4 Things Your Body Needs to Stay Symmetrical
As a PT, I made the mistake of letting go of these good habits. By ignoring issues when they arose, I put my body in a compromising state.
It Has Something to Do with the Struggle
What do I ask a man who built a physique back in 1965 and if he walked into any contemporary gym today in his Mr. America condition, every lifter in the place would stop to behold a build somehow created with nothing fancier than barbells, dumbbells, steak, eggs, and elbow grease?
WATCH: Eliminating the Numbers Game
Since applying bands and chains in his training, Johnson has not only remained competitive in the sport of powerlifting, he has also seen the gains that he was aiming to achieve.
3 Ways to Add a Secondary Squat Day
From what I’ve seen, most lifters benefit from performing some form of squat twice per week. The key is finding a way to program that second squat that builds your strengths and addresses your weaknesses while still working within your ability to recover.
Total Body Conjugate 8-Week Program
This eight-week sample program is a snapshot of a few cycles written for a former competitive weightlifter (local/state level). Michael wanted to get back into shape, lose weight, and include some weightlifting movements.
Shit Coaches Need to Stop Telling Their Clients
Honestly, there are so many that I could go on forever. Within my sarcastic tone, I hope the message that comes across is simple.
Learn to Train X — What We Taught and What We Learned
From the presentations and coaching, I derived more knowledge than I shared. Everyone who has a serious interest in powerlifting should see the S5 Compound, and one of the best ways to do that is at a learn-to-train seminar.
WATCH: Learn to Train X — Practice Pelvis Correction for a Stronger Squat
Driving to the grocery store? Practice this in your car every time you hit a red light.
WATCH: Ed Coan and Dave Tate on Their Powerlifting Inspiration
Whether it was aspiring to be the next legend of the sport, reading industry magazines, or simply setting personal strength goals, once Coan and Tate got their first taste of powerlifting, they were hooked.
The Bench Press Comeback
Tear after tear, I was seriously never benching again—it’s just not for me, blah blah blah, excuses, excuses. I had injured myself so many times, but I couldn’t let that stop me.
5 Ways to Improve Training Efficiency
Life is chaotic. Instead of missing another training day because you’re too busy, become more efficient. This article is designed to help you to get the most bang for your buck from every training session.
WATCH: The Seven Granddaddy Laws
Dr. Hatfield categorized these Laws himself, and together they serve as a framework to measure an effective training program. If you want to know how your training program stacks up, I encourage you to assess it against the Laws.
WATCH: Max Effort and Dynamic Effort Programming
In this instructional video, Dave discusses the benefits of dynamic effort and max effort training and breaks down the specifics of his programming during his work with Dr. Rusin.
WATCH: Question & Answer Session with Dave Tate
Dave sits down to answer key questions that he received over the course of the Fixing Date Tate Series. Dave discusses everything from his biggest takeaways, to lessons learned, overall project goals, lifestyle changes, and the importance of effectively auto-regulating your own training program.
Why I Don’t Incorporate Agility Training
Perhaps you’ve seen the video of an athlete moving through the agility ladder with his feet hardly visible because they are moving so fast. This remains the common mainstream perception of agility training. Does this, however, actually make athletes more agile on the field?
The Sumo Deadlift — You're Doing It the Wrong Way
The sumo deadlift is a misunderstood type of pull with so many advantages. Let’s start with technique so you can smash a PR!
Don't Be a One-Trick Pony
You see it all of the time. That one person in strongman training who posts the same lifting videos on social media every day—oh, look, he’s deadlifting again. Sure, he is an amazing deadlifter, but unfortunately for him, the sport isn’t called “being a good deadlifter.”
Meet Report: Earning My Regrets at the USPA Tribute
Four weeks out is when I suffered a quad tear—I should have dropped out at that point. In fact, I talked to Dave Tate, and that’s exactly what he told me to do.
WATCH: Strength Training Program at Waverly High School Boosts Athletics...
With a budgetary commitment from the school district in place, combined with fundraising and donations from local businesses, Waverly High School was able to make an initial investment in their strength training program.
My RPR Level I Certification Workshop Experience
So, how does this voodoo work? Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t really care, though, because I know it works and has been a big asset to my training during the past couple of years.
WATCH: Learn to Train X — The Power of Bench Press Cues with Vincent Diz...
An impressive self-coached athlete himself, Dizenzo has benched 600 or more raw in three different weight classes and has a 900-pound equipped bench to his credit. With the precision and detail required to properly execute a press, it is no wonder that thoughtful cues from a seasoned elitefts coach can make all the difference.
WATCH: Andrey Malanichev — Training Program and Top-Secret Russian Insights
It’s in discussions like these that I am reminded of what a nice guy Andrey is, and how willing he is to share his expertise to support the development of other powerlifters and young athletes.
The Obese Body and Exercise
What I try to offer here is information to both coaches and obese people about why and how to exercise — different reasons than the conventional assumption concerning weight loss — considering some of the difficulties inherent in the condition.
Competition Report: World's Strongest Man
At the end of June, I won the 220-pound weight class and overall middleweight division at the United States Strongman Nationals in New York, earning an invite to compete in the 105-kilogram World’s Strongest Man in Liperi, Finland. It was enthralling to be at the competition for the first time.
How Much Volume Can You Take?
Consider two powerlifters who are identical in strength and technique, but one is 20 centimeters taller than the other. This height difference changes everything about the lifter’s levers, and thus volume needs.
The Price is Right — Or is it?
Most people, when given the opportunity, like to run on about how busy they are and how they have no time to do anything they want to do or to get everything done that they need to get done in a day. Bodybuilders do it.
