training
Culture Shifts And; Humility
The challenge is knowing when to pass that on and when to let someone else learn the hard way. Because sometimes the best lesson isn’t what you tell someone; it’s what you let them experience.
50 Years in the Weight Room by Ashley Jones
A 50-year training recap from Ashley Jones—what works, what doesn’t, and why “program promiscuity” stalls progress—followed by a structured off-season plan using 3-week cycles and progressive intensification.
Ten Rules I Learned Under the Bar (That Have Nothing to Do with Programming)
The gym teaches you more than how to get strong. If you pay attention, it teaches you how to lead, how to think, and who you actually are.
The Death of the Straight Bar? How This Revolutionary "Thin" Design Unlocks Elite Force Production
John Meadows Demonstrates Band Spider Crawls: A Shoulder Warmup Worth Keeping
John Meadows knew how to take care of a body that had been through the wringer. Watch him demonstrate one of the best shoulder activation drills you're probably not doing.
February 1980: The State of Powerlifting
Analyze the February 1980 issue of Powerlifting USA. Featuring Mike MacDonald's bench press specifics, Mark Dimiduk’s rise, and the Finnish Deadlift routine.
The WarGrip Knee Sleeves Were Built for the Gym, Not the Platform
The elitefts WarGrip Training Knee Sleeves are a dual-ply training sleeve built for daily use, with enough compression to keep you protected session after session, without the fight of getting them on.
The Best Lifters Know When to Stop Following the Plan
Auto-regulation isn't a cheat code for lazy lifters. It's the hardest skill in strength sports to develop, and most people never get there.
Reps in Reserve is a Lie, and 4 Other Brutal Truths from the Iron Trenches
I made a promise to John Meadows at his grave site that I would never walk away from the business, meaning I had to show up every single day with integrity and the highest work ethic possible to uphold his legacy. This ongoing commitment involves using a hybrid training approach, rotating between low- and high-volume exercises based on the body's response, and guiding clients through strategic fat loss and rebound phases to maximize progress.
Five Stations, One Corner: How We Built Our Custom Cable Tower (And Why It Works for More Than Just Us)
We installed a custom multi-station cable tower in 2025 and it became one of the most-used pieces in the gym. Here's what we built, how we actually use it, and how it scales for training centers and high school programs.
The Bar That Saved My Training (And My Shoulders)
Bodybuilding Redemption
For years, bodybuilding work was treated like fluff, something “real” lifters didn’t waste time on. Powerlifters mocked curls, lateral raises, and cable work as meaningless vanity exercises. If it didn’t build the squat, bench, or deadlift directly, it didn’t matter. But time has a funny way of proving you wrong.