November 2002
THE
CrossFit Journal
The Muscle-up - page 1
IN THIS ISSUE:
Glycemic Index - page 1
"mess you up"
Stategies for rowing 2000 meters in 7 minutes - page 7
The Muscle-up
Glycemic Index
The muscle-up is astonishingly difficult to perform,
For several decades now, bad science and bad politics
unrivaled in building upper body strength, a critical
have joined hands to produce what is arguably the
survival skill, and most amazingly of all, virtually
most costly error in the history of science - the low
unknown.
fat diet. This fad diet has cost millions unnecessary
death and suffering from heart disease,
This movement gets you from under
diabetes and, it increasingly seems, a
things to on them (Video). Let your
host of cancers and other chronic and
imagination run.
debilitating illnesses.
Though containing a pull-up and a dip,
Gary Taubes, the esteemed science
its potency is due to neither. The heart
writer, has written two brilliant and
of the muscle-up is the transition from
highly regarded pieces on exactly this
pull-up to dip - the agonizing moment
subject. The first appeared in Science
when you don t know if you re above
Magazine in 1999 and the second in the
or below.
New York Times just this summer.
That moment - the transition - can
A new age is dawning in nutrition: one
last from fractions to dozens of
where the culprit is no longer seen as
seconds. At low, deliberate speeds, the
dietary fat but excess consumption of
muscle-up takes a toll physically and
carbohydrate - particularly refined or
psychologically that can only be justified
processed carbohydrate. In fact, there s
by the benefit. No other movement can
an increasing awareness that excess
deliver the same upper body strength.
carbohydrates play a dominant role in
Period.
chronic diseases like obesity, coronary heart disease,
many cancers, and diabetes. This understanding comes
This Frankenstein s monster combination of pull-up
directly from current medical research. Amazingly, the
and dip gives the exercise advantages that render it
near universal perception that dietary fat is the major
supreme among exercises as fundamental as the pull-
culprit in obesity has no scientific foundation. (See
up, rope climb, dips, push-ups, and even the almighty
Taubes, above.)
bench press.
There s a family of popular diets and diet books based
We do our muscle-ups from rings chiefly because that s
on decreasing carbohydrate consumption. Most of them
the hardest place possible.
are excellent.
Here s how to do a muscle-up on the rings:
Chief among these books are Barry Sears Enter the
1. Hang from a false grip
Zone, Michael Eades Protein Power, Atkins Dr.
2. Pull the rings to your chest or  pull-up
Atkins Diet Revolution, Cordain s The Paleo Diet, and
3. Roll your chest over the bottom of the rings
the Hellers Carbohydrate Addict s Diet. Each of these is
4. Press to support or  dip
an honest and accurate chronicling the effects of the low
(continued on page 2)
fat, fad diet. (continued on page 5)
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November 2002
It s that simple. Steps 1 and 3 are where you ll have trouble
if you do.
From a normal grip roll the meat of the hand over the ring
leaving the thumb on the starting side until the wrist opposite
the thumb is in full contact with the ring - this is a false grip.
It shortens the forearm greatly improving strength.
The false grip is difficult simply because it s a sufficiently odd
1. Note the  false grip .
5. Watch the elbow s migration
feeling that the beginner rarely believes is what s expected.
Without this you don t
from pointing down and in front to
have a chance
pointing back then slightly up
No false grip, no muscle-up. When an athlete can t get it,
50% of the time they ve got too much hand on the thumb s
side of the ring. This part is really very, very easy. On the
other hand rolling your chest over the bottom of the rings is
very, very hard.
Here are some tips for rolling your chest over the bottom of
the rings.
1. Stick your nose as far over the rings as possible
2. The hands come together down the
6. Notice Loyd Lewis leaning foward
2. Drive your elbows from down in front of you to
sternum to below the collarbones where through the transition - sticking his
up and behind you
they separate and move towards the
nose out over the rings
armpits
3. Keep the rings as close to your body as possible
4. Tighten your gut
5. Have the meat of the thumb trace a line from
collarbone to the armpit, just above the nipple
Ultimately, none of this really helps; you just have to struggle
with it until you get it.
Assuming the grip is O.K. - you ll know it is if you get deep
bruises on the wrist opposite the thumb - there are two other
common barriers to the muscle-up.
7. The head travels from looking up to
3. The closer the rings are kept to the
foward to down to up again
body the easier the muscle-up
First, not being strong enough. Here s the litmus: if you can
do fifteen good pull-ups and fifteen good dips then you re
strong enough. If you can t, work your pull-ups and dips
overtime until you can do the muscle-up.
