You are reading this because you are looking for new ways to get stronger, increase muscle mass, and safeguard against injuries. I am all about using basic exercises and a variety of overload ... Continue Reading
Tommy John and Baseball: America’s Favorite Elbow Surgery
America’s favorite pastime beckons hundreds of thousands of young players each year to chase the dream of pitching in a Major League stadium. Unfortunately, the odds of making it to the big show are ... Continue Reading
7 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Stronger Legs
When most people hear “leg day," they immediately think of heavy weights and exercise machines. There's no doubt that a heavily loaded barbell or weight machine can build strong, muscular legs. You don't ... Continue Reading
Be Your Own Expert: What We Can Learn From Fitness Gurus
The word “guru” originally comes from Sanskrit. According to Wikipedia, it means, “teacher or master of a certain type of knowledge.” However, in an industry where your expertise is your currency, some ... Continue Reading
Training Programs and Bicep Curls: Smart Strength With Charles Staley
Note: Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get to the bottom of the biggest questions in health and training. Post your questions directly to Charles in the comments below ... Continue Reading
5 Health-Based Supplements to Build Your Strength Platform
Over the years I have fielded a lot of questions regarding supplements. Everyone seems to be looking for that training edge and for a magic pill that will allow them to achieve all of their training goals ... Continue Reading
The Clean and the Deadlift: Simple Cues for a Stronger Setup
There has been much back-and-forth debate on whether the setup for deadlift and clean are different. The truth is, they are. Although both movements bring the bar to the hip, they arrive there in a ... Continue Reading
Strength and Skill: How to Become the Ultimate Athlete
It currently seems like there is an all-or-nothing view on how to get stronger. Folks who prefer bodyweight or gymnastics movements shun the barbell or anything that isn’t street workout style. Traditional ... Continue Reading
3 Training Mistakes That Leave Fighters Too Smoked for Skill Work
The role of strength training in sport, and in particular combat sports, is one of the more hotly contested discussions in the fitness world. One side rightly argues that in most cases skill triumphs and ... Continue Reading
Strength Training for Yogis: Push Ups for a Powerful Chaturanga
There is a misconception in the yoga community that doing a million chaturangas is the best way to build strength in the arms. Chaturanga is the transitional pose between plank and upward facing dog, and ... Continue Reading
Impact Forces: How to Avoid Achilles, Shin, and Foot Injury: Part 2
In part one of this article I explained what impact forces are, why they are actually a good thing, and how shoes affect your body’s ability to perceive and receive these forces. Today, I want to explain ... Continue Reading
We Are Not Cavemen: Myth-Busting the Paleo Diet
Having been a trainer for fifteen years, I’ve seen a few diet fads and trends. And while the paleo diet, which has been around in various forms as early as the 1970s, has been hugely successful, I’m going ... Continue Reading
3 Natural Movement Strategies to Make the Most of Injured Time
Recently, I’ve been on the receiving end of two knee injuries back to back, and while rest is what the doctor ordered, I still want to improve my skills. My injuries come from the world of grappling - one ... Continue Reading
Improve Your Strength Endurance With the Double Kettlebell Snatch
The kettlebell snatch is one of my favorite exercises for a variety of reasons. I’ve written about the movement in the past, and I’ve done it with many weights and in different styles over the years. But ... Continue Reading
Your Paleo Guide: Myths Versus Facts
Having been a trainer for fifteen years, I’ve seen a few diet fads and trends. And while the paleo diet, which has been around in various forms as early as the 1970s, has been hugely successful, I’m going ... Continue Reading
Non-Exercise Activities and Calorie Burning: Good or Bad?
If you’re looking to change your body composition, then you need to understand thermogenesis and how it plays into your potential success. Thermogenesis is when your body burns stored fuel supplies - that ... Continue Reading
Joint Pain and Weather: 4 Tips to Ease Discomfort
Do your joints predict the weather? Usually this happens on rainy and cold days. I’ve worked with several people who would be doing great, and then one day certain joints just hurt or crackled a bit more ... Continue Reading
Dominate Your Next Event: Replicate Race Demands in Training
You may well be familiar with training regimes that mix a timetable of lower intensity endurance sessions with higher intensity intervals. But how do you choose what length intervals and rest periods you ... Continue Reading
The Psychology Behind Integrity: Cutting Out Cheating in the Gym
Shaving reps and doing incomplete movements is common in CrossFit WODs. Cumulating evidence suggests that we have a “fudge factor” - the level where we feel comfortable in bending the rules. Let’s look at ... Continue Reading
Frequency and Variety: Smart Strength With Charles Staley
Note: Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get to the bottom of the biggest questions in health and training. Post your questions directly to Charles in the comments below ... Continue Reading
Soldier Suicide and Memorial WODs: We Can Do More
On August 31, 2015, Becky Sefscik took her own life. Becky was a former United States Navy shipmate, and a coach at CrossFit The Tracks in Erlanger, Kentucky. She was a friend to many, a sister, and a ... Continue Reading
Put in the Work: How I Beat SEALFit Kokoro Camp
Last year I went to SEALFit’s famous Kokoro Camp, and I didn’t complete the event. I had been arrogant in my preparation and believed I could simultaneously train for a Half Ironman race only three weeks ... Continue Reading
Why CrossFitters Need Less HIIT and More Endurance
Endurance as a term is illusive, misunderstood, inaccurately described, and generally feared and hated by many different gym-rat aficionados. Long slow distance (LSD) then, might just be its dirty-bitch ... Continue Reading
Lessons From Bull Riders: How to Train Strength and Flexibility
Recently this rather intriguing question came in from a reader: I'm a female bull rider looking to tweak my training routine. I've been lifting for a couple of years, but getting into bull riding now ... Continue Reading
