How to Know If You Are Ready for Your First Powerlifting Meet
I thought about competing in powerlifting for nearly a year before actually signing up for a meet. Then I learned that I wasn’t going to figure out what I needed to do to improve as a lifter if I didn’t test my abilities and face my failures.
WATCH: Motivational Rant at UGSS
You will meet people who change your life forever. I’ve found most of mine within the four steel walls we call a gym.
Strength Chat Podcast: Seattle Seahawks Patrick Ward on Using Data
As strength training and sports are becoming more data-driven, hear from one of the best Sports Science Analysts on the topic.
WATCH: True Age vs Training Age
There are rules about training age that apply whether you’re 15 or 50.
Another Setback, Another Challenge...Another Path to PRs
We experience breaks, tears, sprains, joint replacements, and other sundry surgeries. We could stop, but we don’t. We overcome, persevere, and come back stronger.
How to Bench 5 Plates Raw: 400 to 500 at a Moderate and Sustained Pace
In this article, we are going to discuss the training of the bench press for someone approaching a press 1.8-2x their bodyweight.
WATCH: Exercise and Mental Health — Understanding Comprehensive Stress R...
The presentation is an introductory overview covering items ranging from the importance of mental health to the stress response and how to design exercise programs to accommodate it.
5 Gifts for the Guy or Girl Who's Getting into Powerlifting
‘Tis the season for winter bulking, New Year’s resolutions, long lines at the squat racks, and a bunch of gym bros begging to work in on your bench sets.
WATCH: Mental Preparation Tips for Powerlifting
To be your best on the platform, you need your mind to be just as prepared as your body.
5 Ways You’re Screwing Up Speed Work
Commit too many of the mistakes I’m about to present to you and your training will result in zero results. You certainly wont be getting the desired effect of optimizing force development.
Ocalicon 2016 — Nation’s Premier Autism and Disabilities Conference
With the option to pick and choose over 40 presentations to attend within a 10-hour day, here’s how I plan on implementing what I learned within the private and college setting.
What I Think I Know About Muscle Growth
I am not an in-the-lab scientist; per my own training practice, I care about what I can apply, not what I can argue about.
S&C Meeting of the Minds — History, Athlete Development, and In-Seas...
This article was conducted in collaboration with David Kitchen (Bloomsburg University), Matt Clapp (University of Indiana), Ryan Nosak (UNC Charlotte), and Parker Showers (University of Cincinnati).
WATCH: Coach Kav Returns to the S4 Compound
Every topic they discuss leads to one crucial point: We’re all here to make this industry a better place. What are you doing to make that happen?
The Art of the Carb
Here are three timing principles that I use with my clients and feel strongly will allow almost anyone to ingest carbs and get leaner.
WATCH: Is Fasted Cardio the Best Cardio?
Does it really make a difference if you do your cardio before or after eating in the morning?
11 Set and Rep Schemes for Massive Reverse Hyper Back Pumps
You should be doing Reverse Hypers twice a week, year-round. Keep them fresh and challenging with these programming variations.
WATCH: UGGS John Meadows Presentation — Building Calves
Now that we’ve covered the four phases of Mountain Dog Training, let’s talk about a difficult—but very important—body part.
Fitness Professional vs. Fitness Personality: The Social Media Conundrum
I want to discuss what to look for when searching for accurate fitness and health resources, and even more importantly, what red flags to look out for.
Thanksgiving Message From Dave Tate
Dreams I’ll Never See. Thanksgiving Letter from Dave Tate, Founder Elitefts.com Inc.
What Are You Thankful For?
I asked the team this question but it didn’t stop there — that would be too easy.
Finding Strength: Reflexive Performance Reset
Being able to seek new ways to perform at your best is just as important as finding the best gym, and this is why I think it’s so important to share RPR with everyone.
Increased Intra-Play Demands of Modern Gridiron Football
Up-tempo play calling has changed the pace of gridiron football, and with it, the energetic demands placed on athletes.
Should I Lift or Should I Sprint — The Case for Strength
We have come to a fork in the road with sports performance training. Is strength training making your athletes stronger or just slower?
Power Teams: Kick-Ass Home Training Gyms
This is sweat. This is heavy, hardcore training, fueled by chalk dust and ammonia. Welcome to Outlaw Powerlifting, Boomer’s Iron Grounds, and The Wharehouse.
Family-Owned Business Lessons from Garden Fresh Foods
With nearly 17 years of business ownership under my belt, I’m willing to admit I don’t possess all the answers. However, Garden Fresh Foods continues to thrive.
WATCH: Justin Harris Shoulder Training
You can train shoulders in a lot of ways, from a lot of different angles. Including the full workout, one of bodybuilding’s brightest minds shows how to do it best.
