A Thank You to My Valentine
A Thank You to My Valentine

Head’s up: If you’re looking for reps, sets, or percentages, you might want to look elsewhere on this website. Or take the time to make a sweet gesture for your significant other today, just like I’m about to do for my wonderful wife in this article.

How to Get In and Stay In
How to Get In and Stay In

If you think you have what it takes to become a strength coach, you’ve got to start with an internship. This one’s for the future interns who want to get on the field and on the strength and conditioning path. Just know there’s little to no money or prestige in the gig.

WATCH: I am Ashley Jones
WATCH: I am Ashley Jones

elitefts columnist Ashley Jones is Australian by birth, a New Zealander by choice and marriage, but first and foremost, he’s a strength and conditioning coach with 40 years of experience under his belt with plenty of passion and advice to spare to future coaches.

Peaking for Sport
Peaking for Sport

If speed is what we’re going after, then why do the weights on both our heavy and light days continue to climb, and bar speed continues to fall? As we get deeper into the competitive season and continue to put more tonnage on the athletes, we are burning the candle at both ends.

Can We Build Muscle After 50?
Can We Build Muscle After 50?

I asked my elitefts colleagues to do a study or if a study exists on whether or not we can build muscle and get stronger as seniors. Rather than wait for their responses, I decided to take matters into my own hands to address the topic myself, based on the individuals I’ve trained and observed.

The ABCs of My Life in Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness
The ABCs of My Life in Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness

I started my career as a strength and conditioning coach nearly 40 years ago. Throughout those 40 or so years, I picked up and learned a lot from other people. I tried to name as many of these people and their ideas as possible, so here it is, in an easy-to-read ABCs format.

Laying Out the Groundwork to Prevent Injuries
Laying Out the Groundwork to Prevent Injuries

Why are we not focusing on the mechanics? Why is this not important to more coaches and personal trainers? Why are we not laying the groundwork for these athletes to be successful? Staying healthy is a huge part of being successful and in the world of college athletics, if you are injured, you’re not playing.

Two Crucial Components Your Training is Missing
Two Crucial Components Your Training is Missing

Most intermediates that have come to me without ever working with a qualified coach before are lacking a few qualities in their technique, especially on big lifts. Lacking these qualities can potentially lead to injury at one point or another. These two qualities are tension and torque.

Championship Nature Series: The Inverted U and Wooden on Criticism
Championship Nature Series: The Inverted U and Wooden on Criticism

You can’t control what people say about you. Sometimes what they say will be good; sometimes what they say will be bad. What you can control is the way you respond to it. You can let the media get you on the highs and lows of the season, or you can simply choose to not respond to it. It’s your choice.

Through the Players' Eyes
Through the Players' Eyes

Coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, equipment personnel, and league officials all have distinctly different vantage points on the same subject matter. Somewhere along the lines, one of the most critical perspectives gets lost in the shuffle: the players’.

What Makes a Good Coach?
What Makes a Good Coach?

One of Dave Tate’s answers to an Instagram Q&A prompted me to think about what makes a good coach in more detail… and yeah, this kind of turned into a verbal Jerk-off of Dave. But I believe what he does for lifters is the pinnacle of coaching.

The Strength Coach’s Guide to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
The Strength Coach’s Guide to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

As Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grows more popular, so does misinformation about training for the martial art. This article will provide both empirical and anecdotal information about strength and conditioning for this particular combat sport.

How Strong is Strong Enough?
How Strong is Strong Enough?

To answer this question, we need to define strength. But there are many ways to define strength, so we all have to come up with our own method for defining strength. For me, it’s the squat.

10 Ways to Develop Mental Toughness in Young Athletes
10 Ways to Develop Mental Toughness in Young Athletes

This article is not a guide to running your kids into the ground because, you know, “mental toughness.” If that’s what you’re looking for, I suggest you find a different career field.

5 Ways to Make Weight Rooms Work for Our Kids
5 Ways to Make Weight Rooms Work for Our Kids

To quote the third single from The Offspring’s album Americana: The kids aren’t alright. But a solid school weight room can make a huge difference in these kids’ lives and overall education. Here are five things the best school weight rooms have.

Starting Over in the Basement
Starting Over in the Basement

I know it is a new year, and everyone starts to look back or forward at this time, and maybe it is a good thing to act to re-evaluate what you are doing with your programs and why. 2019 brought me a new head coach and a great opportunity to review and reassess my football team’s program.

Live and Learn (and Pass On, Too)
Live and Learn (and Pass On, Too)

Live and learn from your failures and mistakes. Be willing to learn, and maybe more importantly, be willing to be wrong. Now go and pass that along.

The Simplicity Project: Expanding to Two-A-Days for Strength and Size
The Simplicity Project: Expanding to Two-A-Days for Strength and Size

The people have spoken, and I have answered. After receiving plenty of emails and comments about my last article, I decided to create and share a complete program based on The Simplicity Programming Project.

