Successful Olympic lifts rely on an athlete's strength, power, and mobility. Nothing can be more frustrating than missing lifts due to issues with wrist mobility. A lot of strength ... Continue Reading
Unbroken Designs Stars and Stripes 4″ Leather Lifting Belt Review
Unbroken Designs is a lifting company that makes uniquely designed equipment for the functional athlete. They were founded by athletes who wanted equipment that would be great to use throughout ... Continue Reading
3 Movements to Boost Your Lagging Front Squat
As a weightlifter, a lagging front squat is about as nagging as something can get. Recently, I was able to power clean nearly 88% of my clean, for a triple, on an OK day. According to Ursula Garza ... Continue Reading
5 Reasons Functional Fitness Athletes Can Benefit from “Formal” Weightlifting
Being a weightlifting coach at a premiere CrossFit® gym in New York City, I have had the opportunity to work with many members and drop-ins from all over the globe, who in one way or another have embraced ... Continue Reading
Why L-Arginine Isn’t Such a Great Pre-Workout
We know – the world of fitness supplements can be confusing. You probably know that protein powder is an easy way to reach your calorie and macronutrient goals and that creatine is a safe and effective ... Continue Reading
How to Increase Your Speed Under the Barbell in the Snatch
Getting under a barbell in a fraction of a second takes courage, precision, and power. The ability to drive a load vertically with the legs, back, and traps is only half the lift, with many lifters finding ... Continue Reading
Unbroken Designs 4″ Blue Stealth Lifting Belt Review
Unbroken Designs was founded by functional fitness athletes. They offer a variety of lifting equipment that caters to both the functional and dedicated strength athlete. But what they may be ... Continue Reading
Increase Your Bench Press Power with this Upper Body PAP
A strong press is dictated by how much weight you can move. Although, a powerful press is indicative by how fast you can move that weight. Strength and power go hand-in-hand, which is why I love ... Continue Reading
How to Individualize Your Snatch Grip Width
Grip width can play a pivotal role in the pulling strength, overhead stability, and performance in the snatch (as well as the clean and jerk). Many coaches and athletes have relied upon common methods to ... Continue Reading
How Long Should You Rest Between Sets? What the Science Suggests
It's generally understood that rest time is dependent on type of exercise, training goal, and rep scheme. For example, heavier multi-joint exercises with low-reps receive longer rest, while ... Continue Reading
The Strongman’s Guide to Hand Care and Maintenance
All strength sports have one unifying factor: they rely almost entirely upon healthy hands. Without them, the show just cannot go on, regardless of how much you want it to. The most common injury, of ... Continue Reading
The Jump Squat: How, When, and Why Weightlifters Should Include Them In Training
The jump squat can offer performance enhancing benefits, many of which are specific to weightlifting, functional fitness, and formal athletics (running, sprinting, sports, etc). In previous articles, I ... Continue Reading
The Glute Ham Raise: Your Key to Stronger Hamstrings
There's a common denominator between strong deadlifts, squats, Olympic lifts, sprint speed, jumping, and athletic performance. This denominator is strong hamstrings. The hamstrings are composed of ... Continue Reading
2 Simple Ways to Test If Your Hamstrings Are Weak
Hamstrings are the neglected stepchildren of the well-built body. It's usually true that strength athletes are a step above the gym bros who only hone their trophy muscles, and serious lifters ... Continue Reading
What to Expect When Taking The CSCS (and How to Prep)
The Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification is considered by myself and many others to be one of the highest strength certs someone can receive. This certification is ... Continue Reading
3 Movements to Increase Hip Mobility for Weightlifting, Squats, and Functional Fitness
Most of us (weightlifters, powerlifters, functional fitness athletes, etc.) have spent a great amount of time and effort on the improvement of mobility, specifically in the hips. Mobile hips offer us ... Continue Reading
How to Keg Toss Like Thor
“It’s such a fun event because there aren't a lot of times you get to throw something under technique and control, but also as hard as humanly possible.” In a nutshell, that’s the keg toss: the rarest ... Continue Reading
3 Ways to Find Your 1-Rep Max (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced)
Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifter, having an idea of your 1-rep max (1-RM) can help support your training. Once you have an understanding of the maximal weight your body can ... Continue Reading
3 Arm Workouts for Weightlifters and Functional Fitness Athletes
In an earlier article I made my case for the programming of arm training (specifically biceps) in strength and power athletes. In weightlifting and functional fitness programming, arm-specific exercises ... Continue Reading
Could This Armband Make the Apple Watch Great for Lifting?
Wearable fitness trackers have become a common piece of technology for those who like to track their workouts. The most common trackers on the market are the Fitbit, Jawbone, and the Apple Watch. The ... Continue Reading
3 Reasons Why Weightlifters Can Benefit from the Behind the Neck Push Press
In the world of weightlifting, coaches and athletes have a plethora of snatch, clean, and jerk variations, each of which can be used to address specific weakness and/or faults a lifter may possess. In an ... Continue Reading
5 Awesome Benefits of Ring Chin-Ups/Pull-Ups
When it comes to upper body exercises very few compare to the pull-up and chin-up. They’re both a little different in their mechanics, but each offer great benefits. An alternative and effective movement ... Continue Reading
12 Ways To Maximize Your Rest Day
While many individuals struggle to make it TO the gym, many of us also struggle to STAY out. Rest days are critical for performance, with some sports and ability levels needing more and/or less of ... Continue Reading
The Practical Applications of Using Complex Training to Increase Power
Strength athletes require two key aspects (among others of course) for success in their lifting: Strength & Power. Unfortunately, there's often a confusion that surrounds training ... Continue Reading