Chalk Dust and Trail Runs: Cardio for Powerlifters
How do we glean all the benefits of cardio without compromising our strength and size? It really comes down to two things.
Why I Love Powerlifting: 2016 RPS Lexen Dog Days
This was my first push/pull meet and I kept repeating to myself, “It’s time. Work is done. Make it happen.”
![WATCH: Off Topic with Dave and Jim — Travel Stories [Extended Version]](https://www.elitefts.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Offtopic_header-1-300x250.jpg)
WATCH: Off Topic with Dave and Jim — Travel Stories [Extended Version]
It seems like Dave and Jim are never going to run out of stories from their days of travel seminars. In this video we have strip clubs, Benny Podda, alcoholism, and porn.
How Do You Pick Your Opener?
There are many ways lifters go about picking their openers. I admit, my way might not be for you. But if it isn’t, you can still learn something from it.
The Week Before the Meet — Unstructured or Accounted For?
This is a time when your mind will start to play tricks on you. Are you mentally committing to the time off?
WATCH: Maliek Derstine Visits elitefts
He holds the all-time world record for powerlifting total in the 181-pound weight class. He is better in that class than anyone else has ever been. When he talks about training, it’s probably best for you to listen.
Master's Nationals Qualifier: Northern Nevada’s Strongest Man V
I switched plans and decided to compete at Master’s Nationals (The Olympia), but in order to compete, I would have to qualify. So off to Reno I went.
Finding Strength: Jiu-Jitsu and Strength Academy
The familiarity and genuine interest in one another is a recurring theme at the most successful gyms I’ve visited since starting this project. This is what I found in Cromwell, CT.
Cus D’Amato — Past, Present and Future Thoughts
Evaluating the past is important for fixing things that you did wrong. Looking forward to the future is important for setting goals. But if you do these things at the wrong time, you’ll run into trouble.
3 Programming Considerations for In-Season Football Training: Scheduling...
When should the athletes lift? Where is the total training volume based from? How is intensity individualized within a team setting?
What to Do As A Novice Strongman — Writing Your Own Program
You need a lot in a strongman program: basic barbell lifts, accessory work, practice with the events, conditioning, flexibility, mobility, and recovery work. Use these ideas to build your own training program.
The Fallacy of the Fat Burning Zone
To better understand how exercise intensity dictates fuel use, and what this means in respect to the fat burning zone, we need to review the energy systems your body can rely on during exercise.
Strength Training for Young Athletes — Safety, 1RM Testing, Growth Plate...
In this second part, we are going to look at more research regarding 1RM testing and break down multiple falsehoods about why young athletes should not strength train.
WATCH: Improving Overhead Position and Shoulder Mechanics
In this video, Brad Cox and Chris Duffin provide corrective strategies to improve range of motion and shoulder stability with a strongman athlete who recently injured his shoulder.
WATCH: Off Topic with Dave Tate and Jim Wendler — Training for All-Aroun...
If you want to build total fitness, you need to know about something Jim Wendler calls The Push-Pull Concept — and it has nothing to do with benching or deadlifting.
To Redemption: UPA Old School Iron Gym Summer Showdown
I hated that I fell short of my goal at the XPCs…90 pounds short to be exact. Each and every pound I left on the platform back in March is what fueled my training for my off-season and meet preparation.
Putting Pen to Paper — When Old School Is Better Than New Technology
Now is the time to assess the technology that’s at our fingertips. It’s also the time to become picky with what type of and when to use technology with regard to our powerlifting success.
What to Do As A Novice Strongman — Practice and Training Implements
Interested in strongman? Know this first: being as strong as a Himalayan Mountain Yak is good, but being as strong as a Himalayan Mountain Yak with really good technique is better.
Mental Health and the Strength Athlete: Building A Better Training Program
When building an effective training program, you must consider each variable that influences your performance — including the stressors that affect your mental health.
Strength Training for Young Athletes — Benefits, Appropriate Starting Ag...
Telling a kid not to lift but then turning around and having him sprint, cut, and jump in those terms really does sound stupid, doesn’t it?
Using Velocity-Based Training Dynamically
With dynamic effort work, we use the guidelines that Bryan Mann has written about extensively. I’ve tweaked his approach to fit our small budget and large team setting.
My Return to Raw: UPA Old School Iron Gym Summer Showdown
Since competing at the XPC Finals in March, I took the last few months to regain control over my physical and mental health. In the process, I transitioned back to raw.
The Yearly Training Plan of the Strength Athlete — In-Season Management ...
There are three very important priorities for a strength athlete to keep in focus during a competitive year.
Build the Back, Spare the Spine
The healthier you can keep your spine, the longer you can train heavy and grow muscle. Here are my top-10, spine-friendly exercises.
What Is Elite in Powerlifting?
It takes a long time to be elite—truly elite—in this sport. Don’t try to change the standards. Change the way you work.
You’ll Be An Old Bastard One Day Too
If you had asked me when I was 20 if I was going to still be training at almost 50, I would have said absolutely. I just didn’t know these five things would change.
