benching “Bodybuilder Style”: Many bodybuilders spread their elbows away from their bodies and lower the bar over their upper chest, supposedly to isolate the pecs as much as possible. Although there may be some truth to this, what is also true is that it is a terrible generator of shoulder injuries. The same applies to push-ups where the elbows should never go at an angle of 90 with respect to our trunk.
• Avoid Wide-Grip Pull-Ups and Pulldowns: In line with the advice above, wide-grip pull-ups are supposed to isolate your lats better, but the reality is that they shorten your range of motion and increase the potential for injury. In general we do not recommend extending your grip beyond slightly more than shoulder width.
• Do not do exercises that are harmful to the shoulders: strong Although in the above cases it is acceptable to use the “bodybuilder” technique if it is done from time to time and with moderate loads. In this case, we do not recommend doing the following exercises under any circumstances:
  1. pull-ups
  2. pull behind the neck
  3. military press behind the neck They offer no advantage over their variants in front of our face and they are very, very dangerous.

As a complement to this guide, we are going to propose a series of 8 WODs that will strengthen your torso and help prevent shoulder injuries.

• WOD 1:
  5-10-15-20-15-10-5
  Push-Press
  Ring Dips
  Push ups
• WOD 2:
  21-15-9
  Handstand Push Ups
  Ring Dips
  Push Ups
• WOD 3:
  For Time: 100 Pull Ups
• WOD 4:
  5 rounds, max reps
  Press Banca with your corporal weight
  Pull Ups
• WOD 5:
  5 rondas per hour
  Ring Push Ups Max Reps
  Rest 1:00
• Max Reps Ring Dips
  Rest 1:00
• WOD 6:
  AMRAP 20 minutes
  5 Pull Up
  10 Push Up
• WOD 7:
  21-18-15-12-9
  Back Extensions
  Pull Ups
  Sit UpsRing Dips
• WOD 8:
  4 rondas per hour
  6 Push Press
  6 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
  6 Kettlebell Push Press Unilateral

Conclusions:

Despite the fame of creating many crossfit shoulder injuries, you should not have problems with this joint if you go to a professional box, do not do stupid things and listen to your body. Shoulder mobility is something that is achieved over time and by working on it you can get great results.

We hope these tips are useful and can help avoid shoulder injuries, we want a healthy and sporty community that exceeds its goals in Fitenium. If there is any other part of the body that interests you and you want a similar article about it, write us an email to info@fitenium.com and we will study the suggested topic.

Greetings and see you in Fitenium!

If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

The Military Press is an exercise in which to test your torso strength, it is considered a compound exercise in which you will test the strength of your shoulders, but the benefits of the military press also include the core strengthening, improvement in mobility and transfer to other lifts and to your daily life. This is why to gain strength almost all athletes should incorporate some type of Military Press into their training routine, as this is one of the best shoulder exercises.

Implicated musculature

The Military Press, also known as the Shoulder Press or Olympic Press, primarily engages our shoulders (middle and outer deltoids), but also engages our Triceps, Pectorals, Trapezius, Scapular Stabilizers, and Core. It is done by extending the arms vertically from the starting position at shoulder height, placing the bar on the pectoral clavicular bundle.

Barbell or Dumbbells?

Both alternatives will offer us the benefits of the Military Press, and we do not consider that it is necessary to choose between one version and the other. The military press with dumbbells is an exercise for unilateral work, correcting asymmetries and may be more comfortable for some people, perhaps if you train looking for aesthetics you would give this version more priority. However, the Barbell Military Press allows strength athletes to move more kilograms which will translate into greater strength gains.

Benefits of the Military Press

– Strength and hypertrophy of the shoulders: whether you train for strength or for aesthetics, the military press is the foundation for building strong and hypertrophied shoulders and should be the foundation of your shoulder training or vertical push. Any variant will have positive effects on the recruitment of the above mentioned musculature as mentioned in this study.

– Overhead exercise performance: When it comes to executing other more technical exercises such as the Jerk or handstand variants (Pine Push-ups, Handstand Walk…), strong shoulders as a result of the benefits of the Military Press are the basis for doing them safely. more complex exercises.

– Shoulder health: the “resilience” of our shoulders plays a significant role in avoiding injuries. The Military Press will help you build stronger shoulders and resilient joints.

– Transfer to our daily life: Regardless of whether you are a Powerlifter or simply like to be in shape, all of us will benefit in our daily lives from having a good torso musculature thanks to the Military Press, either when carrying groceries or if we develop postural problems for long days seated work

– An iron “core”: it is known that when we raise the dumbbells or the bar doing Military Press we require our stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, in particular our rectus abdominis, external oblique and spinal erector. This is especially true of the standing Military Press compared to the seated version.

