Can FMS and CrossFit Coexist?
Posted by FMS
Celebrate Your Success
Written by Missy Albrecht FMS
Hopefully all of you have experienced some sort of success as a CrossFitter. Whether it was getting your first strict pull-up, PRing on Fran, getting your kipping rhythm or just finally making it through a WOD! Even though we all come across obstacles along the way and may feel discourgaed at times, we all show up at the gym because we want to succeed. And I don’t know about you guys, but I like to take a moment to celebrate moments of success because that helps me keep pushing myself when I hit rough patches.
As I continue to screen more athletes with the Functional Movement Screen, I’m starting to realize that it is another great way to help athletes find success and see improvements in themselves. Below are a few athletes who came in to be screened, were given recommendations based on their results, did the work and saw the results. I’m happy to say that everyone who has come back for their follow-up screen made some sort of improvement, some small and some big. The variations seen in the improvements depend on whether the athlete was compliant with certain recommendations, but it also depends on whether the recommendation I gave was appropriate for their individual body. Which is why this is a team effort (you and me) and why I want to see you twice so that adjustments can be made to make sure that you are making progress. There is not one exercise/stretch that is going to work for everyone, so the fact that these screens can be personalized to YOUR needs is what makes them so great!
So I want to take this time to shine the spotlight on a few athletes who succeeded in improving their weaknesses and/or flexibility issues and should celebrate!
Janneke made the following improvements in 2 months…
- squat form
- 0.5 cm improvement in shoulder flexibility
- increased hamstring flexibility
Janneke is one of the most driven people I have ever met. When she first came to me she wanted me to know that her nickname is “lead door.” I had to agree with her after going through her screen, but she still made some great improvements in just 2 months and is continuing to work hard on losing her lead door nickname:)
Melissa made the following improvements in 2 months…
- squat form
- hamstring flexibility push-up form
- abdominal balance
Melissa is great (besides having a great name!) because she seems to want to just have fun with her workout, but also make sure that she takes care of her body. She was honest, saying that life got busy and wasn’t able to do all her recommendations, but still saw improvements with the work that she did. This goes to show that every little bit helps.
Manny made the following improvements in 2 months…
- 0.5 cm increase in shoulder flexibility
- hamstring flexibility
- abdominal balance
Manny was excited to get started with the screen because he knew he had some issues with mobility and previous injuries. He didn’t want to do CrossFit 50% and his dedication seems to show in everything he does. He has given me great feedback along the way, especially letting me know whenever I see him what stretches are working for him and which ones are not. These comments are great because they help me help all of you in the best way possible!
Marco made the following improvements in 2 months…
- squat form
- decreased pain in shoulders
- hip stability
- 4cm increased shoulder flexibility!
- hamstring flexibility
- push-up form
- abdominal balance
Marco was very motivated to get started with the screen, especially because he was currently having some shoulder problems. He stuck with his program and as you can see above made a ton of improvements! There are no winners or losers in this, but he has definitely made the most improvements so far.
Ash made the following improvements in 1 month…
- hip flexibility
- hip stability
- 1.5cm increase shoulder flexibility
- hamstring flexibility
Ash is one of those exceptional athletes. He was one of the first athletes that I screened and I was positive that I wasn’t going to find anything wrong. I did find some things for Ash to work on, but that doesn’t make him less exceptional. It just goes to show that even the elite can benefit from the screen and make improvements!
Charlie made the following improvements in 1 month…
- hip stability
- 0.5cm increase shoulder flexibility
- abdominal balance
Charlie has been a huge inspiration for me to start and continue with this project. When I was helping coach the 6am class we would always chat because he is so motivated to be the best that he can be. He was always picking my brain for ways to improve, which helped spark my desire to find an organized way to evaluate the athletes. I admire him because he is realistic, and knows when his body has reached it’s limit. But he also has that athletic drive to continue to excel. He has also been great with giving me honest feedback about the screen and how his personalized program is working for him. Thank you!
Karine made the following improvements in 2 months…
- squat form
- hamstring flexibility
Karine was guilty of the knee collapse during her squats, and this was her major improvement. And although her list looks short, I think this was a huge success for her because it’s helping to save her knees in the long run. She was also honest and said she wasn’t as compliant with her recommendations as she hoped to be, but plans to spend more time working on her body and improving her areas of weakness because she just can’t get enough of CrossFit:).
I can’t take all the credit for the success that occurred with these athletes because they did most of the work and the coaches at CFSB are great at giving athletes personalized attention. There were also places where people actually tested worse, and even though this isn’t ideal it is going to happen. One athlete was extremely sore, which caused a decrease in their score in a few areas. So we took the numbers as a results, but focused on how to deal with extreme soreness. This is another thing about using the screen with all of you is I don’t want to make it a cookie cutter. You are all different and I don’t want to give you all the same exact program. If something doesn’t work for you, I will try my best to find something that will so you can succeed!
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3 Comments
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Nick Ng 3/30/2012 2:39:03 PM
It is great to see some Crossfit trainers are also FMS certified and incorporate the philosophy with the system. Keep up the great work!
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Missy 4/12/2012 2:44:14 PM
Thanks Nick! The FMS has been a great tool to give the athletes some guidance on mobility and stability.
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Michael C 4/12/2012 2:44:14 PM
Good stuff, as a PT and Crossfitter myself, I am glad to see trainers embrace the FMS. Personally I see it as a good fit with the Crossfit community.