Top 5 Lessons I've Learned as a Coach
Top 5 Lessons I've Learned as a Coach

I’ve been really blessed to be around some great leaders who taught me these lessons. I wouldn’t be the man and coach I am today without them.

How to Build an Athlete's Grip Strength
How to Build an Athlete's Grip Strength

I especially like it when I see an individual doing wrist curls behind the back with a barbell. I love those moments. My reaction anymore is a smile and a little shake of the head while I move on.

Before You Social Media Shame Athletes' Poor Technique
Before You Social Media Shame Athletes' Poor Technique

All too often we sit back and make judgments through a keyboard in an instant rather than thinking that this is one moment of a program rather than the whole thing. I know that I have done this, too, earlier in my career (and on the wrong day, recently, too).

The Coach's Guide to Faster and Stronger Female High School Athletes (with 12-Week Template)
The Coach's Guide to Faster and Stronger Female High School Athlete...

Dear strength coaches: Stop treating female athletes like they’re fragile little babies. They’re not. From my experience, they’ll be some of the best athletes you’ll ever have the pleasure to work with.

How to Program Your Back Training at The U
How to Program Your Back Training at The U

Over the past few months, some things in my back training have made a big difference — variations coaches often overlook. Considering paused reps at the chest/stomach, slow eccentrics, scap movements with a rowing motion, and handle/grip variations, back training is limitless.

12 Days of Giving Credit to the Things That Shaped My Coaching Career
12 Days of Giving Credit to the Things That Shaped My Coaching Career

‘Tis the season to reflect on the past, present, and future. Don’t be a Scrooge — take a moment to thank the people who have shaped who you are today.

The Simplicity Project
The Simplicity Project

By simplicity, I am referring to a minimalist approach to the programming of weight training by getting a maximum effect for the fewest number of exercises by utilizing a full body program performed three days a week. I want to challenge you all to give this a try for a period of no less than six weeks.

Programming for a BAMF Wrestler (with Samples)
Programming for a BAMF Wrestler (with Samples)

Steve “Kono” Konopka and I go more in-depth about our wrestling programs, particularly topics covering: in-season training goals, off-season exercises to avoid, signs for a recovery session, favorite exercises, and a sample in-season schedule.

The Coach's Order of Operation
The Coach's Order of Operation

Exactly where does coaching begin? With the sport, athlete, or person?

The Difference Between Winning and Maintaining a Winning Team
The Difference Between Winning and Maintaining a Winning Team

Why is it so hard to continue to excel, bit by bit, and stay there year after year, time after time? Why could you have a great year one year and a horrible one the next? I am writing this because we did just that.

Manipulating the Accessory Lane to Kick Ass, Not Get it Kicked
Manipulating the Accessory Lane to Kick Ass, Not Get it Kicked

The purpose of accessory work is to bring up the weak areas of the athletes. It is the time when we do what most people would consider bodybuilding.

Minimal Effective Dose and the Search for Magic Bullets
Minimal Effective Dose and the Search for Magic Bullets

To paraphrase Ronnie Coleman, “Everybody wanna be strong but nobody wanna lift heavy weights.” Ain’t that the truth. News flash: This is what you need.

The Flaws in Follow the Leader
The Flaws in Follow the Leader

This model is where the leader of the organization is upfront, having all of the power and all of the answers, whereas the workers are behind, clueless and scampering to appease the leader in his or her all-powerful greatness. Does this leadership style seem flawed to you?

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Program
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Program

If we are not seeing progress in the right direction within an expected length of time, we must change things up. If we are not evaluating, then how do we even know if we are making progress at all?

Earn Student-Athlete Respect with These Principles
Earn Student-Athlete Respect with These Principles

You can prescribe the best programming out there, but if your group of student-athletes do not believe in it or you, then it’s never going to work.

My Experiences in Three Internship Settings
My Experiences in Three Internship Settings

This article is a cool opportunity to see what an intern we had this summer, Tim, has to say. His experiences are unique as he interned at a great local college, a local high school, then at Tank’s Training Facility.

Learn to Train X — Teach Your Athletes How to Train
Learn to Train X — Teach Your Athletes How to Train

In this particular clip, Harvey switches gears to provide some personal advice on teaching athletes how to train themselves – a not-so-simple technique that requires trust, buy-in, strategy, and effort.

Programming Chaos
Programming Chaos

Learning and thinking about the many issues that we – as coaches – face, have reminded me to look back at my own programming and question the good, the bad, and the ugly with regard to what I’ve seen and done over the years.

Program Guidelines for Young Strength Coaches
Program Guidelines for Young Strength Coaches

Approach programming as you would approach written materials relevant to our field. One doesn’t simply open Supertraining, and begin perusing its contents. Supertraining requires a foundation of knowledge prior to endeavoring to cognize its contents.

