I recently moved and started working in a new physical therapy office. Lucky for business, my new office is in the same complex as a CrossFit gym. Initially, I determined that this particular gym must be ... Continue Reading
The Bench Press Is a Pull: 5 Cues You Might Be Missing
The bench press is like the Cinderella of the powerlifts. The squat and the deadlift tend to be like Cinderella’s domineering sisters, who get all the attention, while the bench press is left in the corner ... Continue Reading
Science Says YouTube Can Make You a Better Athlete
Some athletes use visualization to help them win, but you can also use it to help you learn. If you can visualize a movement, the same parts of the brain get activated just by thinking about performing an ... Continue Reading
How to Move Up in Weight and Use Bigger Kettlebells
Imagine I offered to pay you 25% more for the same job you’re doing right now? Do you think that would make a noticeable difference in your life? But that’s probably not a likely scenario, right? The way ... Continue Reading
The Sumo Deadlift High Pull Is Stupid
On April 23, 1985, the Coca Cola Corporation introduced New Coke. Banking on some sketchy market research and blind taste tests, the makers of New Coke launched their product onto the market and were ... Continue Reading
How Heat and Gender Affect Running Performance
Pacing is one of the keys to successful running. Simply put, pacing is the ability to independently maintain a particular velocity. I say independently because a lot of runners set their pace based on ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Chris Duffin, Entry 75 – Getting Faster
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the Athlete Journal of world champion powerlifter Chris Duffin. Follow Chris as he trains and competes in various events over the coming year. Chris's journal will be posted every ... Continue Reading
Trusting the Process: 10 Reasons We Should Enjoy the Journey and Stop Worrying About the Outcome
When it comes to goal setting, two of the most common approaches are creating process-oriented goals or outcome-oriented goals. While outcome-based goals tend to have a definite endpoint, such as reaching ... Continue Reading
The Police Physical Ability Test: Would You Meet the Requirements?
Whether you’re protecting the streets of Compton or an affluent community in Beverly Hills, as a police officer one thing is certain: shit can hit the fan. While the frequency and the severity of crimes ... Continue Reading
Hey, Protein Powder Boy – Suck It Up and Work Harder!
Hey, protein powder boy, still struggling to figure out why you have shapeless sausage arms? It’s because you spend too much time reading about how to build bigger arms and not enough time busting your ... Continue Reading
The Neurological Benefits of Clean and Snatch Complexes
What is a clean and snatch complex? Essentially, it’s the breakdown of these Olympic lifting movements into individual lifts. It is broken down in order to properly build each section of the complete lift. ... Continue Reading
Plyometrics: How Much Is Enough?
Plyometrics is the use of explosive movements to train speed and power. Plyometric exercises such as jumping are valuable to athletes because they improve strength, jump height, and sprinting ability. But ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Terry Hadlow, Entry 3 – 11/4/2013
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
When You Train and What It Might Mean About You and Your Exercise
Back in the day, I used to come home from the boxing gym after sparring and then go on a night run at nine or ten o’clock. After sparring, it takes a while to come down from all of that adrenaline and ... Continue Reading
How Bad Posture Can Ruin Your BJJ Game and 3 Drills to Fix It
You’re in the finals of the biggest tournament in which you have ever participated. The score is tied with thirty seconds left. You find yourself stuck in closed guard on the top. Suddenly you get swept, ... Continue Reading
What Really Causes Irregular Menstrual Cycles in Female Athletes?
Nearly all of us have heard of the Female Athlete Triad, and if you haven’t, I’ll give you the shortest possible synopsis of the problem. Nearly all of us have heard of the Female Athlete ... Continue Reading
No Sex Before Competition? The Medicine Behind the Myth
Being an MMA fighter leads to having a lot of interesting conversations. I remember clearly sitting my wife down (this was when we were still dating) and having a talk with her about what would transpire ... Continue Reading
How Timing and Temperature Affect Your Warm Up
Every athlete in every discipline knows the importance of warming up. A good warm up doesn’t just help to keep you safe from injury - it also improves performance. So getting in a good warm up is a ... Continue Reading
Sunday Seven: The Week’s 7 Most Popular Articles, Vol. 83
Every Sunday we post the "Sunday Seven" so you can quickly see the seven most popular articles of the week. This week's most popular posts cover "tough love" coaching, CrossFit competitions, gymnastics ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Jess Papi, Entry 5 – 11/2/2013
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
Do Similar Exercises and Drills Transfer to Specific Sport Skills?
Here we go again: another attempt to see if almost similar (sort of similar?) exercises and drills can transfer to specific sport skills and actually be effective. In this case it was a study performed in ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Charles Staley, Entry 64 – Mobility Work
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
Creating and Maintaining a Daily Regimen for Increased Performance
We have cones, or color receptors, in our eyes. This is a dead giveaway that we evolved as creatures active in the daylight. It also means we are sensitive to the daily rhythms of light and darkness, also ... Continue Reading
Run Further, But Hurt Less? Reduced Muscle Damage Seen in Ultramarathons
The growing popularity of ultramarathons has created a new opportunity for researchers, giving them access to a pool of subjects willing to push the limits of human performance under conditions of extreme ... Continue Reading
