I remember many years ago I was at a banquet held in conjunction with the 1968 Canadian Weightlifting Championships. Out of the blue, a non-lifter sitting next to me pointed to the mass of lifters chowing ... Continue Reading
3 Musts of Athletic Success: Progression, Support, Nutrition
Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below ... Continue Reading
Stronger Lats for Stronger Lifts
Back development (or lack thereof) can tell you a lot about a lifter. Regardless of the sport, a strong back is fundamental to peak performance. Without full development of the lats, erectors, traps, and ... Continue Reading
Upgrade Your Next Flight With These Airport Exercises
Being squished in an airline seat for hours and sitting in a terminal on a layover always tightens my body up for days or even weeks afterward. I have found that being proactive and stretching out as much ... Continue Reading
What a Toothache Can Teach Us About Fitness
Two weeks ago I was having terrible tooth pain. I knew something was wrong, and even though I hate the dentist I made an appointment. I had periodically had some discomfort in the tooth, but it had never ... Continue Reading
Lateral Training for Athleticism and Injury Prevention
Generally when you train, you probably either move forward or stand in place. You might go for a run with some distant goal in mind, race toward the end zone or goal, or pick up heavy weights and root ... Continue Reading
3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 17
Welcome to our brand new weekend roundup, Three of the Best! Every Sunday, we'll post up Breaking Muscle's top three articles of the week. These pieces have caught your attention throughout the last seven ... Continue Reading
10 Commandments of Muscle Mass for Women
“Don’t get too bulky.” “If your shoulders get too big, you’ll look like a man!” “You’re too skinny, you need to eat!” “There’s no way she’s natural, she is definitely using steroids.” If you’re a female ... Continue Reading
Let’s Kill the Calf Raise
The calf raise is an exercise that is widely and incorrectly used. In its most common form, with the athlete standing, and moving up and down like a dancing cockatoo, the calf raise only contributes to the ... Continue Reading
Complex Drills for Better Human Movement
“Which book or program should I go to so that I don’t make mistakes?” That's the biggest question I get when counseling younger coaches. I always have to explain to them that making mistakes is part ... Continue Reading
The Athletic Potential of Vitamin D
It’s the middle of winter, and the days are dark and cold. But you’re still training intensely and eating clean to get ready for your upcoming competition. Unfortunately, there is one vitamin no amount of ... Continue Reading
No-Gimmick Training for Fighters (and All Athletes)
Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below ... Continue Reading
Why You’re Thinking Yourself Out of the Perfect Body
Most human beings want an ideal body. It’s just natural. Our bodies are a symbol of attraction, and it’s engrained in our DNA to want to be attractive to other members of our species. However, if ... Continue Reading
Want a Great Butt? Train Like an Athlete
After years and years of building athletes for competition, I’ve come to one distinct conclusion: sports coaches know how to build strong, muscular butts. We never program for aesthetics, but at the ... Continue Reading
Progression Takes More Than Adding Weight to the Bar
If you’ve read anything about building muscle on the Internet or talked to the suspiciously jacked dude at your gym, you’ve undoubtedly been told that all you need to do is “add weight to the ... Continue Reading
Your Movement Needs an Upgrade: How to Reboot Your System
You’re behind the wheel of the most powerful machine on the planet: the human body. Has anybody taught you how to use it most effectively? No matter your sport, movement matters. Today I want to share how ... Continue Reading
3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 16
Welcome to our brand new weekend roundup, Three of the Best! Every Sunday, we'll post up Breaking Muscle's top three articles of the week. These pieces have caught your attention throughout the last seven ... Continue Reading
Video: How to Anchor Your Feet for a Monumental Squat
How are you ensuring a solid connection to the floor so you can move big weight in the squat? A large array of problems with the squat, such as heels rising, knees collapsing and chest falling forwards, ... Continue Reading
Master Dynamic Tension for Mobility and Strength
There is something primal and satisfying about strong movement. Think of the incredible grace and terrifying power of a prowling tiger, or the way monkeys swing from branches and vines with ease while we ... Continue Reading
Are You Training Too Heavy? How to Make 5×5 Work for You
Ever since the 1970s, weight trainers on this side of the Atlantic have been accustomed to measure training intensity as a percentage of one-repetition maximum (shortened to 1RM). For example, if your best ... Continue Reading
From Thin, to Fat, to Fit: Coaches Are People, Too
Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below ... Continue Reading
Rev Up Your Horsepower: An Interval Weight Training Plan
If you ever want to be anything other than a show pony, you’re going to have to develop your work capacity. In the real world, work capacity has little to do with running a marathon and more to do with ... Continue Reading
Banish Pain Permanently: Basic Drills to Repair Your Posture
This article provides an in-depth description of five fundamental posture exercises. These are the cues and tidbits of information that I go over with my clients in person. When implemented properly, they ... Continue Reading
Create Explosive Sprinting Strength With Sled Pulls
Sprinting is highly technical. Elite sprinters are coached on every aspect of their sport. Aside from starting technique, learning how to accelerate to top speed is one of the most difficult ... Continue Reading
