I see a lot of confusion among martial arts students when it comes to stepping into the weight room. There is nothing wrong with having no idea what to do - fighters are taught how to beat people and break ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Jess Papi, Entry 22 – 3/1/2014
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of Jess Papi. Jess is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, ... Continue Reading
10 Pieces on Kids’ Nutrition and Childhood Obesity
As a whole, the issue of childhood obesity isn't getting any better. Which is why when it comes to kids' nutrition, it is important that we seek knowledge from reliable sources in order to give our ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Charles Staley, Entry 79 – Turning Up the Volume
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ever wonder how a world-class coach actually trains? Wonder what it's like to train as a "mature athlete?" Welcome to the athlete journal of Charles Staley. A big believer in practicing what ... Continue Reading
Tabata Intervals: A Simple and Effective Protocol For Cyclists and Endurance Athletes
The recent interest in high-intensity interval training has seen the term Tabata applied to many different exercise regimens, but did you know that one of the original studies was performed on a bicycle? ... Continue Reading
The Value of the Get Up: Broken Down Into 6 Pieces
If you haven’t heard of the get up yet you must have been living under a rock. From rehab trainers to NFL teams seeking fractions of gains in performance, it seems that everyone has realized what a great ... Continue Reading
Does Police Training Need a Facelift?
Police officers have a tough job. From pushing cars to chasing suspects, to crawling, carrying, and jumping while on the job, the work can be physically trying, to say the least. For police and public ... Continue Reading
How to Strengthen the Abductors and Adductors for Hockey
Click Here to Try Our Free Hockey Workouts Hockey players, pound for pound, are some of the toughest athletes in the world. But no athlete is bulletproof. These days, the game is faster and the ... Continue Reading
Weekly Work-In: Week 1 – Create a Simple Daily Ritual for Body and Mind
I spent the better part of twenty years in a gym or on a soccer field in pursuit of health before I hit the yoga mat for the first time. It was only then, when I finally started to "work-in" rather than ... Continue Reading
For CrossFitters: 7 Strategies for Success in Your First Olympic Weightlifting Meet
With the popularity of CrossFit and its extensive use of the Olympic lifts in their workouts, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of CrossFitters who have decided to enter into ... Continue Reading
The 6 Main Types of Strongman Events (and How to Train For Them in the Gym)
When people ask me what strongman is, my reply tends to vary depending on who I’m talking to. It’s a brilliantly effective aspect of strength training, but my mum isn’t going to understand that. When ... Continue Reading
Use the FMS to Assess Mobility, Not Performance
The Functional Movement Screen, or FMS, is a tool I and many coaches utilize to improve the health of our clients. Lack of function alone may account for a huge proportion of injuries and pain that ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: James Kearns, Entry 8 – 2/26/2014
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of James Kearns. James is an active Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor and also trains and competes in Olympic weightlifting.Follow his journals here every ... Continue Reading
The 3 Most Valuable Lessons a Young Athlete Can Learn From the Olympics
Winter Olympics, Sochi, 2014. Olympic inspirations. Olympic hopes. Olympic dreams. For young athletes, the Olympic Games can represent their future hopes and dreams. The inspirational background stories of ... Continue Reading
What You Need to Know About Buying Running Shoes
A running shoe can be broken down into a few component parts. There are more and more bells and whistles appearing on shoes these days, but the basic parts remain the same. A running shoe ... Continue Reading
What Makes a CrossFit Box a Home?
I got back to my roots last weekend. I had the opportunity to fly to Allen, Texas to put on a seminar called Taking CrossFit to the Next Level for the great people at CrossFit Ammo. While I was there, I ... Continue Reading
More Fatigue Does Not Make More Muscle
Working to repeated muscular failure has long been a popular form of gym exercise, but its fame may not be warranted. Despite controversy over its effectiveness, the practice of extreme workouts in the gym ... Continue Reading
6 Sports for Kids Who Aren’t “Sporty”
I will never cease to be amazed by the differences in my three childrens’ personalities. Their uniqueness has been evident even since they were babies. For example, as an infant my oldest daughter was ... Continue Reading
Weightlifting and Figure Skating: An Odd Fit? Or Are All Olympians Doing It?
Many Breaking Muscle readers have taken to watching the Winter Olympic Games from Sochi this month. During the broadcast, several product advertisements or feature stories have highlighted America’s finest ... Continue Reading
How Living, Working, and Training in the Wild Made Me Evolve
In the spring of 2007, I received word that I had landed a summer position as a wilderness ranger in California’s Sequoia National Forest. I was also playing the best lacrosse of my life for Georgetown ... Continue Reading
Why Distance Coaching Doesn’t Work for Olympic Weightlifting
Recently I've been getting inquiries about the possibility of my doing distance coaching. I have to admit that I'm not quite sure what this entails. I followed up with one individual and he was interested ... Continue Reading
Kids Who Lift Weights Are Better at Soccer
Youth soccer is firmly entrenched in American culture. It has a coveted spot somewhere between apple pie, the Fourth of July, and cable news channels. Also entrenched in American culture is the idea that ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Terry Hadlow, Entry 18 – 2/24/2014
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of Terry Hadlow. Terry got started in Olympic weightlifting in 1970 and is the only Canadian to have competed in senior nationals in five different decades - ... Continue Reading
Go Run Up a Wall! How to Do a Parkour Wall Run
At 5’9” with a weight of 168 lbs, I have an average adult male build. Without having formally measured it, let’s guesstimate that I have a vertical reach of seven feet and my standing vertical jump is 24. ... Continue Reading
