CrossFit Football

Despite a wealth of scientific research on hydration and cramping, few athletes and coaches know anything about preventing and treating muscle cramps.

Trent Cole never knew when they were going to strike: Exercise-induced muscle cramps were a serious problem for Cole when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted the University of Cincinnati product in 2005. No matter what he tried or how much fluid he drank, he couldn’t stop the full-body muscle cramps.

“I hydrated… Continue Reading

What if almost everything you know about hydration and sports is wrong?

Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler, a devoted marathon runner and sports-medicine podiatrist, was working in the medical tent at the 2000 Houston Marathon in Houston, Texas.

“It was hot that day,” Hew-Butler said, “and all these runners came (into the tent) and collapsed.”

Hew-Butler and her colleagues knew exactly what to do. Assuming dehydration, the medical aides started IVs for the collapsed runners. Then something strange… Continue Reading

A homeless high-school dropout with a felony charge and a son, Damian Relierford now has a football scholarship and wants to help kids like him. Andréa Maria Cecil reports.

The tattoo on his forehead reads “Damebo.” It’s his nickname. He got it when he was high.

“I do regret it but I don’t.”

It’s a reminder of his missteps, but also of how far he’s come.

“I was a thug, a street guy, basically. … Selling weed, doing… Continue Reading

Bill Starr offers advice to athletes training hard in the dog days of summer.

This is the time of year when athletes have to deal with temperatures soaring close to or over the century mark, as well as extremely high humidity in some areas. It’s also when many sports teams train for the upcoming season.

Extreme heat can be debilitating to any athlete, regardless of age, if he or she does… Continue Reading

Ben Oliver of CrossFit Football breaks down sprint mechanics by focusing first on the upper body.

He begins with the seated arm swing, in which he has athletes start with the right hand at the front cheek and the left hand punching back behind the butt.

“We have to understand that posture. We can develop that posture in the weight room. We can also develop it by just doing this,” says Oliver, showing that… Continue Reading

For amateur athletes aiming to gain strength, seven-day programming is simple, says CrossFit Football’s Ben Oliver.

On Day 1, it’s squats, presses and running. On Day 2, it’s deadlifts and max pull-ups. On Day 3, rest. Day 4 is squats again, plus bench presses and running. On Day 5, do power cleans and max chin-ups. Take two days off and repeat.

Following this easy formula is key to newbies getting stronger, Oliver says. But it’s not without… Continue Reading

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a gym rat, and Raphael Ruiz of CrossFit Football says it’s easy for you to fall prey to the “curse of the gifted.” Those drawn to the gym-rat mentality likely spend time doing what they love—and not much else, he adds.

“How many of us stretch as much as you’re supposed to stretch?” Ruiz asks. “How many of us do the things that we suck at?”

When training athletes, you must remember the end goal, he… Continue Reading

It begins with nutrition.

“Nobody ever got strong out of a vending machine,” says CrossFit Football seminar staffer Ben Oliver. “Training makes you weaker.”

It’s rest, recovery and food that make you stronger. Next up on CrossFit Football’s pyramid is strength and conditioning. In other words, Oliver says, “conditioned enough to survive our training.”

He adds: “You can’t really get conditioned for your sport in the weight room.”

Then it’s on to the Olympic lifts and other… Continue Reading