#1 – Banish Pain Permanently: Correct Your Alignment

By Maryann Berry

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – Avoid These Push Up Mistakes to Protect Your Wrists

By Cassie Dionne

Do you suffer from wrist pain during push ups? This could indicate an injury, but more often it means you need to tweak your form. The good news is, you can get rid of this pain simply and easily. This article will outline some of the common mistakes that lead to wrist pain, and how to put them right.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Your Diet Is Ruining Your Fitness

By Andrew Read

Between the 4 pillars of fitness, body composition comes first for one simple reason – being overweight has an adverse relationship with health and fitness, as well as your mental state. If you are overweight, what matters most is what goes in your mouth. Your training, and the associated diet, should make you better and healthier.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• Set Goals and Go: How to Become Unstoppable
• 3 Mind Hacks to Streamline Your Training
• 15 Articles That Topped the List in 2015
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photo courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 12 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

You spent the year learning to mobilize your hips, heal your low back, come back from a pregnancy, or teach your body to move correctly under its own power.

In over a thousand articles published throughout the year, we brought you expert advice, analysis, and commentary on all of the above and more, from the leading minds in fitness.

You wanted better coaches, better nutrition, and a better mindset. You challenged us to produce content relevant to your athletic needs, with the depth and focus on research-driven quality you have come to expect from Breaking Muscle. Whatever your quest for improvement, we gave you the best tools to get there. If you missed these top articles throughout the year, now is your chance to find out what all the fuss was about.

Our best of 2015 list is broken into three categories. Two were picked by you, our readers: Most Engaging and Most Viewed. Our last category is reserved for the Editor’s Picks: the pieces that the Breaking Muscle staff admired the most. What was your Breaking Muscle article of the year? Let us know in the comments below.

Most Engaging

1. Have the CrossFit Games jumped the shark? Coach Patrick McCarty documents the neverending escalation and potentially catastrophic consequences in Survival of the Survivors: The CrossFit (Hunger) Games.

2. You are inundated daily with examples of athletic perfection. Coach Andy McKenzie reminds you that to get there you have to start with a foundation of simplicity and consistency. After all, You’re Not an Elite Athlete, So Stop Acting Like One.

3. Coach Mike Dewar thinks your clean is a mess. But he’s not here to criticize, he’s here to help. Find out how to fix yourself in Cleaning Up Your Dirty Clean: It’s All About Technique.

4. The science of fat has been a moving target in recent years. With so many opposing views, it’s hard to know what to think. Coach Tom Kelso cuts through the fog with The Best Research on Body Fat, Losing Fat, and Eating Fat.

5. As a Master RKC, Coach Keira Newton knows that the hips are the key to it all. In 5 Stretches to Regain Hip Mobility and Flexibility, she shows us a few easy ways to keep them working as advertised.

Most Viewed

1. The SI joint can cause you big problems if you don’t look after it. In 2015’s most viewed article, Coach Cassie Dionne explains Why Your SI Joint Is Such a Pain (And 4 Exercises to Fix It).

2. Pregnancy can wreak havoc on your core, even if you were an athlete before. Coach Nicole Crawford has been there and done that, and is here to help with 12 Weeks of Workouts to Rebuild After Diastasis Recti.

3. Do you even lift? Do you even need to? Not if you know how to use your bodyweight effectively. Coach Todd Kuslikis gives you everything you need in The Ultimate 90-Day Bodyweight Training Plan.

4. The kneeling groin stretch, also known as the Sampson stretch, is a common way to stretch the hip flexors. You might think you know this stretch. But Coach Maryann Berry takes it to a whole new level in Release Your Hip Flexors: Groin Stretch 101.

5. No gym? No problem. Coach Krista Stryker lays out how to hit a heavy leg day without ever touching the weights in her 7 Best Bodyweight Exercises for Stronger Legs.

Editor’s Choice

1. Don’t have time to train? Coach Bobby Maximus has serious doubts about that. Follow his advice, and Be Better at Life: How to Find More Time to Train.

2. Most of us don’t put a lot of thought or effort into our warm up routine. Coach Ramy Saleh suggests that if we did, we could take our training to another level. He explains how to Ramp Up Your Warm Up: Prepare With Purpose.

3. Short, high-intensity workouts are all the rage these days, but if you want to separate yourself from the crowd, it’s time to go long. Coach Andrew Read leads the way in Everybody Wants to Be a Lion.

