Results for “kelly starrett”

The quest to prepare Jason Khalipa for the 2010 CrossFit Games continues in this fifth installment of Rebuilding Khalipa.

This time around, Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit runs Jason through a stretch that can open up assorted soft tissue and musculature Starrett refers to as “the business.” After Khalipa works himself over on the training table and tries a squat and an overhead squat, it’s pretty clear that the business is… Continue Reading

“Whoa! Whose hip is that, bro?”

Working on Jason Khalipa at San Francisco CrossFit, Kelly Starrett shows that a little therapy can go a very long way, and it can even get results in minutes.

After assessing the 2008 CrossFit Games champion, Starrett identified several issues and then worked through them. In Part 4 of this series, Starrett gives Khalipa a set of exercises he can do on his own to improve his mechanics. After… Continue Reading

You may not be Kelly Starrett, but you can still use some very basic assessments to discover tightness in your athletes.

Working with Jason Khalipa at San Francisco CrossFit, Starrett puts the owner of CrossFit Santa Clara through several basic mobility tests to discover exactly where he’s tight. Once those sticking points are discovered, Starrett can form a plan of action to correct the problems and unlock improved performance and optimal… Continue Reading

Jason Khalipa can overhead squat close to 300 lb., and that number would undoubtedly be higher if he could get into a more efficient position.

Working with the 2008 CrossFit Games champ at San Francisco CrossFit, owner Kelly Starrett puts Khalipa through a series of squats that highlight very tight musculature. As a result, Khalipa has to work tremendously hard to keep his knees from rolling in and his torso upright, and his limited… Continue Reading

Jason Khalipa may not be working at his full capacity—and how scary is that?

The 2008 CrossFit Games champ clearly has the capacity to do a lot work very quickly, and he’s incredibly strong. He’s also very inflexible, and how much better would his performance be if he could achieve more favorable starting positions and didn’t have to waste energy working against tight muscles?

On the table at San Francisco CrossFit, Khalipa is evaluated by… Continue Reading

At 28 miles, the Quad Dipsea ultra-marathon is only a little longer than a standard marathon. Then again, most marathons don’t include grueling terrain and over 18,000 feet in elevation change. What better challenge for Team Un-Scared?

Started by Kelly Starrett and the gang at San Francisco CrossFit, Team Un-Scared is for athletes who trust their CrossFit training and boldly register for events in which they have no… Continue Reading

Kelly Starrett and Chris Spealler are both HQ trainers and affiliate owners who joined Justin on Episode 103 of CrossFit Radio, webcast live at 6 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010.

Justin began the show by reading two e-mails he received from listeners this past week.

5:00 Kelly Starrett, a doctor of physical therapy, owns San Francisco CrossFit with his wife Juliet. He also conducts the incredibly popular CrossFit… Continue Reading

“Pigs on ice skates” and “groiners”—two keys to a great warm-up for the hips.

During a visit to CrossFit Santa Cruz, physical therapist and affiliate owner Kelly Starrett helps a group of athletes warm up their hips in preparation for a workout featuring squatting.

Kelly starts with some basic air squats before incorporating very light stretching and moving on to dynamic movements that slowly warm up the joints and increase the range of motion. A… Continue Reading

The shoulder is one of the more complicated joints in the human body, so it usually benefits from a good warm-up. As tempting as it may be to grip it and rip it when faced with a WOD, spending a bit of time loosening up your joints is a great idea and will improve performance and reduce the chance of injury.

Working with a group of athletes at CrossFit Santa Cruz, Kelly Starrett goes through a… Continue Reading

You won’t eliminate tight muscles with a tennis ball, but you might loosen things up.

Using nothing more than a ball, Kelly Starrett helps an athlete at CrossFit Santa Cruz do a little maintenance on her lower body—one of the areas that’s usually tight in CrossFitters used to compound movements.

By placing the ball beneath the muscle and rolling to release tension, athletes can work on the external rotators of the hip, the hamstrings, quads and just… Continue Reading

Physical therapy: $2.50.

Using a only a lacrosse ball—about three bucks at any sporting-goods store—you can work a lot of tension out of tight tissue.

Working with an athlete at CrossFit Santa Cruz, Kelly Starrett uses a ball to treat the internal and external rotators of the shoulder, the triceps and the lats. By getting creative and taping a pair of balls together, Starrett is able to do a little maintenance on… Continue Reading

Now with both parts!

Flexibility is one of CrossFit’s 10 fitness domains, but it’s often overlooked by athletes focused on sexier domains such as strength, power and endurance. In this video shot at CrossFit Santa Cruz, Kelly Starrett explains that a lack of mobility will hurt your performance just as much as poor cardio or a lack of strength.

Analyzing an athlete with hip and knee issues, Starrett shows exactly how poor flexibility limits what… Continue Reading

“My name is Adrian Bozman, and my athletic background before CrossFit is very spotty.”

That may be true—but Boz is also one of CrossFit’s top trainers, and he’s a damn fine athlete by CrossFit’s standards. Interestingly enough, he learned most of the CrossFit movements on his own and developed into a great trainer. When his plans to open his own box didn’t materialize, Boz teamed up with Kelly Starrett at San Francisco CrossFit… Continue Reading

In CrossFit, performance is king.

Capacity in all 10 fitness domains will result in high performance and health, which Kelly Starrett refers to as an “ideal ready state.”

Speaking at a special seminar held at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009, Starrett maintains that any deviation from the ready state because of injuries and chronic conditions results in a decrease in performance. Therefore, dysfunction simply represents undeveloped capacity… Continue Reading

Kelly Starrett suggests more solutions to knee problems in Part 3 of a seminar held at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009. Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

According to Starrett, knee problems can sometimes be alleviated by creating slack in the system both “upstream and downstream.” By stretching hip flexors and calves and integrating foam rolling into your rehab, you… Continue Reading

Our series on solving knee problems continues with Kelly Starrett telling participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009 that he first time an athlete engages the hamstring when squatting is an ‘aha!’ moment and “lights go off for them.” Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

If the tibia goes forward in a squat, joint forces across the meniscus will… Continue Reading

“The squat magically cures knee pain if you squat correctly,” Kelly Starrett told participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009. Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Improper squat mechanics under load will lead to problems over time. Muted hips and knees bent forward are common faults. Starrett said one patient at his clinic was an elite, world… Continue Reading

San Francisco CrossFit is basically a parking lot, a canopy and two shipping containers. It’s also San Francisco’s best fitness facility, according to readers of SF Weekly. Mike Warkentin explains why.

Behold the modern fitness center.

Its selectorized machines gleam under spotlights. Someone triumphantly breaks the 150-pound mark on the torso-rotation machine as another person gives the hip flexors a proper thrashing during a set of… Continue Reading

Tissue healing has three phases, Kelly Starrett told participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009. Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

The inflammatory phase generally lasts 0-36 hours. The body has mobilized the troops. Swelling is maximal. The “emergency guys” are migrating from other tissues to help. That response is good, but needs… Continue Reading

Strength and conditioning can only normalize tissue permanently changed by injury. You can never undo what’s been done, Kelly Starrett told participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009. Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

A bad ankle sprain can take four to six weeks to heal. CrossFitters may be supermen, but they can’t outrace the body’s tissue healing times… Continue Reading