– Improvement of the Bench Press: among the benefits of the Military Press is its transfer to the Bench Press. It can be said that having a strong Military Press implies a strong Bench Press, since both lifts recruit similar muscles. In fact, there is one study that suggests that the dumbbell Military Press can be predicted reasonably well from the bench press 6RM measurement.

Cons of the Military Press

– Injurious potential: the more mobile a joint is, the more possibilities of injuring it we have. That is why the shoulder is a joint that is somewhat easy to injure. However, as in almost any exercise, with correct technique, the Military Press is not going to be particularly harmful. The biggest problem can come from not controlling the weight and the joint giving out, so control the weights and you won’t have too much of a problem.

In conclusion, due to the benefits of the Military Press, we recommend including it in your routine, but be careful with the weights you move because failing in the Military Press is more dangerous than in other exercises.

Why is Military Press not part of any competitive discipline?

In this article we have talked about the benefits of Military Press, however it may be curious that Military Press is not done in any discipline. Behind this situation there is a rather interesting story that is worth telling.

Although today when we are asked about upper body strength we almost always think of the Bench Press, for most of the 20th century the answer would have been the Military Press. That is why the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games included the Clean and Press together with the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk within the so-called “Olympic Lifting”.

While the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk were exercises called “fast”, considered as exercises that tested the athlete’s speed and agility, the Clean and Press was seen as the true measure of the athlete’s strength, since the push was performed in a controlled way.

However, problems were not long in coming. While the idea was for weightlifters to do this strict exercise, i.e. with their backs straight, heels together, and their heads facing forward, this proved highly impractical, as it allowed various ways of “cheating” the movement to achieve participation. of larger muscle groups such as the legs and hips.

This meant that decades later, already in the middle of the Cold War, the desire for victory and competitiveness between political blocs led Soviet athletes to develop a series of techniques in which they arched their backs in an exaggerated way to commit as much as possible to the athlete. pectoral and manage to move a greater amount of kiloage. Although it is said that it was the Soviet athletes who started this trend, it would be unfair to ignore that the athletes of the capitalist bloc (American, French, German…) imitated this technique as soon as they learned it, degenerating the Military Press into a pseudo Press. of Chest.

This lousy technique led to breaking records with absolute ease abusing it and going from a Press of 122 kilos in the 1928 Olympics to bordering on 200 in just a few decades. It was clear that the strict form of the Military Press was more laughable than anything else.

The Olympic Committee decided to give in to this trend and at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics allowed a slight bend in the back if it was not excessive. The vagueness of the rule did not fix anything and athletes of all nationalities did the Military Press with the help of swaying and with their backs arched as much as possible.

As a curiosity, this was the last winner of Clean and Press in the heavy category, nothing more and nothing less than the mythical Vasily Alekseyev moving 500 pounds in the Clean and Press in 1972, as the Olympic Committee decided to eliminate the Clean and Press from the Olympic lifts starting in 1976.

His departure from Olympic lifting caused his popularity to drop precipitously, even among bodybuilders, with dumbbells and even the injurious Overhead Press widely used by Steve Reeves becoming more popular. Arnold however built his shoulders on the Dumbbell Press. On the other hand, at the end of the 60s, Powerlifting displaced the Military Press as the torso exercise par excellence, replacing it with the Bench Press. Many people called the Military Press “the forgotten lift” until the 2010s.

Fortunately, from that decade, programs like Starting Strength, in which the athletes work a series of basic exercises within which is the Military Press and the explosion of the Crossfit, where the Military Press is also widely used, have helped revive old laurels of our favorite Vertical Press. Of course it’s not nearly as popular as it was in the 1920s or 1930s, but we can safely say that it hasn’t been forgotten.

Of course it’s not nearly as popular as it was in the 1920s or 1930s, but we can safely say that it hasn’t been forgotten.

Greetings and see you in Fitenium!

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If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores, for example to buy crossfit knee pads. Download it here.

We have to face it, one of the worst problems you can find in Crossfit is injuries. You can go to the best BOX in the world, with the best coaches, because if you take this discipline seriously and push your body, the injuries will end up arriving. However, there is no need to worry. Injuries are common in practically all sports disciplines in the world and the number of injuries per 1000 hours of training in Crossfit is much lower than in other sports such as football, rugby or strongman. Although according to studies, most Crossfit injuries occur in the shoulders and in the back, we can not forget our knees that also “suffer” significant loadsThey are the third part of our body that gets injured the most and good crossfit knee pads can make the difference between continuing to progress in this discipline or having to live with injuries, discomfort and other problems that slow down our progress.

