Workout of the Day:
Five rounds for time of:
95 lb. Hang Power Snatch x 15
Run 400 Meters

Good triple extension, pulled a little early, but we have time to fix her. Don't miss Sage's Oly session tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Anatomy 101 – Terminology
Written by Mark Riebel 

Every athlete should have at least a rudimentary understanding of human anatomy in order to better comprehend the mechanics of exercises, to dissect what we coaches often say, and to gain a better understanding of your body.  Let’s begin with an overview of some significant anatomy-related terms, all translated into regular-speak.

• Proximal – this refers to the part of a bone or muscle that is closer to the center of the body relative to something else (e.g., the shoulder is located proximally to the hand). 
• Distal – refers to a part of the body farther away from the center of the body relative to something else (e.g., the hand is the distal end of the arm).
• Medial – a body part that is closer to the midline of the body.  Don’t think of this in terms of distance, but more of sides (e.g., the inner thigh is the medial portion of the leg).
• Lateral – a bone or muscle that is on the side of the body (e.g., the outer thigh is the lateral portion of the leg).
• Anterior – nearer to the front of the body (e.g., the chest is the anterior portion of the torso).
• Posterior – nearer to the back of the body (e.g., the back is the posterior portion of the torso).
• Superior – a body part located above another (e.g., the head is the most superior structure of the body).
• Inferior – a body part located below another (e.g., the foot is the most inferior portion of the body).
• Flexion – while there are a few exceptions, this generally is the closing or bending of a joint.
• Extension – generally refers to the opening or straightening of a joint.
• Origin – this can seem a bit arbitrary, but it most often refers to the attachment point of a muscle to a bone that does not move when the muscle contracts.  For example, the origins of the biceps brachii are on two parts of the scapula (your shoulder blade), and when the muscle contracts, the elbow flexes with the shoulder remaining stationary.
• Insertion – the other attachment point of a muscle located on the body part that will move with muscle contraction.  The biceps brachii inserts into the radius (one of the forearm bones) and causes the forearm to move as the elbow flexes.

Your coaches will never expect you to be experts on these terms, but if you ever catch us talking amongst ourselves about your origins and insertions, at least now you won’t be too concerned that it’s an inappropriate conversation.  And of course, if you ever catch us using these terms while coaching, feel free to slap us and ask us to repeat our advice in layman’s terms.