As a longtime coach of combat athletes and also a researcher, I’ve found myself frequently frustrated over the years with a certain trend among MMA coaches. A lot of coaches out there believe MMA is a ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Chris Duffin, Entry 61 – Just For Fun
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
How to Train BJJ or MMA and Still Look Good in Everyday Life
When I walk out of Titans Fitness Academy after Brazilian jiu jitsu class, I don’t want to look as though I’ve just been in a fight. I want to look like a girl again. I want my nail polish to look fresh ... Continue Reading
4 Steps to Achieve a Fast Fat Revolution
In high school, I was what you would call “skinny fat.” It seemed like no matter what I did, my arms would not grow bigger and I was never lean enough to have visible abs. Looking back on this, I realize ... Continue Reading
Psychology in the Weightlifting Arena (Part 1 of a Series)
Weightlifting is all about doing something that you could not do before. If you asked almost any layperson who has never trained before, male or female, to lift a 135-pound barbell to arms length they ... Continue Reading
The 6 Steps to Building Mental Toughness
What is it that makes some able to grit their teeth and hammer through the final painful moments of a session but sees others crumble and fail? The expression, “It’s not about the size of the dog in the ... Continue Reading
Exercise Reduces Growth of Prostate Cancer
One of the major goals of exercise is to improve health. However, often enough the potential for harm from exercise is put into question, and sometimes for good reason. Be it the link between cycling and ... Continue Reading
How to Properly Order Exercises in Your Weightlifting Session
The topic of exercise order is a topic not frequently discussed outside of the circle of veteran coaches, but it is a factor that can have significant effects on the training of athletes. I often run ... Continue Reading
What All Athletes Can Learn From the 2013 CrossFit Games
The 2013 CrossFit Games came to a close this past Sunday evening, and we just watched the third straight victory for Rich Froning, among countless other victories that occurred over the course of the ... Continue Reading
Shimmy Shimmy: How to Do 2 Beginner Parkour Arm Traverses
Any chance you saw the 2010 movie Cop Out, with Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis? Personally, I don’t recall it as too memorable, except that it has one of my favorite mainstream parkour references. After ... Continue Reading
What Can Buddhism Teach Us About Our Fitness Journey?
As I was watching a video the other night, I was struck by something the person being interviewed said: “There is nothing that does not grow easier with familiarity.” This quote was referring to facing the ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Andrew Read – Spartan Race Training, Entry 3
Click here to read other journal entries and articles by Andrew Read, and look for his new journals as he trains for not one but TWO back-to-back Spartan Races - the Spartan Beast and the Spartan Ultra ... Continue Reading
How to Train Strength for Closed Guard, Open Guard, and Passing the Guard
In every major sport, a strength coach will spend hours designing programs that are sport and position specific. An offensive lineman and a running back have different requirements based on the position ... Continue Reading
Male Body Image and the Pressure to Use Steroids
Poor body image and self-esteem issues are problems we usually associate with ladies, right? I have yet to see a man post a Facebook status complaining about how fat his butt looks or lamenting his lack of ... Continue Reading
Can the Treadmill Ruin Your Running Form?
On a rainy day (or up here in the north, a snowy or icy day), many athletes and coaches have wondered if treadmill running is a good replacement for road or trail work. For people with general fitness ... Continue Reading
Sunday Seven: The Week’s 7 Most Popular Articles, Vol. 69
Every Sunday we post the "Sunday Seven" so you can quickly see the 7 most popular articles of the week. This week's most popular posts cover pull ups, supplements, testosterone levels, libido, ... Continue Reading
The Ultimate Fitness Recap: Over 600 Must-Read Articles
Every Saturday we post a recap on all kinds of fitness topics. If you've missed out, here are over 70 recaps from the last year on EVERYTHING, from coaching, to gender issues, to food. Multiply that by the ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Charles Staley, Entry 52 – Soviet Training Cycle
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
Dear Dad: What I Wish Every Cop Could Learn From You
Dear Dad, I want to write this to you to show my gratitude for everything you’ve done and to inspire your fellow police officers to take a step back and smell the coffee, no pun intended. It ... Continue Reading
Everything Is a Plank (If You’re Doing It Right, That Is)
Have you ever wondered why so many great minds think core training is so important? But while they might think the core is important, they disagree on how to work it. In one corner of the exercise ... Continue Reading
Why I Don’t Teach Yoga to Athletes
A year ago, I made the mistake of joining the team at a CrossFit gym and teaching yoga to athletes. I should have been teaching yoga for athletes. There is a big distinction. Would you take a ... Continue Reading
The Top 5 Benefits of Muay Thai
The other day I was training one of my clients who has dabbled in martial arts and boxing for years. At the end of our session he asked me what I believed to be the benefits of doing muay Thai. It’s a very ... Continue Reading
Why Pukie the Clown Isn’t Funny
... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Chris Duffin, Entry 60 – Bottoms Up
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
