Op-Ed

A week ago I cried. A senseless act 40 miles from my house took the life of 49 people. My home is a beach town that most families from Orlando use as their weekend retreat. Central Florida is the United ... Continue Reading

Editor's Note: Article updated, see bottom of page for details. On Wednesday of this week, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced athletes from the 2012 Olympics who have failed a ... Continue Reading

Working with athletes from all ages, competitive levels, and in many different sports, you learn to respect all stages of an athletic career. Every coach wants to see their athlete improve and succeed in ... Continue Reading

Tradition. It runs strong and deep in weightlifting. Many coaches have used the exact same exercises and programs for decades with great success. Experimentation is often frowned upon and hence ... Continue Reading

Most elite sports competitors probably feel an intense bond with their craft, teammates, and coaches. Weightlifting doesn’t have the same effect on every person, but for many in our small but growing ... Continue Reading

Editors note: Katie Rose Hejtmanek, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist conducting research on the culture of strength sports in the United States. This is the second of an in-depth series introducing ... Continue Reading

The Start List has officially been published for this week’s Pan American Championships in Colombia. For the USA Woman’s team, this will be for bragging rights of who is the best in the Western Hemisphere. ... Continue Reading

It is the ultimate test of power and brute force. An athlete versus a bar — without technical ability hindering most lifters. Bend down, grip with all your might, and then stand straight and victoriously ... Continue Reading

While weightlifting calls for highly specialized athletes who have narrowed their focus to just two lifts, a Strongman must be a jack of all trades, capable of a multitude of ever changing tasks. This ... Continue Reading

Editors note: Katie Hejtmanek, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist conducting research on the culture of strength sports in the United States. This is the first of an in-depth series introducing ... Continue Reading

Four o'clock in the morning is an interesting time. For some, it signals the end of an epic if not precarious night. For others, it marks the beginning of a long and grueling day. Six years ago, I was ... Continue Reading

It is easy to point out the bad things that are found in gyms across America, not just at CrossFit gyms — or any gym with any methodology. If there are any methods that are possibly injurious towards the ... Continue Reading

CrossFit as a sport is young — incredibly young — so it's still difficult to gain perspective on athlete accomplishments over the years. Consistency changes definitions every year, and while it seems like ... Continue Reading

I've had the privilege to train with some of the best athletes in the world. I’m not stating this to brag or inflate myself; like many athletes, when starting the journey to being a competitive ... Continue Reading

If you have ever visited the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, you will notice immediately that the facility is not a high end hotel. It is a conveniently located, one-stop shop for an ... Continue Reading

Control what you can control. It seems so simple, but how often do you worry about things you truly don’t have the ability to change? Take something as simple as driving to or from work. How upset do you ... Continue Reading

You’ve never heard of me. My name never made it into a Regionals Recap, and my photo never graced HQ’s news feed. On the street, I don’t turn heads with my physique like my contemporaries (in name only), ... Continue Reading

There are obviously various levels to being a strength & conditioning coach. Let's break it down and discuss the importance at each level — and the implications thereof. First up we have the amateur ... Continue Reading