Functional fitness is one of the biggest phrases right now in the fitness industry. It is defined differently by kettlebell users, CrossFit coaches, FMS trainers, and many other fitness professionals. I ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Pat McCarty, Entry 7 – 4/10/2014
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
The Problem Is You: Time to Face Your Weaknesses
I hate when people ask me questions like, “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only do one exercise, which would it be?” In my head I am always thinking that between spending all day long ... Continue Reading
Analyzing a Weightlifter: Do We Learn Anything From Winning?
Last week I looked at the similarities between accounting and weightlifting. In particular I zeroed in on variance analysis in regard to performance analysis. As with accounting I noted that most variances ... Continue Reading
Light Cardio Warm Up Best Before Strength Work
Most people who have been exercising for a while have a preferred warm up ritual. Sometimes this ritual is so ingrained that a lifter will get totally thrown off if the warm up changes at all. Some of this ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Chris Duffin, Entry 46 – No Squatting This Week
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
The Very Real Dangers of Pushing Kids Too Hard
It was a terrible and unnecessary event that occurred to Arielle Newman, the young track star who died suddenly back in April 2009 from absorbing lethal levels of methyl salicylate. Methyl salicylate is a ... Continue Reading
Exercise After a C-Section, Part 1: Reconnecting With Your Core
I'll never forget the first time I tried to stand up after my first c-section. After three days of lying around in bed with ibuprofen to keep me from feeling the chasm in my abdomen, I was ready. After the ... Continue Reading
The Life Changing Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
A few weeks ago a reporter from the local newspaper came to Titans MMA where I train Brazilian jiu jitsu to write an article about our women’s BJJ class. It’s mentioned in the article that I started BJJ ... Continue Reading
Why I Trust My CrossFit Coach Not to Hurt Me
This is a rebuttal to Josh Bunch's article, It's CrossFit and It's Going to Hurt: I still remember the day my CrossFit coach yelled at me to quit. Twice. We’d spent the first part of the workout testing ... Continue Reading
Listening to Music Enhances Post Workout Recovery
Apparently we all love to listen to tunes in the gym for a reason. It’s because music can improve your recovery from intense exercise. So says a new study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning ... Continue Reading
Respect the Rower: An Argument for the Ergometer
Part of a training I went through last year included instruction on the Indo-Row WaterRower. “You gotta respect the rower,” the instructor said to me at the training. After several attempts at getting my ... Continue Reading
8 Commercial Gym-Friendly Exercises To Increase Your Athleticism
As a coach who works pre-dominantly out of commercial gym, I get a wide variety of clients, who come with a wide variety of goals. These goals vary from being more athletic, to looking better naked, and ... Continue Reading
Pushing the Limits: Wrestling With Fitness (Book Excerpt)
The following in an excerpt from Al Kavadlo's book "Pushing the Limits": Wrestling with Fitness As a kid, I was a huge pro wrestling fan. There is just something magical about watching ... Continue Reading
Sunday Seven: The Week’s 7 Most Popular Articles, Vol. 53
Every Sunday we post the "Sunday Seven" so you can quickly see the 7 most popular articles of the week. This week's top posts cover everything from grappling, to CrossFit, to Tough Mudder training, to ... Continue Reading
From the Experts: How to Attract and Retain Women in BJJ
A few weeks ago, my editor Becca told me that fellow Breaking Muscle contributor Sally Arsenault wondered if I’d be willing to write a story about how to attract women to BJJ and how to keep them there ... Continue Reading
7 Articles for CrossFit Coaches
Coaching CrossFit might seem straightforward, but there are actually a lot of different perspectives as to what makes a successful coach. How far should you push your clients? How do you accommodate the ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Julie Warren, Entry 15 – Rest and Recovery
EDITOR'S NOTE: Along with Andrew Read and Narisa Wild, Julie Warren will be sharing her training experiences for upcoming endurance challenges. Follow Julie as she prepares for her next adventure - the ... Continue Reading
The Relationship Between Menstrual Cycle and Knee Injuries
A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is among the most debilitating injuries an athlete can suffer. It requires surgical intervention and lengthy rehabilitation, significantly affecting both athletic ... Continue Reading
Suits, Shirts, Wraps, and Sleeves: A Quick Tutorial on Powerlifting Gear
Because weight lifting is such a strenuous sport, powerlifters and bodybuilders often use special wraps and uniforms for support. Pushing heavy weight puts a tremendous amount of pressure on your body's ... Continue Reading
How to Practice Safe Yoga
Think back to your sex education class in elementary school and the push for “safe sex.” Well, that’s exactly what I’m advocating here, except we’re talking about yoga. I am adamant about not forcing a ... Continue Reading
5 Tips for Successfully Popping Your Triathlon Race Cherry
Triathlon is the fastest growing sport in the world for many reasons. For me, the most obvious of these reasons is its inclusive nature. There are not many sports in the world where you share the exact ... Continue Reading
Motivational Coaching Increases Exercise Compliance
One aspect of exercise and sport science that needs ever more attention is the area of motivation and compliance. Just getting the work in is the most important part of exercise. I dare say, even more ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Ruth Anderson Horrell, Entry 5 – 4/4/2013
EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of Ruth Anderson Horrell, which will be posted every Wednesday. Hailing from New Zealand, Ruth competed in the 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Games and hopes to do the ... Continue Reading
