Quick Thoughts on New Accessory Movements Written by Coach Slater This week, we changed up our accessory movements for the rest of the strength cycle and now we want to give you a little more info about how best to perform these movements. So, here’s our “Quick Thoughts” on the four new movements you’ve seen...Read More

Lower-Body Posture & Mobility Warmups Written by Coach Slater Ever feel like your coaches are watching how you stand around as you wait for class to begin, or after a WOD as you cool down, or as you’re walking into the gym? Always judging, watching… look at the baby, look at the baby. Well, we’re...Read More

Some Rules of Foam Rolling Written by: Coach Slater If you’re reading this post, you’re probably guilty of foam rolling incorrectly or doing so for the wrong reasons. If you’re quickly rolling over various areas or just kinda hanging out on the roller, then you’re not doing yourself any good. So, let’s get that fixed....Read More

Stop the Banded Hip Stretch Written by: Coach Slater This banded hip stretch is doing you more harm than good. Read this statement in your best late-night infomercial voice… “Do you experience pain or discomfort at the front of your hip, most often on the right side? Do you try to stretch it with bands...Read More

Percentages – How Your Squat Should Relate to Everything Else Written by: Coach Slater A lot of really smart coaches, much smarter than us, believe that the squat has the greatest carryover to any other exercise. So, it’s no wonder that we’ve been focusing so much on squatting in our last two cycles. If your...Read More

Keep Your Wrists Feeling Good Written by: Coach Slater I often see athletes rubbing their wrists or bending their hands back, to relieve some nagging pain in their wrists. I often ask, “Have you tried rolling out your forearm?” but the response is typically the same. “My forearm? But it’s my wrist that hurts.” Yes,...Read More

Pregnancy and Weightlifting Belts Written by: Coach Slater A DCCF-er, who’s requested she remain nameless for now, recently asked me about pregnancy and the safety of wearing weightlifting belts. I have read a decent amount on fitness and pregnancy, but I’ve never seen anyone specifically discuss pregnancy, weightlifting belts, and the intraabdominal pressure they generate....Read More

Hey Coach, The other day when we were working on jerks, I tweaked my back, specifically my middle back down to my lower back. What can I do to minimize the soreness? -Distraught Derby City-er [Quote entirely made up for this article.] Has this ever happened to you? More than likely, you ended up in...Read More

Do you sometimes squat down and your torso comes forward out of the bottom? If you haven’t stabilized your hips/glutes on the descent, then there’s a greater chance of you pitching forward out of the hole. As you begin to squat back up, you’re now placing a heavy load on your lower back, instead driving...Read More

In one of our recent articles titled “Warm Up Before Warming Up“, we talked about using the 90/90 breathing drill in your pre-workout warm-up to improve your breathing mechanics, reposition your pelvis, and decrease the tension in your neck. This drill is also great for learning how to brace your torso for any heavy lift...Read More