4. If you think you know your sport, you probably don’t. Coach Chet Morjaria reminds us that in order to grow, we have to realize how much there is to learn in How to Be an Expert: Knowing You Know Nothing Is Everything.

5. How much is too much when training for weightlifting? Coach Bob Takano explores the correct weight and rep schemes in detail in More Isn’t Always Better: Proper Training Intensity in Weightlifting.

Onward and Upward

For 2016, we are already working harder than ever to give you the best information for you achieve your training and sporting goals, no matter what your pursuit. We have massses of developments and surprises in store, and look forward to serving up the best content and information in the world to you, our community of athletes.

Here’s to another strong year!

Can’t Get Enough? Check Out These Stories:

• A Simple System for Staying Healthy and Active to the Very End
• 1 Reason to Stop Reading Fitness Articles Based on Numerical Lists
• The Psychology Behind Integrity: Cutting Out Cheating in the Gym
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photo 1 Courtesy of CrossFit.

Photo 2 Courtesy of Krysta Stryker.

Photo 3 Courtesy of CrossFit Stars.

The post 15 Articles That Topped the List in 2015 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – CrossFitters: 5 Steps to Immediately Improve Your Weightlifting

By Colm O’Reilly

You know the drill all too well. You hit your warm up, you load your plates on your bar on your platform. Same as always. But then it happens… you start to miss. Why? A lot of the time we’re physically able to shift the metal, but we psych ourselves out. Here are some strategies to overcome this.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – Your Diet Is Not Normal: Here’s Why

By Craig Marker

Individual physiological differences play an important role in how well diets and training programs work. Basic diets might work for many people who are overweight. But as you approach your goal physique, your nutrition needs to be tailored to you.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – The Formula for a Successful CrossFit Gym

By Patrick McCarty

There are now more than 10,000 CrossFit gyms around the globe and counting. But a few elite boxes have percolated to the top of the pack, created a movement, and continued to thrive even as the market has become crowded with competitors. That’s because they have figured out the formula.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#4 – How to Smash the 225lb Rep Max Bench Test

By Chris Holder

Most college football players are beat up by the end of a long season. But if you are a high-level player, the post-season is the time to prepare for the NFL Combine. The skills you need to master for the Combine tests are very specific. One of those tests is the 225lb rep max on the bench press – and here’s how you smash it.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#5 – The One-Session, One-Exercise, One-Set Strength Plan

By Chet Morjaria

If you’re anything like me, holiday season training is a mental struggle. There’s little chance of sticking to a meaningful, 3-4 times a week training plan. So how do you fit a structured strength training program into the forthcoming weeks? What if you could get all the strength, speed, and power work you need with one single set of one exercise, one day a week?

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• Train for Longevity: 4 Priorities for Mature Athletes
• Banish Pain Permanently: 3 Self Assessment Tools
• Ramp Up Your Warm Up: Prepare With Purpose
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of CrossFit.

The post 5 of the Very Best: This Month’s Top Articles, December appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – CrossFitters: 5 Steps to Immediately Improve Your Weightlifting

By Colm O’Reilly

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – The One-Session, One-Exercise, One-Set Strength Plan

By Chet Morjaria

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Banish Pain Permanently: 3 Self-Assessment Tools

By Maryann Berry

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• If It Feels Bad, Do It
• Rediscovering Youthful Abilities: It Starts With Running
• How to Gain Weight on the Paleo Diet
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of CrossFit Ireland.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 11 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Train for Longevity: 4 Priorities for Mature Athletes

By Charles Staley

When it comes to my personal fitness, I’ve been a “one trick pony” for the past decade or so. For the past four years my only training target has been maximal strength, but from now, I view my training as having not just one, but four primary directions.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – Your Diet Is Not Normal: Here’s Why

By Craig Marker

Individual physiological differences play an important role in how well diets and training programs work. Basic diets might work for many people who are overweight. But as you approach your goal physique, your nutrition needs to be tailored to you.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Ramp Up Your Warm Up: Prepare With Purpose

By Ramy Saleh

How do you approach your warm up? Some dynamic stretching and air squats and you’re good to go? Imagine if we could increase the quality of your training by 5-10 percent just by improving your warm up. Think about how that would add up after an entire year of training.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• 1 Reason to Stop Reading Fitness Articles Based on Numerical Lists
• How to Smash the 225lb Rep Max Bench Test
• 6-Week Challenge: Loaded Carries for Farmer’s Strength
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 10 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Got Knee Pain? Fix Your Tracking in the Squat and Lunge