Why should we use crossfit knee pads?

We must understand that when you load a joint, the weight is not only expressed vertically towards the ground, but also “radiates” out through the soft and connective tissues, mainly tendons and cartilage. The aim of a training knee pad is to compress the joint, reduce this outward force and stabilize the joint.

This is the idea behind the crossfit knee sleeves and it is crucial because of the enormous number of high load exercises that are performed and are usually done at high repetitions and in a state of near failure fatigue. Think, for example, of weightlifting exercises, powerlifting and Crossfit exercises such as Wall Balls or Box Jumps that create pressure on our knee and where stability is important.

How to distinguish good crossfit knee pads

As we mentioned before, in Crossfit there is a high variety of movements that impact our knees of different types of wood. A high but stable load like in a squat, a lower load but with a higher impact like in a Squat Clean or small but constant impacts like in Wall Balls do not create the same effect. That is why crossfit knee pads must be very versatile.

This is why weightlifting knee wraps, while they can be useful for specific WODs, are too harsh for most WODs involving other types of movement or even running. For these reasons, these are the factors to consider when buying the best crossfit knee pads:

• Material: Normally you will find training knee pads made of three different materials: body, with a better level of compression and basically what they do is heat up the joint; neoprene, the most common since they have a medium heat and compression level and the ribbons, which are basically used in powerlifting and we only recommend it for extremely high loads. For Crossfit training, the best material is Neoprene for its versatility, perfect for the variety of Crossfit exercises.
• Durability: Crossfit knee pads should last for years. If in a few months your knee pads are deformed and do not fit well, it is a bad product and it is not fulfilling its function correctly.
• Thickness: the most common measurements are 3mm, 5mm and 7mm, from less to more thickness. Probably the most “all-terrain” size is 5mm, so to do normal WODs it is the one we recommend, since it is useful for a Snatch and then to do box jumps.
• Size: It is important to buy knee pads that fit enough to perform their stabilizing function but that do not compromise movement by being too tight. Especially when buying online, we must know what our size is before buying our crossfit knee pads.
• Design: Who doesn’t love cool crossfit knee pads?

best crossfit knee pads

• Rocktape Assassins knee pads: they are the official ones of the Crossfit Games and stand out for their fair compression, providing stability without compromising freedom of movement. They’re pretty good for low-impact movements like rowing, running, and the like, which can make up for the lack of 3mm crossfit knee pads. Plus, it has some of the best designs on the market. As cons, some complaints are reported about the poor durability of the product and poor customer service.
  Spain: You can buy your Rocktape Assasins knee pads for €44.99 in their official store.
  Colombia: You can buy your Rocktape Assassins knee pads for 280,999 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre.
  Mexico: You can buy your Rocktape Assassins knee pads for 1,250.00 Mexican pesos in their official store.
  Argentina: You can buy your Rocktape Assassins knee pads for 6,300 Argentine pesos in your Mercadolibre.
  Chile: You can buy your Rocktape Assasins knee pads for 46,000 Chilean pesos in Vurpi.

• Rehband RX knee pads: many professionals such as Josh Bridges, Rich Froning or Camile Le Blanc use this brand, which is why they have positioned themselves as one of the most popular options on the market. Both its durability and its adaptation to many exercises have made it the rival to beat for its current competitors. The Rehband 7mm RX knee sleeves are more specific for weightlifting exercises, while the 5 and 3mm models are more versatile. On the other hand, it might seem that they have a fairly reasonable price, but keep in mind that they are sold individually and not in pairs.
  Spain: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for €26.95 per unit at our partner store Traininn.
  Colombia: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for 230,900 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre.
  Mexico: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for 688 Mexican pesos at Iron Equipment Mexico.
  Argentina: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for 2,199 Argentine pesos at Boxfit.
  Chile: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for 58,637 Chilean pesos in Mercado Libre.

