Understanding the New Certification Levels This month CrossFit HQ unveiled a new structure for trainer certification. Here is an outline of how the new certs work. CF-L1 - "The Level 1 is the ... Continue Reading
Mobility Work: You’re Doing It Wrong (and Too Long)
A powerlifting buddy of mine once asked me what corrective exercises and mobility stuff I do on the regular. I shrugged. I have a confession to make: I don’t do a lot of mobility work. I know, I ... Continue Reading
A New Approach to Fitness for Golfers: 12-Week Workout Program
Click Here to Get Started With the Golf Fitness Program! Golfers often seek to improve their game by buying new equipment, playing more golf, or taking lessons. Although these are some possible solutions, ... Continue Reading
The Life-or-Death Reason Kids Need to Learn to Fail
I always hated the Presidential Physical Fitness Tests in school. The battery of tests was no big deal if you happened to be a fit and lean kid, but for a guy nicknamed ‘”Truck,” the annual fitness testing ... Continue Reading
Why Does BJJ Make Me So Tired?
Ever step on the mat after taking some time off and think to yourself, “It’s only been a week, why am I so tired?” Or thought you would be in better shape your first day back at the academy because you got ... Continue Reading
Got Wrist Pain? How to Identify and Avoid Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
As an orthopedic hand and wrist surgeon, I have the opportunity to take care of a wide variety of athletes from various realms of competition. Recently, I have noticed a trend among my patients, primarily ... Continue Reading
Thank You for Making the World Less Stupid
So many people are afraid to speak their mind for fear they might be wrong. We don't have that problem here at Breaking Muscle. Our coaches speak their minds, writes their minds, and act their minds on a ... Continue Reading
The No-Excuse Workout for Fire, LEO, and Military
Sometimes with just a couple of minutes to spare before, during, or after your shift, you have a decision to make: get a quick workout in or reach for the refrigerator. Not only will this workout rid all ... Continue Reading
One of My Best Tournaments Yet (Athlete Journal 43)
Whenever there is a tournament in New York City, my teammates and I always stay at the same hotel. It’s nice having a familiar place to sleep the night before competing. It’s also nice knowing exactly how ... Continue Reading
The Lazy Person’s Workout Guide
This discussion should be avoided like the swine flu by those hardcore, go-for-the-throat-mentality trainees who actually need restraint in their training. This is intended for those who want results, but ... Continue Reading
3 Lessons We Can All Learn From the CrossFit Games
I am guilty of seeing everything in life as a learning experience. The CrossFit Games is no exception. When I watch the men and women compete at the Games, I am observing, soaking it in, enjoying the ... Continue Reading
A Lesson in Study Design (and the Bench Press)
The whole point of hitting the gym is what is sometimes called super compensation. The act of breaking down the body is only useful if it comes back stronger than before, and if you time it just right, the ... Continue Reading
What Have You Done For Me Lately? (Athlete Journal 100)
The title of this week’s blog comes from a former coach of mine. He’d always bring it up whenever I referenced a relatively old personal record (PR), and his point was, in essence, that you’re only as good ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Games 2014 Workout Analysis: Individual Workouts
The 2014 CrossFit Games are well under way! In order to help you all join in this annual celebration of CrossFit, we are analyizing the WODs and giving tips on how to approach them. We'll be issuing a ... Continue Reading
A CrossFit Games History Lesson
So you think you know CrossFit, eh? Do you know the history of the games and how it all started on Dave Castro's family farm in Northern California? Here's a brief history of the CrossFit Games that will ... Continue Reading
Fitness at 40: How to Train Hard and Play Smart
During the most recent episode of Breaking Muscle Radio I was asked by the editor of Breaking Muscle what I thought was possible for a forty-plus aged athlete. Given she is soon to cross the barrier of the ... Continue Reading
A Closer Look at the Role of Mitochondria in Athletes
Any athlete and coach who has ever taken a biology class will find themselves immediately drawn to the mitochondria. This little dynamo inside your cells is responsible for aerobic energy production, which ... Continue Reading
Is Weightlifting a Team Sport or an Individual Effort?
Recently, I got into a discussion with some of our local weightlifting administrators as to whether weightlifting is or is not a team sport. It is easy for the pros of this argument to cite the team ... Continue Reading
5 Essential Points of Preparation for Your Triathlon Swim
Click Here to Start Our Free Triathlon Training Program You signed up for a triathlon - congratulations! Whether you signed up for your first sprint triathlon or your tenth Ironman, you need to train ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Games 2014 Workout Analysis: Team Workouts
In order to help you all join in this annual celebration of CrossFit, we are analyizing the WODs and giving tips on how to approach them. We'll be issuing a challenge or two, as well! Today we bring you ... Continue Reading
The Art of Heavy Lifting Without Overtraining
Three years ago I started training for a strength goal called the Iron Maiden Challenge - a weighted pull up, a military press, and a pistol squat all with a 24kg (~53lbs) kettlebell. By training for this ... Continue Reading
6 Practical Tips for Prioritizing Quality in CrossFit
So you have been doing CrossFit for some time now, and you have made noticeable gains in your fitness. That is great! Now, you should take some time to stop what you are doing and reflect on how incredible ... Continue Reading
Tournament Preparation Pays Off (Athlete Journal 29)
Thirteen weeks of traveling, rolling, drilling, dieting, and killing my strength and conditioning program all came together on Saturday. I went 3-0 and won the New York Summer Open Masters Purple Belt, ... Continue Reading
My Case for Women Only Beginner BJJ Classes
Personally, I can’t say that if I could go back in time, I would choose to start BJJ in a women-only beginner class over a co-ed class, but I think I would strongly lean towards it. I had some shitty ... Continue Reading
