I am very excited to join the Deep Performance team and I am grateful to Spencer and Eric for allowing me this opportunity. In six years of CrossFit, I have experienced the sport from multiple perspectives. From being an athlete myself who has competed against and trained games competitors, to my experience with members in my own gym, along with countless certifications and seminars, I have developed an understanding of movement and positioning. I have found that positioning in regards to the competitive side of CrossFit is crucial. While I have never been traditionally trained in gymnastics, thru trial and error I believe that I have identified the most efficient ways to move. By identifying movement flaws I have made myself as an athlete and the athletes surrounding me better. My goal is to share my knowledge and experience in a way that can improve efficiency, results and educate athletes as well. It starts with being able to identify movement flaws in order to be able to coach and correct these patterns in others. Often the missing link to a complex movement such as the muscle up in regards to the dip, is something as basic as the proper shoulder mechanics required of a push-up. Regardless of the athlete’s fundamental skill set, we can use the hollow and arch positions to drastically improve connectivity and efficiency of all movements which results in increased work capacity.
The first and most important step of this process is implementing the hollow and arch positions which are a necessity in order to build the natural connection of the body. Utilizing these fundamental techniques, one can achieve optimal positioning consisting of connectivity, efficiency, and power transfer. One key example of this is a kipping/butterfly pull-up. Yes, one can still achieve a pull-up up in a disconnected position but when incorporating the hollow and arch, they will become functionally stronger, have overall more control of their pull up and prevent injury.
I believe a great coach understands the necessity to learn all aspects of their craft. Together, we will work through the best approach to help you reach your objective. Once again I am excited with this opportunity to serve the athletes of this blog and to contribute my knowledge and experience, along with the knowledge of my mentors.
Please feel free to post questions below. More to come tomorrow!
Coach Mike Poppa