This article is for those of you who are on the fence. For those of you who have considered a return to the sport but are having difficulty pulling the trigger. For those of you who need to feel at home again.
What’s the deal with all of Coach Kav’s quotes and slogans? Do they actually make a difference?
Some people only have a small window to compete in powerlifting or play sports, and then they might never compete again. Avoiding this opportunity with weak-ass excuses is the worst thing you can do.
The world records, the surgeries, the comebacks, the nights alone in motels, the tears, the blood, and everything in between needs to have a purpose. This is what I want to leave.
You would think this is all common sense, right?
I have trained with three classes of people in the last few months, including young college men, 50-year-old women, and two very strong powerlifters. Each group has encouraged me in its own way.
I have found there are two main types of leaders in the industry of strength and conditioning. There are those who inspire others and there are those who dictate.
We need to get our mojo back. It starts with our children. We can’t go through life simply coasting through the motions, never pushing ourselves, and setting a poor example.
Do you think the top-level guys are 100% healthy? Do you know the best way to deal with critics?
We took eight weeks off after what was pretty much a train derailing from the tracks, and someone replaced my wife with some crazy bitch that I don’t recognize.
It took me about two weeks to figure out I uprooted myself right into HELL. I ran into many of the same issues many of you are still dealing with.
Why am I taking the time to write this? These are the things I find myself repeating over and over again with different lifters.
If you struggle to find motivation and have been training for only a handful of years, I would question your passion for training. If you struggle to find motivation after training for 20 years, I feel ya.
It is a choice to take control of your life or to just let life happen to you. With this choice comes the power to shape your future.
I found the one thing that I was missing, and you might be too. The one thing that is a bigger energy booster than any cup of coffee.
These discipline-related principles frame the discussion that Jim and I have in this episode. We also discuss various training principles that all circle back to the idea of prioritizing discipline.
Through my years in the gym I have learned a lot about training, about life, and about myself. From my personal account, these are the most valuable lessons the iron has taught me.
We need to understand and accept the pain that life brings. If you try to pretend that the pain caused by adversity isn’t real, you may become a weak, entitled pussy.
In this piece I reflect on my stepfather and his impact on me, trying to understand how a person who loved his children so much could also inadvertently created a great deal of difficulty and strife in their lives.
The first month of this process has passed and I’ve made a lot of progress, but I’ve also discovered a few mental challenges I didn’t recognize at first.
Like anyone, I’m far from perfect and am constantly in the process of growing. But this year I’ve seen a lot of positive fruit come from changes I’ve made in my life.
Often times, the truth hurts. In his book, The 10x Rule, Grant Cardone provides some points that we all need to hear.
Change is difficult but can hold great rewards. Here’s how I’m going to make it all happen.
Sometimes it takes a hard push for me to initiate change, and life has definitely been pushing me.
Do this every chance you get and see where it gets you in life.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the physical nature of training we forget about the other impacts it has.
I found out about the cancer in 2008, but there was one major problem: there was no way I was going to take this and settle for a life of quiet mediocrity.
I took the opportunity to write myself a letter but with one caveat: I couldn’t include ANY reference to working out, competing or being “buff.”
There is no better time than this moment, right now. The perfection you seek is within you.
The start of a new year isn’t going to make you a better person or a stronger, leaner, fitter lifter. If you really want to reach your goals in 2017, there are three things you’re going to need.
Out came the foil and a “tooter.” That was the first time I smoked Heroin.
You will meet people who change your life forever. I’ve found most of mine within the four steel walls we call a gym.
Dreams I’ll Never See. Thanksgiving Letter from Dave Tate, Founder Elitefts.com Inc.
Are all sources of pre-workout energy created equal? In this video, Dave and Justin discuss the best way to find motivation in the gym.
It may surprise you how great I felt, but if you actually take a look at my training leading into the event, you will understand why.
I have two options: keep going in the same direction and die, or make changes to my life and start dropping weight.
We often find ourselves swimming in a sea of excellence, chasing the purple dragon of someone else’s achievements. That’s not how to become a champion.
Is winning all that matters or is participation the purpose of competition? This is the final article in this series.
Every aspect of motivation we discussed in parts one, two, and three are evidence here, through their absence and again through their recovery.
This is where we find the relationship between hope and two other concepts that are directly important to sports performance and powerlifting in particular: motivation and risk.
We need to discuss passion and our affective response to any autotelic activity: it is important to understand that humans engage in things for internal forces other than survival.
For the next three or four articles, this is our topic: motivation. This first part will explore the construction of meaning, identity, and the origins of motivation.
In my years of powerlifting, I have seen some really gifted people go nowhere, and some really poorly suited people do very well. Mindset is everything.
You will have the opportunity to learn about any topic in strength training you choose, from execution of the main lifts all the way down to minute details of accessory work.
Years of self-destructive life and eating habits led me to 430 pounds and a combined diagnosis of pre-diabetes and hypertension. I had two options: make a change or die.
Participating coaches include; Swede Burns, Clint Darden, Julia Ladewski, Brandon Smitley, Joe Schillero, Ken Skip Hill, Zach Gallmann, Matt Ladewski, Shane Church, David Allen, Casey Williams, Dani Overcash, David Kirschen, Sheri Whethem, Ken Whethem.
You might think I’m talking about business. I’m not. I’m talking about something much more important.
Learning to connect with and effectively motivate your athletes can go a long way. Choose your words wisely.
In an endless flow of meaningless words, latch onto the lessons that challenge your mind and dictate your actions.
Train with me for one day and I will know more about you than I could learn from a year outside the gym. If you spend time with the weights, you’ll learn more about yourself, too.
There’s a way to know if your genetics suck — but not until you’ve given 100%. If you don’t spend enough time trying, you’ll never know.
Could your favorite (or least favorite) songs work as psychophysiological performance enhancers? Let’s turn to research for the answer.
Success is a personal definition. I can’t tell you what it is. But I can tell you about passion.
I’ve lost, I’ve won, and now I’m tied with adversity. I refuse to the lose the next round.
It’s easier to mask personal issues than deal with the cause of anxiety and depression. It might feel like a solution but, just as I was forced to learn, these temporary distractions lead you down a dangerous path.
Perfect circumstances are created, not found. How are you living out your words?
Don’t become so caught up in your own head that you lose objective grounding in your assessment of the world. Here’s how to properly use detachment to reach your goals.