By Dr. John Rusin

One simple fix can clean up a majority of faulty squat and lunge patterns better than anything else I’ve used in my career. The way you use the body’s most powerful muscles to position the rest of your lower extremity will translate into positional and performance success.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – The Formula for a Successful CrossFit Gym

By Patrick McCarty

There are now more than 10,000 CrossFit gyms around the globe and counting. But a few elite boxes have percolated to the top of the pack, created a movement, and continued to thrive even as the market has become crowded with competitors. That’s because they have figured out the formula.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Save Hours and Dollars: Streamline Your Meal Prep

By Kalli Youngstrom

If we don’t plan ahead and make nutrition a priority, it quickly gets put on the back burner, despite our good intentions. Having a plan and preparing your food in advance is crucial, so let’s plan for success. It starts with meal prep.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• The Simple Path to Being Your Fittest at Any Age
• Build Bulletproof Strength: Rotational Exercises for Athletes
• Ramp Up Your Warm Up: Prepare With Purpose
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of John Rusin.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 9 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Kettlebells Work: But Can You Endure the Chain of Pain?

By Chris Holder

No title of a workout has ever lived up to its name like this one. I’ve come up with dozens of routines: Hells Bells, FML, and Helter Skelter to name a few. The former athletes of mine who are reading this right now will feel a cold chill run up their spine just hearing those names. But nothing has had more impact than my beloved Chain of Pain.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – Gender Equality is Broken: In CrossFit, Sex Sells

By Patrick McCarty

Sex sells. The axiom I put forth is that in CrossFit, with a few exceptions, a female athlete is more likely to get noticed, develop a following, and be able to craft a brand if she conforms to the “sex sells” cultural dynamic. And that is wrong.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Nutrition Advice to Turn You Into A Strength Training Animal

By Nicole DeMicco

Embrace your beefy thighs, sun-eclipsing booty, or any other body part that makes you feel a bit self-conscious. Appreciate the strength your muscles give you and the personal records you’ve set. Strength is beauty!

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#4 – The Intelligent Athlete’s Guide to Fueling Performance

By Mike Dewar

If you don’t understand calories, macronutrients, and the value of whole foods, you’ll never progress from average Joe to elite athlete. Unfortunately, misguided dietary recommendations and a lack of understanding by athletes of all levels contribute to widespread confusion about the best way to eat for performance.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#5 – Sit Better to Move Better

By Chandler Stevens

We can talk technique, sequencing, and programming, but the truth is, if you want to move better, you need to rest better. Exercise and rest are two sides of the same coin, but few trainers really address rest and leisure.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• Everybody Wants to Be a Lion…
• Be Better at Life: How to Find More Time to Train
• 6 Plank Variations to Test Your Core Strength
• What’s New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 5 of the Very Best: This Month’s Top Articles, November appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Nutrition Advice to Turn You Into a Strength Training Animal

By Nicole DeMicco

Embrace your beefy thighs, sun-eclipsing booty, or any other body part that makes you feel a bit self-conscious. Appreciate the strength your muscles give you and the personal records you’ve set. Strength is beauty!

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – The Intelligent Athlete’s Guide to Fueling Performance

By Mike Dewar

If you don’t understand calories, macronutrients, and the value of whole foods, you’ll never progress from average Joe to elite athlete. Unfortunately, misguided dietary recommendations and a lack of understanding by athletes of all levels contribute to widespread confusion about the best way to eat for performance.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Ladies: 3 Gym-Friendly Exercises to Develop Your Glutes

By Craig Marker

Limiting the movement to the hip hinge allows for better glute activation. Kneeling squats, banded kneeling squats, and kettlebell swings are great ways to activate the glutes without awkward hip thrusting movements in a public setting.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• Everybody Wants to Be a Lion…
• A New Era of CrossFit Dream Teaming
• Explosiveness and Technique: Weightlifting Versus Powerlifting
• New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Mohamed Ashour.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 8 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Kettlebells Work: But Can You Endure the Chain of Pain?

