This is Jill Ketchum, one of my fellow runner/CrossFitters at CrossFit Elysium. She has become an unbreakable runner.
Here’s a memory: When I was in high school I used to squat with heavy weights two or three times per week. It was part of my preparation for high school football. But the memory is a slightly ugly one, because these are some defining characteristics of my technique:
1. My knees collapsed inward.
2. It was more like a quarter-squat than a half-squat, and surely not a full squat.
3. I doubt I did anything to brace my spine with a tight core.
And I’m sure there were other technique flaws as well. Decades later and thanks to CrossFit coaches, I not only learned how to squat safely, but effectively, and I’ve learned first-hand that it is a powerful full-body functional exercise that has tremendous positive impact. In a story I wrote recently for Stack.com, I talk about some of the value I’ve picked up on.
