Typical instruction for squat stance is a generic recommendation to stand shoulder width apart with your toes turned out slightly. This is a great starting point, but that does not mean it is the optimal stance for everyone. Whether you are a CrossFit athlete, performance weight lifter, or doing squats for general fitness, please read...
Has anyone ever told you only squat to parallel and no lower because it is dangerous or bad for your knees? Did anyone making this claim provide any evidence to support it? This is highly unlikely considering the research has proven that deep squats below parallel are not only safe but provide protective benefit against...
Exercise programs have historically achieved adaptation through specificity of training. This principle of specificity has driven the exercise community to view training for endurance or strength as a compromise, to achieve one you must sacrifice the other. Adami et al recently showed that we can indeed have it all, that it is possible to have...
Exercise has been shown to have substantial benefits for many aspects of mental health. A study by Murawska-Cialowicz et al identified a potential mechanism by which CrossFit training in particular has potential to positively impact a wide variety conditions that are associated with nervous system function, including mental health. This study identified significant physiologic changes...
CrossFit gets a bad reputation for having high rates of injury. I have heard many Physical Therapists and Orthopedic Surgeons say things such as “CrossFit keeps me in business.” This could not be further from the truth and is a lie the healthcare profession needs to stop propagating. My hypotheses for why people repeat ignorant...
CrossFit has often been described as a cult, and that is not entirely inaccurate. A cult is a social group (community) that is defined by its “unusual” religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or its common interest (health and wellness) in a particular personality, object, or goal (fitness). The practice of these beliefs is commonly associated...
CrossFit is well known for utilizing momentum driven variations of gymnastics movements in workouts commonly referred to as “kipping”. Kipping pull-ups and kipping ring muscle-ups are two skills that many new (and many experienced) CrossFit athletes desire to perform so they can complete the WOD at their local box. Often athletes are told they need...
In our active Boulder County community, we have observed an increase in the number of women participating in high intensity exercise such as CrossFit. The topic of pelvic health and CrossFit has been under discussion in recent years, prompted by reports of competitive female athletes experiencing urine loss due to stress urinary incontinence during CrossFit...