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. Question #1: Why Box Jumps? READER: Seems like ... Continue Reading
A Buyer’s Market in CrossFit: How to Choose the Best Box
With the proliferation of CrossFit gyms on nearly every corner, competition for your dollars has become fierce. You, the customer, sit in an advantageous position in being able to select where you take ... Continue Reading
You Don’t Need More Training, You Need More Recovery
A while ago I wrote about training and recovery, putting it into an equation. The equation was simple: Training Effect = Work x Recovery In simple terms, if we take T (training) to be one unit ... Continue Reading
How to Craft a Winning Sponsorship Proposal
You can make a great impact on your sponsorship seeking efforts by taking time to understand your reasons for getting sponsorship, what you are looking for, who you would like to be sponsored by, and what ... Continue Reading
Why Knee Push Ups Won’t Make You Any Stronger
The push-up is one of the greatest exercises you can do. It is a full-body movement that can be done anywhere. That said, the push-up can be a difficult movement to master for some people, often requiring ... Continue Reading
How to Shoulder a Barbell Like an Old-Time Strongman
Lately, there’s a lot of talk about the bent press. You may have noticed in my article on that classic lift that you begin the movement with the barbell basically in a clean position, except with just one ... Continue Reading
Couch Stretch: Small, But Important Ways You’re Doing It Wrong
Tight hips are one of the major obstacles an athlete can have in maximizing power and performance. The couch stretch is a powerful tool every athlete should have in his or her toolbox. Understanding the ... Continue Reading
12 Reps – The Breaking Muscle Digest – Vol. 1, Issue 15
We've got quite a collection of articles for you this week. If you have a chance, please let us know what you think of the new all-in-one-post layout of the free training plans. There are four training ... Continue Reading
What Isometric Training Says About Your Back Squat 1RM
“The use of the isometric squat as a measure of strength and explosiveness.” What does this mean? Can you apply it to your own training? Can't we simplify all this science mumbo-jumbo? I hear you. ... Continue Reading
Caitlyn Jenner: I Just Had to Comment
I have been writing articles for Breaking Muscle for nearly three years and have enjoyed writing without having to give complex explanations of various issues to the readers. I have always assumed a ... Continue Reading
Not the Rotator Cuff: The Truth Behind Most Shoulder Injuries
A few weeks ago a friend of mine messaged me. She’d been having some intermittent shoulder pain that was starting to bother her during workouts. The pain was primarily on the anterior aspect of the ... Continue Reading
Gearing Up for the Next Phase: Training for Advanced Cycling
In two previous articles, I introduced training programs for beginner cyclists and intermediate-level cyclists. This month, we raise the bar for the advanced program. This training cycle will take you well ... Continue Reading
Placebo Power: The Placebo Effect and Athletic Performance
Placebos have powerful effects on strength, endurance, and pain tolerance. But they’re also not completely understood. So, I’m going to discuss how traditional placebos have been used and how you might use ... Continue Reading
4 Common Strongman Training Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
The sport of strongman is a demanding one. It requires brute strength mixed with speed, agility, and endurance. A sport that tests you to your limits both physically and mentally. One that provides ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Kids: Divorce and Custody
If you believed in an organization so strongly that you would stand up to defend it against your own friends and family, would you also then assume that organization would stand up for you? According to ... Continue Reading
Obstacle Course Success: Advice From Champion Jason Rulo
Jason Rulo is the president and owner of Pinnacle Personal and Performance Training, as well as Assault Fitness in Chesterfield, Missouri. He is an avid obstacle course race (OCR) athlete, competing in the ... Continue Reading
Throwing Away My Foam Roller: 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. Question #1: Do I Really Need Foam Rolling? READER: ... Continue Reading
Beatdown Avoidance and the Value of Rest in CrossFit
Back in about 2010, I discovered OPT (now OPEX) training as an alternative to straight-up CrossFit. The Optimum Performance Training system, created by the first CrossFit Games winner James FitzGerald, was ... Continue Reading
Is Your Sport Killing Your Athletic Potential?
The nature of elite sport dictates that athletes must become increasingly specialized in order to succeed. But are these athletes making themselves less athletic in the process? If you’ve hung out ... Continue Reading
No More Bicycle Crunches: 5 Smart Exercises to Work Your Core
Most of us sit for all or part of the day, placing the hamstrings and hip flexors in a shortened position, which can lead to low back pain or just a general sense of tightness. What really blows my ... Continue Reading
11 Signs of a Great CrossFit Gym
A new client came in last week who had been doing CrossFit for over six months and was unable to do a good push up. This got me thinking, “What had he been doing for the last six months?” It obviously ... Continue Reading
Stop Blaming the Rotator Cuff: The Mechanism of Shoulder Injuries
A few weeks ago a friend of mine messaged me. She’d been having some intermittent shoulder pain that was starting to bother her during workouts. The pain was primarily on the anterior aspect of the ... Continue Reading
How to Crawl Your Way Back to Shoulder Health
The shoulder area is one of the most neglected areas of the body, especially when an injury occurs and therapy is implemented. Many therapists like to isolate certain muscles, especially the rotator cuffs, ... Continue Reading
The BJJ Blue Belt: A Belt of Frustration and Opportunity
When I first started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I remember looking around the room and seeing people with different color belts tied around their waist. A BJJ belt can symbolize many things, such as ... Continue Reading
