|
Recent Articles
|
Back Training for Weightlifting
Greg Everett
February 27 2010 | Training
Because the classic lifts and common supplemental exercises such as squats and pulls naturally provide a considerable workload for the muscles of the lower and middle back, generally this area will require somewhat less specific training than the anterior and lateral aspects of the torso. For convenience, we can classify core work in terms of body regions, type of muscle activation, and type of movement, and do so in a manner that facilitates effective training. The two broadest categories are
Read All |
Comments [0]
|
2009: A Year in Review
Greg Everett
December 28 2009 | Editorial
My usual practice of blasting out last-minute articles as I suddenly realize the new issue of the PM is due out shortly has been failing me this month. Despite having a number of articles started and notes for a few more, I’ve been wholly unable to make any progress. So instead I’m going to try something new: a Catalyst Athletics retrospective.Those of you who have been around for a while are well aware that the latter part of 2009 has contained quite a bit of excitement for us. Whil
Read All |
Comments [5]
|
Percentage-Based MEBB
Michael Rutherford
November 28 2009 | Training
One poor assumption I have made with regards to lecturing on the Max Effort Black box deals with the athlete’s experience with finding the daily max effort. I’m up there babbling about finding that best effort for 5, 3 or 1 on a particular move and then suddenly it hits me—The majority of my audience is lost. I often times get the same tilted head, glazed over look my Airedales give me when I’m talking to them. It’s bad coaching on my part and I regret that. Failure
Read All |
Comments [9]
|
Controlling the Tornado: Planning Your Training: Part 1
Matt Foreman
October 28 2009 | Training
This article will be focused on planning out your training program. And you’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to start with a slogan that you’ve already heard a million times like "Failing to plan is planning to fail." This slogan is a proven truth, but it should be painfully obvious. I shouldn’t have to remind you that planning is important any more than I should have to remind you not to eat yellow snow. However, there is obviously a good reason
Read All |
Comments [5]
|
Teaching the Olympic Lifts in the CrossFit Group Setting: Part 2
Greg Everett
September 29 2009 | Training
Before we continue on this particular adventure, I want to provide some clarification on a few items from the first part of the article. It has been pointed out to me that some of my remarks offended certain individuals, and because this was not my intention, I’m going to take a moment to apologize for any offense that was taken, and to provide my rationale for those remarks. While I may make jokes of certain things, my opinions on them are never without reason.These reasons are not ones p
Read All |
Comments [4]
|
Teaching the Olympic Lifts in the CrossFit Group Setting
Greg Everett
August 30 2009 | Training
Sometimes your clients are confused. It’s true. Some want to squat to big padded balls instead of just learning where their asses are and squatting like grown-ups all the way to the bottom. Some want to do low-bar back squats. And some aren’t very interested in learning the snatch and clean & jerk. Fortunately, as a trainer or coach, it’s your responsibility to train your clients according to what they need rather than what they want—if they knew what they needed, the
Read All |
Comments [3]
|
Vision of Primal Quest
Cassidy Drake
July 30 2009 | Training
I have been wanting to write for the Performance Menu for quite some time now. I had individual article ideas that crossed my mind from time to time. However, I wanted to be able to contribute a year-long series in an area that most magazines, TV, or trainers rarely cover. Team Vertical Limit competes in extreme adventure races. Some people known as the “common public” would consider us crazy; we consider it a way to find our true selves, and test the animalistic nature of what we lo
Read All |
Comments [0]
|
Staying Erect
Greg Everett
June 30 2009 | Training
We all know at this point that we need to maintain lumbar extension during the squat and during pulls… and pretty much during most physical activity. We also know that many of us have a great deal of trouble doing this in certain positions or ranges of motion, such as the bottom of the squat or start of the pulling position. The standard advice is to contract the spinal erectors… which would be all well and good if we knew 1) how to do this and 2) had nothing to fight against. As i
Read All |
Comments [6]
|
CrossFit On-Ramp
Nicki Violetti
May 31 2009 | Training
Download the Curriculum [PDF]
The way in which new clients are introduced to your Crossfit program can be the deciding factor in whether you retain them for life (and they refer friends, family and co-workers) or they come for one dose and vanish. Perhaps the most common way affiliates bring in
Read All |
Comments [9]
|
Plandomization
Greg Everett
April 29 2009 | Training
Periodization has become a bad word in CrossFit Land. My optimistic view on this phenomenon is that it’s due simply to widespread misunderstanding of what exactly periodization is, how variable its implementation can be, and not only its value when used correctly, but its necessity in some form for anyone but the complete beginner. The cynic in me, on the other hand, believes this vehement aversion to periodization of any nature is more a product of frequent bad-mouthing by individuals in
Read All |
Comments [17]
|
