Butcher’s Garage
I was up late last night working on site designs when an email hit my inbox from our friend, Kenneth in Copenhagen, Denmark at Butcher’s Garage. I know you have heard of Butcher’s Lab, but have you heard of Butcher’s Garage...
Rad
John, attached is a picture of me pulling 424 lbs at a body weight of 158 lbs at a USAPL competition yesterday. I won the 165 lbs junior and open raw weight-classes, and set new California state records for the Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and total for the 165 lbs junior weight class...
Iowa Football & Rhabdo
Hey John, Did you hear about the recent case of rhabdomyolysis at the University of Iowa? I was curious as one of the players said he had to "squat 240lbs for 100 reps and it was timed." 13 players were affected and I was just hoping that with your experience you might be able to shed some light on why this type of training is beneficial for D1 football players at this point in the off-season...
What are you training for?
Hey John, My name is Dan and I've CrossFitting for going on two years now. I'm 28 yrs/old, 6'2", 195lbs (very lean). I get on average four workouts a week in with a strong emphasis on power. I have had limited gains in terms of becoming more powerful...
2010 Recap
This is my recap for 2010. This past year has been exciting, full of growth and progress. Talk To Me Johnnie was launched and CrossFit Football made it into it’s second year. We have been working on a site redesign and many other advances to come. For my year end wrap up, I have decided to answer a few questions I did not get a chance to respond to in 2010...
MU
Hey Guys, Just wondering why there are no muscle-ups in the CrossFit Football programming? I've heard that if you can do heavy weighted pull-ups (like 100 extra pounds) then you can do a muscle up no problem but I don't know if this is true. Does this have anything to do with the program doing a ton of weighted pull-ups and chin ups? Thanks, Jay Jay, before I go threw the reasons you [...]
Deadlifts & Viagra
Hey John, Love the program and thank you for what you do for us. I was a collegiate rower over a decade ago, but since then have given up the long steady-state work and have fallen in love with strength training. I’ve been on the Amateur program for about 1 year now and I’ve been making good strides in my overall strength. But I know I have a weak link…my lower back (and [...]
Regeneration
John, I wanted to thank you for the training as I am stronger, faster and becoming an all around a better athlete because of it. However, lately I have been getting my ass kicked in the training. Got any recovery tips to help me recover and keep making progress? Thanks, R & R As you can imagine playing a 16 game season in the NFL takes a toll on the body. Add to [...]
Strength Training for Young Athletes
Johnnie, What's your take on what age young athletes should start lifting weights? I am working with a group of 11 and 12 year-old baseball players doing mostly speed and agility work because their parents are terrified of strength training. Sandy H. Lets take a look at how kids unfold. As children grow in size and develop muscle mass, they also develop increased strength. These strength improvements are independent of any training stimulus. [...]
Mecca of Power
I was in Fairfield, CT last month for a certification and Zach Even-Esh took a drive up from New Jersey to say hello. Zach and I have been emailing for over a year and finally got the chance to meet up. He loaned me a collection of old PL'ing articles for light reading on the plane ride home. I was reading an old article from Joe Weider in 1969 by Dick Tyler entitled [...]