WATCH: Off Topic with Dave Tate and Jim Wendler — Near Death Experience
Being able to say no changes everything.
Why Do You Lift — What the Absence of Motivation Teaches Us (Suicide)
Every aspect of motivation we discussed in parts one, two, and three are evidence here, through their absence and again through their recovery.
The Three Best and Worst Parts of Owning a Gym
Over five years of owning a facility, through the survival stage and growth phase, I’ve learned a lot. Good and bad, owning a gym is a…
Embracing the Bracing
Day 1: Constant, crippling pain. Day 10: Pain free. This is the new game plan for lower back nerve pain.
Three Training Methods to Strengthen Your Weak Points
As simple and extremely important as this principle is, I continue to see so many lifters overlook or misunderstand it year after year.
A Young Athlete's Redemption
When the tall, piper-cleaner thin baseball player showed up, I didn’t think he’d last long. I was wrong.
Contest Prep Aftermath: Reverse Dieting and Training
In this first installment of the three-part series, let’s dig into the rationale behind reverse dieting and why it is so important for not only your growth as a competitor but your long-term health.
Ten Time-Proven, Big-Three Technique Tweaks for Happy Joints
Are you getting beat up from squatting, benching, and deadlifting? Here's a handful of tips to help cure what ails you.
Finding Strength: Colosseum Strongman
During my trip to this Columbia, Maryland gym, I witnessed first-hand the hospitality of Jon Ward and his strongman crew.
Maximizing Muscle Growth Q&A: Rep Ranges, Chest Size Without Heavy P...
You have questions, team elitefts has answers. Today's topic: building muscle through rep ranges and exercise selection.
144 Things I Love and Hate About Powerlifting
Every lifter has their own reasons to love or hate this sport. Here are mine.
elitefts Classic: How to Set Up A Program — A New Look at Weak Points
I don’t know how many questions we’ve gotten about how to train certain weak points. Of course, almost every question is in regard to a weak muscle group or a certain portion of a lift.
Three Coaching Cues You Need to Avoid
Most coaches rely on verbal internal cues, which may be the least effective. Here are several alternative options to help your athletes.
Building Technical Proficiency in Supplemental Deadlift Movements
Getting outside of your comfort zone, and literally getting uncomfortable can be a key to get you past plateaus and sticking points.
WATCH: Off Topic with Dave and Jim — PEDs and Training Frequency
Kicking off the new series, Dave Tate and Jim Wendler take on a topic of heated debate.
Flow, The Void, and You
Your psych-up, intended to prepare you for a new PR, could actually be costing you precious pounds on the platform.
Fatigue vs Fatigue Compensation — Manual Resistance
First in this series, we are going to improve the body's resistance to fatigue compensation by better understanding and coaching movement.
When to Build Strength, When to Display It
Think about it. How do you prioritize these aspects of your training?
Building the Raw Squat
While the squat is still the most technical lift we see in powerlifting, the gear whores and raw zealots have much more in common than we think.
Intra-Workout Nutrition Q&A: BCAAs, HBCD, and Supplements on a Budget
You have questions, team elitefts has answers. Today's topic: intra-workout supplementation.
Unification of Training Stimuli (with Program)
You might call this The Grand Unified Training Theory: attempting to combine the training elements of Olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman, and bodybuilding into one single training program.
Troubleshooting Knee Pain While Squatting
Although it’s hard to generalize knee pain, here are several things I commonly see in a clinical setting. You can attack these issues in a number of ways.
WATCH: Dave and Jim Are Back
There's a lot of history shared between these two men. Now they're adding to it.
In-Season Training for Football — Don't Lose Off-Season Gains
Your off-season was a huge success. Your athletes gained strength, size, and speed. Here's the challenge: maintain.
How to Naturally Manipulate Insulin to Improve Body Composition and Perf...
This is a highly effective tool when trying to gain new muscle and recover from tough workouts...but only if used appropriately.
Tweaking the APRE Cluster Method
I had used the APRE Method with great results in the past. After trying some new things in the summer, we decided to implement these changes in the fall.
WATCH: Table Talk — Geared to Raw Lifting
The progression of gear usage is not linear; a lot of lifters actually return to raw after spending years in gear. This can be almost as challenging as learning the gear in the first place.
Breaking the 600-Pound Bench Barrier
My road to 600 can be broken down into two phases of training: the Raw Strength Phase and The Equipped Peaking Phase. Here's how I did it.
WATCH: The CVASP Podcast — How to Use Vertical Jump Data
Jay DeMayo invites Dr. Mann to discuss power and how strength coaches everywhere can better use information collected through athlete testing.
5 Key Lessons From Contest Prep
Stepping on stage is reserved for a special breed of lifter, but the lessons you learn from competing apply to all training goals. Here are the things my rookie bodybuilding season taught me.
Building An All-Around Team: Find Your Role
In any successful group or team, there are three key positions that must be filled. Does your team have them?
Expectations vs. Suggestions
I've been struggling with this and now it's time to talk. When rules and expectations become mere suggestions, we need a change.
