Gymnastic Skills for CrossFitters with Jon Horton

Recently, Airrosti partnered with two time Olympic Gymnast Jon Horton and US Olympic Team Coach Tom Meadows to host a skills development clinic. During this clinic, CrossFitters of all levels learned about gymnastic techniques and how they can use them to improve their overall fitness level and ability in CrossFit. Both Horton and Meadows worked hands on with the group to building strength and mastery of the muscle groups. To conclude the three hour clinic, Airrosti’s Dr. Jestel, Dr. Tyger, Dr. Pena and Dr. Sporrer discussed and demonstrated the importance of warm ups, cool downs, stretching and stability.

Muscle Up Technique

One topic discussed at length during the clinic was ring strength. Ring strength is extremely important because it is a key component of one of the most popular gymnastic skills used in CrossFit: muscle ups. “I want everyone from beginner to expert to understand that ring strength takes months, maybe years, to develop and should not be pushed too hard or it can lead to serious injury,” said Horton. Completing a muscle up takes not only a great amount of strength, but there is a large amount of technique that is imperative to performing the move properly. Breaking the movement down into bite-size pieces allows you to focus on form and build up strength.

• Step One: Support Hold
  • Grab the rings and hold a hanging position
  • Hold this for ten seconds and repeat three times
• Step Two: Support Swings
  • Keep rings turned out
  • Swing your body as high as possible while retaining a straight body and straight arms
  • Complete ten swings and repeat three times
• Step Three: Working Up To Muscle Ups
  • Perform a few sets of ring dips with a false grip
  • Point rings outward and bring chest to rings for chin ups
  • Lower rings so you can perform pushups on the rings
  • Practice muscle ups on parallel bars
• Step Four: Muscle Up
  • Place feet on the ground or on raised surface
  • Keep rings near the body
    • The farther away from the body the rings are, the harder the movement becomes
  • Sit into the dip with your gaze pointed toward ground
  • Turn rings out at the top of the movement
  • Also turn rings out at the bottom to maintain a false grip

Active Recovery To Avoid Injury

At Airrosti, we work with many CrossFitters, athletes and generally active individuals. We not only treat pain at the source, but we educate our patients on the cause of their pain and equip them with the skills and knowledge to prevent these aches and pains in the future. If you’ve been experiencing any pains that have been holding you back, contact Airrosti to find a provider near you. You can also check out our blogs to learn more about easy stretches and exercises you can do at home to relieve hip and shoulder pain. If you’re interested in attending Airrosti’s next event with Jon Horton and Tom Meadows, check out the event details here.