If youcan do the pull-ups and dips, your grip is good (you re
getting bruised wrists) and you re still unable to get above
rings, then you re either letting the rings wander away from
your body or you aren t trying hard enough.
The muscle-up gets noticeably harder with every quarter
inch the ring moves away from the body. Keep the rings in as
4. Note the rings rotation from adjacent 8. It s not readily apparent but the
close to your body as you can. Only a buddy can tell you if
in two parallel planes to parallel in one muscle-up involves a rather potent
they re wandering or not. Typically the struggler has no sense
plane back to parallel in two planes ab contraction that  hollows the
through a rotation of 180 degrees trunk. This makes rolling over
of where he is.
the rings much easier. The motion
reminds us of dodging a  high-in-
As weird as it sounds not trying hard enough is common side pitch
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November 2002
among even the most accomplished athletes. Don t give up on each attempt until you ve struggled for ten seconds with
the rings at the chest. This part is very hard.
How hard? Not very, really. Gymnastics moves are graded  A through  E ,  A being easiest and  E hardest. The
muscle-up is an  A move. That s right, easiest. So it s easy for gymnasts and nearly impossible for most everyone else.
But, once you get it, anything you can get a finger hold on, you can surmount. You ll be able to jump for something, catch
it with only two fingers, pull in two more, choke up to the false grip and,  boom! - you re on top. Military, police, and
firefighter applications are too obvious to mention.
Less obvious are the martial applications where alternately pulling and pushing from awkward angles is routine. Our Jiu-
jitsu guys recognize at once the utility of strength along these bodylines, as well
as the strength and advantage of the false grip.
You can assist the muscle-up with an easy push under the rump during the
transition. It s important for the spotter to push gently, and straight up. The
athlete s legs will typically rise leaving him in a near-seated position from
which directing a push  up and not  out will be easy.
An effective workout would be for two athletes, regardless of ability to perform
the muscle-up - alternately assisting and working - in sets of five reps. Thirty
muscle-ups, each complete to lockout, is a good workout for most people. Fifty
will cover the needs of even elite barbarians.
If you still don t have rings, you re running out of excuses. There are options for
every budget and workout facility. See  Ring Buyer s Guide.
Rings were a regular feature of gymnasiums until modern times. Strangely, this
perfect tool for perfecting upper body development has fallen to newer fashions
and a disregard for challenging or even slightly technical elements.
Help reverse this trend and you ll benefit immensely. So buy some rings, set them up, and use them - starting with the
muscle-up.
Garth Taylor is being assisted by a  Delta No-Tangle Harness, Vest Style by Sala (651.388.8282) connected overhead to a
block and tackle assembly with a 4:1 purchase by Harken. This allows for a near perfect assistance  the line of action is
not altered by the assistance (compare to Loyd Lewis).
In assisting the muscle-up the key is to gently and slowly aid the transition. The challenge is to keep the athlete moving
through the transition but slowly. The Sala vest and block and tackle provide for a method that not only doesn t alter the
line of action but also gives fantastic tactile feedback to the spotter. You can, by this method, assist perfectly without even
looking at the athlete  the sticking point can be easily felt.
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November 2002
 Ring Buyer s Guide , CFJ, November  02
Here are some sources for rings, from a free - standing ring frame suitable for international competition, to a homemade set for
throwing over your pull-up bar or tying to a tree limb.
Spieth Anderson s  Barcelona Ring Frame is a classic. http://www.spiethanderson.com/catalog/gymnastics/gym18.htm
If you re blessed with space and budget you can get a great Ring Set from AAI. http://www.gymnasticproducts.com/rings.htm
With less space, but still lucky enough to have tall ceilings you can buy ceiling mounted rings from AAI (http://www.gymnasticprod
ucts.com/rings.htm) or Norbert s (http://www.norberts.net/catalog/2816.pdf).
Where budget or space is limited, you can get Lexan rings from AAI (http://www.gymnasticproducts.com/rings.htm) and the straps
from Norbert s (http://www.norberts.net/catalog/2816.pdf). This arrangement can be thrown over your pull-up bar or just the right
tree limb.
Anyone can afford this option regardless of budget or facility. Frank Ollis, made a set for $3.25 (http://www.crossfit.com/cgi-bin/
message/show.cgi?tpc=26&post=18#POST18).
Here Loyd Lewis is demonstrating the muscle-up on our pull-up bar.
The technique is essentially the same whether the muscle-up is performed on a cliff, tree limb, balcony edge, or the rings.
CrossFit Muscle-up Contest
The competition is to perform as many consecutive muscle-ups as able. Each rep begins from a full hang and ends at full extension. The
count ends on touching the ground - even slightly.
Three natty  CrossFit Muscle-Up Champion T-Shirts will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each weight division.
