Training with Molly Edwards
Training with Molly Edwards
Here's a peak as to what Molly has been up to...
Team Awful
Team Awful

“Why the hell are you idiots doing that?”

I Do Not Give Up
I Do Not Give Up

I strongly considered not competing in the meet this past weekend.

How NOT to Make Weight
How NOT to Make Weight

My meet didn’t exactly go as planned.

Cheap Crack for Powerlifters
Cheap Crack for Powerlifters

When you need that little pick-me-up for a big squat, your little friend, will never let you down.

Rebounding from Failure
Rebounding from Failure

I still had a chance to total 2400…but then I failed my deadlift.

Gear Tweaks: Get More From Your Gear
Gear Tweaks: Get More From Your Gear

They’ve hit some crazy numbers, so they must be doing something right!

5 Tips You Need to Know to Bench Big
5 Tips You Need to Know to Bench Big

I’ve been around some of the best bench pressers to ever lift a weight.

Stepping Up and Under the Bar
Stepping Up and Under the Bar

Matt relays his experiences competing in his first ever powerlifting meet.

A Peaking Cycle for a Raw Stalling Deadlift
A Peaking Cycle for a Raw Stalling Deadlift

This is the exact deadlift cycle I’ve used for the past three meets.

Schwab Explains his Training Methods
Schwab Explains his Training Methods

Why I stopped performing dynamic effort work in my training.

What If A Deadlifter Were King?
What If A Deadlifter Were King?

Every man in some way is your superior.

4-Day Guide: How to Cut for a Short Weigh-In
4-Day Guide: How to Cut for a Short Weigh-In

Dropping five or six pounds should be relatively easy for you to do the last few days prior to weigh-ins.

Elite Total at the SPF Ironman Classic
Elite Total at the SPF Ironman Classic

This was the wildest and best meet weekend ever.

The End of the Unlikely Powerlifter
The End of the Unlikely Powerlifter

My powerlifting experiences taught me some amazing life lessons and gave me a unique outlook on training my clients.

 Five New Powerlifting Assistance Exercises
Five New Powerlifting Assistance Exercises

If you’re a strength or power athlete, chances are you seek a bigger squat, bench press, and deadlift.

 So You Want to be a Meet Director?
So You Want to be a Meet Director?

I want them to read this and say, “Damn! That’s pretty easy. I can run a meet too!”

 The Mindset of a Powerlifter
The Mindset of a Powerlifter

The world of powerlifting is a small enclave overshadowed by the field of bodybuilding.

 Assistance Exercises for the Raw Squatter
Assistance Exercises for the Raw Squatter

So it’s been three meets now and I’m still doing this raw thing.

Links of Solid Metal Lead to Strength, Speed and Stability
Links of Solid Metal Lead to Strength, Speed and Stability

No, I am not talking about the bling around your neck, what connects your wallet to your jeans, or even the crazy S&M stuff you may secretly be guilty of!

 Improving the Deadlift
Improving the Deadlift

There are two major areas that have made a profound difference in my training—proper starting position and sound programming.

 Iron Intelligence
Iron Intelligence

For all the serious lifters out there wondering what they’ll do when they’re no longer able to handle the daily grind that their sport necessitates, I have a suggestion—teaching.

 The New Lifter
The New Lifter

Read all you can on the sport. A great place to start is the EliteFTS.com articles section.

 Training Blast & Dust
Training Blast & Dust

With strength training or training for powerlifting, you are in the process of trying to combine many training methods to develop many different abilities.

 The Mindset Behind a Great Bench Press
The Mindset Behind a Great Bench Press

What does everyone want? A bigger bench press of course. Let’s face it—people don’t walk up to you and ask, “So what do you curl?” Everyone wants to know how much you can bench. Well, I can bench press a lot, and I’m going to share some tips with you.

 How to Set Up on the Deadlift
How to Set Up on the Deadlift

Most of the time, you’ll see the deadlift performed like a cat taking a shit. You know what I mean—the arch and twitch technique? There are a ton of reasons why someone would deadlift this way:

EliteFTS: Top 8 Good Morning Exercises
EliteFTS: Top 8 Good Morning Exercises

The Good Morning Movement is one of the best movements to include in any strength program. Here are our top 8 Good Morning varieties.

The Pace of Your Stroke: Using Tempo for Gains in Size and Strength
The Pace of Your Stroke: Using Tempo for Gains in Size and Strength

I’ve dealt with several injuries over the last few years and it has caused me to do more research on how to get jacked (more research than I ever wanted to do in my life). However, it’s allowing me to get bigger and stronger, while still rehabbing injuries. The secret to this success has been speed.

 Do You Have to Be Fat to Be Strong?
Do You Have to Be Fat to Be Strong?

Many of you know that I compete as an amateur powerlifter.

Smith’s Got Your Back: Warm-ups for Squat Injury Prevention
Smith’s Got Your Back: Warm-ups for Squat Injury Prevention

Squat injuries happen more frequently without a proper warm-up. Dr. Ryan Smith discusses a few simple movements he uses that can save you from painful complications.

 Training the High School Powerlifter
Training the High School Powerlifter

Having been head coach of the Warren Central powerlifting team for almost ten years, I can tell you without hesitation that training teenagers has to be one of the most frustrating, and at the same time, rewarding jobs of my life. Many of the guys I have coached came into our weight room as freshmen having never even seen a weight only to leave after their four years having won district, region, and even some state titles.

