Bring Back the Pump 

Bring Back the Pump 
Written by Nick Hawkes

It is time to bring back the pump! A lot of time in the world of CrossFit we place a premium on compound lifts, going heavy and fast, and seemingly disregarding the slow, isolated movements that were popularized by the Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno’s of the past. We do this all for the goal of power output; force x distance/time = power. The concept is great and it is awesome to generate that power…when it is sustainable. The issue arises when we prioritize dynamic power output over structure and stability. 

Structure & Stability First

A structure needs to be stable before it can be dynamic. The cool thing about bodybuilding is that a lot of the judging in their sport is not only on the size of the muscles but also on the symmetry of the body. This made those who focused on bodybuilding the masters at creating a balanced structure that us in the functional fitness realm should appreciate. Granted, these muscled giants may not be the best at any of the named workouts that CF is famous for, but I bet if they put some CF style workouts in their training back in the day a couple times a week, they would be some sturdy and competent movers without the imbalances that we see in CrossFitters today.

Over-Developed, Tired, or Weak?

When I have clients come to me with injuries I hear a lot of the same things regarding their aches and pains. “My shoulder and neck hurt because my traps are overactive,” and “My back hurts because my glutes don’t turn on”. My guess is whoever is reading this has heard this once or twice and maybe even said it themselves. If we look at the structure of the body, perhaps it is not the over-development of the traps and the culprit is actually the underdevelopment and weakness of the lats. And, maybe your butt isn’t tired, but your lower abdominals and obliques are weak so your lower back has to do the majority of the stabilization that then pulls the pelvis out of position so it has a hard time waking up and extending the hip. 

We can assess a lot of these issues by taking a visual (a photo!) and looking at the imbalances in the body. We can then correct them by tapping into our inner Arnold, slowing down, and getting a pump in the lacking muscles. This pump, or cramp, will help you build awareness and bring balance creating a more stable structure!

The point here is to slow down, take some time to isolate and build the muscles that are lacking in your meat machine. Dedicating time to this will assist in keeping you injury free and able to be sustainable in the long run. It might also give you a body that is worthy of battling the predator or being a futuristic terminator like our favorite action hero. Chase that pump!