When I was a kid, I never trained the Olympic lifts. It's a shame because they would have helped me tremendously as a power-sport athlete. In all fairness, I wasn't alone in not doing many explosive lifts. ... Continue Reading
Why Your Injury Is Not Improving
I see a lot of people who are injured as part of my job as a physical therapist. I can usually tell who will succeed in recovering pretty soon after meeting them. I’m lucky that I get to work with a lot of ... Continue Reading
6 Daily Practices for Learning to Love Your Body and Your Self
<strong">I’ve suffered from body dysmorphia since I was a young girl. Though I used to compete in fitness competitions, train twice a day, look “great” in a swimsuit, and eat only my non-GMO, ... Continue Reading
Study Gives Tips for Healthy Habit Formation in Kids (and Adults)
If we could master turning our healthy goals into ironclad habits – habit defined as “a learned process that generates automatic responses to contextual cues” – we might just achieve the pinnacle of ... Continue Reading
Powerlifting Meet Preparation: Practicing Commands (Athlete Journal 8)
Crunch time! This was my last week of training, and the focus was on hitting my commands and picking out my attempts. Practicing your commands is huge. How would you like to hit a personal record on ... Continue Reading
Tips for Staying Healthy While Visiting Loved Ones in the Hospital
For the past two weeks, I’ve been unfortunate enough to spend a lot of time in the ICU and rehab visiting my dad. The experience has made me realize that when you’re surrounded by sick people, you’ve got ... Continue Reading
The 5 Most Important Words for Succeeding in Fitness
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by humanity.” - Rudyard Kipling For years I had the word confidence taped to my bathroom mirror. The word served as a reminder to believe in myself. ... Continue Reading
A Simple Guide to Periodization for Strength Training
Give two athletes of the same sport the same task. One athlete may be able to repeat this task again and again without issue. The other may be unable to complete this task even once. The concept of ... Continue Reading
Strongman Profile: Otto Arco Teaches Us About Muscle Control Techniques
Otto Arco was a Polish strongman and wrestling champion. Born in 1881 as Otto Nowosielsky, he didn’t have the typical strongman profile. He was only 5’2” and 138lbs. But he was still considered one of the ... Continue Reading
The 5 Training Mistakes You Need to Avoid After 35
Aging, if done correctly, is full of beauty, comedy, wisdom and enlightenment. It’s a great ride with plenty of ups and downs. You can save yourself years of trouble, pain, and calamity by accepting that ... Continue Reading
School Isn’t Just for the Mind – It’s Also for the Body
A school is supposed to nourish a student in every way: intellectually, socially, morally, and, of course, physically. But all signs in this modern society point to how caretakers in the education field ... Continue Reading
Tournament Training Week (Athlete Journal 58)
I survived the stress of school and the Halloween party, which let me focus on getting ready for my tournament this weekend. A Lighter Week Last week was definitely a tough one, but I got through ... Continue Reading
No Time to Lose Weight? Simple Options for Daily Calorie Burning
When mediocrity is an acceptable thing, it is sad to say that doing something is better than doing nothing. It is now common place to engage in a mostly inactive day that includes lousy food options and ... Continue Reading
You Gotta Want It More Than You Don’t Want It (Athlete Journal 114)
Let’s be honest: when you walk up to a bar loaded with a weight you’ve never lifted before, there’s a big part of you that wants nothing to do with it. After all, the best-case scenario is, lifting ... Continue Reading
Why the Numbers on Weight Machines Are a Lie
For several decades now, the fitness game has been blessed with commercial fitness and “wellness” centers (whatever that means). The first thing you notice when you enter one is an endless supply of ... Continue Reading
Science Tests Methods for Assessing Recovery Needs in Contact Sports
As a coach it can be difficult to assess the recovery needs of athletes, especially for an entire team. A recent BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation study looked at accessible methods for ... Continue Reading
The Om Dilemma: Tips to Make Om-ing Accessible and Relevant
To Om, or not to Om - that is the question. You see the Om symbol on bumper stickers, tank tops, tattoos, paintings, and sculptures, but what exactly is it? Is it a Sanskrit symbol to deify and worship? Is ... Continue Reading
Bright Light Before Bed Leads to Faster Cycle Times
Here is a strange article I came across. No, it’s not about how to adapt a science fiction light energy propulsion system to enable you to cycle faster. But, the article does describes an easy way to save ... Continue Reading
How I Banished Chronic Hip Pain Through Posture Alignment Therapy
When I was 27 years old, I was in a wheelchair for almost a year. I couldn't walk because of an unexpected onset of excruciating pain in my left hip. I never had a fall or an accident. The hip pain just ... Continue Reading
12 Simple Strategies to Boost Your Bench Press (and Save Your Shoulders)
Pretty cool title, right? But surely it can’t be true? Putting kilos on your bench press doesn’t usually mean happy days for your shoulders. How many of you have started to focus efforts on your bench, ... Continue Reading
The 2014 Masters World Championships (Athlete Journal 43)
I went 2-1 at the Masters World Championships on Saturday and earned a bronze medal. I can’t say that I’ve ever worked harder, on and off the mat, or been happier to win bronze. My division was incredibly ... Continue Reading
4 Motivational Lessons Rocky Balboa Can Teach You
Welcome to the Rocky Balboa School of Motivation! Here are four powerful lessons drawn from the life of Rocky Balboa, the ultimate motivational underdog. Each lesson features the message broken down ... Continue Reading
The Single Secret to Becoming a Better Runner
Do you want to know the secret to becoming a better runner? Become more efficient. That’s it. Overly simplified, yes, but that is it. An Example of Excellent Running Technique All that training you ... Continue Reading
10 Tips for Surviving Your First BJJ Class
I remember my first Brazilian jiu jitsu class at Titans Fitness Academy. I was so nervous. I had heard so much about what a competitive team they were and how hard they rolled. I was ... Continue Reading