By Chris Holder

No title of a workout has ever lived up to its name like this one. I’ve come up with dozens of routines: Hells Bells, FML, and Helter Skelter to name a few. The former athletes of mine who are reading this right now will feel a cold chill run up their spine just hearing those names. But nothing has had more impact than my beloved Chain of Pain.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – The Real Reason Your Hard Work Isn’t Paying Off

By Eric C. Stevens

The answer may lie in something called the licensing effect. It turns out what might be the most important exercise variable isn’t efficiency of calories burned, your heart rate, or whether you’re working muscle or doing cardio, but whether you actually enjoy it.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Be Better at Life: How to Find More Time to Train

By Bobby Maximus

Much of the training discussion focuses on training and nutrition, but one of the biggest obstacles people have when it comes to training is finding enough time. Time management seems to be the biggest determinant in a person’s success in any given training program.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• Everybody Wants to Be A Lion…
• Say Yes to Banded Pull Ups (But Not For Assistance)
• Sit Better to Move Better
• What’s New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Chris Holder.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 7 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Train Your Body to Love Holding Heavy Weights Overhead

By Craig Marker

Coaches can give cues, but the waiter’s walk provides direct feedback. As you walk, the weight bounces and moves. Each movement teaches the body how to counteract that force. This develops neural patterns and shoulder strength that are invaluable under load.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – Gender Equality Is Broken. In CrossFit, Sex Sells

By Patrick McCarty

Sex sells. The axiom I put forth is that in CrossFit, with a few exceptions, a female athlete is more likely to get noticed, develop a following, and be able to craft a brand if she conforms to the “sex sells” cultural dynamic. And that is wrong.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – 3 Strategies to Conquer the Pain Cave

By Ramy Saleh

The pain cave is not a pretty place. But if you’re serious about performance, it has to become familiar territory that you can dominate, not simply navigate. You have to be willing to throw yourself in the fire and suffer in order to get it done.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• Gender Inequality: The Ugly Truth About Female Sponsorship
• Keep It Simple: Classic Tools for Smart Training
• Busy, Tired, or Hurt? 3 Excellent Workout Solutions
• What’s New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Craig Marker.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 6 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – 7 Plyometric Exercises to Build Power Quickly

By Krista Stryker

Whether you’re a serious athlete or just want to add some cool new tricks to your repertoire, plyometric exercises are the key to increasing your power, improving your reaction time, and taking your athleticism to the next level.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – Lift Stuff: Add Mass to Your Body and Years to Your Life

By Tommy Wood

Muscle does more than just help you fill out a t-shirt and make it harder to buy a pair of jeans that fits. We now know muscles make up the largest organ in the body. In response to movement, muscles secrete a number of factors that reduce inflammation, improve bone health, and help protect against heart disease and multiple forms of cancer. Adding muscle through resistance training is also one of the most reliable ways to improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic health.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – Dear Wodapalooza: Stop Insulting Masters Athletes

By Patrick McCarty

All you event organizers out there, stop placating 50+ athletes. If you are one of the big comps, including the CrossFit Games themselves, give us your best shot. Let those 50-54, 55-59, and 60+ athletes who put in the work and have serious competition aspirations have a legit shot by hitting the full spectrum of possible movements.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• The Extreme Dumbbell Circuit Challenge
• 2 Simple Steps to Meal Prep Success
• Kinesiology Tape: Friend or Dangerous Foe?
• What’s New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Krista Stryker.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 5 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

#1 – Get the Diagnosis Right: It’s Not Tendonitis, It’s Tendinosis

By Matt Maggio

The first start for many people with pain is to do a Google search, check WebMD, or ask their coach what is going on. In many cases, the overwhelming diagnosis is some type of tendonitis. But this default diagnosis is a mistake. There could be many causes for your pain. Assuming the injury is inflamed and must be tendonitis is flat out wrong.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#2 – The Kettlebell Swing Isn’t Everything (But This Workout Is)

By Andrew Read

Kettlebells can be an amazingly varied tool that you can use for everything from corrective exercise to strength and power. With so many possible options, don’t buy into the swing being the center of the kettlebell universe. Swings may be the best place to start learning how to use kettlebells, but with so many choices available you’re just hurting yourself in the long run by reverting to this one exercise.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

#3 – The Ultimate Weightlifting Warm Up

By Mike Dewar

In my experience both as a competitive athlete and weightlifting coach, many technical faults can be addressed with these seven warm-up exercises. To implement them in your training, simply pick and choose exercises or complete the sample warm up at the bottom, prior to your weightlifting sessions.

[CONTINUE READING HERE]

Did You See These?

• 3 Reasons the Ground Is Your Body’s Best Friend
• How to Trim the Fat Off Your Warm Up Routine
• The 10 Commandments of the Kettlebell Swing
• What’s New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 3 of the Best: This Week’s Top Articles, Vol. 4 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.