Men s weight divisions:
0-125
126-150
151-175
176-200
201-225
226-250
251+
Every female able to demonstrate a muscle-up receives a T-shirt. (We ve seen one, Olympian Eva Twardokens). Max reps is female
champion. There are no weight divisions.
Every athlete over fifty able to perform the muscle-up receives a T-shirt.
Submit claims with details of accomplishment to [e-mail] along with contact information of athlete and any witnesses by
March 1st, 2003. Early submissions will be notified of ranking. Videotape, though not required, may be archived on CrossFit.com.
Zoom out showing head to toe.
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November 2002
Glycemic Index
(continued from page 1)
and they all offer a rational, effective regimen for avoiding dietary ills. For those technically inclined, the mechanism by
which excess carbohydrate causes disease state is known as  hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia is the chronic and
acute elevation of insulin as a result of habitual consumption of excess carbohydrate.
The list of ills linked to hyperinsulinemia is staggering and growing. Just recently colorectal cancer was added to the
probable list of hyperinsulinemia-mediated diseases . The evidence linking excess carbohydrate consumption to
hyperinsulinemia and coronary heart disease is compelling if not overwhelmingly convincing.
Additionally, excess consumption of carbohydrate may soon be shown to be linked to Alzheimer s, aging, cancers and
other disease through a process known as  glycosylation .
At any rate, a search on  Google for  hyperinsulinemia reveals hundreds of ills linked to this metabolic derangement.
The rapidly growing awareness of the consequences of elevated blood sugar is one of the more promising avenues of
medical advancement today.
Though frightening, the diseases brought about through hyperinsulinemia can easily be avoided by minimizing
carbohydrate consumption - specifically carbohydrate that gives substantial rise to blood sugar and consequently insulin
levels.
There is a singular measure of carbohydrate that gives exactly this information -  Glycemic Index. Glycemic index is
simply a measure of a food s propensity to raise blood sugar. Avoid high glycemic foods and you ll avoid many, if not
most, of the ills associated with diet.
Rick Mendosa has published one of the most complete glycemic indices available anywhere with a listing of over 750
common food items giving values based on glucose s score of 100.
We can increase the ease and utility of using such a list by dividing commonly eaten foods into two groups  one of high-
glycemic foods,  bad foods , and one of low-glycemic foods, or  good foods. This is the rationale behind the CrossFit
Shopping List. See page 6.
You may notice that the  good foods are typically meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, whereas the bad foods include
many manmade or processed foodstuffs. There are some notable exceptions, but the trend is certainly instructive.
High glycemic foods, or  bad foods , are typically starchy, sweet, or processed foods like bread, pasta, rice, potato,
grains, and desserts.
More than a few observers have pointed out that low-glycemic foods have limited shelf life and are found on the
perimeter of the grocery store where the high-glycemic foods have a longer shelf life and are typically found within the
grocery store s aisles.
Though this approach is an oversimplification of much of nutritional science, it has the power to deliver nearly all of what
more detailed and elaborate regimens offer such as those by Sears, Eades, Cordain, Atkins, and the Hellers. Eat more of
the  good foods and less of the  bad foods and you ll garner much of what the more responsible eating plans offer.
Many of our friends have radically transformed their health through this single tool.
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November 2002
CrossFit Shopping List
 Good Foods
 Bad Foods
Water Apple Acorn Squash Cereal
Oatmeal Grape Baked Beans Cornstarch
Eggs Plum Beets Croissant
Protein Powder Shrimp Black Eyed Peas Crouton
Peanut Butter Mayonnaise Butternut Squash Doughnut
Tahini Plain Yogurt Cooked Carrots English Muffin
Olives Deli Meat Corn Granola
Beef Ham French Fries Grits
Cheese Soy Milk Hubbard Squash Melba Toast
Salsa Spirulina Lima Beans Muffin
Black Beans Tempeh Parsnips Noodles
Kidney Beans Egg Substitute Peas Instant Oatmeal
Ground Turkey Oil Pinto Beans Pancake
Soy Sausage Peanuts Potato Popcorn
Chicken Swordfish Refried Beans Rice
Turkey Sausage Tuna Steak Sweet Potato Rolls
Salmon Tomato Sauce Turnip Taco Shell
Turkey Spinach Banana Tortillas
Canned Tuna Carrots Cranberries Udon Noodles
Canned Chicken Orange Dates Waffle
Soy Burgers Pear Figs BBQ Sauce
Cottage Cheese Pineapple Guava Ketchup
Almonds Brussel Sprouts Mango Cocktail Sauce
Macadamia Nuts Eggplant Papaya Honey
Avocado Sauerkraut Prunes Jelly
Tofu Hot Dogs Raisins Sugar
Tomato Chick Peas Fruit Juice Maple Syrup
Lettuce Lamb Vegetable Juice Teriaki Sauce
Onion Pork Bagel Chocolate
Mushroom Dill Pickles Biscut Corn Chips
Cucumber Soy Beans Bread Crumbs Ice Cream
Blueberries Asparagus Bread Potato Chips
Milk Cantaloupe Steak Sauce Pretzels
Broccoli Strawberry Bulgar Saltine Crakers
Zucchini Peach Sweet Relich Molasses
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November 2002
Strategies for a Seven Minute 2K on the Concept II Rower
Our purpose here is to show specifically how a simple goal - like rowing a seven-minute two thousand meters can
not only be systematically and deliberately approached from multiple protocols, but can generally encourage similar
thinking in pursuing other fitness milestones.
