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THE FUNDAMENTALS

Squat. Press. Deadlift

Female CrossFit athlete lifting barbell.jpg

Air Squat, Front Squat, Overhead Squat

The cornerstone movement of everyday life, raising our body from a seated to standing position.

Shoulder Press, Push Press, Push Jerk

Foundational for lifting something safely overhead!

Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift High Pull, Medicine Ball Clean

The key to lifting an item safely from the floor!

The below videos highlight the key techniques to these movements.

the 9 fundamental exercises

The Deadlift
01:12
CrossFit

The Deadlift

The deadlift, being no more than the safe and sound approach by which any object should be lifted from the ground, keeps company with standing, running, jumping, and throwing for functionality but imparts quick and prominent athletic advantage like no other exercise. It is unrivaled in its simplicity and impact while unique in its capacity for increasing head-to-toe strength. Additional Deadlift Resources: "What Is a Deadlift?" → https://www.crossfit.com/essentials/foundational-movement-deadlift-what-is-a-deadlift?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit "Work, Power and the Science of CrossFit" – The CrossFit Journal → https://library.crossfit.com/premium/pdf/CFJ_Power_Gall.pdf – CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®. Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → https://www.crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/games-learn-more CrossFit® - Forging Elite Fitness® The CrossFit Games® - The Sport of Fitness™ - The Fittest On Earth™
The Push Jerk
01:02
CrossFit

The Push Jerk

"With the push jerk, you will be able to move overhead as much as 30 percent more weight than with the push press. Similar to the push press, the push jerk employs the hips to create upward momentum on the bar, but the athlete then pushes against the bar with the arms and dips a second time to receive the push jerk in a partial squat. With the arms locked out, the legs complete the lift. After mastering the push jerk, you will find that it will unconsciously displace the push press as your method of choice when going overhead." —Greg Glassman (adapted) — CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®. Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → https://www.crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/learn-more CrossFit® - Forging Elite Fitness® The CrossFit Games® - The Sport of Fitness™ - The Fittest On Earth™
The Push Press
01:03
CrossFit

The Push Press

"In the push press, the core-to-extremity principle is obvious as the muscles of the power zone—including the hip flexors, hip extensors (glutes and hams), spinal erectors, and quadriceps—assist the arms in driving the barbell overhead. With the push press, you will be able to move overhead as much as 30 percent more weight than with the shoulder press. Regular practice of the push press—and the push jerk—develops power and speed, which are critical to effective and efficient athletic movement." —Greg Glassman (adapted) — CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®. Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → https://www.crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/learn-more CrossFit® - Forging Elite Fitness® The CrossFit Games® - The Sport of Fitness™ - The Fittest On Earth™
The Overhead Squat
01:20
CrossFit

The Overhead Squat

“The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise and peerless in developing effective athletic movement. This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body parts and improves functional flexibility. Similarly, it develops the squat by amplifying and cruelly punishing faults in posture, movement, and stability. The overhead squat is to midline control, stability and balance what the clean and snatch are to power—unsurpassed.” -Greg Glassman — CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®. Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → https://www.crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/learn-more CrossFit® - Forging Elite Fitness® The CrossFit Games® - The Sport of Fitness™ - The Fittest On Earth™
The Front Squat
01:06
CrossFit

The Front Squat

The front squat builds exactly off the mechanics of the air squat. All that is added is a load supported in the front rack position where the weight sits squarely on the upper chest and shoulders, and the elbows point forward to bring the upper arms parallel to the floor. This “rack position,” critical to weightlifting, both demands and improves wrist and shoulder flexibility while the load, supported by the torso, both demands and improves midline stability. In CrossFit, we start with nine foundational movements presented in three series: 1. Squat: air squat, front squat, overhead squat. 2. Press: shoulder press, push press, push jerk. 3. Deadlift: deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, medicine ball clean. Each series presents the movements in a progression. They build off each other, moving from simple to more complex mechanics. Success in each movement depends on sound mechanics in the movement(s) preceding it. Flaws in the simpler movements are exposed and punished across the progression. These movements illustrate common themes in proper execution for most functional movements. Themes such as midline stabilization, posterior-chain engagement, core-to-extremity movement patterns, full range of motion about the joints, and active shoulders. Learning these nine movements develops a broad base of athletic capacity, such that proficiency with them provides a platform to easily tackle other movements. Learn more about CrossFit movements: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo The air squat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_VtOYc6j5c&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=1 The front squat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ytaCJZpl0&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=4 The overhead squat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD_vUnqwqqI&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=7 The strict press: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe19t2_6yis&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=2 The push press: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6-DMh-t4nQ&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=5 The push jerk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-hKuAfWNUw&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=8 The deadlift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op9kVnSso6Q&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=3 The sumo deadlift high pull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6QniJ9FaGA&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=9 The medicine-ball clean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nk0GqeSTJs&list=PLdWvFCOAvyr1qYhgPz_-wnCcxTO7VHdFo&index=6 — CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®. Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → https://www.crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/learn-more CrossFit® - Forging Elite Fitness® The CrossFit Games® - The Sport of Fitness™ - The Fittest On Earth™
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