ExPhysiology

This video series provides a fresh look at skill-transfer exercises and midline stability, combining the powers of Kelly Starrett and gymnast Carl Paoli. Both San Francisco CrossFit coaches add their expertise to refine basic CrossFit movements with the aim of improving power output.

“The goal is to take the very basic things that we do that are simple to see and understand and then translate them into the fun stuff,” Paoli says.

According to Starrett, the easiest way… Continue Reading

Dr. Jonathan Gary offers an introduction to the cell biology behind increasing glucose uptake into cells.

For readers who previously subscribed to the CrossFit Kids Magazine, this article will be another in the series I’ve written trying to explain the basic scientific research that supports the benefits of exercise, both for the mind and body.

I call this series “Journal Club” from my time in graduate… Continue Reading

“So it might be pretty obvious that CrossFit is all about (the) musculoskeletal system, cardiorespiratory system, but what isn’t as obvious is the effect of exercise on the brain,” says Dr. Jon Gary, a member of CrossFit Kids. According to Dr. Gary, CrossFit Kids gives us a unique opportunity to enhance a child’s brain development.

“CrossFit Kids cross-trains the brain,” he says.

Dr. Gary’s aim is to help children move better through CrossFit Kids and help develop… Continue Reading

The hip is essential to elite performance. Dan Hollingsworth explains how this complex joint works.

An easy case can be made for the hip being the most important anatomic region in all athletic endeavors. Before this argument can be made, we must have a clear picture of the anatomic structure and biomechanics of this complex region.

The true hip joint, otherwise known as the “coxofemoral joint,” is the articulation between the femur (the long… Continue Reading

Dr. Lon Kilgore questions the modern foundations of the study of exercise physiology and suggests a new way forward.

“Into what abyss of fears and horrors hast thou driven me, out of which I find no way, from deep to deeper plunged.” —John Milton, Paradise Lost

I don’t know why no one has asked this before. I don’t know why it has come down to me to ask a question central to the existence of an academic discipline. But someone needs to cowboy up and… Continue Reading

Oh the burn!

At some point during Karen, your quads start to tingle with a certain familiar sensation that can only be described as “burning.” As you work your way toward your 150th toss of the Dynamax ball, the feeling gets worse and worse until you heave the final ball to the wall.

We all feel lactic acid building up during a workout. Or do we?

It turns out the burning sensation actually comes from the accumulation of potassium… Continue Reading

Does suffering in a group make it easier? Dr. Steven M. Platek believes the camaraderie of CrossFit can get you through the nastiest WOD.

What does CrossFit have to do with pain?

Quite fascinatingly, our “feeling” of pain in the physical is tightly and neurologically linked to our feeling pain in the social realm (being excluded, ostracized, etc.). The kid who does not get picked for dodgeball experiences a sense of pain very similar… Continue Reading

Poor posture can create poor results and cause injuries. Dr. John Zimmer explains how to improve posture for best performance and safety.

“Your form sucks.”

This harsh statement is something I politely announce on a regular basis, along with telling the athlete he or she is pulling with the arms or has muted hip function, and it usually comes in response to myriad questions that are either injury- or performance-related.

“Why does my… Continue Reading