CrossFit workouts emphasize high-skill movements (relative to isolation and/or machine-based movements) because they are, in almost every respect, better vehicles for optimizing fitness--for achieving CrossFit's mission of increasing work capacity across broad time and modal domains.
In this lecture from a recent CrossFit certification seminar, Greg Glassman looks at the differences among the shoulder press, push press, and push jerk and compares them to the differences between strict and kipping pull-ups. The advantage of the "better" (more dynamic) movements, he explains, lies in the power they express. They are consistently farther along the almost every continuum that matters: athleticism, power, intensity, skill, and utility.
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2 Comments on “Better Movements: The Jerk and Kipping Pull-up”
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wrote …
Only one note on this: Coach mentions that integrating the Power curve gives total work. I don't believe that is correct. The integration of the power curve is energy, if I'm not mistaken. Power / time = energy. Differentiating the Power curve will yield the work curve.
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Adam Kayce wrote …
My question is this: in the CF Strength Bias program (as I understand it, at least), and other strength-focused articles, there seems to be an emphasis on the Press as the main overhead/pressing movement. Yet, in this explanation by Coach Glassman—which makes perfect sense to me—he speaks of the Jerk as being much more advantageous in all ways.
So, for those of us looking to develop strength, wouldn't it be a good idea to focus more on the Push Jerk than the Press?
Any thoughts on this?
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