Set the rowing ergometer for two thousand meters, row, and note the time at completion. Repeated regularly, the time to
complete the two thousand meters will fall. Eventually, you may pass under the seven-minute mark and become one of
the  better rowers . This is one obvious and common approach to training for a 7 minute 2K on a rower (2K/7).
Let s look at another approach. Set the rower for seven minutes and row, and note the distance on completion. Gradually,
the distance for the seven minutes will increase. Eventually, you may pass the two thousand meter mark and become one
of the  better rowers .
The two approaches,  distance priority vs. time priority , represent distinct yet converging processes for reaching the
2K/7.
These two approaches suggest a third: hold the rate constant for as much time or as many meters as possible. With the
 rate priority efforts, you would hold the 500 meter pace at 1:45 and note when the average 500 meter pace fell under
1:45 by either time or distance. Eventually, you may carry the 1:45 average 500 meter pace for seven minutes at which
point you ve again become one of the  better rowers .
Three different roads to the same end - two thousand meters in seven minutes. Each of these methods occurs at different
intensities and within different time domains, and therefore in terms of bioenergetics, they cross-train for the singular
goal of 2K/7. (The order of increasing intensity is  distance priority ,  time priority , and  pace priority. )
Three metabolically distinct yet convergent paths to the seven-minute goal offer great psychological and physiological
advantage over any of the individual approaches alone.
Slightly more complicated but extremely effective would be an interval approach where the two thousand meters is
rowed in ten intervals of 42 seconds. Set the rower for intervals of 42 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest. If
you row 10 of these intervals and get 200 meters in each you ll have experienced the 2K at the seven-minute pace with
the advantage of nine 30-second breaks that stopped the clock.
On the next attempt you could set the rest for only 25 seconds while leaving the work at 42 seconds and see if you can get
200 meters in each of ten intervals. You ve now rowed the 2K at the seven-minute pace again, but this time you reduced
your resting time by 45 seconds. (continued on page 8)
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November 2002
With each successful run where you manage the 200 meters in each of ten intervals you can drop the rest time by 5
seconds on the next workout. Eventually, you ll be able to eliminate the rest. At that point you ve achieved the 2K/7,
this time by the interval approach.
Here s yet another interval regimen towards the 2K/7. Start with 42 intervals of 10 seconds each followed by thirty
seconds rest. If you re able to manage 48 meters in each of the 42 intervals, in your next workout try 35 intervals of 12
seconds each followed by thirty seconds rest. If you re able to manage 57 meters in each of the 35 intervals, then you re
ready for the next interval in the progression where the work interval increases, the number of intervals diminishes and
the rest remains thirty seconds. The following table shows the progression from easy to tough.
Number of Duration of Work Duration of Rest Meters in Each Total Time for
Intervals (Seconds) (Seconds) Interval Workout (min:sec)
42 10 30 48 27:30
35 12 30 57 24
30 14 30 67 21:30
28 15 30 71 20:30
21 20 30 95 17
20 21 30 100 16:30
15 28 30 133 14
14 30 30 143 13:30
12 35 30 166 13
10 42 30 200 11:30
7 60 30 286 10
6 70 30 333 9:30
5 84 30 400 9
4 105 30 500 8:30
3 140 30 667 8
2 210 30 1000 7:30
More important than the particulars of any approach is the variety or breadth of stimulus in moving towards your
target. You re limited only by your imagination and will power. Each distinct approach adds a unique advantage to your
overall strategy.
This particular goal of two thousand meters in seven minutes is a prominent benchmark in an athlete s development.
The Concept II Rowing Ergometer is particularly amenable to interval training because of its marvelously flexible
console, allowing for customizable inputs for intervals. However, don t lose sight of the more general lesson of
incremental, metabolically distinct, and converging methods contributing to an efficient strategy for success.
8