Last year in May, I decided to join a local CrossFit gym after feeling like I wasn't progressing much by doing my own exercises. I quickly found out that there was so much to learn, especially for a beginner that is new to weightlifting and Olympic lifting movements in general. It took me several months to attain a good form for some of the most common movements that are regularly programmed into our workouts. I was able to learn most of the fundamental movements such as cleans, push presses, push jerks, and front squats just by attending the classes regularly and practicing each time we did them.
Fast forward an entire year, I was still struggling with overhead squats and snatches. I am able to do squats and overhead movements fine when they are separate. When these two types are combined, I always feel like I am going to lose my balance and fall over. While I was going heavier and heavier with my other movements, I never progressed past being able to lift an empty women's bar (embarrassing) when it came to overhead squats or snatches. I'd always dread the workouts whenever I saw these programmed and would sometimes even opt to stay at home and skip the day if I knew they were in the workout of the day.
I have been to 4 different CrossFit boxes, and every coach at each one I have worked with has told me that I have to work on my ankle mobility if I want to be able to fix this issue. I would do some exercises that target the ankle, but it still did not help much.
Two weeks ago, my coach let me know that Jason will be coming to our local CrossFit box to offer some physical therapy screening services. He said that this would be a great opportunity for me to get an assessment and see what my problem areas are, as well as get some advice on what I could do to improve them. I was always under the impression that physical therapy was used to help people recover following an injury but did not know that it could also be used as a way to reduce risk for injuries and help prevent them in the first place.
Because so many people signed up for a time slot to see Jason, we were limited to only 20 minutes per person. During my session, I explained to him what I was struggling with. After I had done a few reps, he quickly figured out what the issue was. It turns out that I, in fact, have adequate ankle mobility and that the problem was actually with my lats (who would've thought?). Because I did not have enough mobility with my lats, I was not able to get the barbell far back enough to stay balanced. He also figured out that I was not creating an arc with my feet during my squats, which was also something new that I was not aware of and have not been told before. We then spent the rest of the session doing some drills and stretches. Afterwards, Jason sent me a few videos of what I can do to further improve on these issues and provided me a plan.
I diligently worked on these drills at home throughout the next week. A few days ago, snatches were programmed into the workout again. To my surprise, I was no longer struggling with the empty barbell and was actually able to add on more weight for a total of 65 pounds (+30 pounds!). I know that 65 pounds is not a lot of weight, but after more than a year of struggling with no progress, I felt like I finally conquered the wall.
Had I not seen Jason, I would still be thinking that I need to work on my ankle mobility. His thorough assessment helped address the root of my problems, which was completely different from what I had thought. I saw tremendous improvements after following his advice, and I am still impressed that I was able to see these results after a short 20-minute session. He even reached out again a week later to check up on how I was doing, and I think that really showed that he cares about what he does and his level of service.
I highly recommend seeing Jason if you want to get an assessment to perform better or to reduce the risk of injuries. I am so glad that I was able to work with him, and I am extremely confident in his abilities. read more