• Banbroken 5mm knee pads: another national company that is making a name for itself in this highly competitive market. Their product is more focused on versatility, which is why they only have 5mm knee pads. They stand out for their spectacular designs and good durability, although sometimes it is reported that they are not as comfortable as other options.
  You can buy your Banbroken Knee Pads for €38.75 in its official store.
• Shock Doctor Knee Compression knee pads: Shock Doctor has surprised us with some crossfit knee pads that stand out for their non-slip silicone coating that create the most comfortable knee pad on the market. Maybe it is not as technical for Crossfit as the other crossfit knee pads that we discussed, but if you do some other sport like basketball in addition to WODs it can be a very interesting option. Our collaborator Traininn, where you can get up to a 10% discount on your purchases, has excellent post-sale serviceSpain: You can buy your Shock Doctor Knee Compression 5mm knee pads for €26.95 per unit at our partner store traininn.
  Colombia: You can buy your Shock Doctor Knee Compression 5mm knee pads for 125,900 Colombian pesos in Mercadolibre.
  Mexico: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for 619 Mexican pesos at Score.
  Chile: You can buy your Rehband RX 5mm knee pads for 31,899 Chilean pesos in Mercado Libre.

*Tip for #fiteniers: anyone who has been to a Box knows that knee pads end up causing quite unpleasant pain over time. However, it is not recommended to put crossfit knee pads in the washing machine if we want to optimize their durability. Instead, we recommend soaking the knee pads and leaving them overnight in the freezer. In this way, the vast majority of bacteria that the knee brace has and that are causing this unpleasant odor will die and we will have solved the problem.

Final comments

The crossfit market has grown a lot in recent years, which has a positive and a negative part. On the negative side, there are more reasons to create imitation and/or low-quality products indicating that they are for crossfit, with which athletes are the ones who suffer the consequences of this low quality. But on the other hand, there is also more reason for innovation and the search for new designs and materials that improve the experience in WODs. Take advantage of the high-quality offer on the market and don’t be afraid to invest a few tens of euros in a product that, if well cared for, should last you for years.

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If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can share their double unders with their crossfit jump ropes. Download it here.

Whether you’re an experienced crossfitter or just getting started in this exciting sport, you know that jumping rope is an essential part of our favorite workout. And not only that, but its older brother, double unders are the type of exercise that you must master if you want to do advanced Crossfit. That is why we are sure that you have been in contact with crossfit ropes countless times and, even if you think that there is not much difference between the ropes that are sold, having a good rope makes the difference when it comes to mastering double unders. .

Finding the best crossfit rope can be intimidating, so we have created this guide with the best options on the market today. It is important to know that not all crossfit ropes are the same and that is why we will break down the factors to analyze when choosing between different ropes and we will make our recommendations for the best crossfit ropes on the market.

Benefits of jumping rope in crossfit

Jumping rope is one of the best exercises that we can carry out, due to its versatility and ease of doing it anywhere. A quick view of the benefits of jumping rope in crossfit would be the following:

• Calorie burning: jumping rope is one of the exercises with the highest fat burning per minute, some scientific articles suggest up to 1,300 calories per hour.
• Muscle activation: jumping rope is already involving a large part of our muscles in the back, shoulders and arms, but if we also add weight and do heavy jump ropes we will activate even more muscles.
• Cardiovascular improvement: jumping rope can raise your pulse up to two or three times faster than other exercises and has less impact on our joints than running.
• Mental acuity: improvement in the development of the right and left hemispheres of the brain has been pointed out, which improves spatial awareness, reading ability and even memory.
• Fun!: It is very fun to jump rope since it is easy to turn it into a game, also, since it is an exercise that requires coordination, you occupy your brain, leaving little room for boredom while you train.

It can be summed up in that jumping rope improves almost all the physical abilities of users, a fact supported by science.

Characteristics of crossfit jump ropes

When making the decision to purchase a jump rope for crossfit, we have to take into account different aspects that can totally change your experience depending on the different types of ropes on the market. We summarize them in the following: Speed, weight, ballasts, resistance, and grip.

• Speed: when it comes to doing those long-awaited double unders, speed is key since the faster the rope can turn, the less effort we must make in the air. However, we must also take into account that the rope must respond well to our wrist in order to have the double under perfectly controlled.
• Weight: in line with the previous factor, the lighter your rope is, the faster it will go, but an excess of lightness can cause you not to control the rope and not be able to coordinate with it, resulting in failures when chaining several double unders in a row .
• Weights: when we start using the crossfit ropes it is better to work without them, but later they are key to our progress jumping rope. Increase the difficulty of the exercise, but increase muscle activation and fun.
• Resistance: As you know, in many WODs you change exercises quickly and that is why we leave the crossfit ropes on the ground quickly to jump to the next exercise. Therefore it is important to use a product with resistant metallic finishes and cables that do not tend to tangle to avoid wasting time.
• Grip: a good ergonomic grip with a good texture will prevent the handle of our rope from slipping at the least desired moment.

Once we have all this in mind, we already know everything we need to buy jump ropes.

Best Crossfit ropes on the market.

