CrossFit Bodmin · free resource

The six sessions: test it, train it, retest it

Six mobility sessions of ten to twelve minutes, one for each part of the body CrossFit asks the most of. Each starts with a test and ends with the same test, so what changed is written down in your own numbers.

Your log, then one page for each session. Seven sides of A4. Back to the guide

Test first, retest last. The same test, done the same way. Write both numbers down.

Each round of PAILs and RAILs. 20 seconds relaxed at the end of the range, 10 seconds PAILs, 20 seconds relaxed, 10 seconds RAILs, each contraction counted down from ten at about 8 out of 10 effort.

Rounds. Two in sessions 1 to 3, three in sessions 4 to 6. Nerve drills: never held, stop at the first tingle.

Your log

Left and right where the test has a side.

Session	The test	Date	Before	After	Date	Before	After
1	Seated heel lift, how high (L / R)
2	Front rack: elbow height, fingers on
3	Seated shin swing, where the foot gets to (L / R)
4	Arm out, head tilt: where the pull starts (L / R)
5	Wall overhead: gap from hands to wall
6	Knee to wall, cm (L / R)

Stop and get it checked if pins and needles, numbness or pain rise during a nerve drill (stop the drill), if they or burning linger after it, if anything is sharp, or if a limb feels weak: your GP, or a physio (in Cornwall you can refer yourself). Numbness around your bottom or genitals, trouble peeing or controlling your bowels, or weakness in both legs is an emergency: call 999 or go to A&E.

The sessions are CrossFit Bodmin’s, built on Functional Range Conditioning (CARs, PAILs and RAILs, Dr Andreo Spina), Range of Strength (Lucas Hardie), G Money Movement (Dr Garrett Kuljian), neurodynamics (David Butler and Michael Shacklock) and Kelly Starrett’s positions. The timings are ours.

Session 1: hamstrings and the sciatic nerve

Test. Sit tall on a box, one leg straight out in front, toes up. Lift the heel as high as it goes and note where it stops.

Drill	Sets and time	Points of performance
Sciatic nerve floss, seated	60 seconds each leg, about 20 slow reps a minute	Look down and round as the toes point and the knee bends; look up and sit tall as the knee straightens. Never held.
Femoral nerve slider, face down	30 seconds each leg	Head goes up as the knee bends. Pelvis stays on the floor.
Jefferson curl	3 × 5, light dumbbell, 3 seconds down	Knees locked. One vertebra at a time. Light enough to control every inch.
Half-kneeling hip flexor PAILs and RAILs	2 rounds each side	Hips forward to the end of the stretch. PAILs: press the down knee into the floor. RAILs: squeeze the glute and try to lift that knee. Pelvis tucked.

Retest. The same test. Note the change.

Session 2: front rack and shoulders

Test. Empty bar in the rack at shoulder height. Take the front rack, fingers on the bar, elbows driven up. Note how high the elbows get and whether the fingers stay on.

Drill	Sets and time	Points of performance
Loaded shoulder CARs	2 slow circles each way, each arm, 2.5 kg plate	Body braced. Only the shoulder moves. Biggest pain-free circle.
Shoulder external rotation PAILs and RAILs	2 rounds each side	On your back, upper arm out at 90 degrees, elbow bent. PAILs: press the back of the hand down. RAILs: try to lift it. Shoulder blade flat.
Shoulder internal rotation PAILs and RAILs, on your side	2 rounds each side	Lying on the working arm, arm out at shoulder height, palm down. PAILs: press the hand down. RAILs: try to lift it. Shoulder doesn’t roll forward.
Kettlebell arm bar	30 seconds each side, 8 to 12 kg	Bell locked out, roll onto your side. Eyes on the bell, elbow straight, breathe.
Front rack contract-relax, into a loaded hold	3 rounds	Drive the elbows down into the bar for 5 seconds, relax, take the slack. Last round: bar on the shoulders for 20 seconds, elbows driving up.

Retest. The same test. Note the elbows.

Session 3: hip rotation

Test. Sit on a box, feet wide, knees at 90 degrees. Let one shin swing out to the side without the hip lifting, and note where the foot gets to.

