gripping

grip: the act of grasping; a seizing and holding fast; to attach by a grip or clutch

A totally unexpected side effect of having to lay off strength/barbell work for just three weeks was the reduction of my grip strength when I started back in.  I have some numbness still in the fingers on my right hand, but that doesn't prevent me from being able to hang on to a barbell. I was shocked at how weak my fingers/overall grip/forearms were.  Shocked! 

I'm forever learning new things about the human body through my own experiences with CrossFit and through other's.  Add this to my reference file!

Grip strength is something we discuss in CF. We know how important it is and how fatigued our grips can become. However, I would venture to say that when a break from strength work is necessary, we mostly think about how it will effect our shoulders/bi and triceps.  Forearms and hands were certainly never thought about by me. 

There is so much we take for granted re: our body mechanics.  Of COURSE we don't sit around and analyze/visualize every *domino effect* movement our bodies go through when in motion. (Although I know a few people who might...) That's why it's so interesting when awareness pops up unexpectedly.  Who doesn't appreciate one more reason to love and want to keep our amazing machines in good working order? 

The beauty of CF is that since all the movements integrate one's entire body as a single functioning machine, we don't really have to think about its separate parts. Even with a bias toward a certain area, integration of all our parts allows us to get stronger all over. Isolate a body part to strengthen it? No need, and besides, that sounds pretty boring. 

Thank you, weakened grip, for yet again reminding me how beautiful CrossFit is as a way to keep this middle-aged body strong enough to keep playing and enjoying life without having to worry about every little movement it makes.