Undervalued Tools and Overused Methods in the Weight Room
Undervalued Tools and Overused Methods in the Weight Room

When I fully shifted to powerlifting and really began learning about strength, I just kept thinking about why I never got any of this information when I was an athlete.

Max Effort Training for Dynamic Results
Max Effort Training for Dynamic Results

It seems that everyone wants to start racing a Ferrari before they learn how to put the key in the ignition.

Learn to Train X — More Technique Fixes for Athletes
Learn to Train X — More Technique Fixes for Athletes

In this video, Nate Harvey discusses: the proper way to jump and land, scapular retraction and depression, and simply training what you say you’re training – a feat that’s easier said than done.

Resignation of a Strength Coach
Resignation of a Strength Coach

There is actually a history here, and something I think young coaches getting into the profession need to think about.

The Six Pillars of Excellence
The Six Pillars of Excellence

Since I am a strength and conditioning coach, I placed Hard Work first on the list, but in reality, they should all be given equal ranking.

Championship Nature Series: Thought Stoppage
Championship Nature Series: Thought Stoppage

It’s human nature to let negative thoughts rise and wreck your ability. It’s easy to just let things happen. In contrast, a championship nature stops these thoughts and does not let the downward spiral happen.

Learn to Train X — Box Squat Technique Fix for Athletes
Learn to Train X — Box Squat Technique Fix for Athletes

In this presentation, Harvey goes back to the often-neglected and rarely taught basics. His first “simple technique”, is a detailed breakdown of how to box squat correctly.

The Necessity of Olympic Lifts for Athletes
The Necessity of Olympic Lifts for Athletes

I don’t know exactly where this concept came from—that they are essential to athletes’ being explosive and strong. I do know that this concept has grabbed on tight and locked into the heads of coaches for decades. I say let’s cut to the chase and trim the fat.

The Process with Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Burnette
The Process with Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Bu...

People on the outside see the bowl game wins, or the squat PR’s, but what they don’t see is the process.

Depth Jumps and Depth Land Progressions to Increase the Vertical Jump
Depth Jumps and Depth Land Progressions to Increase the Vertical Jump

Training the Gateway Lions Academy Volleyball Team this past spring sparked some progressions to help improve the players’ vertical jump. Take a look.

Go With What You Know
Go With What You Know

Whatever the reason, what does a strength coach do when things are not going as expected? This is one of the hardest things to deal with, whether you are new at this business, or have been in it for a while.

Conjugate U for Collegiate Tennis
Conjugate U for Collegiate Tennis

After reading Conjugate U, I moved forward with implementing the Conjugate Method with my women’s tennis team. Here’s what we accomplished this past season.

Did I Do a Good Job?
Did I Do a Good Job?

I’m guessing that other strength coaches think about this too. I can’t be the only one, right?

The Misunderstanding of Sport-Specific Training
The Misunderstanding of Sport-Specific Training

Running around and practicing soccer skills while wearing a weighted vest, attaching a band to a hockey stick or a baseball bat, and a myriad of other ridiculous activities in the weight room do not count as sport-specific activities.

The Dynamic Effort Method with Beginners
The Dynamic Effort Method with Beginners

Many people will say, “Don’t do it with beginners” and it’s a good thing I’m somewhat anti-establishment because DEM has been a great tool in the development of a lot of beginner-athletes. The simple answer is: just do it.

Teaching the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift to Athletes
Teaching the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift to Athletes

Do you teach them the squat, bench, and deadlift the same way you would teach a powerlifter? If not, what differences are there?

Progressions in Exercise Selection Based on Technical Proficiency
Progressions in Exercise Selection Based on Technical Proficiency

I firmly believe you have to start at the simplest movement that you can master correctly and then over time progress from the simple to the more complex movements. Download my basic outline with notes included here.

You’re Training Athletes, Not Lifters
You’re Training Athletes, Not Lifters

I had those days, especially early on in my career, that I didn’t understand why the athletes weren’t as enthusiastic as I was at 6 AM. I mean, what the hell is better than getting up early and training your ass off?

Meet Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Burnette
Meet Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Burnette

Each of these men are great attributes not only to the field of strength and conditioning but also to the development of future generations of men. In this introductory interview, we discuss philosophy, programming, and summer training.

WATCH: Must-Have Equipment for Any High School Weight Room
WATCH: Must-Have Equipment for Any High School Weight Room

Board of Education President Josh Hobbs recounts what he’s learned and shares his checklist of must-have equipment for any high school gym or weight room.

Where Loyalties Lie
Where Loyalties Lie

Who are we truly accountable to? It is not an easy question to answer.

Samoan Rugby Union Returns to CARE Program
Samoan Rugby Union Returns to CARE Program

The program I am currently running features the CARE program in a new format that I feel better allows the player to get a workout in without going too deep in the RPE continuum, especially if he or she is coming from a unit or a team session.

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