WATCH: Fixing Dave Tate — Implementing the Upper Body Training Adjustmen...
Putting Dr. Rusin’s new plan to the test, this video shows a full session of Dave’s revised upper body training days.
The Second Phase of Injury: Changing the Plan
I needed to know I wasn’t going crazy for wanting to know where things were scarring down, and I needed to know what to expect based on the injury itself. So I broke the mold a bit.
Maximizing Triceps Development
To expand the size of your arms you need to master management of three things: pounds, pump, and programming.
3 Things Great Families and Businesses Have in Common
Just like families constantly struggle to balance the needs of its members, so too does a business endeavor to find the right balance of serving customers, stakeholders, and employees. There are three key things that, when understood, help achieve these goals.
WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Intra-Workout Reese's, Pushing Training Pa...
Not all training junk foods are created equal. This topic, and more, are explained in this week’s episode.
5 Things You Must Know as a Novice Powerlifter
Your future in this sport deserves to be worked on not only at the gym and with your physical strength and power, but outside of the weight room as well, with your mental focus and contemplation.
A Day in the Life of Swede Burns
When Kendall Alston and his crew approached me with the idea of filming a documentary about what a normal day in my life looks like—and not simply my lifting or my coaching—it hit my like a breath of fresh air. This video is the result.
WATCH: Jeremy Frey's 2018 elitefts Sport Performance Summit — Front...
Missouri State University Director of Strength and Conditioning Jeremy Frey has a few ways to make front squatting easier to learn and more effective for your athletes. Here are the things that are most important to focus on.
Using Values and Strengths to Help You Determine Your Career Path
Through my work at my university, I spend a great deal of time developing students and helping mentor them for career direction, particularly in the exercise science related areas. This is the approach I use to help them find the right path.
S&C Programming Considerations for College Football Freshmen
What we all want is to set our freshmen up for success for the future. How we go about it isn’t about ego and “our system” or anything like that; it’s about taking the time to put thought into what you’re doing and what will be the best for them.
WATCH: Welcome to the Pit
No matter your training preference—powerlifting, bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, cardio, boxing, strongman, resistance training, or a style you’ve created yourself—this Akron, Ohio gym has you covered.
Training to Do Your First Pull-Up
No matter your strength, bodyweight, or training history, pull-ups may be a challenge for you. If this is the case, follow this simple progression and you’ll have your first unassisted pull-up in no time.
Strongman Gear 101: Everything You Need for Your Strongman Competition
Unless you want to let another competitor have an advantage over you, you need to have the best gear for every event. Here are the must-haves and my favorite versions of each item.
Cultivating Champions: How I Trained the C2 Volleyball Team
All of the athletes at this high-level volleyball academy are from overseas and come to the United States to get a better chance at receiving a collegiate scholarship. Working with head coach and founder Caitlyn Vann, this is what we did in our five short weeks.
3 Ways to Better Utilize Compression Floss Bands
Whatever you want to call this tool (compression tape, floss band, voodoo bands, or something else) it can be incredibly useful in ways often overlooked.
WATCH: Equipment Feature — Spud Inc. Big Ray Strap
Spinal traction may feel great, but it can be difficult to set up and awkward to get into and out of position. This product gives you an easier way to manage pain to stay strong and healthy.
New Gym in the Neighborhood
I invite you to consider simple choices for space arrangement, staff training, and customer service to help you shape your gym for your chosen demographic and make a difference.
5 Things Every Competitor Needs To Be Successful
In my 30 years of competing and 20 years of training competitors, I have narrowed the endless list of requirements for success down to five main variables.
WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Rounded Upper Back Deadlift, The Best Part of P...
Still on the road and still answering your questions, this episode focuses on deadlift cues and exercise selection with limited equipment.
The Coach's Guide to Programming and Periodization: Surfing The For...
Understanding this tool for manipulating training intensities is key for athlete programming at every part of pre-season, in-season, post-season and off-season phases.
Is Your Competition Outworking You?
I love the ideals of hard work, being hardcore, and oozing intensity, but over the years I have learned there are many ways to perceive these things.
MEET REPORT: IPA North Carolina State Powerlifting Championships
Two meets in less than a month? I know I’m 76—not 26— but when Joey Smith told me to get in the meet, I got in the meet.
Your Circle of Trust: Don't Be the Captain of a Ship of Fools
There are moments in life that shape your mind and determine the way you choose to think and live. I have experienced two such moments that have shaped my coaching and life philosophies.
The Top 5 Guidelines for Fat Loss
I hate to speak in absolute terms but there are certain rules that simply can’t be broken.
Full 9-Week High-Mileage Conjugate Meathead Program
If you’re looking for a way to keep your strength up without destroying your body day in and day out, this is the program for you.
WATCH: How to Set Up Bands Correctly for the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift
Your setup will vary depending on the equipment you’re using and the lift you’re performing. This article includes a step-by-step video guide to ensure you’re getting the most out of your bands.
WATCH: Fixing Dave Tate — Adjustments to Upper Body Training for Phase 3
With two phases of training complete, the upper body training days must now be adjusted to continue Dave’s progress. This is the new plan.
Every Training Method Is Useful
…and every training method is useless. Let’s look at 1×20, APRE, and VBT to understand what this means.
Stay the Course
Think about all the things you sucked at the first time you tried them: walking, talking, reading, writing. What if you’d given up on them after a failure or two?
Maximize Effective Volume and Minimize Junk Volume (with Program Sample)
There is a muscle protein synthesis threshold, and adding sets over and above this threshold will not help you gain additional muscle. A simple way to ensure you aren’t wasting your time and energy on junk volume is greater frequency.
