When you are choosing a new program, what do you base your decision on? I’m going to bet your first answer to that will involve some variation of whether the program helps you to achieve your ... Continue Reading
Use Exercise Order, Rest Intervals, and Cardio for Hypertrophy
I’ve been a big proponent of using long rest intervals for hypertrophy for some time now, and research continues to support this practice. Another common question many athletes and coaches pose is how ... Continue Reading
5 Lessons to Guarantee BJJ Tournament Success
James Kearns started his athlete journal with us in January, 2014. Since then, he has competed in eight tournaments, battled staph infections and an injury, and won three gold medals. Things are getting ... Continue Reading
Kailin Curran and the New UFC Women’s Strawweight Division
MMA fans are very familiar, by now, with the story of how UFC President Dana White said there would never be women fighting in the Octagon. Then he met Ronda Rousey and the rest is history. Rousey ... Continue Reading
This Is Fitness: Move Beyond Instinct and Get Uncomfortable
What are you made of? Why are you here, and when it comes to your fitness, why do you do what it is you do? These are questions we should always be asking ourselves, especially when it comes to our ... Continue Reading
3 Kettlebell Workouts and How to Plan Your Week
Designing your own workouts can be quite a challenge. Even the most experienced exerciser who has a clear understanding of how to properly execute a variety of exercises can struggle with laying out a ... Continue Reading
Victory at the Boston Summer Open (Athlete Journal 34)
On Saturday I competed in the Boston Summer Open. What started out as an unbelievably disappointing day turned out to be one of the most satisfying and exciting tournaments I have ever competed in. ... Continue Reading
Fun, Fitness, and Play with Darryl Edwards, Ep 4
In this episode our hosts, Managing Editor Becca Borawski Jenkins and Coach Nicole Crawford, speak with Darryl Edwards - known as The Fitness Explorer. Darryl is a blogger, international speaker, ... Continue Reading
Lifting Headaches: How to Spot, Avoid, and Remedy Them
Planning is important for many aspects of life. Unfortunately there always exist a variety of obstacles the sole purpose of which seems to be the derailment of said plans. I had a whole article ... Continue Reading
Bigger Is Not Better: How Bodyweight and Size Affect Field Sports
It’s always good to know what attributes to work on the most in order to improve performance. In a recent Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study, investigators sought to find associations ... Continue Reading
Are You Training? Or Are You Just Showing Up?
Two students start training Brazilian jiu jitsu at the same time. One student attends class because that is what he or she thinks needs to be done. The other student shows up to the gym ready to train. ... Continue Reading
Unilateral Leg Training, Part 3: 7 Key Practical Strategies
Now that everyone is utilizing single-leg training, surely they have figured it out. But I suggest not. As I outlined in part two Challenging The Overreaction, there are many ways that the majority are ... Continue Reading
Guilty! 5 BJJ Photo Crimes You Will Recognize
Nothing is safe from immortalization in picture or video. I have seen more Facebook photos, Instagrams, Snapchats, Vines, and tweets than I can count of my friends’ vacation adventures, parties, pets, ... Continue Reading
Want to Get Stronger? Here’s a Year of Free Strongman Workouts
Feats of strength have been the subject of human admiration since the dawn of time. Long before there were deadlift numbers and clean and jerk records, there was that other kind of strength - the strength ... Continue Reading
5 Tips for Achieving Your Goal Physique
Admit it. Most of us seek a better physique. Maybe you’re already there and satisfied. If so, read what follows to validate what you did to get there. It will reinforce what you’ll need to keep doing to ... Continue Reading
Coaching Kids Will Brighten Up Your Week (Athlete Journal 47)
I was so ready to get back to training this week and go ham, but I’m still having trouble with my elbow. I was able to practice the moves and roll, but I couldn’t go as hard as I wanted to. On the bright ... Continue Reading
Everything You Need to Know to Do a Perfect Pistol
When you see a pistol done well, it looks so easy. Then you try one. To help you perform a perfect pistol, we've put together all the videos on the topic from our expert coaches. Watch these video, ... Continue Reading
Focus On Effort, Not Results (Athlete Journal 104)
If you care about your lifting, it’s only natural to focus intently on the results of your efforts. There’s an intrinsic problem to this, however. Caring too much about the result of your effort can ... Continue Reading
17 Tips for Getting Better at Rowing
Years ago when I first started training in CrossFit, I hated rowing. In actuality I just didn’t know how to do it correctly, so I was horribly inefficient and, therefore, unhappy with both my experience of ... Continue Reading
Curls Get the Girls: How to Build a Better Arm Workout
Bodybuilding has gotten a bad rap over the last few years as “functional fitness” has become the new trend. While full-body exercises like the squat, clean, and deadlift should form the basis of much of ... Continue Reading
How to Analyze Which of Your Lifts Need Attention
Last week we looked at an overview of volume or tonnage calculation in analyzing your training load. This week we take a look at how that figure can be broken down and analyzed further. It is one thing to ... Continue Reading
Why All Swim Coaches Should Coach a Kids Camp
This week I am in the process of helping coach a youth triathlon camp. We work on swimming, cycling, and running skills, and I’ve been working with a group of twenty kids to help them succeed in these ... Continue Reading
Unstable Surface Training Is Only for the Injured or Deconditioned
For the average trainee, unstable surface training might not be the best idea. However, it does have a place in rehab and training beginners. A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning ... Continue Reading
It’s Tournament Time (Athlete Journal 33)
For the eighth time this year, it’s tournament time. Even though I’ve been competing so much this year, it’s always a little more exciting going to a larger event like the IBJJF Boston Summer Open. It’s ... Continue Reading
