CrossFit Athletic Group

For those of you who haven't seen Sim's strange looking push-ups, here's a picture taken during the warmup:

Why does Sim choose to do his push-ups right next to a pole? Sim is looking to improve the quality of his push-up by blocking movement. The pole is strategically located right behind his hand, which means his forearms are stuch right where they are, stacked over his wrists, completely vertical. He can't initiate the push-up with his elbow, because the pole blocks it from moving backward.

One question we have been pondering for awhile now is how to apply this concept of blocking movement to a deceptively complex movement, the lunge. A lunge incorporates a moderate hip and knee range of motion, balance, and unilateral movement, which means plenty of things can go wrong. One thing we've been harping about alot has to do with the back foot position. When the back foot caves in, it's a weak ankle position, but it also misaligns your knee and hip... Or is it the other way around? A lack of internal rotation at the hip also causes the caving foot. We need to fix the movement at both ends if we want to see permanent change. So what are your ideas for blocking that back foot from caving in on a lunge?

While you're pondering that question, check out this video of Master P performing Sumo-Deadlift-High-Pulls mid-workout. It's not the best angle to see what his arms are doing, but what do you think he's doing well? What are some things he could fix?