ExPhysiology

Top scientists bust hydration myths at the 2015 CrossFit Conference on Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia.

In 1998, Dr. Dale Benjamin Speedy stood in front of Ironman competitors in Auckland, New Zealand, and prepared to make an announcement he knew was going to be unpopular: He told the athletes he was reducing the number of hydration stations throughout the race, which was made up of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run.

“People freaked out,” said… Continue Reading

In Part 1 of this series, Lon Kilgore examines the research behind one of the sacred cows of strength and conditioning.

Periodization is king of all exercise-programming methods.

Classical periodization, the English translation of Leonid Matveyev’s Soviet model of programming, is the single best model and should be used in all strength-and-conditioning training for all healthy and athletic populations.

So says the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and anyone who… 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

Strong shoulders are the key to performance overhead, and four simple movements can help you improve mobility and stability.

A look back at the workouts from CrossFit.com for the 2013 year reveals that over 80 percent of them involved at least one exercise that had a transfer of force through the shoulder girdle.

Therefore, proper function of the shoulder is critical for both optimal performance and injury prevention. An… Continue Reading

Lon Kilgore takes a look at the machine that produces fitness professionals, and he doesn’t like what he sees.

The problem with sport, exercise and fitness certifications is that they propose to supplant university education. The problem with sport, exercise and fitness university education is that they can.

Before you applaud or get your shotgun, no one really wins in this scenario—not the trainer, not the trainee.

It is an all-too-common occurrence for graduates in… Continue Reading

The topic is the “knees out” cue in this episode of Offline, an unscripted presentation of guests debating controversial subjects in the CrossFit world.

Host Russell Berger welcomes four guests:

• Kelly Starrett, leader of CrossFit Mobility seminars, owner of San Francisco CrossFit, doctor of physical therapy and author of Becoming a Supple Leopard.

• Jacob Tsypkin, owner of CrossFit Monterey.

• Lon Kilgore, professor at the University of West Scotland… Continue Reading

Some athletes and experts swear by ice baths, while others say they’re useless or even detrimental. Hilary Achauer investigates the potential end of the Ice Age.

Maybe CrossFit athletes have a thing for pain. The event is over, they’ve survived whatever crushing test was put before them, and instead of finding the nearest chair, many competitive CrossFit athletes decide to prolong the agony by submerging themselves in a tub filled… Continue Reading

Emily Beers examines the physiology of exercise-induced orgasms, and female CrossFit athletes open up and talk about them.

It was 1995, a time when crunches were the in-vogue ab exercise.

Wendy, desperate for a flat stomach to flaunt during the upcoming summer, started an abdominal routine in her living room. She told herself the monotony of the crunches would be well worth it.

“From pain will come pleasure,” Wendy remembers thinking.

Twenty, 25… Continue Reading