Rehab Done Right: 7 Mistakes of Injury Rehabilitation
If you anticipate an extended period of time off, there are lots of things you can do right to avoid common mistakes. Your goal should be to come back stronger and tremendously benefit from time away from heavy weight.
Step Aside, Gents: The 2017 SPF Women’s Pro/Am
Anyone who has attended this meet describes it as an amazing experience, and I have been fortunate to speak to a few incredible women (Maureen Barbetta, Tracey Patrick, and Janel Vegter) who competed.
3 Things I Would Tell A Younger Steve Goggins
If you could go back 10, 15, or 20 years in the past, what would you say? What advice for life would you share?
Body Mechanics 101: How To Bring Back 80s Lat Development
We have a current state of back development in the sport that erectors are thick and upper backs overpower lat development. There’s a reason for this — and a way to fix it.
Exodus
Training in commercial gyms has its pros and cons. This is a call to arms for those who need to hear it.
WATCH: Westside Misconceptions — Program Design with Gear
From 1990 to 2000, there wasn’t a single person who came to Westside and stayed who didn’t get significantly stronger. Everyone got stronger, wearing gear or not.
All Together Now — The Psychologist
Today we will look into sports psychology. While the coach and the nutritionist are pushed into multi and interdisciplinarity even when there is not a proper structure for it, the same doesn’t happen with the sports psychologist.
Steps Toward Success: Your First Year as a Personal Trainer
The first year is tough, and that’s when most trainers fail. If they stick with it they start to break through their second year — but only if they put in the ground work their first year.
WATCH: Justus Galac SPS Presentation — Strength and Conditioning Program...
In this final video of the presentation, part four, Galac focuses on the importance of making modifications to training and staying focused while doing so.
Bench Pressing Secrets of the Pros
In this article, you will find multiple quotes from some of the best lifters past and present regarding what makes a good bench presser — Greg Panora, Jeremy Hoornstra, Ryan Kennelly, and Eric Spoto to name a few.
Why I Need to Make a Change — The Plan
Change is difficult but can hold great rewards. Here’s how I’m going to make it all happen.
The Agility Ladder — Useful Tool or Waste of Time?
I’ve heard more times than I can count that agility ladders are not all they are cracked up to be, that they don’t fit into an elite athlete’s program, that they don’t develop speed, and that they don’t develop change of direction skills.
Regular Testing for Physical Improvement in Rugby
Rugby is a high intensity intermittent collision sport, which requires a multi-factorial physical training approach to optimize performance.
My Strength Journey: Overcoming Adversity
I decided I was going to use this setback as a gift, to become better than I was yesterday. To become strong, pain-free, and resilient.
10 Tips to Make It as a Strength Coach
Want to make it in this field? Want to stand out? Here are ten tips for all you fresh college grads and those of you that are starting your internships.
WATCH: Table Talk Compilation Series — Mark Dugdale
Tailored for the powerlifter and bodybuilder, we revisit Dave Tate’s and Mark Dugdale’s conversation covering exercise execution, pre-workout food, recoverability, training evolution, and more.
Circa Max Phase for Throwers
Each time I use this method myself I feel like I could run through a wall come meet day. Now after six years of using this cycle, we have proof that it works for our athletes.
Hypertrophy and the Non-Hormonal Stimuli That Make Muscle Grow
The fundamental molecular basis underlying muscle growth is complicated, but that doesn’t mean building muscle has to be difficult.
Upper Back for the Bench
So why do you want to build a strong, thick upper back? Isn’t the bench all pecs, shoulders, and triceps?
WATCH: Westside Misconceptions — Max Effort Workouts in Circa Max Phase
A circa max phase isn’t easy, and recovering from it isn’t either. Should you remove max effort training or keep pushing forward with it?
Deadlift Fundamentals — The Difference Between Failure and Lockout
These elite lifters share some fundamental characteristics at the start of their deadlifts—hips high, arm length maximized, shins very close to the bar, and torsos not vertical.
WATCH: Justus Galac SPS Presentation — Strength and Conditioning Drills ...
Moving into the finer details of the training layout, in this video Galac outlines the pre-workout preparation he uses for his team and the techniques and drills he uses to coach such a large group.
WATCH: The Strength Coach Development Center — Bench Progression
This four-step progression is used to help young athletes develop the proper form, stability, and strength required to use a barbell.
Strongman Conditioning for Powerlifters
Let’s get into which strongman events will help improve the big three and how to program them.
2017 Zoo Run Run: Blaine Tate Runs a Faster 5K
At 3.1 miles, we cross the finish line in 52 minutes and 32 seconds — four minutes quicker than our 2016-competition time. A success! Beating our previous time was exactly what we came to do.
Create a Culture that Breeds Results
I don’t care if you have the best athletes and the best equipment in the world — a shitty gym atmosphere can DESTROY their results.
What Qualifies A Mentor?
There are a lot of people that hold positions of power, but that does not mean they are true mentors. What does?
The Power of the Parable: Thomas Edison
I don’t need my stash of parables any longer and will be releasing them one-by-one for anyone to take and use. This one is a story of 6,000 failures or 6,000 successes, depending on how you choose to look at it.
Finding Strength: Primal Strength
In Charlottesville, Virginia, behind two garage doors, is a down and dirty, no-bullshit training facility, and a group of athletes ready to come in and do work.
Fun Is for Children
I have some grown up advice for your training: start training like an adult and quit worrying about whether or not it’s fun. This program actually produces results, and in my book, results are a hell of a lot more fun than feel-good training.
