training
You're Doing the McGill Big Three Wrong. Here's the Secret You're Missing.
The McGill Big Three exercises: the curl-up, side plank, and bird dog are designed to challenge your core from different directions, with the ultimate goal of creating stiffness in the spine and the surrounding musculature. For both strength enthusiasts and those with low back pain, prioritizing the proper intent, maintaining a neutral spine, and ensuring alignment of the rib cage and pelvis are absolutely paramount for stability and maximizing carryover.
The Conjugate 2025 For Rugby
Over the past three seasons, I have served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Crusaders International Academy (CIA). The CIA is a commercial program inviting rugby players from around the world to train in the Crusaders' environment and experience the Crusaders' way of preparation
The Mobility Secret to Adding 25 Pounds to Your Bench Press
Every serious lifter has been there: the bench press stalls. You’re training consistently, eating right, and putting in the work, but the numbers on the bar refuse to budge. The frustration of hitting a plateau can lead you to think that the only solution is to work harder or build more muscle. But what if the key to a bigger bench isn't in your chest or triceps, but in your upper back?
Why is it that what is OLD, is NEW, again in training?
Fat bar training has been around for decades. I am not the first to discover it. However, I don’t know of anyone who has switched over to it 100% after 20 or more years of training with the standard bar.
The Lifters Who Said ‘No Excuses
In your twenties, training is the center of everything. It’s your identity, therapy, escape, and reason to get up in the morning. Everything else fits around it. You schedule life around training, not the other way around. Then, time starts to load the bar in ways you didn’t expect.
A Thanksgiving Letter from Under The Bar
Every year, the bars, racks, and chalk stay the same—but the people under the bar change, grow, and carry each other through. This Thanksgiving letter is my thank you to the lifters, coaches, and crews who’ve turned elitefts into a shared strength community, under the bar and beyond it.
The Reverse Hyper Machine: How the Lab Followed the Gym's
For some time, my husband had been saying that I needed a “reverse hyperextension machine”. After a particularly painful flare-up, I finally gave in and looked it up: it was time to learn more about the machine I never managed to use at any gym because I was too short for them. Luckily, YouTube taught me several ways to improvise alternatives.
5 Counter-Intuitive Secrets to Unlocking Your True Power in the Gym
If your squat feels wobbly or your bench leaks power, the problem usually isn’t strength—it’s how you connect to the floor. This article breaks down five counterintuitive rooting tricks that instantly make you more stable, more powerful, and able to use the strength you already have.
Functional Movement Training and Fictional Movement
Real functionality is simple — moving well under load and being able to repeat it tomorrow. If your “function” can’t translate to sport, life, or strength, it’s just entertainment.
3 Surprising Lessons From a High School Weight Room Built Without Tax Dollars
This project is not just an upgrade; it’s a total reimagining of what a high school strength and conditioning facility can be. But more than that, it's a physical manifestation of a community's belief in its children. The result is a space that rivals collegiate-level programs, meticulously crafted with incredible attention to detail and a clear, unified vision.
“Downfall of the Modern Meet Director”
This article aims to initiate a conversation about this issue, while also discouraging prospective directors from holding meetings too early. To help aspiring or seasoned directors, I’ve ensured that I provide checklists to establish standards and order.