I'm gonna let you in on a little training secret: it's called contrast training. It's used by elite athletes to improve power output, and the results are pretty impressive. Contrast training, also known as PAP (post activation potentiation), is the pairing of heavy strength ex…
You can tell he's a beast, because his shirt says so. This week, a friend of mine Russell is doing a guest post. Russell has been a strength & conditioning coach and personal trainer for the past 6 years, specializing in Olympic weightlifting for 3 of those years. Starting at a mo…
So many lifters are willing to complain ad nauseam about their lack of mobility, but very few of those people are willing to get up and fix it. Most individuals would prefer to deadlift heavy and get their heart rates up than spend about 10-15 minutes addressing their muscular imbalances …
Competition is an important part of any sport. If you want to be the best, you have to see what those around you are doing and strive to work even harder than them. When done in excess, however, comparing yourself to other individuals may be counterproductive. Social media has made it eas…
There is a seemingly infinite list of exercises to work any given muscle group. With websites like YouTube, it's pretty easy to find new exercises on the internet and feel inclined to add them into your routine. The question, however, is are these circus tricks necessary to take your …
Having a big butt is certainly preferable for models twerking in rap videos, but it's also extremely important in athletic performance. Weather you're a soccer player, a running back or just simply working out to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you need to make sure you're givin…
Looking to get stronger, fitter, faster, and more powerful? Plyometrics, or fast, explosive movements, are a great way to improve your overall fitness levels and get your heart rate up. Box jumps, jumping lunges, brad jumps and clapping push-ups are just a few examples of plyometric movem…
The most aggravating fallacy I hear is "squats are bad for your knees." No, you know what's bad for your knees? Squatting improperly . Sitting is also really bad for your knees, but that's another discussion entirely. CrossFitter Miranda Oldroyd doing a heavy back squat.…
Weaknesses--we all have them. Unfortunately, no one can be an athletic superhero who excels at everything. Everyone has one thing (or multiple things) that gives them knots in their stomachs just thinking about it. For me, it's rowing or running. Whatever that "thing" may b…
Within the last year or two, CrossFit gyms have been popping up everywhere. But what is this fitness craze that is rapidly gaining popularity? CrossFit defines itself as being "constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement,” and their specialty is "not specializing.&quo…
The process of muscle growth is called hypertrophy . However, based on your training, your muscles will adapt accordingly. There are two types of hypertrophy of skeletal muscle: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy : Bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is…
There are two different types of strength-based exercises: isolation exercises and compound movements. Isolation exercises focus on one specific muscle; this can be useful for a few different purposes. Rehabilitation of a muscle can be facilitated with isolation exercises. If you have m…