Last week, my schedule called for very little running since I had run a 10K Sunday morning.  The week mostly consisted of crossfit endurance training and conditioning, but not to worry, good form is just as crucial.  Therefore, video is as important as ever.

As an added bonus, this week some of my friends joined in on the fun.  Without me asking (I swear), my roommate and his friends video taped themselves running, playing tennis, and working out.

Let’s review what we did, how we did it, and what it taught us:

I'm actually embarrassed with the comparison.

Above is video of me performing a clean and press.  For this particular exercise, I needed to do 30 reps as fast as I can.  The picture on the left is video of me during my second rep.  The picture on the right is me at rep 26.  It’s painfully obvious that my form deteriorated as I got further along in my workout.  What’s even more embarrassing about this is, I was doing the exercise in front of a mirror.  Theoretically, I should have realized my form was failing and corrected.  However, I was sure my form was close to flawless.  Again, video doesn’t lie.  What this tells me is that I need to lower the weight, and focus on form, not weight.  I won’t be able to make the type of gains I want, if my form is failing.

Also, this week my roommate posted some videos of himself working out, and playing tennis.

Ted, doing pulls up, and serving.

Ted, a new crossfitter, has been focusing on his pullups.  This has been a weak area for him, and he knows form is a key factor.  Without any push from me (again, I swear), he decided to film himself.  Also, to the right, is his form while serving.  We reviewed the video, and noticed a few holes in his serve he plans to correct his next time out.  For instance, in the above video you can notice how close the ball is to his body.  The ball needs to be further forward.  While I’d love to take credit for realizing this, it was actually a friend more familiar with tennis who pointed this out.  If you invite the right people to analyze your video, you can get tremendously valuable feedback.

The amazing thing about all these videos is how easy it was to do.  It didn’t take an expensive camera, or a team or videographers.  Ted used a flip cam on a tripod (he’s a video producer, so he has these things), and I used my iPhone.  I leaned it up against the wall and filmed myself.  Uploading it to HomeField took a few minutes, and afterwards I was able to see things I would only have been able to notice with a personal trainer by my side.

It was easy, it was fun, and watching the video afterwards is addicting.  I plan to start filming myself in the gym more often during this marathon training stretch.  I’ll even invite a new group of people to review my form; people who are more familiar with proper crossfit technique.  I’m sure the things I’ll learn will be invaluable, and it’ll just be another push towards my goal of a 3hr, 10m NYC Marathon.

I invite any of you start a personal HomeField account.  Sign up for a free account, and you and your friends can start analyzing your form in whatever area you want to improve – golf, swimming, running, crossfit, etc.  Email me after you’ve created your account, and I’ll set you up with a special personal account.