Many people who start resistance training want to increase their strength and improve their body composition by building muscle. Unfortunately, many of those people fail to achieve their goals. People fail ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Open 2018: Best Programmed Ever
This year’s CrossFit Open kicked off on February 22 with WOD 18.1 and ended with final score submissions for with WOD 18.5 last week. As each Open WOD was announced, I offered you the same briefing I gave ... Continue Reading
Finding Your Flow: Challenging Bodyweight Orthodoxy
Flow. An elusive idea, one that evokes images of people lost in a moment, completely immersed in the task at hand. Time falls away, the world disappears, and there is only you and the activity. ... Continue Reading
Bounce Back from Injury Mentally and Physically
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then there’s a whole lot of crazy going on out there in sport and the health and fitness industry. If ... Continue Reading
Why Body Language Can Help You Dominate Your Training
Photo By Bev Childress Photo By Bev Childress Social psychologist and Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy goes deep into the research of the influences of non-verbal behavior. Through research, she ... Continue Reading
Respect the Bar: Create Your Set Up Checklist
Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in front of a barbell that you’re about to lift. It can be a squat, or a clean and jerk, or whatever lift you enjoy the most. What’s your first step to address ... Continue Reading
The Essential Tools for Athletic Success
In the most basic sense, a tool is a small thing you use to create a large effect. The most profound tools are simple and unglamorous but require a high degree of skill to wield effectively. This is just ... Continue Reading
Stuck? Try Doing It Right
My greatest strength, a desire to learn and experience everything, can also be my greatest weakness. I profess the wisdom of essentialism while prioritizing ten things at once. If nothing else, I am ... Continue Reading
Technique Conquers All, Except Physics
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a highly technical, grappling-based martial art. The priority, for both student and instructor, is to become highly proficient in the techniques. Many martial arts purists prioritize ... Continue Reading
Sometime Little Aches and Pains Snowball
As a sports physical therapist, my traditional caseload is loaded with ACL tears, shoulder issues, and ankle sprains. I also tend to treat a large community of cyclists with a wide array of aches and ... Continue Reading
Quick Tips For CrossFit Open WOD 18.5
This year’s CrossFit Open kicked off on February 22, with WOD 18.1 and is ending with WOD 18.5. As each Open WOD has been announced, I have provided you with the same briefing I give the athletes at my ... Continue Reading
The Holy Trinity of Holistic Training
Ever feel overwhelmed by all the details that go into your training? Not just the ones you’re already paying attention to, but all the “Top 5,” Top 10,” and “Top 10,000” things you should be doing, but ... Continue Reading
Money, Race, Gender, and Their Impact on Obesity
What determines our behavior: ourselves, or our circumstances? It is true that we are more likely to be unhealthy when surrounded by unhealthy people. Still, we are individually responsible for what we ... Continue Reading
Help for Tight Hips
I was chatting with a colleague at a workshop a couple of weekends ago. He was telling me about the torn labrum in his hip that used to bother him. The labrum is a thin, cartilaginous film that lines the ... Continue Reading
The Science of Weight Loss Loves Hard and Heavy
Photo By Bev Childress Photo By Bev Childress Traditional programs to combat weight gain focus on nutritional (calories in) and exercise (calories out) considerations. Many health-related ... Continue Reading
Use Micro-Goals for Macro Change
Historically, I’m not good at setting goals—any goals. Recently, I was bemoaning my frustration about a hurt ankle and poor diet to a friend. She told me that I need to spend some time considering my ... Continue Reading
Utilizing Undulating Methods During Hypertrophy
Every athlete, with the possible exception of athletes near the top of their weight class, can benefit from adding more muscle mass. The benefits are obvious for physique athletes, but strength and team ... Continue Reading
How to Perform Muscle Ups Without Wrecking Your Shoulders
Most people assume that after thirty their best days lay behind them, but that doesn't have to be the case. At age 49, Paul Roberts overcame a life-disrupting shoulder injury and achieved the first of many ... Continue Reading
The Most Important Team in America
This week’s episode is a special one for me, because I get to talk about an issue that is deeply personal. It’s easy to become jaded by statistics, but the 22 veterans a day who take their own life is one ... Continue Reading
Quick Tips For CrossFit Open WOD 18.4
This year’s CrossFit Open kicked off on February 22, with WOD 18.1 and will continue through to March 26, ending with WOD 18.5. As each Open WOD is announced, I will be providing you with the same briefing ... Continue Reading
When to Quit
You probably come to Breaking Muscle for information, guidance, and motivation. This article would seem a complete deviation from our typical fare. However, you will come away disappointed if you clicked ... Continue Reading
Repetition is the Mother of All Learning
The ancient Athenians created democracy, modern philosophical thinking, and even the first great physical education program. A core Athenian concept was picked up by the Romans, who turned it into a ... Continue Reading
The Main Reason You Aren’t Getting Any Stronger
You’ve been hitting the gym for a while now, and you’re pretty consistent. You work up a sweat three or more times each week. But there’s something missing. You’re not getting stronger, are you? This ... Continue Reading
The Suplex: A How-To Guide for Back Mobility
The suplex is wrestling's equivalent to the home run. It is equal parts crowd pleaser and high point scorer. We'll first start with how to execute the throw and how to train to reach the mobility necessary ... Continue Reading