• Velites Fire 2.0 – As far as we’re concerned, you can stop reading our article and jump right into buying the Velites Fire 2.0 right now. It more than meets all the characteristics that we talked about previously and they have an extremely competitive price. Also committed to the progress of its users, they have created the Velites Academy where you can learn from how to take care of your rope to mastering double unders.

Pros: ergonomic design, resistant material, weightable, fast, high quality cable, competitive price, cable length.
Cons: none?

You can buy your Velites Fire 2.0 jump rope at its official store. Buy it with a 10% discount through Fitenium codes.

• Master Muscle WOD Whipper: this model is quite compact and with good bearings that ensure a good spin. The presentation is quite correct and includes a manual to get you started in this world. However, some problems have been reported in the supports since they are made of plastic and the rope itself wears out easily when rubbing against the ground if it is rough.

Pros: good presentation, high speed.
Cons: Poor quality in some of its components.

You can buy your Wod Whipper rope for €47 on Amazon

• Picsil Bee Rope: this model stands out for its patented push-button system which allows you to adjust your crossfit rope without the need for keys. High quality materials and ergonomic design that adapts to all types of hands, you can also create your own exclusive designs. The main drawback is the bugs in the push button system, which is reported to sometimes not grip with enough force.

Pros: high resistance, ergonomics, ease of adjustment, allows you to add your design
Cons: high price, problems in the adjustment system, not weighted, long cable with extra cost.

You can buy your Picsil Bee Rope for €45.95 in its official store.

• Xoom Project Thunderbolt: strong With a cheaper price than the rest of the options mentioned above, perhaps this is a good option if you are a beginner and you are not worried about progressing since this crossfit rope is not weightable. It is also noticeable that the bearings and the cable are more easily damaged than the other models, however if you are not sure that you are going to do Crossfit in the medium term, this model can be interesting.

Pros: low price, long cable included.
Cons: lower quality of bearings and rope, not weightable.

You can buy your Xoom Project Thunderbolt jump rope for €29.95 in its official store.

Conclusions on the market of crossfit jump ropes in Spain

As is the case in most expanding markets, the acceptance and growth of crossfit has both a positive and a negative. On the one hand, as the target market grows, new companies are created with innovative concepts that improve the user experience. Este es el caso de las combas crossfit de Velites, creadas por crossfiteros que tenían el mismo problema que tú y que yo. They identified the issues crossfitters faced when facing double unders and devised a solution that improved on what’s on the market. You can learn more about his story in this video.

The problem comes when other companies end up creating poor quality products by imitating the big brands that invest in design and innovation and said products. These low quality products can end up frustrating users who do not understand the market and may even end up abandoning the discipline. That’s why we recommend spending a little more for more durable products that are simply better, like the Velites Fire 2.0.

If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. In Fitenium users can share the WODs of their favorite crossfit heroes. Download it here.

“Crossfit Heroes” are some of the most intense workouts you can tackle in your trusted Box. They are training sessions in honor of soldiers of the American army who died for the freedom of their country. That is why they must be done with maximum intensity to honor these heroes. All these references are logical considering the link between Crossfit and military training, especially in its early days.

Without further introduction, here we present the main Crossfit Heroes and their Hero Wods.

Jeff Taylor

Jeff Taylor was a Petty Officer First Class, who died in Afghanistan in June 2005.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of a 21-15-9 formed by:
assisted handstand push-ups
Funds in Rings
Push ups

Michael

Michael Mcgreevy was a Marine Lieutenant, who died in Afghanistan in June 2005.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 3 rounds per time of:
800 meter race
50 lumbar extensions
50 crunches

Daniel

Daniel Crabtree was a Army Sergeant who died in Iraq in 2006.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 1 round per time of:
50 mastered
400 meter race
21 Thrusters con 43 kilos
800 meter race
21 Thrusters con 43 kilos
400 meter race
50 mastered

Badger

Mark Carter “Badger” was a Marine petty officer, who died in Iraq in 2007

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 3 rounds per time of:
30 Squat Cleans con 43 kilos
30 Dominated
800 meter race

Josh

Joshua Hager was a soldier of the land army, who died in Iraq in 2007

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 1 round per time of:
21 Overhead Squats with 43 kilos
42 Dominated
15 Overhead Squats with 43 kilos
30 Dominated
9 Overhead Squats with 43 kilos
18 Dominated