Ten Items for the Retired Powerlifter Who Can't Tie His Shoelaces
The world without weights is just not worth living in. Everything on this list will help keep you training hard when your body starts fighting back.
WATCH: Box Squat Carryover and How to Work with A Nutrition Coach
Getting better at a box squat and making the most of your diet may sound like they have nothing in common. They do.
3 Business Lessons from My First 5 Years of Gym-Ownership
The first month we opened we had around 30 members, two trainers, and I worked 80+ hours a week.
BIGHORN — Spud Straps and Sledgehammers
I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t hit the Bighorn with the sledgehammer without tearing Jon’s ribs apart.
In the End There Can Be Only One — My First Highlander Challenge
This past weekend I made the trip down to Brute Strength Gym in Norfolk, VA to compete in my first Highlander competition.
The Four Year College Strength Program: An Alternative Management Perspe...
Using a quadrant management system popularized in the business world, this article examines an alternative method of progressing athletes through four years of collegiate sports.
WATCH: UGSS John Meadows Presentation — Phase 4 and Designing the Program
In the third part of his presentation, John goes into great detail about the layout of a training program and how to manipulate frequency to bring up weak body parts.
Impostor Syndrome — Identifying the Less Admirable
Training was so important to me. It covered my insecurity and kept me distracted from the ugliness that was brewing underneath.
5 Leadership Mistakes in Personal Training
Having recently read Michael Speidel's “5 Lessons from 13 Years in Leadership”, I reframed it to personal training.
What Is A Competitive Lifter?
There are a lot of things to argue about in powerlifting, but you can't argue about integrity, you can't argue about desire, and you can't argue about dedication. You need these things no matter what.
Home and the Home Gym — The Roots
This is the dimension occupied by nursing babies with their mothers, lovers having intimate sex, and friends and family hugging. The relationship between lifter and bar is that intimate.
Stimulate Don’t Annihilate
After all these years and cycles through training trends, it turns out that Lee Haney might have been right all along.
WATCH: Is GPP Actually Important?
You hear a lot about GPP and aerobic capacity, but does it actually make a difference for a powerlifter or a bodybuilder? Dave and Justin weigh in.
My First Visit to elitefts — UGSS with John Meadows
Some people may have thought my trip from Florida to Ohio for a weekend of lifting was silly, but this is passion. This is what unifies us.
Brandon Smitley's 1377-pound Total at 2016 WPC World Championships
I walked away with a two-pound squat PR and breaking my all-time world record, a fraction of a pound PR on bench, and a 12 pound PR total. Soon enough, 1400 will be mine.
Joe Sullivan's 2000-pound Total at SPF Reebok Record Breakers
My training cycle was stellar, and I had not missed a rep in training in months. Despite that, the nerves were still there. If I wasn’t scared traveling to this meet, I wouldn’t be human.
WATCH: UGSS John Meadows Presentation — Phases 2 and 3
After completing Phase 1 (Pre-Pump Activation), Mountain Dog Training moves to Phase 2 (Train Explosively) and Phase 3 (Supramax Pump).
Bodyweight Training for Athletes
This is a vital component that builds stability, mobility, strength, muscle, body control, and even power. Don't neglect it!
WATCH: I'm Sick! Should I Train?
After missing Strongman Sunday, Clint had a serious question to answer: when would it be safe to train again?
Why My Home Gym Is Better Than the S4 Compound
My home gym has been one of the best investments I have ever made. Let me explain how I got here.
How SWIS 2016 Blew My Mind
People will be talking about the 2016 SWIS for a long time to come as one of the best symposiums ever.
WATCH: Anterior Pelvic Tilt Fix with Casey Williams and Dani Overcash — ...
This is my favorite part of the whole series — you get to see how all of this comes together and how it can help YOU as a lifter.
WATCH: Sources of Pre-Workout Energy with Justin Harris
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.
WATCH: How I Made It Easy to Rep A 1000-pound Deadlift
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.
Three Quarters of a Century and Still Getting Strong(er)
How long will getting stronger continue? At what point, or age, or condition does deterioration begin? Am I racing a clock? Is my time on the platform limited?
Senator, You're No Jack Kennedy — Don't Drop the Deadlift
One of the most impactful statements in debate history can teach you a thing or two about deadlifting.
3 Ways to Know You're Getting Stronger Without Taking a Max
The key is to find ways to consistently track strength increases throughout the training cycle, so that the ebb and flow of peak strength doesn’t negatively affect the overall picture of your training.
Our UGSS Experience with John Meadows
As gym owners, we've followed elitefts for a long time, but this was our first chance to train at the compound and meet members of the team. It solidified every reason we love this company.
What Do I Have to Work With?
This is the first question you should ask yourself when training a team. To get this point across, I've attached my entire fall football training program.
A Letter to the Boss
If I were to write a note that would be applicable and truly helpful for leaders of all kinds, what would it say?
