Derby City CrossFit Pro Tips, Part 1
Written by: Coach James
This article will focus on some small hints/tricks/pro tips that can and will make your experience at Derby City a little better and easier, especially for beginners. We have all seen that one person do something so simple and we just stop and think “that was so smart”. I am going to break it all down and let everyone in on these tricks and tips.
Walking the Bar into the J Hook
Have you noticed the black and clear plates on the J hooks? These are here to protect the J hooks and the rig. You do not have to be gentle with these. You have probably heard the coaches say at some point “just walk the bar straight in and set it down”. We tell you this so that you are not twisting under a heavy load. The J hooks should be set up so that you are able to walk the bar out and in, without having to come up on your toes or do something awkward. Walk the bar straight into the J hook and then set it down.
Unloading the Bar on the Ground
We all love to lift heavy, this can be deadlifts, cleans, snatches or any variation of the shoulder to overhead. What sucks is trying to strip the weight off after we are done. You think you look silly and maybe even feel frustrated fighting with the weights? There is one easy trick to fix this problem. Place a 5lb or 2.5lb plate on the floor and roll the first plate on the bar onto the plate you just placed on the ground. This will elevate the other plates off the floor so that you are able to remove the plates without having to fight with it. Once you have one side completely stripped of weight just stand the bar straight up to make a nice stack with the other side and simply remove the bar.
Clips & Jump Ropes During WODs
We have been in the middle of a WOD with barbell movements, and as we drop the bar, the clips will slowly start to slide out and the weight follows. (We all know we cannot lift a bar with uneven weights.) So we have to stop and push the weight back on and adjust the clips. One way to fix this problem is to turn the clips around and put them on backwards (like the picture above). This will cause the clips to be under tension and therefore harder for them to slide off saving you that valuable time during a WOD.
The second thing that will make WODs a little easier, is what you do with your jump rope once you are done. Most of us just throw it down and move onto the next movement. When we come back the rope is all knotted up and now you have to undo it and you are frustrated and it’s just a mess. A simple trick for this is to take that extra second to lay the rope out on the floor so that you are not wasting 10 seconds later trying to undo the knot. Another trick you can do is to hang the rope off the J hooks. Once you have finished the jump rope portion, simple hang the rope up for faster and easier access.