Teams, Camaraderie, and a Lifetime of Being an Athlete
It was a team atmosphere that made me fall in love with sports, and it is a team atmosphere that has been restored to my athletic participation through powerlifting.
Fatigue and Exercise: A Review of Science and Implementation
Why would the body want to inhibit its contractile components and reduce its ability to protect itself? Fatigue is not random and it is not illogical.
Strength Chat Podcast: Pulling the Veil Off Blood Flow Restriction with ...
If you’ve wanted to understand more about this topic or just get a technical yet easy-to-understand introduction to BFR, this is the episode you need to listen to.
WATCH: Table Talk with Dave Tate — Balancing Your Life
Most people just suck at time management. Have you ever paid attention to how much time you spend every day doing stupid shit that doesn’t matter?
Introducing the New Peak Mental Performance Podcast with Guest Dr. Steve...
The goal of the podcast is to spread practical, quality information that can help all listeners improve their mental health and athletic performance, and to help everyone understand the link between the two.
WATCH: Justus Galac SPS Presentation — Off-Season, Training Camp, and In...
In part two, Galac moves to discuss his off-season, training camp, and in-season programming. He speaks about what it means to have a great plan and shares the training considerations vital to the success of the athlete.
The Gift of Perspective: Things to Know as a New Powerlifter, Lessons 11...
We’ve covered the first ten perspectives for new lifters. Now it’s time to get more specific about what it takes to break through the beginning stages of powerlifting.
Why I Need to Make a Change
Sometimes it takes a hard push for me to initiate change, and life has definitely been pushing me.
Expectations and Group Culture — A Conversation for Day One
Business leaders, coaches, and teachers agree, day one must be the day where expectations are communicated and group culture is explained. This conversation takes about 45 minutes and these topics are always covered.
What Are Your Biggest Mistakes as a Strength Coach?
For me, five big mistakes come to mind. I want to tell you how I learned from them and the steps I took to never make them again.
Four Keys to Manual Resistance
The half-kneeling y-raise is great at showing athletes correct scapulo-humeral rhythm without the common compensations of the over-dominant accessory muscles of the neck and back. To do it, follow the rules of manual resistance.
Tissue Takes Time — 3 Lessons From Improvement Season
Given the advantage of hindsight and the progress I enjoyed during a productive six month off-season, it's time to share the most valuable lessons from placing all my efforts on getting big without letting my physique get sloppy.
WATCH: Steve Goggins Reviews the CETC US Open
With multiple Goggins Force lifters competing, Steve attended the meet — and now he has some thoughts to share.
Bench, Squat, and Deadlift Alternatives for Bodybuilding
If you’re beat up from powerlifting or more concerned with hypertrophy, some of these variations may prove useful. In all honesty, alternatives of the basic lifts have done the most for the development of my physique and hypertrophy.
Building the Raw Deadlift
This article will cover everything you need to build a big deadlfit as a raw lifter, from needs analysis, to the role of specific muscles, to choosing your best stance.
WATCH: Table Talk with Nate Harvey — Max Effort Training for Athletes
The max effort scheme you used for your last powerlifting meet will not work for your athletes. Keep these things in mind when implementing this style of training in athletes.
Bare Bones Conjugate: A Bar, Rack, and Bench Weeks 5-8
The conjugate system is about max effort, dynamic effort, and the repetition method. You can do everything with just a rack, bar, bench, and some weights. Here are the next four weeks of the program.
WATCH: Justus Galac SPS Presentation — Goals of the S&C Program
Some goals of strength and conditioning are obvious, such as a improving conditioning. Others, such as building a winning culture, aren't so obvious. This is how Galac approaches each of his staff's goals with the New York Jets.
WATCH: The Strength Coach Development Center — Squat Progression
For any exercise, you need to know the proper progressions and regressions. Here is a simple squat progression you can implement with your athletes today.
Your Kid Is Not a Pro Athlete
Parents often don't realize that some of the popular programs out there look cool but are the equivalent of going from first grade to 12th grade in a week. The best program is the one your athlete is ready for.
Meet Report: 2017 Iron Battle at Showtime Strength and Performance
This was my first meet in a year and a half, since October 2015, when I was battling through a torn supraspinatus and a half torn right biceps. Training went well, but the meet reminded me of a few crucial powerlifting lessons.
So You Want to Be an Online Trainer — Three Steps to Getting Started
Within part one of this article series, I want to pass on the basics, the startup, and the initial thoughts before starting an online training business.
Shades of Grey
I remember a time in strength and conditioning when hard work and sweat equity were paramount, and the integrity of the workout was the most important thing. Our most important job was player development, period.
Learn From the Back to Lead From the Front
In sports performance, sometimes you need to shut up, take a seat in the back of the room, and learn before you are ready to lead from the front.
WATCH: The Biggest Mistakes of the Strongman Axle Clean and Press
In weightlifting, the bar has the power and your body will move around it. In strongman, your body has the power and the bar will move around it.
Kettlebells Explained — A Guide to the Most Versatile Movements
The exercises you can incorporate with kettlebells are virtually endless. Here's how to get started with some of my favorites.
Q&A with James Smith: Upper Body Training for Volleyball Players
It is time for you to blur the lines between volleyball practice and physical preparation and fuse them into one holistic entity of movement.
Body Mechanics 101: Training Partner Form Fix
In my entire life of training, I've only ever had six training partners, and never more than one at a time. Now I have two. That's right — there are three of us.