Did you know the world’s largest test of human performance is underway, and some of your peers are taking part? Yup, that’s right. The Reebok CrossFit Games is held each year with the distinct purpose of crowning the fittest man and woman on Earth. With the help of our good friends at CrossFit LA, some [...]

What if you’ve never actually given your best? I often wonder, like a bad dream, if I’ve mistaken my perceived work ethic and drive as really only my 80%. Considering how often we surprise ourselves with our abilities to lift impossible weights, survive with impossibly too few dollars in our bank accounts, or stay true [...]

Rather than view the intricacies of health and fitness as if they are reserved only for the PhDs and subject matter experts of the world, let’s see if I can convince you with logic that you’re more of a master at this stuff than you think. Let’s start with a very basic idea. Technically, it’s [...]

There are quite a few quirky things about us humans. One of which is our attachment to the linear narrative. Of course, there’s an evolutionary purpose here. Putting things into a story makes things easier to remember, understand, and recall. For example, I want you to take a glace at the following letters and recall [...]

It’s human nature to avoid the unknown and uncomfortable. It wouldn’t help our efforts in survival much to be able to turn off fear easily. As a coach I see this all the time. Consciously or subconsciously,  men and women of all walks of life dodge adversity even when it’s in their best interest. Take [...]

Just this past Sunday, I arrived at FFOTB Endurance class a bit early and watched the action as a local 10K was underway. The irony of the whole situation was almost too much to handle. Here you’ve got the strength and conditioning coaching (me) showing up to fine tune his running mechanics and endurance output, [...]

I spent this past weekend in Austin, Texas for CrossFit Central‘s annual event, The Fittest Games. ORIGINAL Nutritionals sponsored the event though I dig get around the venue to experience the competition, much of my time at the event was spent talking with people at our company’s booth. A good friend of mine, Ingrid Kantola, [...]

When the difference between making a lift and missing a lift is skill based rather than strength based, an athlete finds himself or herself on the cusp of an incredible breakthrough. Many students are in this zone, too. Before a movement like the clean or the snatch is mastered, there’s often a great deal of [...]

We’ve never been a bootcamp. We don’t yell or verbally “motivate” our students. Yet, it’s impossible to avoid the philosophy, the ruthless training, and the cut throat nature of performance that instilled in every ounce of FFOTB. It’s quite refreshing, however, to think that this place is still human. Sure, we’re guided by performance and, though, [...]

For the sake of this important post, we’ll call the “engaging of your core,” the “locking down of your hip,” hollow body, “arched,” and the wedding of one’s spine to their hip the same thing. The term we will use is “mid-line stability.” Mid-line stability is a topic that is often under appreciated by students [...]