A few weeks back I wrote an article that rhetorically asked if a lifter should employ the power style of jerk. It was directed mainly at Olympic weightlifters and generally recommended against the power ... Continue Reading
A More Effective Way to Rehab Your Ankle Sprain
Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries for athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike. It has been estimated that roughly 25,000 people sustain this type of trauma each day. The injury can ... Continue Reading
Mid-Open Rule Changes: What Is Going On at CrossFit HQ?
Charlie Brown makes a run at the football, and only after throwing all of his might into the kick, does Lucy yank the ball out of the way, leaving Charlie Brown to careen through the air and onto his ... Continue Reading
An Asana Evolution: 3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Yoga
In just over a month I will complete my 200-hour yoga teacher training. Aside from learning how to be a good yoga teacher for others, the training has made a big impact on my personal practice. Just ... Continue Reading
On the Mat for Life: Lessons In Longevity From BJJ Masters
Last weekend, the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) hosted the Chicago Open. The tournament was divided into two days of both gi and no-gi competition. One of the benefits of the IBJJF ... Continue Reading
The Action-Reaction Law: How to Deadlift Big and Avoid Injury
Internationally, most people know me for my spinal rehabilitation. But in Australia I’m especially known for my analysis of lifting technique. My approach is unique because it comes from a nearly ... Continue Reading
Move Your Body, Move Your Brain: Training for Neuroplasticity
The connection between mind and body is critical to athletic performance. Sensory maps in the brain control our patterns of movement, but forming the connection between mind and body is more complex than ... Continue Reading
Newton’s 3rd Law and How to Leverage Massive Deadlifts
Internationally, most people know me for my spinal rehabilitation. But in Australia I’m especially known for my analysis of lifting technique. My approach is unique because it comes from a nearly ... Continue Reading
Sled Training Basics, Plus a Go-To Sled Workout
Sled training is a highly effective and fun training modality for general conditioning and athlete-specific programming. This article will give you an overview of sled training, the associated benefits, ... Continue Reading
12 Reps – The Breaking Muscle Digest – Vol. 1, Issue 8
This week we have a special announcement - our forum is now full of high-level coaches waiting to answer your questions! Artemis Scantalides, Craig Marker, Charles Staley, Dr. John Rusin, and more will ... Continue Reading
A Study of Muscular Force and Athletic Performance
Muscular force output has a huge impact on the exhibition of your sport skills, running speed, and strength displays. When it comes to vertical muscle force output, common tests include the vertical ... Continue Reading
Static Stretching for Flexibility In Weightlifting
Weightlifting is a sport that requires a heavy use of muscles and vast amounts of flexibility, so stretches and mobilization are critical to succeed. This article provides details on how to incorporate ... Continue Reading
What It Really Takes to Get to the CrossFit Games
Every day around the globe, young and old alike are waltzing into their local boxes, declaring their dreams to "go to the Games." And every day around the globe, box owners groan in equal parts bemusement ... Continue Reading
The Brutal Truth About Getting to the CrossFit Games
Every day around the globe, young and old alike are waltzing into their local boxes, declaring their dreams to "go to the Games." And every day around the globe, box owners groan in equal parts bemusement ... Continue Reading
Unexpected Lessons on Training and Happiness – From Wine
Well, it is official - meat makes you die again, and now, so does wine. At least I can anticipate the cause of my demise as opposed to worrying about being eaten by a shark or losing in the Hunger ... Continue Reading
A Closer Look: The Height of Female Lifters
As any keen reader of Breaking Muscle’s Olympic weightlifting articles has probably figured out by now, I am greatly interested in questions concerning weightlifting anthropometry, namely the ideal height ... Continue Reading
4 Areas of Your Health You May Be Neglecting
Typically, when we want to get our weight or health back on track, we develop a plan to optimize our nutrition and make a pledge to start hitting the gym. This is a great start. Sedentary lifestyles and ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Versus the NSCA: Where Is the Truth?
The word reify keeps popping into my head as I hear about the CrossFit versus NSCA lawsuit. Reify means “to make real.” In German, it is called Verdinglichung, which is literally, "making into a ... Continue Reading
4 Reasons You’re Not Getting Stronger
You’ve been training for a while. And you’ve made some good gains. But now that you’re getting close to where you want to be, the gains have stopped. Try as you might, nothing seems to add pounds to your ... Continue Reading
Passing Out During a Lift: 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 via social media or in the comments ... Continue Reading
Real Functional Fitness: CrossFit and the Battle Against Cancer
When we think of the “functional” aspect of CrossFit, we most often think of it in terms of the translation that CrossFit provides into the real world - the ability to recruit motor patterns in order to ... Continue Reading
Use Kettlebells to Get in Fighting Shape
The kettlebell rules when it comes to developing strength endurance. While the barbell rules for maximal strength development, the kettlebell is king of the hill when it comes to that gritty stamina ... Continue Reading
Do You Have What It Takes to Go to the CrossFit Games?
Every day around the globe, young and old alike are waltzing into their local boxes, declaring their dreams to "go to the Games." And every day around the globe, box owners groan in equal parts bemusement ... Continue Reading
Balance: The Missing Link in Your Yoga Practice
The Sanskrit word that describes yoga posture is asana. But only three out of the 196 verses in the Yoga Sutras (the fundamental text on the philosophy and practice of yoga) deal with asana. Within ... Continue Reading