Rethinking Discipline: How I Stay 'Motivated'
It seems to me that if a lifter has questions about motivation or discipline, maybe they need to consider another pursuit or reevaluate how they look at training.
The Five Best New Strength Training Items from elitefts
New equipment means new ways to help you get strong — and a lot more fun.
Sled Walking: The Mindless Exercise That Shouldn't Be So Mindless
If all you’re doing is strapping on a sled and walking until you can’t walk any longer, you’re giving up tremendous potential for this movement.
Strength Training for Youth Athletes — The Youth Physical Development Mo...
Neuromuscular training can be implemented early in the youth physical development process, but age-appropriate speed and strength training must account for the process of growth and maturation, motor learning, and physical development.
WATCH: Why the elitefts SS Yoke Bar Stands Out Among Other Squat Bars
The SS Yoke Bar is the only bar that Dave can use week after week and be able to continue squatting. Here’s why.
RANT: Stick with the Program
You paid a coach for a program and don’t like what they gave you? There’s a right way to handle this situation — and it’s not by deviating from the plan just because you want to.
Antioxidants and Adaptations: Do You Need Free Radicals to Get Hulky?
The idea behind antioxidant supplementation is that antioxidants reduce free radical damage and subsequent muscle soreness, thereby improving recovery. But what if those pesky free radicals are necessary for hypertrophic training adaptations?
LISTEN: Just Fly Performance Podcast Episode 16 with Guest Mark Watts
Most athletes will forget the win-loss records of their teams, but they won’t forget the way the coach treated them. This podcast episode focuses on the impact coaches can have on young athletes outside of sets and reps.
Dos and Don’ts of Dieting While Traveling or on Vacation
Being outside of your normal routine and away from home can make it challenging not to wreck your diet, but there are a few ways to manage the damage.
WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Elaborate Setups, Being Too Bloated, and Minimu...
No table, no problem. This first on-the-road video Q&A covers five questions from five different elitefts readers.
Where Most Box Athletes Miss the Mark
Many coaches still believe it is heresy to say that athletes can build absolute strength and endurance simultaneously, but athletes all over the world are doing so and making great progress. Here are a few ways to do so even more successfully.
Flip the Script: What Is Your Internship Really Teaching You?
Making 200 protein shakes per day and cleaning up the weight room isn't going to make anyone a better coach, so you'd better hope there's more than grunt work for you to do.
WATCH: Victoria Felkar's 2018 elitefts Sports Performance Summit Pr...
When athletes are pushed too far for too long, they become ill, injured, or simply lose interest in training and their sport. The proper approach to athlete development will solve this.
2018 Zoo Run Run: Team Not Team Old Man vs. Team Old Man
This was more than a 10-week prep geared to beat our previously recorded race time of 52 minutes and 32 seconds while flying past a self-proclaimed mashed-up meathead.
Sodium Intake: Why Be So Salty About It?
If you are eating a healthy balanced diet and are pretty active, adding some salt to your meals may actually aid you rather than hinder you.
So You Want to Be A Collegiate Strength Coach: Steps to Earning Your Fir...
This is where you need to start if you want to get one of the strength coaching jobs you're dreaming about. It’s simple but not easy, so swallow your pride and ego before you move forward.
WATCH: Fixing Dave Tate — Implementing the Lower Body Training Adjustmen...
Dr. Rusin already explained the alterations to Dave's program after the first two phases. Now it's time to see them in action.
Getting in the Zone Just Got Easier
Featuring TAO (a revolutionary nootropic masterpiece), making unbreakable mind-muscle connections is no longer an impossible task.
Optimizing Your Pre-Training Routine: The Five Stages of PTR
The sequencing and staging of your PTR is key. The exercises work synergistically, and their individual effectiveness is secondary to their combined effect.
WATCH: Equipment Feature — Mike Bartos' Big Top Circus Dumbbell
This product was designed to pay homage to old-time strongmen and make training much easier for strength athletes today. It is easily customizable for your size and weight needs.
Dusting Off the Past to Answer Questions for the Present
There is often hope that the future is the timeframe where many problems and questions of humanity will be solved. But sometimes the questions have already been asked, pondered, explored, researched and answered.
Overcoming Blind Spots
It requires humility—real humility—to admit that you have blind spots in life and training. But merely recognizing them isn't enough to get past them.
WATCH: Table Talk with Dan Green — Why Dan Started Boss of Bosses
There are certain things all meets need, such as consistent judging, quality equipment, and safe spotting. But if you want your meet to stand out, you need to offer more than that.
Consequences of Disrespect: Don't Disregard the Bureaucrat
One of the most important lessons of my 15-year leadership career came from a man capable of responding to disrespect and condescension with calmness and grace.
The Coach's Guide to Programming and Periodization: Variable Manipu...
In the first article of this series we covered the basic principles of programming and periodization. Now let's discuss strategies to manipulate volume and intensity, and start examining the training units used to structure training.
Learning from Those Around You: 10 S&C Lessons from Friends, Mentors...
If you aren't open to the knowledge and expertise of those around you, you're only holding yourself back. These are some of the most influential things I've learned from others in this industry.
How Student-Athletes Can Support Teammate Mental Health
More student-athletes are beginning to recognize mental health as simply another part of the training and self-care process, and not a sign of weakness or lack of mental toughness. Here are three ways to help.
Strength Coach Ego Check: Rediscover Who You Are
I had a conversation with Coach Jeff Ward that not only humbled me, but shook me to my core. I thought I had been focused on convictions, but ego had slipped into the driver's seat.