Jason

Jason Dale Lewis was a Navy Seal, who died in Iraq in 2007 while conducting combat operations.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 1 round per time of:
100 Sentadillas – 5 Muscle ups
75 Sentadillas – 10 Muscle ups
50 Sentadillas – 15 Muscle ups
25 Sentadillas – 20 Muscle ups

griff

Travis Griff was a sergeant in the United States Air Force, killed in Iraq in 2008 by a homemade explosive device.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 1 round per time of:
run 800 meters
run 400 meters backwards
run 800 meters
run 400 meters backwards

Joshie

Joshua Withaker was a sergeant in the Army, who died in Afghanistan in 2007.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of a 21-21-21 formed by:
Right Hand 22kg Dumbbell Snatch
Pull-ups in L
Left Hand 22kg Dumbbell Snatch
Pull-ups in L

Nate

Nate Hardy was an Army Non-Commissioned Officer, who died in Iraq in 2007 while conducting combat operations.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of an AMRAP (all the repetitions you can during a period of time) of 20 minutes of:
22 Muscle Ups
4 assisted handstand pushups
8 Kettlebell Swings

Erin

Erin Doyle was a Canadian Army Corporal who died while fighting a fire in Afghanistan.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 5 rounds per time of:
15 Cleans with 22 kilos Dumbbell
21 dominated

Murph

Michael Murphy was a lieutenant in the land army, who died in Afghanistan in 2005.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 1 round per time of:
Run one mile (1609.34 meters)
100 Dominated
200 push-ups
300 Squats
Run one mile (1609.34 meters)

Mr. Joshua

Joshua Harris was an Elite Soldier, who died in Afghanistan in 2008 during combat operations.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 5 rounds per time of:
run 400 meters
30 Gluteal and Hamstring Abdominals (Glute-Ham Situps)
15 Deadlifts with 115kg

DT

Timothy Davis was an Air Force Sergeant, who died in Iraq in 2009 when his vehicle was attacked with a homemade explosive.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 5 rounds per time of:
12 Deadlifts with 70 kilos
9 Hang Power Clean con 70 kilos
6 Push Jerk con 70 kilos

Danny

Danny Sakai was a SWAT sergeant who died in 2009 while in the line of duty.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of an AMRAP (all the repetitions you can during a period of time) of 20 minutes of:
30 box jumps
20 Push press con 50kg
20 Dominated

Hansen

Daniel Hansen was an Army Sergeant, killed in Afghanistan while trying to detonate an explosive device.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 3 rounds per time of:
30 Kettlebell Swings
20 Burpees
30 Gluteal and Hamstring Abdominals (Glute-Ham Situps)

Tyler

Tyler Parten was a Lieutenant First Class, who died in Afghanistan when his unit was attacked by insurgents with grenades and other firearms.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 5 rounds per time of:
7 Muscle Up
21 Sumo Deadlifts up to the neck (Sumo Deadlift Hi-Pull) with 43 kilos

Stephen

Stephen Bouzane was a Canadian Light Infantry corporal who died in Afghanistan in 2007 from an attack with a homemade explosive.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of a 30-25-20-15-10-5 of:
Gluteal Hamstring Situps (Glute-Ham Situps)
Back Extension
knee to elbow
Deadlift stiff legs with 43kg

Garrett

Garrett Lawton was an Army Captain, killed in Afghanistan by a homemade explosive device.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 3 rounds per time of:
75 Squats
25 Ring Push-ups
25 Pull-ups in L

War Frank

Warren Frank was a US Army Captain, who died in Iraq in 2008 while supporting combat operations.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 3 rounds per time of:
25 Muscle Ups
100 Squats
35 Gluteal and Hamstring Abdominals (Glute-Ham Situps)

McGhee

Ryan McGhee was an Army officer, killed in Iraq in 2009 in combat.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of an AMRAP (all the repetitions you can during a period of time) of 30 minutes of:
5 Deadlifts with 125 kilos
13 push-ups
9 Box Jumps

nutts

Andrew Nuttall was a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army, killed in Afghanistan by a homemade explosive device.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 1 round per time of:
10 assisted handstand push-ups
15 Deadlifts with 113kg
25 Box Jumps
50 Dominated
100 Medicine Ball Throws to the Wall
200 double jump rope
400 meter race with 20 kilos of ballast

The Seven

In December 2009, a suicide attack killed 7 CIA agents in Afghanistan.

The WOD of these crossfit heroes consists of 7 rounds per time of:
7 assisted handstand push-ups
7 Thrusters with 70 kilos
7 Knees to Elbows
7 Deadlift with 110 kilos
7 Burpees
7 Kettlebell Swings
7 Dominated

RJ

Robert Cottle was a Navy reservist and police officer, killed in Afghanistan in 2010 by a homemade explosive device.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 5 rounds per time of:
800m race
5 climb the rope
50 push ups

Luce

Ronald Luce was a Captain of the Army, who died in Afghanistan after his vehicle was attacked by explosive devices.

