Over the last few years as I’ve gotten more and more involved with endurance training and racing, I have heard on single sentence more than any other: “I hate running.” It always makes me think two ... Continue Reading
One Rep Max Tests Shown Accurate and Reliable for Military Personnel
Using a good, old-fashioned strength test is a great way to find out where an athlete stands. Designing the tests, however, is another issue altogether, and was a topic of interest in a recent Journal of ... Continue Reading
Weekly Work-In: Week 8 – Use Visualization to Achieve Your Sports Goals
Many athletes swear by mental imagery as a tool to enhance sports performance. Sports psychology is an expanding field, with new studies coming out each year about the affect of visualization on results. ... Continue Reading
The Trials and Tradeoffs of Being a Competitive Athlete
In 2012, Valerie Worthington shared the story of her road to the Abu Dhabi World Championships and Mundials. Valerie has a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu and has competed in multiple BJJ world ... Continue Reading
The Genie in a Bottle: Anabolic Steroids and Youth Athletes
In 1975, the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, banned the use of anabolic steroids in athletic competition. This move was followed relatively quickly by other major sports organizations. I ... Continue Reading
Power Optimization: Old Time Strongmen
There seems to be different emphases in current training systems as to whether to focus on power optimization or power efficiency. Power optimization is being able to move an (often heavy) object as ... Continue Reading
What Does “Certification” Mean?
One of the most talked about areas in the fitness world today is the certification of trainers. We live in a credentialized world where the public seems to demand that all instructors, regardless of the ... Continue Reading
Everything You Need to Know About the Iliopsoas
The iliopsoas contributes heavily to Olympic lifts and every day activities like walking and running. It also influences our form in many other types of movement, depending on how weak or how tight this ... Continue Reading
You Win Some, and You Lose Some (Athlete Journal Entry 15)
Last Saturday I competed in the New York Open and lost my very first match to a guy who beat me two years ago when we were both blue belts. When I saw who I drew in the first round, I got pretty ... Continue Reading
How Should an Injured Athlete Recover? William Wayland Explains
The past year has been rough for me. From November 2012 until probably September 2013, I had consistent pain from my lower back all the way up my spine to the base of my skull. I tried numerous therapy ... Continue Reading
How to Perfect Your Pre-Race Ritual Before Race Day
The pre-race time is particular for a lot of people. Some eat crazy meals, use specific equipment, or repeat rituals that started when they were kids. Just like a sports fan might wear lucky socks or a ... Continue Reading
The Impending Crisis in Youth Sports
Youth sports programs evolved from the success of adult professional leagues. This is an important distinction. The success of professional football in 1892, for example, led to the advent of youth ... Continue Reading
5 Pieces of CrossFit Gym Etiquette You Need to Know
One of my favorite movies of all time is A Christmas Story. One of the scenes involves Ralphie waiting in line at the mall to see Santa so that he can give him his wish list - a Red Ryder, carbine action, ... Continue Reading
The Paleo f(x) Experience: Food, Fitness, and a Lot of Fun
In an article a few weeks back, Paleo f(x) co-founder Keith Norris described the event as “an experience in every sense of the term.” As I sit in the car on my way back home after three days at the event, ... Continue Reading
How to Manage Pre-Race Anxiety
With less than a week till the Boston Marathon, there’s bound to be a lot of nervous runners out there. If you happen to be one of them (or if you suffer from pre-race anxiety in general), then keep ... Continue Reading
Why Slouching Isn’t The Only Bad Posture
The butt-wink, the slouch, and the rounded back. Snooze. We’ve heard time and time again that these positions are bad. Hopefully, if you haven’t already corrected these dangerous, faulty, and weak (did I ... Continue Reading
I Don’t Do CrossFit Anymore
Some months ago now I severed my last tie with CrossFit. In truth, I haven’t done a CrossFit workout in years. For seven years I worked as the Program Director of CrossFit Los Angeles. A few ... Continue Reading
Advanced Options With the Max Effort Black Box
I guess I’m an awfully good sponge. I absorb ideas from every course I can, and put them to practical use. Then I improve them until they become of some value. The ideas which I use are mostly the ideas of ... Continue Reading
3 Ways to Vary The Kettlebell Snatch Test for All Around Fitness
The kettlebell snatch is fairly technical, but not nearly as much as the Olympic lifting counterpart. If you know how to swing a kettlebell, then the snatch is all built off of that foundation. But this ... Continue Reading
The 4-Week Stronger-Than-Ever Weightlifting Program
I turn 32 in the coming days. Wait one second, let me read that again. Just had to check for a second. That is a true statement, but one that is hard for me to believe. I turn 32, but I am stronger than I ... Continue Reading
Competition and Motivation: Two Essentials for the Athlete
Ask any athlete and they will tell you of the benefits of competition. Ask any businessman and you'll probably hear the same. Athletes are highly sought after people in the business world because they ... Continue Reading
You Either Win, Or You Learn (Athlete Journal 28)
I woke up in a hotel in Mansfield, Massachusetts on April 5, 2014. The time was around 6am. The previous night was rough, considering I was still coming off of my cough. I remember waking up two or three ... Continue Reading
A Flow Chart for Determining the Value of Your Training
Wondering if what you're doing is worth your time, effort, and money? The following flow chart should assist you in determining the value of any training activity. It is based on my five-part series on ... Continue Reading
Everybody Hates the Ergometer
It’s true. World-class rowers, CrossFitters, and everyday gym-goers. Everybody hates the ergometer. But, in actuality, rowing has amazing benefits for athletes and fitness enthusiasts of all ... Continue Reading
