I spend quite a bit of my time searching and perusing strength and conditioning info, programming theory, and other Breaking Muscle-worthy content even though I'm in high school and should be doing my homework.
I spend quite a bit of my time searching and perusing strength and conditioning info, programming theory, and other Breaking Muscle-worthy content even though I'm in high school and should be doing my homework.
Just a few weeks ago, I was at the grocery store with my six-year-old daughter. As I waited impatiently in the hallway during her fourth trip to the bathroom, I noticed a flyer on the bulletin board. It read, “Yoga Teacher Training: Starts September 20.”
I have been rock climbing and biking for years and I never plan on stopping. Of course, with any sport comes regular wear and tear and the possibility of injury. For many athletes, chronic inflammation is common, can be disruptive to their lives, and can hinder them from participating in the physical activities they love.
What if I told you that overuse injuries could be thought more of as injuries of neglect? You’ve decided to neglect training certain muscle groups or maybe you neglect key recovery strategies. You neglect to care for your body properly.
Vitamin D affects your muscles, immune system, and energy levels, so it will probably also have an effect on your performance. In a new study in PLOS One, researchers wanted to see whether vitamin D levels in athletes were associated with strength and other measures of fitness.
Alison Patenaude presents a CrossFit Kids game based on an old favorite.
Rock beats scissors.
Scissors beat paper.
Paper beats rock.
Kids beat obesity.
These were my last few weeks of training before heading off to Copenhagen for the 2014 Worlds Masters Weightlifting Championships.
I found myself very sluggish during the warm up and cut back on my upper body routine, using very light weights.
A lot can happen in three years. That’s about how long champion powerlifter Charles Staley has been writing journals here at Breaking Muscle. In that time frame, Charles has taken two world titles and competed in multiple powerlifting tournaments.
In my previous articles on EFT, we’ve discussed how you can increase motivation and desire to achieve your goals, how you can instantly improve on any exercise, and how you can use EFT to help with pain and injuries.
In a recent article in FastCompany, Brian Kamenetzky shared how professional teams are looking to reduce injuries by predicting them. An approach that I strongly agree with.
Quick test: what do a successfully built house of cards and a handstand have in common? More than you think!
Exhausted, sluggish, yet still breathing. I finally get to enjoy a rest day, after weeks and weeks of hard work. My previous twelve-week training cycle culminated in a 63lb gain across my three lifts, yet with only six weeks before my next meet, there’s no time for rest.
Welcome to our series featuring calisthenics expert Al Kavadlo. This week, Al teaches you how to stay stable in an L-Sit. A successful L-Sit requires the ability to exert constant tension, as well as flexibility and core strength. These are crucial qualities that will help you maintain health and vitality. Having such body control and suppleness will also be a great boon when performing the Olympic lifts.
You're in your teens or early twenties. You want to bulk up and gain some muscle. You want to get bigger. Welcome to the club. There are millions of young lads who have that goal. Some of you are insecure about your body. You seek advice to look good. Been there, done that. Take on board a few points from me that will offer some initial perspective.
On Episode 348 of CrossFit Radio, host Justin Judkins interviewed Nikki McGowan and Carl Paoli. This episode was webcast on Sept. 24, 2014.
3:09 Nikki McGowan started CrossFit by trading yoga instruction for her membership fee. Since that time, she’s been teaching yoga to athletes at four affiliates in the South Florida area. She described the benefits of the ancient discipline and how she believes yoga can help CrossFit athletes. McGowan also explained how CrossFitters can learn more about yoga.
14:37 Gymnast and coach Carl Paoli answered questions about his new book, “Freestyle,” and he described why the hollow-body position is a fundamental but complex pose that’s very important to CrossFit athletes. Turning from technique to coaching, the resident of San Franciso, California, described his mission when working with high-level athletes such as two-time CrossFit Games champ Annie Thorisdottir. Paoli gave suggestions to those who want to improve their gymnastics skills, and he listed three positions and movements that are essential for success.
Hey guys, guess what? This is entry number 52, which means I’ve been journaling for Breaking Muscle for a whole year!
In 2014, CrossFit hosted its first Level 1 Seminar in Israel. Seminar Staff member Russell Berger took the opportunity to spend an extra week traveling the country, visiting its affiliates and experiencing the culture. In this six-part series, explore the Holy Land with Berger and the local community.
In Part 5, Berger visits the Dead Sea, one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. The salinity creates a harsh environment in which marine life cannot flourish, but when Berger jumps in, he notices something else—the buoyancy.
“Imagine swimming in magic water on the moon,” he says. “You get in the water and it’s like someone is picking you up and holding you at the surface, and you have to be really skilled to drown.”
Berger addresses concern surrounding the safety of CrossFit in an interview with a reporter from an Israeli financial newspaper.
“I think most of the (criticisms about the safety of CrossFit) are unfounded,” Berger says during the phone interview. “I think most of them are exaggerations, and the source of those criticisms, more often than not, is the fitness industry that we’re replacing.”
The Level 1 Seminar is still underway at CrossFit Modiin, and the instructors find nostalgia in the atmosphere. With CrossFit still in its infancy in Israel, the basics are brought back to the forefront for Berger and the rest of the Seminar Staff.