The WOD of this crossfit hero consists of 3 rounds per time of:
1000m race
10 Muscle Ups
100 Squats
All with a 10 kilo weighted vest

If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

CrossFit, a sport whose primary movements and exercises derive from military training, started catching on years ago. Despite the fact that it is a form of physical activity that requires a specific facility, more and more gyms and sports centers are offering this activity at their facilities.

Despite the need for specific equipment for your practice, certain CrossFit movements can be performed without equipment, using only our own body weight, so we can adapt these exercises to be performed at home.

Here are some bodyweight exercises to train at home to keep you active and healthy.

abdominal wheel

This exercise primarily engages the core, lower, and hip flexor muscles.

To perform the “roll” action, first stand on the mat and step back (it is recommended to use the mat or mat that will be placed on the floor). In the first phase of the movement, the goal is to assume a position similar to squatting. Then drop onto the mat as if you were rolling (hence the name “roll”).

Published on Unplash by Maryjoy Caballero

When you are lying on the floor, your arms should be extended above your head and in a fully extended position. To get back up, we have to “jump” back and get into the original position, using the momentum of the rear turn. All these steps are performed without pauses in between.

spartan push ups

Spartan push-ups are a classic push-up variation that definitely improves both the difficulty and strength of our workouts, while also producing a great work out for the pectoral and triceps muscles and our core.

In the first position, place one of your arms at the same height as a classic pushup, but with the opposite arm slightly back. That is, in the starting position, both hands are at an angle. Perform the push operation.

Perform a plyometric jump designed to change support when performing a push. The previously lagging hand is moved to the classic position and the opposite arm is lagged.

Published on Unplash by Katie Bush

Burpee

Burpees, as has been said many times before, is an exercise that doesn’t know the middle ground: either you like it or you hate it.

It’s one of the few exercises that works almost every muscle, and it’s also a great exercise for cardiovascular endurance work. Finally, this exercise does not require any specific material or installation, so it can be done anywhere.

Climbing or climbing movement

This exercise is another classic of high-intensity routines and can also be seen in CrossFit routines. It is a very complete movement that touches several points of the muscle (from the shoulder to the lower part of the body), with the main objective being the core and cardiovascular.

Published on Unplash by Amanda Hodge

horizontal jump

Deductively, this exercise may seem like a simple horizontal jump, but a wide jump requires specific techniques to do it efficiently, not a simple jump.

A point to keep in mind to avoid making mistakes in the jumps is to avoid swinging to gain momentum. To do this, you need to make sure your soles are in full contact with the ground and use their entire surface area when you push off. Similarly, we use our arms to pull back and throw forward at the moment of need for momentum.

crab ride

This exercise is mainly aimed at moving all the back muscles of our body. However, like the triceps dip, you need to pay attention to your shoulder position to avoid injury.

To assume the starting position, the foot should be semi-flexed and the second palm should be sitting on the floor with the floor behind the body. Next, stand on the ground. The next step is to walk backwards to maintain your balance. It is very difficult for beginners.

jumping stride

The plyometric lunge is a well-rounded exercise that not only moves your lower body but also improves balance.

There are two main options to carry it out.

First of all, you can do without switching legs when jumping, that is, if the starting position is with the right leg in front and you fall to the ground after the jump, you will land again with the right leg in front. This is a good option for beginners. Another way to do it is to alternate steps. That is, if you start in position with your right leg in front, when you land on the ground do it with your left leg in front. For balance, you can throw your arm forward every time you jump.

In addition to gaining upper-body strength and balance, a plyometric step (like all lower-body plyometric exercises) can help you run faster.

HOllow rock

Hollow boulders are moves primarily intended to move your core muscles.

To do this exercise, lie on your back with your arms extended above your head. Next, with your legs and arms raised slightly off the floor, build your body into a crescent shape. From this pose, try to rock back and forth without losing your pose.

Pistol squat or single leg squat

The pistol squat is a more powerful variant than the classic squat because it is bent over on one leg only. This is due to increased instability and increased stabilization of both the core muscles and the gluteus medius.

For this exercise to work properly, be sure to align your supporting legs and extended legs forward to avoid potential swing imbalances.

You can keep your balance by stretching your arms. As in the classic squat, we must try to keep the back in the most neutral position possible.

Are you traveling? Don’t have time to go to the #Box? Where do you live there is no equipment? No problem!

