12 Gifts for the Shoulder Surgery Patient
Part one is all of the stuff I already have from elitefts that is helping me to get better and that I would recommend to anyone, especially those recovering from shoulder surgery. Part two is all of the stuff I still want to get from elitefts.
CBD for Lifters — My Experience
I’m almost scared to type this, but both my hip and spine are functioning at…
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
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?
Avoid the Traps
Society has set these standards, and as a result, many people are overworked, underpaid, in debt, divorced, and unhappy. I call them traps.
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.
The Top 5 for October
See what’s trending in the content world at elitefts. Where did your favorite authors rank in October? What did you scroll past last month? Click here to find out.
How to Train While Working a Physical Job
You may have several points in your life where you’ll see the contrast of differing lifestyles on training and programming. While the principles of your training philosophy may remain the same no matter what job you have, how those principles are applied differs based on the situation.
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.
Physics Made Easy to Increase Your 1RM
Acceleration is one of the most important components for building maximum strength. However, you should not confuse acceleration with explosiveness.
Skip’s Top 3 Fitness Trackers
After a few months of really digging into different brands and models, checking reliability, accuracy, battery life, practicality, etc., I was able to narrow down my recommendations to three.
Small Business Survival Strategy
My goal is to simply get you started thinking more holistically about your business and executing your dream in a way that might prevent it from becoming a nightmare.
WATCH: How to Control the Squat Bar
Smitley broke an all-time world record in 2015, squatting 567 pounds at a 132-pound body weight – as such, it’s safe to say that he knows a thing or two when it comes to this particular lift.
Bodybuilding for the Powerlifter: The Big Picture (With Sample Routine)
Instead of just trying to get strong by getting as big as humanly possible, many lifters are paying more attention to their muscularity. Just take a look at Larry Wheels or Dan Green, and you’ll immediately know how successful this strategy can be.
Save It for the Barber Shop
There are two worlds in which we all reside. There is the “gym world”, a world where everything pertains to the gym and your training, where your goals and aspirations for the platform are created, pursued, and lived out. The other world is the outside world, comprised of everything else.
Solve Your Training Problems with Less Than $20
Out of shape? Slow? Dumb? Weak? Ugly? Andrew Jackson (the president on a $20 bill for any non-US-based readers) has a solution for you.
Our Best Sales of the Year
These offers WILL BE better than what you see on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday, Yellow Thursday, Orange Tuesday or whatever else that hits the market this season.
WATCH: Howe Military Academy Strength and Fitness Center
Given their expertise in the industry, what better way for the Tate’s to give back and support the school, then to put in place the foundational infrastructure needed to create strong, well-rounded cadets?
2018 IPL Midwest Open — 2131-Pound Total at 242 Pounds
The 825 opener flew, and I told JP to call 881 on my second. This is when I knew I would “earn my regrets” because I actively prepared myself to become injured due to this decision.
Kettlebells for Strongman
For the Strongman athlete, kettlebells are a great accessory after your main lifts. Here are a few of my favorites for accessory work. These exercises are best done with higher reps.
WATCH: Branch Warren's Desire to Win
Rooted at Metroflex, Warren’s early years building a thick and grainy physique grew to the height of the Olympia.
Should Kids Play Youth Football?
I will never tell a parent they are right or wrong for enrolling their child in a contact sport such as football. What I do recommend, however, is that parents ask themselves three important questions before putting their kid into a contact sport.
WATCH: Three Exercises to Build Bigger Traps
John Meadows breaks down three simple but effective exercises that are alternative movements to help build bigger trap muscles: band-pulls, a face-pull variation, and banded shrugs.
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.
WATCH: Breaking John Rusin — The Accessories
From chest-supported rows, to vertical pull-downs and face-pulls, Tate tightens up Rusin’s supporting exercises to ensure that they are addressing his weak points in a way that will have correspondence to the “big three” lifts.
WATCH: Table Talk — What Would You Change?
His answer — revolving around canvas gear, Westside, and Louie — may surprise you.
