Find out what it’s like to train with 2009 CrossFit Games champion Mikko Salo and Dan Bailey, first-place finisher in the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, as filmmaker Sevan Matossian captures their training in preparation for the 2012 Games season.
In Part 3, the pair talk about their certifications and seminars, lifting gear and nutrition while they finish front squatting.
“After this year’s Games, I decided to get rid of the belt, doing every squat and deadlift without the belt,” Salo says. “It’ll get my numbers a bit lower, like 5-10 kilos, but I feel I’m getting stronger from the midline.”
He adds: “I should have done that years ago.”
Salo and Bailey talk about their pre-workout breakfasts, and Salo admits to being a coffee “addict.” Bailey says he’s taking after Rich Froning and eating more peanut butter.
“I actually like it,” Bailey says. “I’m actually more full throughout the day.”
In Part 4, Salo and Bailey share pointers for front-squat technique as they get to their heaviest lifts of the workout. They discuss how important elbow position is to the movement.
“When you’re on the bottom position and you’re starting to squat up, put your elbows to that ceiling . (The) upper back goes in the right position,” Salo says. “It’s not about your leg strength. It’s about the upper back.”
Part 3
6min 35sec
Part 4
9min 15sec
Additional reading: Get Ready for 2012.