SATs, GREs, and MCATs have been used as academic standardized testing for almost a century now. These notorious academic tests have been accepted as tools to determine strengths and weaknesses of an ... Continue Reading
The Next Generation of CrossFit: Meet Wonder Kids Kanon and Isaac
In my work as a coach and a competitor, I come across some pretty amazing athletes who impress me and inspire me. But I always am surprised when I come across a child who does and knows more than a lot of ... Continue Reading
Frequency and Volume Correlate to Results in Deployed Soldiers
You’ve seen me report on training frequency and volume before, and you’ll probably see it again. I think these factors are some of the simplest factors in your fitness plan that you can adjust to see ... Continue Reading
Dear Willow: Should I Set My Feet Free and Go Barefoot?
Dear Willow, When I run, should I have active feet? In yoga, active feet support the knees. My knees complain when I run, even a couple miles a few times a week. I wear barefoot running shoes. Any ... Continue Reading
The Daily Pre-Workout “Tune Up” for Your Race Car (Your Body)
Let’s call a spade a spade – you’re a mess. Years of hard training have taken their toll on you. Joints hurt, some parts don’t move like they should, maybe you’ve had surgery and while the pain is gone it ... Continue Reading
The Press-Out Controversy in Olympic Weightlifting
For years Olympic weightlifting people were most desirous of a loosening of the age-old press-out rules requiring that all snatches and jerks be locked-out cleanly and completely. The bar could not be ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Chris Duffin, Entry 39 – How a Powerlifter Recovers From the Flu
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
A Breath of Fresh Air: My Experience at a MovNat Workshop
A few months back we featured Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat, as our featured coach here at Breaking Muscle. Erwan's passion for re-establishing healthy movement habits and building natural strength ... Continue Reading
Fix Your Weak Foundation: Your Ankles
The ankle may be the most ignored joint next to the wrist in terms of athletic performance, flexibility, and injury prevention. Speaking in terms of a structural integrity, the base is the single most ... Continue Reading
Strength Training Is Better Than Soccer for Kids
What is the proper role of strength training in a child’s development? This question can elicit emotionally charged opinions. On one side we have strength training professionals and scientists who have ... Continue Reading
Go Anaerobic: What It Is and Why to Do It
A few years ago I went through a battery of fitness tests. I ran an obstacle course and a mile and half timed run. There was also a one-minute pushup test, a flexibility test, and situp test, as well as a ... Continue Reading
5 Benefits of Proper Programming: Is Your Coach Up to Par?
I cannot tell you how many countless times I have seen trainers and/or coaches scrambling around just minutes before their class(es) start, throwing equipment down(in no particular order), scribbling ... Continue Reading
Treating Cramps and Heavy or Irregular Cycles Without Birth Control
So we’ve covered quite a bit on birth control pills - how they might negatively affect your fitness and body composition goals and what non-hormonal birth control alternatives are available to you. But I ... Continue Reading
Why CrossFit is Exactly What You Need to Get Over a Bad Break-Up
So there you are a newly single girl (or boy) and what are you to do? Maybe you ended it and broke someone’s heart or, as it was for me, you just got your ass dumped. Either way, you feel horribly stuck ... Continue Reading
Conditioning Programs Help Prevent Muscle Damage and Stress
Most athletes and skill coaches agree that there’s a good place for a strength and conditioning program in preparation for sport, but that’s about where the agreement ends. Some people view conditioning ... Continue Reading
Sunday Seven: The Week’s 7 Most Popular Articles, Vol. 46
Every Sunday we post the "Sunday Seven" so you can quickly see the 7 most popular articles of the week. This week's popular articles cover foam rolling, girls and sports, how to gain strength without ... Continue Reading
Athlete Journal: Julie Warren, Entry 9 – Expectation Management
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
Athlete Journal: Charles Staley, Entry 32 – Short and Sweet Training Week
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
Featured Photographer: Neville Palmer – Cowboys and Fighters
Art can be so much more meaningful when you know a little bit more about the person behind it - the eye behind the lens. That's why I periodically profile sports/action photographers and their work. Read ... Continue Reading
Partner Yoga: Connecting and Growing Together
Valentine’s Day always seems to be to be roughly the same Hallmark holiday, filled with flowers, candy, cards, dinner, and maybe a little romance. What if you tried something different to celebrate sharing ... Continue Reading
Beware of Snake Oil Salesmen (Especially Ones With Science)
One of the biggest things in the fitness world is that everyone is trying to get your money out of your pocket and into theirs. In a world where the guy with the loudest voice and best Internet marketing ... Continue Reading
Why I’m Going to Stretch Like My Dog and Not Do PNF
For the entire time I’ve been a professional coach there has always been a big question mark over the category of flexibility, both for its own sake and for performance. We have static and dynamic, passive ... Continue Reading
Surviving (Socially) the Beginner Phase of BJJ
Photos provided by David Brown Photography. When I was first starting out in Brazilian jiu jitsu, I experienced an internal struggle every day I went to train. On one hand, I was stupid crazy about ... Continue Reading
Power: What It Is, Why We Want It, and How We Generate It
There’s been a lot of talk about power for the last, well, forever really. The reason for this is that according to researchers, if all technical issues are equal success tends to come to the athlete who ... Continue Reading