3 and Out Method Setup
Based on the previous article, a lot of you were asking how to best set up the program – ask and you shall receive. I will cover one simple way and two in-depth ways to set it up.
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
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
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.
WATCH: Who Do You Take Advice From?
I’ve been completely immersed in the sport of powerlifting for over 25 years. When you reach this level of knowledge and experience, some people assume that you just stop asking questions. Wrong! I ask questions all the time.
WATCH: Power to the Female Powerlifters
If you’re a man and you’re trying to hold a woman back from powerlifting, or doing whatever she wants to do…Who are you to try and change her mind, and get her not to do it?
WATCH: How to Build a Mind-Muscle Connection
The mind-muscle connection is a legitimate thing. What I’m sharing with you is real science – not “bro-science.”
Confession: I'm a Coachaholic
Heavily inspired by the LTTX, I took what I taught and learned there and shared it with my gym members. Although basic (think powerlifting 101), these new lifters needed to hear my message. Watch the entire presentation here.
Sumo Pulls for Athletes
We rarely ever did “agility drills” with our athletes, and the majority of their agility scores consistently improved. I’m very confident that proper box squatting and sumo pulls were a major contributor to this. Step-by-step, here’s how to program and cue them for your athletes.
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
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.
Integrity — Is It Missing or Just Hard to Find?
Let’s begin by honestly answering these four questions.
A Cheat Sheet to Greatness
You'll still be weak and look like shit, but man, people will know you lift.
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.
Growing Pains — Aunt Helen’s Famous Jello
She was my aunt, and I accepted her explanation as fact. I can’t say for sure that I didn’t cry myself to sleep the next time those pains struck, but I know there was at least a part of me that experienced a sense of pride.
WATCH: Yes to Training Triceps, No to Elbow Pain
Please keep in mind that if you don’t feel it, then kill it. You must feel your triceps working to make gains. If you are experiencing trouble with feeling them engage, there are a couple techniques that you can try to bring the focus back to your triceps.
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.
WATCH: Equipment Feature with Mike Bartos — Contrast Platform
In this video, Bartos demonstrates the quick-release technique, traditional isometric movements, the Ladder Deadlift, Pause Deadlift, and three different ways to use eccentrics with the support of the multi-purpose Contrast Platform.
A Meathead’s Take on the Army Combat Readiness Test
Maybe this is coming from a place of bias and resentment, because at a lean 205 pounds, I was always the fat guy with a two-mile time over 14 minutes…but I digress.
The Value of Accessory Work
I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to moving a weight that makes me “feel good” about training, versus doing a movement that requires less weight on the bar because it exposes weakness.
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.
Grow Your Gym with the Thank Up Strategy
Word-of-mouth advertising, client testimonials, and organic growth are the best ways to grow your gym. But if you just wait for it to happen, you’ll starve to death. Take the process from passive to active by taking control of the conversation.
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.
WATCH: Table Talk — Training Alone
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the super-heavy lifts that cause most of the problems when training alone.
WATCH: Breaking John Rusin — The Program
In this video clip, Tate and Rusin compile these learnings to develop a comprehensive training program. Together, they discuss how to adjust the workouts to best suit Rusin’s development of the “big three” lifts, planning around his traveling schedule as needed.
4 Box Programming Issues with Solutions
Follow these basic tenets of efficient programming to avoid lower back pain, shoulder discomfort, knee stress, and burnout that can potentially take us or our clients out of the game.
CBD for Lifters — Why, When, and How
In this installment, I will talk a little bit about what I learned from my tour of the Extract Labs facility, from my research of the available scientific data and my thoughts on “why,” “when” and “how” for Cannabidiol, as I understand it.
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 Bu...
People on the outside see the bowl game wins, or the squat PR’s, but what they don’t see is the process.
How Do I Become the Best?
I was just recently asked this again by one of my former athletes and colleague, who is now a collegiate strength coach as well as an aspiring raw powerlifter. Here's my answer.