First off, let me start by thanking Dave Tate, Steve Diel, Sheena Leedham, Julia Ladewski and everyone on team elitefts who made this possible. Thank you for believing in me and that the content I have to share is worthy.

I have been following team elitefts for over a decade. I have looked up to these athletes for strength, progress, motivation, and education. I consider being part of the team both a privilege and, most certainly, a dream come true.

So a little about myself before I dive into what I plan on doing with my role as a columnist and coach for elitefts.com Inc.

I have been an athlete since the age of 11. My mother was a single mom, often working two jobs. She always knew what was best for me, even If I felt differently. I participated in soccer, baseball, football, wrestling, track and field, if we could afford it, she put me in it. I'm thankful she did this. Knowing what I do today, one of the single most detrimental things you can do to your child's athleticism is to succumb them to a single sport. Eventually, my heart took to football and by junior year that's where my concentration grew. I ended up being decent enough to earn a few accolades and get my ass a scholarship, the only way I was making it to college. I attended The University of St. Ambrose in Davenport IA. It is here where my passion for all things lifting, strength and conditioning blossomed. I completed my time at St. Ambrose and ended up earning a double major in Exercise Science,  Strength and Human Performance, obtaining my CSCS, as well as my Masters Degree in Physical Therapy.

Fast forward over a decades worth of training and competing in powerlifting, earning a Pro total with a 1901 total at 242 raw with wraps, and bodybuilding, finishing top 3 in the 2011 NPC Ironman Open class, obtaining multiple injuries, long stints of recovery and thoughts of "what's the point'...and here I am today doing the same thing at 31.

Here is what I hope to accomplish with my coaching logs at elitefts.com:

  • My goal will be to bring you into the world of physical therapy and soft tissue therapy, and to help you understand how it can positively affect your performance in bodybuilding, powerlifting and strength sports, even if you are not injured.
  • To bring you the necessary information on bridging the gap from injury to performance
  • Understand how I train and program for both powerlifting and bodybuilding to get the best of both worlds
  • Lastly, to answer any question you may have related to physical therapy, training, recovery, and performance

With each article I write, I hope you gain valuable information on various topics that will help you, the reader, progress in your training, recovery, rehab, and performance. If you have any topics you would like me to go more in depth on please don't hesitate to ask them in the Q & A or send them directly to my email: performanceandrecoverysystems@yahoo.com

In Health,

Jason Colley, MPT, CSCS, ART