WATCH: Table Talk — Best Ways to Improve Technique Without a Coach
There are times when new lifters have the determination to improve, but they don’t have a coach in their corner to help them stay focused and make the necessary adjustments to their technique.
How Not to Suck as a Training Partner
Having the right crew or partner to rely on, and to train with, can make or break a lifter. It’s one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-find things for competitors and hobby lifters alike.
Try This On for Size
It all started about two weeks post-Arnold, when I secured my second win back-to-back. I did what I’d always done—push the limits, take drugs, and eat food.
How Clubber Lang Used Schwarzenegger's Rules of Success to Defeat R...
Listen to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger (or if you are under 30, Hearts on Fire by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band) while reading.
Returning to the Commercial Gym
Unfortunately, in our attempt to downsize into a smaller house, hard choices needed to be made, and the home gym that I had spent years putting together had to be left behind in storage. Although this is temporary, I’m not hating it.
WATCH: Andrey Malanichev — RPR, Powerlifting Culture, Injury Prevention
This interview gives you the chance to learn more about Andrey, his training techniques/philosophies that led him to great success, including his views on sport history/culture found in the US and Russia.
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.
3 Life Hacks to Manage the Daily Schedule
This is a weird time in my life waiting for a heart transplant while trying to maintain a normal functioning life. However, these three basic things have helped me tremendously in my everyday routine.
WATCH: Cut Your Training Time in Half
In one way or another, we’re all working against a clock. If you want to shave time off your training day, invest in these office supplies.
Movement Patterns Beyond One Plane
If you’re looking a little shifty, if you’re feeling aches and pains on your competition movements, if you want a longer shelf life, if you want to feel athletic instead of “locked in” all of the time, finish your sessions with this. I promise you’ll move and feel better.
WATCH: Equipment Feature with Marc Bartley — Zercher Straps
It’s tools like this that work to boost a lifter’s confidence and make the difference between completing a lift safely versus risking an injury.
WATCH: Learn to Train X — The Squat Checklist with Swede Burns
Don't wish for the best as you get under the bar and attempt to squat. Instead, get under the bar with a plan.
Training to Build New Neural Pathways
All too often, I see people missing the importance of thinking about the muscle-brain connection when it comes to training. And that’s a bit of a shame because creating neural pathways that allow you to train and move correctly is a component of making gains.
A Question of Strength
Sixteen questions covering the basics (and often neglected) beginning with bench press templates to dimel deadlifts.
Be Afraid
You hear people in an attempt to salvage their fragile egos say they are afraid of nothing. But I have never understood why being afraid of something is a bad thing.
Gym Management — Lessons from Culture and Criminology
If you walked into a gym where plates and dumbbells were scattered everywhere, you likely wouldn’t think twice about leaving your weights on the bar, right?
Make Recovery Great Again
Your ability to recover is arguably one of the most misunderstood and undervalued aspects of strength and conditioning. As a goal oriented and driven lifter (possibly Type A too), avoid these common pitfalls.
The SAID Principle — Training Optimally for Sport
We as strength coaches have a way of screwing training up even with this ancient, written-in-stone principle.
Determining the Needs of an Athlete
If an athlete is training on heavy squats but is unable to get into a good technique, he is risking injury, plus he is not getting the most of his training because he is in bad positions. First things first, let's start with an assessment.
Minimizing Pain for the Active Meathead
Still want to play softball, play basketball, practice martial arts, hike, bike, and swim? Although these things are extremely fun and I highly recommend them for mostly everyone, they can certainly take their toll on your body, especially when combined with hard training.
Start Here Before You Clean
A lot of individuals take what’s arguably the most highly coordinated regimen you can perform in the weight room and start individuals doing it day 1. At the collegiate level, these are the movements I make sure that my athletes can do before they are allowed to perform a proper clean motion.
How to Teach a Team to Lead Itself
If the majority of leadership has to come from coaches, that's usually a sign of a rough season ahead. In my experience, I've found this to be 100% true.
Championship Nature Series: General George S. Patton and James J. Braddock
Most historical figures aren’t single-faceted, and if your athletes truly connect with them, you can bring other aspects of them to light to aid them in their journeys. General George S. Patton leads by example and James J. Braddock overcomes opponents using visualization.
The Yoke: A Reflection of A Person’s Intangibles
These training samples, along with hard work, allowed me to get a 20” neck, sizeable traps, and a sizeable upper back—all done with minimal equipment, mostly at home, and with extremely high rep counts.
Resurgence After the Rust
When the dust settles and I turn the lights off in that weight room for that final time, what legacy will I leave, how many lives did I touch?
The Freak Show Exodus
You will have your supporters and your naysayers as with everything in this world, but I am in complete support of this shift in the paradigm. Why?
The Founder Phase — How to Get out of It
This is the phase of #hustle and #grind, when the Founders’ wallets are empty but their energy is boundless. It’s as exciting as a roller coaster! But roller coasters aren’t exciting for long.
Valuable Accessories for Your Strength and Conditioning Program
Beyond a rack, bar, and plates, here are the smaller pieces of equipment I feel have added the most value to my strength and conditioning program.
WATCH: Rapid Fire Table Talk with Dr. John Rusin
Over half an hour of non-stop Q&A, responding directly to questions from elitefts readers.
Why the Smartphone is Your Greatest Advantage in Meet Training
For you, as a serious powerlifter who has aspirations of achieving greatness in this amazing sport, the advent of a single technological implement just might be the one thing that delivers on all of the aforementioned promises.
It's Time to Recover
Time is the multiplier that turns a tiny crack on a newly paved road into a pothole or a single tree into a forest. Here are a few tips to reduce stress on the body and to better prepare yourself to have more in the tank for your training.
