Blog / Training

There’s probably been a time in your training when you’ve thought to yourself, “how am I supposed to do this, I can’t even breath!”. Without proper breathing during exercise, your body doesn’t get the oxygen it needs to support what you’re asking it to do, leaving you weak and out of breath. 

Nearly everyone has some type of muscular imbalance., it’s not an uncommon occurrence. The most important thing, however, is to identify where the postural and muscular imbalances lie in your body, so that you can address them, before you make a small situation, worse.

One of the most common fitness questions I get asked from a new gym-goer is if you should do cardio or weights first at the start of your workout. Some say it doesn’t matter, but the fact of the matter is, it actually does.  

I don’t want to lift weights because I’ll get too bulky, is like saying I don’t want to go for a swim, because I’ll become Michael Phelps. Just because you lift weights a few days a week, does not mean you’re going to become a bodybuilder. Gaining “bulk” in the traditional sense, is no easy task and requires dedication, consistency, a strict exercise program, religious meal planning, and stick-to-itiveness. Resistance training (lifting weights) is the best form of exercise, to help boost your metabolism, burn body fat, gain strength, and yes gain maybe some muscle mass.

As an elite athlete, there are dozens of recovery methods, techniques, and tools that you can utilize, in order to keep you at the top of your game day after day. But the problem, is knowing which tools to use, and when to use them. With so many different options, it can be difficult and overwhelming. This ultimate guide will help you pick and choose which recovery methods to use, at what stage of training, in order to maximize your athletic performance by effectively minimizing your recovery time.

We’ve all been there; sore to the point that we can barely move. When it hurts so bad, you can’t even raise your arms because your shoulders and chest feel like someone beat the shit out of you with a pillowcase full of bars of soap. Or what about the days when you can’t even walk straight because you decided to throw some extra plates onto your deadlift the day before. What you’re experiencing is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which unsympathetically decides to ruin your day typically 12-48 hours’ post-workout.

There are ways you can get more efficient at burpees, to make the suck, suck less. Instead of running and hiding the next time coach yells out a burpee EMOM, here are 6 steps to progress through burpees for beginners. 

It hurts so good. I’m talking of course, about foam rolling. You know, that studded little power strip of foam. Or as I like to call it, the pain enforcer. Foam rollers are used to assist in myofascial release, after a grueling WOD, long distance run, or gripping power lifting session. The reason we foam roll, or neglect to foam roll, is to not only make us cringe, but to both help you warm up and recover faster after a gut-wrenching workout. So what are we going to do? By now, you probably know that Swolverine is an evidence-based company. So, let’s see what the studies say about the proper uses and benefits of foam rolling to help us get back out on the floor to hammer out more thrusters.

It’s no secret, that CrossFit is a physical demanding sport. With constantly varied movements, that require efficient range of motion, agility, strength, and mobility, optimizing your recovery through effective techniques and physical therapy is crucial for your performance. Graston technique, is an effective treatment option to help keep your range of motion, and mobility on point, so that you continue crushing your WODs. 

Active Rest Days are a lot more necessary than you may think. We’ve got 6 ways to spend your active rest day so that you can still feel productive and on track towards your fitness and health goals.

Shoulder mobility is key when you’re participating in any of type of exercise program. CrossFit especially requires full range of motion, to perform Olympic lifting movements such as overhead squats and snatch. Without adequate shoulder mobility, your form will be compromised, which can result in a loss of power and even worse, cause injury.