Athlete Journal, Entry 5 - 4/6/2014 Only three weeks left until my StrongFirst Level 2 certification weekend! March 22nd: Barbell Overhead Press - 115lbs x5 Half Kneeling ... Continue Reading
Are You a Follower of Fitness Dogma or Your Own Perspective?
Does your belief system work for you? By that I mean your fitness belief system, your way of training, what you believe is "right" and "wrong" about exercise and health. How's it working for you? Is ... Continue Reading
Pre-Tournament Taper Week (Athlete Journal 27)
It’s a rough week at school, so I may have to make this entry short and sweet. This week I had two tests and a bunch of homework. I can’t escape it! I also developed a cough since last week, so that’s been ... Continue Reading
Training Activities for Athletes: The Final Steps to Determine Their Value, Part 5
This is the final cut-off point for anything still in question when it comes to training methods and their validity, i.e. if you should be bothering to do them or not. This is the final cut-off ... Continue Reading
Women Are Not Small Men: Essential Info for Female Athletes
Women are unique. So why is it that so many trainers and coaches instruct women as if they were just small men? And the nutrition advice you get about fasting, post-workout meals, and all the ... Continue Reading
High Reps for Hypertrophy (Athlete Journal Entry 84)
Athlete Journal 84: Weekly Volume And Noteworthy Lifts: Volume: 57,280 lbs (Last Week: 30,490 lbs) Cambered Squat: 275x5 Back Extension 140x20 Hip Thrust 455x8 1.5” Deficit Pull ... Continue Reading
Get to It: A Lesson in Positivity Through Fallen Heroes
On Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at around 2:43pm, a fire broke out in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. There, two firefighters would find themselves trapped in the basement of a four-story inferno. Sadly, ... Continue Reading
How to Physically Prepare for the RKC
We all know that the barrier to entry into the fitness industry is small. Unlike a tertiary degree, which may cost you tens of thousands and a few years, obtaining a personal training qualification may ... Continue Reading
Measuring Training Load: What Works? (And What Doesn’t?)
In a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, investigators were out to find good ways for the average exerciser to measure something called internal load. Unlike ... Continue Reading
Weekly Work-In: Week 6 – Getting Past the Ego
One of my teachers, Swami Satyananda, says Rene Descartes got it all wrong when he posited, "I think, therefore I am." This cannot be true in itself, according to Satyananda, because the only way I know "I ... Continue Reading
Intelligent Exercise and Ancestral Wellness at Paleo f(x) 2014
Like many diet newbies, when I first started eating paleo I was a little obsessed with the rules. As time went on, I realized paleo is about much more than following food guidelines. Regardless of the ... Continue Reading
Ultimate Guide for Lean Gains, Part 2: Your Lifting Program
So you nailed your diet. Atta boy. You can thank Eric for that - he’s given you all the tools to pack on lean mass with carb cycling. But now the problem is you need more than a sound eating plan to build ... Continue Reading
Growing Up Private Pyle in a Rambo World
I was mentally screwed up as a child. It was the 1980s, the era of Hulk Hogan, John Rambo, and the Terminator. The good guys were not only lean, but covered in rippling musculature. On the other hand, I ... Continue Reading
Why the Option to Quit Actually Makes Us Work Harder
In 49BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River, which was considered an act of insurrection against Rome. Here he uttered the words, “The die is cast,” to suggest that crossing the river meant there was ... Continue Reading
How to Avoid Blacking Out While Weightlifting
Many weightlifters at one point or another in their careers will experience the phenomenon of "blacking out." This will most likely occur in lifts where the breath is held for a longer than normal time, ... Continue Reading
Mounting Frustration (Athlete Journal Entry 13)
There are a lot of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments coming up. The Boston Open is this week, the New York Open is the week after that, and my frustration is reaching near maximum levels. I can honestly say ... Continue Reading
5 Ways Triathlon Can Increase Your Productivity
Triathlon, or rather endurance training of any sort, can take up a lot of time in your already busy lifestyle. But there are certain lessons we learn in endurance training that can actually help increase ... Continue Reading
Why to Include Weightlifting in Your Warm Ups
Warm up movements are an essential part to any training session for athletes. They prepare the body both mentally and physically for the forthcoming session, reduce the risk of injury, and have been found ... Continue Reading
Facebook: Does It Help or Hurt Your CrossFit Games Open Performance?
Picture this: A CrossFit Games Open workout is announced, and immediately, you take to Facebook and huddle up. Or how about this scenario: Picture this: A CrossFit Games Open workout is ... Continue Reading
HIT or Myth? The Truths and Fallacies of High Intensity
Everyone wants the same thing: maximum results from minimum effort or time expended. It seems that actually working hard consistently is out of fashion. These days it’s all about the minimum effective dose ... Continue Reading
Sleep Quality and Exercise: Are You in the Dark?
When it comes to sleep quality, many people are in the dark. Sleep is as necessary to life as food, water, and air, especially for athletes. In a study this month in the Journal of Strength and ... Continue Reading
Movement, Mobility and CrossFit: A Yoga Teacher’s Perspective
2 Causes of Hip Pain and How to Treat Them: Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome Sciatica and piriformis syndrome are two conditions often presenting with similar symptoms. Here is a guide to the difference ... Continue Reading
180 Free Bodyweight Workouts!
There are enough workouts here to keep you busy for 62 weeks, or 186 workouts - whichever comes first. From mastering pull ups, to improving mobility, to nailing your first one-armed push up, these nine ... Continue Reading
How to Save Your Runner’s High From Becoming a Runner’s Low
Running induces what’s known as the “runner’s high,” brought on supposedly by the release of exercise endorphins that in turn help to improve moods and lead to a general feeling of well-being. A lot of ... Continue Reading
