Nearly every athlete and or fitness enthusiast, who has ever trained consistently, has encountered a build up of calluses. This article will take a look at what causes calluses, how our bodies use calluses, how to prevent calluses from tearing and how to treat torn calluses when they arise. Calluses are thickened areas of skin that are caused by repetitive friction and or pressure on the skin. The callus acts as a protective barrier between the skin and the external source of the force or friction. Although calluses can form nearly anywhere on the body, the hands and feet are the most common locations for calluses. This article will focus primarily on the calluses of the hands. Although calluses are formed by the body with the purpose of protecting the skin, like mostly anything, too much of a good thing has the ability to have a negative impact. When calluses build and thicken to the point that they are raised above the surface of the skin, they are at risk for being torn off. There seems to be an association with an initiation into die-hard training that is marked by torn calluses. Rather, torn calluses are as much a sign of toughness as is catching the flu. Both the flu and torn calluses have a negative impact on training and luckily, measures can be taken to prevent both. There is nothing beneficial nor celebratory-worthy about having bleeding, torn hands. Although keeping calluses at a safe thickness takes a little work, preventing torn calluses is almost always easier than dealing with, treating and healing a torn callus. Prevention There are several measures that can be taken to prevent calluses from building to a thickness that poses [...]

In this third and final blog dedicated to pullups, we take a look at the training stimulus differences between strict and kipping pullups. It's a general belief of CrossFit that kipping pullups are superior to strict pullups because they produce a higher power output. Gregg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, is quoted as saying: kipping allows more work to be done in less time, thus increasing power output." If we are focused solely on power output (force x distance/ time), this is true. However, power output is just one variable of training and it can be improved in several different ways. It shouldn't be the only focus of a workout, especially if it opens the door for an increased risk of injury (as reviewed in the second blog in this series). According to Dr. Mike Young, "Saying that kipping pullups are superior just because they exhibit greater gross power output is like claiming Mercedes Benz is the absolute best car. The absolute best at what? Comfort? Dependability? Fuel economy? It depends on what you're looking for." Strict pullups focus the training load more on the upper body musculature and they potentially provide a greater time under tension without the inherent risks of kipping pullups for speed. Additionally, more strict variations of the pullup provide a better opportunity to train the qualities that most people associate with strength. When we speak of being strong, it's really just a reference to how much mechanical work someone can perform in a given movement. Work equals force x distance. Notice: time is not a factor in work. It's doubtful anyone would disagree that one weighted rep of a 3 sec up and 3 sec down strict pullup would be [...]

From an anatomical standpoint, this blog will dig into why we, Athletic Lab, believe a strength base through strict pullups should be established before kipping pullups are added to the mix. Bypassing the ability to do strict pullups and veering directly toward kipping pullups opens the door for serious injuries. Across the board, kipping pullups are widely utilized by CrossFit (CF). It doesn't take much searching to realize the CF injury message boards are overwhelmingly filled with reports of SLAP tears (Superior Labral Tear from Anterior to Posterior) and rotator cuff injuries that have come as a result of the excessive use of kipping pullups. There's a reason for this and in order to further explore the cause for these injuries, it will require us to brush up on the anatomy of the shoulder. Moving in nearly every direction, the shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the human body. For this very reason, the joint is extremely unstable, especially while the arm is overhead. The shoulder joint is considered a "ball and socket" joint, but there's an issue when it comes to this joint. The ball (the head of the upper arm's humerus bone) is only partially covered by the socket [the glenoid fossa of the scapula (shoulder blade)] because the socket is very shallow. The ball is bigger than the socket is deep. In fact, only about one third of the head of the humerus is covered by the glenoid fossa. To make up for the loss of this coverage, there's a rim of cartilage, the glenoid labrum, that lines the socket. From this point, we'll refer to this cartilage as the labrum. The labrum has multiple functions. It attempts to make [...]

There's no doubt about it, kipping pullups are faster than strict pullups. During timed workouts, those who crank out kipping pullups generally finish the workout with faster times than those who are going through the workout with strict pullups. Who really wins?...the person who tops the board with a faster time or the person who did a harder variation of the prescribed exercise? The answer to that question depends on your personal outlook as to what you're trying to accomplish and what you consider to be a better workout. At Athletic Lab, we prefer to see the use of kipping pullups confined to timed workouts or during a max pull up test. And even then, we like the kip to be conservative and not a wild flailing action. For pullups outside of a timed workout or a max output, strict pullups are recommended. Those who are new to pullups are encouraged to keep working on their pullup strength through strict pullups before moving on to kipping. If pullups require a band: once the band is removed, strict pullups without a band should be the next goal. According to Dr. Mike Young, director of sports performance and co-owner of Athletic Lab, "I'd like to see people be able to do at least 10 strict pullups before attempting high rep kipping pullups. Once kipping is mastered, it would be best reserved for timed workouts. That [strict pullups] ensures you have an appropriate level of shoulder and back strength to provide support to an inherently unstable joint instead of just flailing around on ligaments, tendons and fascia using momentum." The next two blogs will take an in depth look into anatomical reasons and offer training load insights as [...]

Being flat footed isn't the end of the world. There have been many successful athletes who have had missing arches in their feet. In fact, there's ongoing research based on the thought that flat footed sprinters might actually be faster than their counterparts who have normal feet. No matter the level of success, it is necessary for the flat footed to be mindful when it comes to the care of their feet. There are different types of flat feet. For the purpose of this article, we'll define flat feet as a medical condition in which the arch of the foot has fallen. When standing, the entire foot of someone who is flat footed would either be in near or complete contact with the ground. If studying the footprints that are left behind near a swimming pool, a footprint that lacks an arch might be found by searching for an entire footprint. With flat feet, the tendency is for the foot to turn inward or to become pronated. When running, people with flat feet generally overpronate. This puts extra stress on the joints of the ankles, knees, hips and the back. The feet should be viewed as the base of the body. If the foundation is crumbling, everything on top of the base has the potential to become unstable as well. Proper shoes and orthotics have the potential to prevent injuries by alleviating the tendency for the feet to pronate. Without proper support, injuries may occur. Over recent years, minimalist shoes and barefoot running have increased in popularity. There's an ongoing debate as to whether or not these shoes, or lack thereof, are worth the rage they've become. On one side of the debate: minimalist shoes [...]