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Archives for Chris Holder
Chris Holder

About Chris Holder

Chris Holder comes to Breaking Muscle with over thirty years as an athlete and coach. A football player first and then spending his entire professional coaching career at the college level, Holder has been in love with everything weight lifting since he was a little boy.

Holder has an incredibly diversified training background that brings a unique product to his athletes. Known in many circles as a pioneer of kettlebell training at the college level, Chris opened the door in the early 2000s to break the mold and monotony of the traditional methods of training college student-athletes. He is a Master RKC and his preparation of football players for the NFL Combine has gained recognition from the NFL for years.

In his “other” life, Chris is a Doctor of Medical Qigong with an emphasis in oncology. Under the tutelage of legendary Kung Fu and Qigong Grand Master Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson, Dr. Holder has developed protocols to enhance every aspect of an athlete’s competitive life. Blending disciplines of both East and West, Holder has created a holistic training environment for his athletes and is at the forefront of Qigong research at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California.

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Chris Holder

Athlete Development

  • The Benefits of Hill Running — More Speed, Better Mechanics, and Power
  • It’s 2021 and I Still Handwrite My Training Programs. Here’s Why

Coach Development

  • It’s 2021 and I Still Handwrite My Training Programs. Here’s Why

Fitness

  • The Benefits of Hill Running — More Speed, Better Mechanics, and Power
  • The Yin and Yang in Strength Training to Optimize Balance
  • Midline Rule: Simplify Your Stance
  • I Was Wrong
  • Athletics Versus Aesthetics: What’s the Difference?
  • 8 Unusual Olympic LIfting Cues That Get Results
  • Why You Need a Woman on Your Staff
  • The Golden Triangle: The Secret to Human Performance
  • Parents: Get Out of the Way and Let the Coaches Coach
  • 3 Kettlebell Exercises for an Iron Grip
  • Olympic Weightlifting and the Recreational Athlete
  • My Most Effective Squat Cue
  • A Letter to My Son, the Aspiring Athlete
  • Attention Club Volleyball Parents
  • The Key to Speed Is In Your Spine
  • Parents: You Are the First Coach
  • There’s More to the Weight Room Than Getting Strong
  • Going Pro? Stick With the Coach Who Knows You
  • Get Ready for Full Throttle: The Cal Poly Hip Flow
  • Can Your Mind Make The Kettlebell Swing Any More Effective?
  • Mirror Neurons and the Scourge of Social Media Coaching
  • Your Fitness Truths Are Just a Story
  • The Power of Intention
  • Why Non-Contact ACL Injuries Should Never Happen
  • Simple Does Not Mean Ineffective
  • The Cal Poly Armor Building Program
  • Lower Stress to Increase Fitness
  • Dave Matthews, the Elliptical Machine, and the Haters
  • Unlock Power and Performance With a Golf Ball
  • Unlock the Roots of Performance With a Golf Ball
  • The Gift of an Injury
  • Water Burns: Tread Water to Lose Fat
  • Train Like the Pros: Get More Air on Your Jumps
  • Get the Rhythm in Your Bones for Safer Squats
  • Want a Great Butt? Train Like an Athlete
  • 6 Elements That Belong in Every Athlete’s Training Program
  • Welcome to College Athletics: A Letter From Your Strength Coach
  • Set Goals and Go: How to Become Unstoppable
  • How to Smash the 225lb Rep Max Bench Test
  • 7 Steps to Find the Best Coach for You
  • Kettlebells Work: But Can You Endure the Chain of Pain?
  • 10 Cues for a Perfect Kettlebell Swing
  • The 10 Commandments of the Kettlebell Swing
  • Pack Your Neck for a Safer Spine and Stronger Swings
  • Cal Poly’s 8-Week Deadlift Program: Push Through a Strength Plateau
  • What the Lower Dantian Is and Why It’s Pivotal to Your Training
  • What’s Daoism Got to Do With It? The Yin and Yang of Training
  • Qigong: The New (Ancient) Way of Improving Health and Performance

Learn

  • Practice Like It’s Game Day

Train

  • The Benefits of Hill Running — More Speed, Better Mechanics, and Power

Workouts

  • Protect Your Spine and Power Your Swings With a Packed Neck
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