We follow our standard nutritional recommendation: "...we can surmise that a modern diet should comprise of the closest modern equivalent to "animals caught via hunting, and uncultivated plant foods from gathering. There are...
If you run with a tight illio-tibial band, you'll eventually end up with knee pain. If you do 1000 jumping pull-ups after a six month break from training, you'll get rhabdomyloysis. If you go overhead without sufficient scapula stability, you'll develop impingements...
As CrossFitters, we pride ourselves on the universal scaleability of our game. For the most part - this is an infinitely useful thing. It opens up the movements and programming to the masses. We scale weights, reps, movements and time, and we do so to keep the...
Efficient, effective, and well programmed exercise modifies variables to ensure mastery across as many different eventualities as possible. We modify weights, time, size, temperature, reps and anything else we can. Yet, somewhat confusingly, we often train at the same...
Gone are the days of long duration, slow pace running. Long slow runs have become repeated short fast runs. Conditioning has become strength and conditioning. Repetition has become innovation. Boredom has become variation. Sub par performance has become over...
This isn't intended to be a post describing the physiological definitions of overtraining. It's not intended to tell you what you should be doing. It's purpose is to tell you that you HAVE to overtrain to reach your physical 'potential'. Let's quite simply define...
Breaking a mirror causes seven years bad luck. You'll find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Strength training in children causes growth abnormalities. These three statements are all equally supported by research. I've got...
Peter Scherp shares his tips for weight loss. Read more about Pete's journey. Having lost over 64 kg, I often get asked what my secret is or what are my best tips for losing weight. There is no real secrets I can reveal, but I can give some tips. In no particular...
Range of Motion works closely with Prac Students from Perth's Universities. as part of this, we require further research into areas of interest. Matt Utley, from The University of Notre Dame tells of his experiences with MACI, a new procedure restoring cartilage to...
Winging Shoulderblades'. 'Unstable Scapulae'. Common problems. But what are they, and how can they be fixed? One of the primary functions of the scapulae (shoulderblades) is to provide a stable base from which to create movement...
Lab based Exercise Scientists and Physiologists have long used VO2 as the gold measure of 'fitness'. Should we alter this standard to measure the ABILITY to complete physical tasks. VO2 measures the POTENTIAL to complete physical tasks. VO2 compares the amount of...
We tend to develop a set of standards by which we define our own identity, in this case, our fitness identity. We pigeon-hole our capabilities based on previous performance, external expectations, and pre-conceived barriers....
The Titans. The game is over and now you approach the teeth of the Primal Pairs. The training is behind you, the torn hands, the aching lungs, the burning muscle, the deep pain of uncommon effort. And some would ask for what? I can tell them why, it’s to shine, it’s...
To be defined as 'fit', we must be proficient at generating energy and working at a high capacity over various time domains. We must be able to generate extremely high levels of power over a short explosive burst, and must be able to sustain low levels of power over a...
We train hard - real hard. So how can we avoid hand tears that may slow us down? Guest Blogger Andrew Mills explores... As athletes we train hard and consistently. As a consequence of hard training we more often than not end up...
The eccentric hamstring lower is a rarely used, though highly effective method of strengthening the posterior chain. Its applications in improving strength, speed and power are extensive. In terms of performance improvement, the benefits of this exercise can be...
A supplement, by definition, is designed to act as a supplementary to your regular nutrition. In short, the answer of how much to supplement your diet is as much as is necessary to ensure you are receiving the recommended daily intake levels of macro and...
Magnesium (Mg) is a chemical element playing several major roles in human health and performance. It is present in every type of cell in the human body. Relative to human performance, Magnesium plays a considerable role in the...
In the development of modern Homo sapiens from early Australopithecines there have been many evolutionary compromises, which have left us being imperfect organisms. The Obstetric Dilemma involves the need for the pelvis to expand to accommodate for the birth of large...
Human performance is limited by attention and automaticity. Attention is a conscious mental engagement in cognitive or motor task, while automaticity occurs when the same task is performed without requiring attention resources....
In order to formulate a teaching or training program, a coach must first appreciate the stages of learning, and teach students as proposed by these distinct stages. The learner progresses through three phases; cognitive, associative and autonomous. In the cognitive...
The individual differences we observe in the 'levels of success' that people achieve in performance of a motor skill depends in large part on the degree to which the person has the motor abilities that are important for the...
Humans are not a patient species, and we often sacrifice our future fitness for present success. Natural selection is a process that takes place over many generations, but our egocentric nature warrants that we think only in the...
There is no doubt what-so-ever that technique is important, and poor technique is dangerous. What I would like to propose is that poor intensity is just as dangerous - just on a different scale. Poor technique causes immediate...
Complex movements require certain anatomical allowances. Few are as important as thoracic extension. The thoracic spine is the portion of the spine referred to as the upper back. The inherent stiffness of the thoracic spine is no evolutionary accident. It serves a...
Traditionally, gym based exercise has been segregated into weightbearing exercise, and cardiovascular exercise. I say 'gym based exercise', because before the development of exercise for the sake of exercise (as opposed to...
Most initial motivations to exercise are invariably negative. You exercise to lose weight, because you feel unhealthy, are low on energy, or any one of hundreds of negative motivators. As human beings, we don’t respond well to...
There are few movements with as much benefit and global reach as the press. Sometimes, technique corrections are not sufficient in resolving poor movement. Let's look at the musculo-skeletal issues which may jeopardise your...
You're injured. The next few hours are critical to your long term recovery. What do you do? You have no time to waste... so let me give you a super fast recipe for injury care, and the justification behind each initiative....
There are two schools of thought. Here's the quandary. The squat, deadlift and press, in my opinion are three of the most (if not THE MOST) important movements we can perform. Performed correctly they comprise the elements of almost every single movement we can do...