 The Key to Reaching Athletic Achievement
The Key to Reaching Athletic Achievement

The most common questions I receive are “What type of program should I be following?” and “What type of program do you follow?” In my opinion, too many athletes concern themselves far too much about what training program they’re following. They don’t focus enough on the other myriad of factors that are more influential in determining how far they’ll go in their sport.

EFS Pro Short Band Strength
EFS Pro Short Band Strength

Bands were first introduced to Dave Tate close to 10 years ago. After experimenting with accommodating resistance and the use of chains, Dave took his squat from 760 to 855 in 12 months.

1100 Pound Abs
1100 Pound Abs

The other day in the gym, the topic of ab training for strength came up. I figured there was nobody better to ask than 1100 pound squatter Matt Wenning.

The Missed Lift
The Missed Lift

One very important thing to remember about training and competitive advice is that what others overlook is usually the answer. In other words, the answer is usually very simple but normally only comes from an advanced lifter.

Problem—Raw Bench Press; Solution—Plyometrics
Problem—Raw Bench Press; Solution—Plyometrics

Speed training in the bench press has become increasingly popular. Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell Club popularized this concept by advocating a speed day in the bench press. Some call it a “dynamic” day, and some call it a “light” day.

Beginner Deadlift Considerations: Conventional or Sumo?
Beginner Deadlift Considerations: Conventional or Sumo?

The deadlift is the lift that a new powerlifter initially moves the biggest weights with and makes the most immediate progress.

 Under The Bar: The S-4 Weekender Program Part 2
Under The Bar: The S-4 Weekender Program Part 2

This article is the continuation of the Weekender Series that has documented the training of a few of our featured training log lifters, as well as the weekend group training in our weight room:

EliteFTS Spotlight: Josh Bryant
EliteFTS Spotlight: Josh Bryant

Josh Bryant is a speed, strength, and conditioning coach. He is also a personal trainer who has works with many clients in person at Metroflex Gym in Arlington, Texas and via the internet.

 Bench Press More Weight Instantly!
Bench Press More Weight Instantly!

How many people do you see in the gym trying to make an exercise more difficult, believing the more difficult it is, the more effective the exercise will be?

 Failure Fixation
Failure Fixation

Did Arthur Jones have it right when he essentially devoted his life to convincing people they needed to train to failure?

 Your First Meet
Your First Meet

There are a few factors that must be addressed before you decide on a competition. First and foremost, are you physically ready for a competition?

Bench Training for Gear and Raw
Bench Training for Gear and Raw

Here at Lexen, we train raw for much of our upper body development, but by using both environments (the shirt and raw training), you can actually make personal records in each.

 Underground Strength Session 2009 Review
Underground Strength Session 2009 Review

It was Friday night. I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. This was nothing new, but when I woke up in five hours, I would be starting my trek to one of the strongest gyms in the Midwest—the EliteFTS compound.

Things I’ve Learned
Things I’ve Learned

As I sat here reading the new articles on EliteFTS.com, I wondered why many of the authors weren’t female

My Experience at the 2004 WPO Bench Bash for Cash by Ed Rectenwald (as told to Dave Tate)
My Experience at the 2004 WPO Bench Bash for Cash by Ed Rectenwald (as t...

Let me first tell you briefly about myself for those who do not know me.

Powerlifting Sport Psychology Training
Powerlifting Sport Psychology Training

Have you ever been to a powerlifting meet and heard someone boast about colossal training lifts?

 Under The Bar: The S-4 Weekender Program
Under The Bar: The S-4 Weekender Program

I’m still not quit sure how it happened, but over the course of the past twelve months, we have attracted a group of competitive powerlifters into our gym. It was not that long ago that I retired from the sport and spent my weekends training with one or two other guys, and that was it.

Reach a 1000-lb Squat Easily
Reach a 1000-lb Squat Easily

When I went to local meets and saw 600-lb squats, I thought about how cool it would be to achieve that strength. Boy, times they do change.

Going Raw
Going Raw

I’m a lifter just like you. I’m not a trainer nor do I have any connection to the strength and conditioning field outside of elitefts™.

 Training Individuality
Training Individuality

In powerlifting, there are many different paths to achieve our lifting goals.

EliteFTS Spotlight: Al Caslow
EliteFTS Spotlight: Al Caslow

This week’s EliteFTS Spotlight focuses on powerlifter Al Caslow, the newest EliteFTS sponsored athlete and member of the Q&A staff. Al is currently ranked #1 in the world in the 165 pound class.

Block Periodization in the Sport of Powerlifting
Block Periodization in the Sport of Powerlifting

This program is based on the concepts outlined in Dr. Vladimir Issurin’s, Block Periodization: A Breakthrough in Sports Training.

EliteFTS Spotlight: Vincent Dizenzo
EliteFTS Spotlight: Vincent Dizenzo

This week’s EliteFTS Spotlight interview introduces the readership to powerlifting legend Vincent Dizenzo. If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, Vincent’s name – as well as his exploits under the bar – should be very familiar to you

Proof of Life
Proof of Life

One of my favorite moments in the history of powerlifting is Doc Rhodes’ third deadlift at the 1977 IPF Worlds in Australia. Rhodes was in the 165-lb weight class and had squatted 512 lbs and benched 374 lbs.

The Perfect Program: For Lifters and Coaches Alike
The Perfect Program: For Lifters and Coaches Alike

Here’s the deal. All sound programs work and they work well. The best one is your preference. However, there’s a catch to everything and this has more than one.

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