Drill	Sets and time	Points of performance
Loaded 90/90 switches	10 slow switches, 5 to 10 kg plate	Plate at the chest, off the thighs. Chest tall. No hands on the floor.
90/90 front-leg PAILs and RAILs	2 rounds each side	Fold over the front shin to the end. PAILs: press the shin into the floor. RAILs: try to lift it. Back hip stays down.
90/90 back-leg PAILs and RAILs	2 rounds each side	Sit tall over the back leg. PAILs: press the back shin down. RAILs: try to lift it.
Goblet Cossack squat	10 slow reps, 5 each side, the same plate	3 seconds down. Chest tall, heel down, knee over the little toe. Other leg straight, toes up.

Retest. The same test. Note the change.

Session 4: arms and shoulders

Test. Arm out to the side at shoulder height, palm up, wrist pulled back. Tip your head away and note where the pull starts.

Drill	Sets and time	Points of performance
Median nerve slider	60 seconds each arm	Head tips towards the arm as the wrist pulls back; away as the wrist drops. Never held, never into pain.
Ulnar nerve slider	45 seconds each arm	Hand by the face, fingers down. Head tips away as the elbow straightens. Stop at the first tingle.
Shoulder extension PAILs and RAILs on a box	3 rounds	Hands on the box behind you, hips up so the shoulders take the weight. PAILs: press the hands down. RAILs: try to lift them off. Ribs down.
Bar hang with an active shrug-down	3 × 20 seconds	15 seconds long and relaxed, then pull the shoulders down for the last 5. Elbows straight.
Wrist rocks on all fours	8 forward, 8 back, 3 seconds at the end of each; then again with the hands turned to face you	Palms flat. Stop at a stretch, not a pinch.

Retest. The same test. Note the change.

Session 5: overhead

Test. Head, upper back and hips on a wall, feet a foot out, low back flat. Raise straight arms overhead and note the gap between the backs of your hands and the wall.

Drill	Sets and time	Points of performance
Loaded shoulder CARs	2 slow circles each way, each arm, 2.5 kg plate	Body braced. Only the shoulder moves.
Upper back extension over a box	5 × 5 seconds, a light bar or plate overhead	Box edge under the shoulder blades. Ribs down. Breathe out and open, then come off and reset.
Overhead PAILs and RAILs	3 rounds	On your back, knees bent, low back flat, arms overhead. PAILs: press the backs of the hands into the floor. RAILs: try to lift them.
Dumbbell pullover to the floor	2 × 8, 3 seconds down, light	Low back flat, arms straight, ribs down the whole way.
Open book	6 each side, 2 seconds at the end	Knees stacked and down. Eyes follow the hand.

Retest. The same test. Note the change.

Session 6: ankles and wrists

Test. Knee to wall: foot square to the wall, knee to the wall with the heel down. Measure the furthest toe-to-wall gap in centimetres, both sides.

Drill	Sets and time	Points of performance
Ankle CARs	5 slow circles each way, each foot	Seated, knee held still. Only the ankle moves.
Banded ankle distraction	3 × 10 each side	Band pulling the ankle back. Knee forward over the little toe, heel down.
ATG split squat	2 × 6 each leg, bodyweight or a light dumbbell	Front heel flat, back knee to the floor, thigh to calf. 2 seconds at the bottom.
Wrist CARs	5 slow circles each way, each wrist	Elbows pinned to the ribs. Only the wrist moves.
Wrist PAILs and RAILs	3 rounds	On all fours, sit back to the end of the wrist bend. PAILs: press the fingertips down. RAILs: try to lift the palms.

Retest. The same test. Read the centimetres out loud.

What the words mean. CARs: slow, controlled circles of one joint through the biggest range you own, with everything else still. PAILs: hold the stretch, then push into it without moving, so the body learns to own that range. RAILs: after 20 seconds relaxed, pull deeper into the stretch with the opposite muscles, still without moving. Nerve slider: the nerve glides through its path as one end lengthens and the other shortens. Gentle, never held, stop at the first tingle.