“We’re getting a ton of questions,” Berger says, “and a lot of the questions are questions that I haven’t heard since I started working for CrossFit. You gotta dust off some answers, things I haven’t had to say in a while, which is cool.”
Video by Carey Peterson.
12min 16sec
Additional reading: Dallin Frampton: CrossFit in Kenya by Emily Beers, published Sept. 17, 2012.
Your mental climate during workouts is one of the most significant factors (if not the most significant factor) that will determine the level of success you’ll experience. What follows are a few of my favorite tricks and tactics for more productive gym sessions.
Welcome back to an ancient sport that is the stuff of knights and fiefdoms, samurai and assassins, empires and warfare! Wielding a steel longsword is no longer deemed a public safety threat, as long as you are a competitor in historical European martial arts (HEMA). This combat sport is experiencing a rejuvenation, with its very own elite competition known as Longpoint.
Very few soups are more Italian and more loved in my family than wedding soup. It's pure, unadulterated Italian comfort food. This soup with the little meatballs makes everyone smile.
Suspension trainers have been around for quite a while, and have gained popularity in recent years. This has lead to an assortment of different types on the market, from simple gym rings, to adjustable strap systems by companies like TRX.
I grew up at a time when we didn’t have all the information in the world at our fingertips, just a press of a button away. If you wanted to know something, you either went and found someone who knew all about it or found one of these things called a book on the subject. If you did the latter, you then tried whatever it was you were reading about to gain some experience.
Insulin is responsible for shuttling glucose into muscles, so athletes with a family history of metabolic disorders may be at risk for several problems related to exercise.
Some people might applaud the concept of playing a sport through pain and injury, considering it to be “hardcore.” As parents, coaches, trainers, and young athletes, where do we draw the line with injuries?
We all have been taught from our earliest days that we must work on our weak points. This is true no matter what our endeavor, whether it be our school work, our job, our relationships, or of course, our sport training.
It is extremely important not to neglect working your forearms during your exercise routines. The hands, wrists, and forearms should be prioritized while warming up and while working out. Below, I will review and demonstrate several stretches and essential exercises that will allow you to build strong and symmetric forearms.
In an earlier article, I discussed Verkohshansky’s depth jumps and how his research was the starting point for modern-day plyometics. In this article I will describe the mechanisms of plyometrics. I'll also tell you how to do a few relatively simple kettlebell swing exercises to elicit a plyometric response, and explain the benefits of these exercises.
I’m often asked to write individual strength programs. However, I take on very few of such requests, because when I write one of these programs, it is exactly what it says it is – individualized. This takes a lot of time, and sadly, I’m unable to afford the time to do too many.
We know that HDL is good for you, but we know less about what affects it. In a recent Nutrition and Metabolism study, researchers examined this substance in greater detail than ever before.
Strong shoulders are the key to performance overhead, and four simple movements can help you improve mobility and stability.
A look back at the workouts from CrossFit.com for the 2013 year reveals that over 80 percent of them involved at least one exercise that had a transfer of force through the shoulder girdle.
Therefore, proper function of the shoulder is critical for both optimal performance and injury prevention. An examination of the functional anatomy of the shoulder can provide insight as to how we can prepare it for athletic movement, and several rehab/pre-hab drills can help you find the right balance of mobility and stability.
Remember back to your school days when you were finding it hard to get better at a sport or musical instrument, yet one of your friends made it look simple? Your parents probably did one of two things:
I’m fortunate in that my menstrual cycle doesn’t affect my life in a significant way. It certainly doesn’t affect my BJJ training, but some women aren’t so lucky.
I have always seen it as a tragic commentary on our culture that not one, but a whole herd of Kardashians are famous. They have their own shows, clothing lines, perfume - you name it. It defies logic because they are devoid of any real transferable skills. They are good at nothing except being very, very, good at marketing.
Obstacle course racing (OCR) is growing in popularity year-on-year. With this growth in participation comes an increase in the number of people training specifically for OCR events.
Managing and preventing metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes is of critical importance to athletes. Metabolic disease reduces an athlete’s ability to use energy efficiently and increases insulin resistance. In a recent study in PLOS ONE, researchers examined the effects of two diets on diabetes markers.
As a health coach, people come to me searching for a natural way to help with their health problems. Most of them are tired of going to doctors just to receive another prescription. My advice: shots.
"Suggested tattoo for trainers, therapists, and athletes: Tighter does not equal stronger. It’s just tighter.” - Katy Bowman
"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done." - Lucille Ball
“Well, that sucked.” My client un-racked the kettlebells and put them on the ground, still contemplating how in the world he got crushed by such little weight (comparatively speaking of course).
Here I was taking this guy who considered himself to be pretty strong (and to his credit he was - he could do a mid-300lb front squat relatively easily), and putting him on the struggle-bus with a pair of 24kg kettlebells.
You might wonder if there’s a point to working out beyond a certain age, other than to maintain strength and health. In a recent Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study, investigators compared older and younger participants who completed the same exercise program.