We present you 7 different #WODs that you can do without equipment, several of them you don’t even need to leave your room. Who doesn’t train is because they don’t want to!

#crossfit #fitenium #workofday #crossfitspain #pushup #squat #situp #run #pushup #squats#abs #run #burpee

A powerlifting belt is one of those products that any strength athlete should have. But of course, there are many powerlifting belts on the market and with very different characteristics, so it can be difficult to know which type of powerlifting belt is best for you. Don’t worry, in this article you will know what a lifting belt is for, the best material, measurements, how to use it and ultimately everything you need to know if you want to acquire a quality powerlifting belt that fulfills its function.

What is a powerlifting belt for?

A quality powerlifting belt supports your spine making it more stable under heavy loads. This is achieved by the pressure of the belt with your abdominal muscles, leaving everything as a block. That is why belts that are wider in the back than in the abdomen are not recommended, since where they have to press is on your abdomen.

When to use a powerlifting belt?

There are typically two streams of powerlifting belt users. On the one hand are the athletes who do not squat without their belt because the belt offers them more stability and on the other are those who avoid using the belt as much as possible because according to them the abdomen works more without using a belt.

So where is the middle ground? Well, according to a study by Life College in the United States, they studied 5 athletes to perform series of their 8RM with and without a powerlifting belt and they reached some interesting conclusions. First it is important to note that the athletes moved an average of 125.5kg for 8 repetitions, so we can say that they were advanced athletes.

The main difference between the sets with and without a belt was that the intra-abdominal pressure was reduced between 25 and 40% in the sets with a powerlifting belt, which translates into less stress on our lower back. They also noted some differences in the work on the hamstrings and quadriceps, higher in the series with a belt.

The conclusion we reached with this study is that it is very useful to protect the lumbar region in the heaviest series, but abusing the powerlifting belt in all your series can unbalance our lumbar muscles and generate dependence on the belt to work. For this reason, we recommend using the belt when we go to work with series of 3 or fewer repetitions, since that is when our lower back can be compromised and injure us.

Characteristics of the best powerlifting belts

Measurements: the most important width is that of the abdominal area and not that of the lumbar area, which is why, although it does not affect too much if it is wider in the lumbar area, it does not contribute anything special. For most athletes, a width of 10 centimeters is comfortable so that it fits perfectly between the kidneys and the hip bone. However, there may be cases of very small athletes, particularly women, who may do better with a small belt.

On the other hand is the thickness of the belt. The most common sizes are 10 and 13mm, and we recommend using the 13mm ones as they are more durable and robust. In this case, 13mm is the maximum thickness allowed in most powerlifting federations.

Material: Most belts on the market are made of leather or suede. This is quite simple, leather is stronger and more durable, so the best powerlifting belt is going to be made of leather and not some other material.

Closure: There are three types of closure on powerlifting belts: single-prong closure, double-prong closure, and toggle.

Although a double prong closure may seem more secure a priori, taking into account the materials used and the pressure to which the closure is subjected, one prong is exactly as secure and does not have the disadvantage of having to fit a second. tooth which is quite a cumbersome step.

On the other hand, some higher-end seat belts have a lever system that makes it even easier to fasten the seat belt. Therefore, depending on how much we want to spend, a belt with a simple tooth or lever closure are the best options.

How to wear a powerlifting or weightlifting belt.

Now that you know how to choose the best powerlifting belt, you also have to know how to put it on so that it is not useless or even damages your performance.

There is a very interesting trick to know where to put your seat belt, for this follow the following steps:
– Put on your seatbelt and fasten it just enough so that it stays stable. Don’t overtighten it.
– now get into a squat position and lower down to a full squat. The belt will move to where it is most useful to you.
– If we are going to do deadlifts, we recommend raising the belt slightly with respect to the squat position.

Here we can see Niels Gordjin deadlifting 420kg with a perfectly fitted belt.

Some recommendations

Adidas Leather Weightlifting Belt:

This belt is a good option for novice lifters because of its low price and high-quality material. The downside is that it is only 10mm thick so for more advanced lifters it may be a bit short.

Everlast 4 Padded Weight Lift Belt

With a similar price to the previous model, this powerlifting belt has the advantage of being 13mm thick, but the disadvantage of having a double tooth system which makes it difficult to fasten. Likewise, if you are concerned about quality and durability, this model is hard to beat for value for money.

Venum Hyperlift Leather Weightifting

This belt stands out for the high quality of the leather used and for the lumbar padding that provides extra comfort. It’s a great option for intermediate lifters who also don’t want to spend a million dollars on their powerlifting belt.