CrossFit Athletic Group

On max effort presses today, we spent a lot of emphasis on midline stability. Often times we only see things like sit-ups, hollow holds, and knees to elbows as "abs" movements. But the best training of the abs, and the rest of the core, come from doing regular functional movements with as much range of motion as our body will allow.

The press, for instance, requires a very high level of trunk control because of how high the weight is above your point of support.

In the picture above, the tall tree needs to have an extremely strong foundation - at least, compared to the shorter trees - in order to keep itself from tipping over. Same goes for lifting. Holding 100-lbs. overhead requires more core strength than holding 100-lbs. at your shoulder, or at your waist. This is why the overhead press (and handstand) are such great exercises.

One of the ways we make it harder is by adding more moving parts. Keeping midline stability in the strict press: no problem. Now what about the push press where we add motion in the hips, knees, and ankles, as well as more overall speed? Here's what Carter looked like (strict press is at 80 lbs. and push press is 85 lbs.)

What do you think?