The Hollow Rock

This weeks skill focus for me is going to be the Hollow Rock position.  I have been working in the fitness industry for almost 9 years now, and I am finding that I have SO much more to learn!  That being said, I'm going back to basics.  The hollow rock is one of the most basic movements out there, and it is actually the most neutral position anyone can get into.  It teaches dynamic stability (controlled movement) and mid-line stability...so many of us CrossFitters and fitness enthusiasts strive for.  The hollow rock is one of the most elementary movements taught.  It's actually one of the 1st progressions for young gymnasts to teach body awareness.  (I secretly wish I would have taken gymnastics in grade school.)

I've been watching a lot of gymnastic wod videos by Carl Paoli, www.gymnasticswod.com and the guy is a wealth of knowledge!  If he had to pick one move, one skill, one exercise for anyone starting out with physical activity...he recommends learning the hollow body and hollow rock.

Now, I might not be a beginner...but I have A LOT of room to grow! 

Here's the simple truth whether you want to hear it or not (I didn't for the longest time), if we can't maintain THIS SIMPLE POSITION when we have absolutely NO load or multiple joints are not working...we're not doing a good job with global stabilization!

This move is great!  It exposes you to different ways to maintain a neutral position, and you learn how to transfer body tension while maintaining the hollow rock. 

Set up:
- lower back touching ground
-legs straight & tight together with toes pointed
-arms straight & glued to ears (This is not easy for me!)
-start rocking back & forth without breaking shape...stay rigid!
**if you break-you're too extended and still need work

The goal is 100x or 3 minutes of continuous rocking...Build up to this by doing 3x20 or 2x50...or whatever you like.

Here's a video of Carl teaching this.  He can do a better job of it than I can :)

Enjoy...and use today to try to be a little more BADASS!  I am. 

BELIEVE BIG

Recently, I was talking to a great friend of mine about life and the dreams I have for myself.  I have had an extremely difficult year, and it has caused me to doubt my capabilities and potential.  Everything that I talked about was followed by..."but I don't know if I could ever do that."  He said something to me that I needed to hear.  His words were so brutally honest and true that it nearly punched me right in the gut!  He said:

“Brittney, you dream big, but you don’t believe big.  You have so much potential...you could be unstoppable, but you’ll never realize it...you may never experience it until you believe!”

When he said that, my initial reaction was emotional…my eyes started to water.  BUT then I understood what he was trying to tell me.  Perception is reality.  Before I will accomplish anything or before my dreams manifest…I must perceive...I must believe…BIG!

 

It’s time for my belief in me to be as big as my dreams!

“Challenge yourself to think confidently.  If you believe you can win, you can become a very difficult person to beat.” ~Lee Crust

NOT TODAY

Ok, so it’s quite clear…I’m a woman.  And it’s a little obvious that I’m human.  That being said…I am bound to hit a wall.  There will be a time that I fall.  As much as it sucks to admit that to myself…it is a truth that I cannot deny.  Sooner or later, I will be stopped dead in my tracks.  It is inevitable that at some point…I will fail.

BUT NOT TODAY!  

Today I jump over that wall. Today I will not fall.  Today…I can’t stop, I won’t stop.  I may get bumped, I may get bruised.  But today, I simply cannot…I simply will not Lose!

How Great I Am

I know this video has been posted a trillion times, but it's an important message!  It's also a prelude of what's to come.  Stay tuned, because the Movement will not be televised...