One of the things that annoys me the most is watching people use tools poorly. We’ve all got friends who seem to be all thumbs and will suddenly just start trying to hit a nail into place with a ... Continue Reading
Why Every Muay Thai Fighter Should Study Boxing
Regardless of what you do, sooner or later everyone is bound to hit a plateau. For an athlete, plateaus can be sticky and annoying places that seem to hold you there no matter how much you struggle to ... Continue Reading
Being Present: How to Give Yourself the Best Present Ever
One of the many gifts BJJ has given me is the capacity to be completely and utterly present. When I’m training, whether preparing for class, troubleshooting and drilling with teammates, taking in ... Continue Reading
144lbs: Why Female Athletes Should Toss the Scale and Get a New Perspective
It was the summer of 1987. I was twelve, we had just moved to a new town, and I was about to start eighth grade. I was babysitting for a new neighbor and they had a scale in their bathroom. We never had a ... Continue Reading
Take the Red Pill: What the Matrix Can Teach Us About Training
The Matrix is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is enjoyable to watch. It is complex in meaning but simple in delivery. It leaves me wanting more. In all these respects, it feels like good coaching ... Continue Reading
Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption: How Important Is It?
For years it seems the usefulness of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC, has been exaggerated. In discussions I have regarding training, EPOC still comes up quite a bit, as though it is some ... Continue Reading
Nature Is the Best Yoga Studio
I don’t know about you, but after the Fourth of July is when it really starts to feel like summer to me. The days are long and warm, the kids are out playing in full force, and the sun is shining most of ... Continue Reading
The Sixth Minute: Why Minimum Effective Dose Doesn’t Work
If, like many people, you’ve read The 4-Hour Body, I have some bad news for you. If you’re after performance MED (Minimum Effective Dose) doesn’t work. I’ve seen it firsthand more times than I can ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Pat McCarty, Entry 19 – Dear Ryan McGrotty: Call Me Old One More Time…I Dare You
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of CrossFit trainer and masters athlete Patrick McCarty. Patrick competed in the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games in the 45-49 age bracket and has his sights set on ... Continue Reading
A Jerk Is a Jerk (and a Press Is a Press)
Some lifts done in the gym can easily be confused with other movements even though they use entirely different muscles. Overhead presses and jerks are good examples of these. They do bear a superficial ... Continue Reading
Why You Should Ditch Your Heart Rate Monitor and Just Talk
As a coach and a writer I try to find simple but effective methods to teach athletes and arm them with information. You need accurate information in order to record data. You need to record data if you ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Chris Duffin, Entry 58 – 650×6 Dimels
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
Chicking: How Women Are Leaving Men in Their Cycling Dust
Whilst having a conversation with another male cyclist recently about the state someone had left their legs in post shave, I realized that this was not a normal conversation for two grown men to have. I ... Continue Reading
Science Says: Your Energy Drink Isn’t Special
Energy drinks are popular sports supplements. More than 70% of athletes report using energy drinks to aid their training. So what is the big deal? How do these energy drinks work? A recent study from the ... Continue Reading
Community-Based Fitness: Turning the Tide Toward Health
At the club where I work, they are expanding and building an extension. The thing that is unique is that this extension isn’t necessarily for the members. It’s a separate entity. The club itself is a ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Better Your Mobility Work
Mobility has been a growing area in fitness for several years now. The main idea behind it is to simply improve your ability to move. By improving your ability to move you'll likely be healthier overall, ... Continue Reading
How to Build Your Athlete’s “Battery”
A colleague of mine attended a conference where a doctor from PhysFarm Training Systems was speaking on the attainment and measurement of data to ensure correct training practices. I have done a ... Continue Reading
Using the Single Leg Squat to Test Leg Health
The single leg squat has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years. It’s an easy exercise to build leg strength that can be done at home with little or no equipment and without a spotter. Exercise ... Continue Reading
Sunday Seven: The Week’s 7 Most Popular Articles, Vol. 66
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 cellulite, inflammation, alignment, pull ups, MovNat, strongman ... Continue Reading
The Dark Teatime of the Roll: When Training Gets Derailed
There are times when my life is absolutely on point. I’m on top of things in my personal and professional arenas, my writing feels effortless, and I am training regularly, frequently, and purposefully. I’m ... Continue Reading
Reality Check: 7 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself About Your Training
You all have goals, but are you optimally achieving them? Is what you do leading to what you want? Are you attempting to get stronger, lose fat, improve your endurance, compete in a particular sport, or ... Continue Reading
A Tribute to the Bicycle: 8 Articles for Cyclists or Aspiring Cyclists
Albert Einstein once said he thought up the theory of relativity while riding a bicycle. Here are eight articles written for other bike lovers out there, whether you ride as part of your sport or for ... Continue Reading
The 4 Steps to Get Your Partner to Love the Gym as Much as You
You bow before the Iron Gods five times a week, forsaking all other commitments in the never-ending pursuit of the pump. Protein shakes are your holy elixir and grilled chicken breasts are your manna, sent ... Continue Reading
How to Reduce Lower Back Pain From Cycling
Back pain can be one of those things that just ruin your enjoyment of anything. It seems that once a person has experienced back pain, it can frequently recur and a number of responses can be adopted such ... Continue Reading
