Get to know elitefts athlete Joe Sullivan as he talks about how he got into powerlifting, his day-to-day routine, and his goals.
Because it’s a sleep study, and not, say a cat scan, I didn’t expect my doctor to get all solemn, take a deep breath, and ask me to “sit down” before delivering the news.
As you add ornament after ornament, string of lights after string of lights, and trinket after trinket, don’t lose sight of the tree underneath.
When a lifter at Omaha Barbell struggles with her deadlift during a training session, Ed Coan offers her technical advice, and Dave tells her to “clear your fucking head.”
Speed squats w/ Duplex bar vs. heavy band bar x 5 180 x 3 270 x 2 320 (~35%) x 2 x 8 2” deadlifts 320 x 2 410 x 1 500 x 1 560 x 1 610 x 1 655 x 0 Unilateral Reverse Hyper 100 x 15 x 4
This isn’t about any unusual angles, movements, or attachments. This is just a meat and potatoes approach to building bigger legs and a bigger squat. Try this out for 6-8 weeks and see how it works for you.
2018, you were a great new chapter. You’ve put me in a good place with my training, my clients’ training, and the team’s training. 2019, see you soon.
When it came to warm-ups, I didn’t always practice what I preached. As it turned out, warm-ups have done me a solid and increased my strength, endurance, and recovery. Plus, they’re a great way to hone your techniques.
*shoulder warm up Bench – bar x 15 x 2 – 145 x 3 – 195 x 2 – 235 x 1 – 285 x 1 – 325 x 1 – 325 x 1 – voodoo flossed – 375 x 0 – catapult Db bench – 60 x 10 – 70 x 5 – 85 […]
It was my first time representing Team elitefts at a meet. The support I got from them was unreal. Oh, and the team shirt was pretty cool, too.
What’s wrong with powerlifting? Not online coaching. Not Crossfitters doing meets. Not other lifters secretly being deep cover Nazi operatives. Not anything about other lifters, or coaches, at all. All that’s really wrong, from my perspective, is this…
You may start shaking, but don’t worry. It’s just something that’s getting you ready to do what you went to the gym for — to press a bigger bench.
Are you making the most of your abdominal pressure during three big lifts: squats, bench press, and deadlift (or the clean and jerk if you compete in weightlifting or crossfit). Oh, the power of a breath.
Monolift commandments for those new to the monolift, monolift commandments to heed today as a way to avoid tragedy in the future, and monolift commandments to help get the most out of this amazing piece of powerlifting equipment.
Trust me, you will want me repping your brand while I’m crushing monster lifts all over the garage.
In recent months, my fiancée noticed long pauses between breaths while I’m asleep, followed by gasping for air. Not good. If it’s like everything else in my life, this major CPAP milestone should make for a good story. Plus, my readers really seem to enjoy it when I suffer.
It is nothing and everything all at once. It is something that comes on strong and pulls you in. It strips everything away, but if you stick with it and trust it, then it will give you more than you can imagine.
He squats, benches, and deadlifts week in and week out with no variation. Specialty bars? Ha! Accommodating resistance? Ha!
As I got stronger with pulling conventional, a funny thing happened. My weak point went from being off the floor (where it was when pulling sumo) to just below the knee. I had to go back to the drawing board and figure out what exercises would get me stronger.
As a former 150-pound marathon runner–turned–powerlifter, here’s how I increased my squat 1RM from 500 pounds to 600 pounds in a single year.
Imagine that you are on a team at work in which each individual had his or her own unique duties and tasks. What happens if someone doesn’t show up to work?
“Pull your lats in” to “slow down” are two of five cues that can make an incredible difference in the execution and lockout of your deadlift.
Why were you such a dick to me in 1998 when I met you and Lou for breakfast for the first time? You hurt my feelings.
When I entered these very senior divisions, there was no bar, no standard, no records. Now there is.
All that matters is how you look, and if using equipment allows you to train heavier and harder, build more muscle, and ultimately look better, then you should use it! Here are my top-5 powerlifting Christmas gifts for bodybuilders.
I’d bet a Derek Lewis chin shot that the majority of lifters are out pulling their squats. Ugh, writing this is tough; this is the catalyst for the total not being shit anymore, either.
They’re here because they travel during the week and are training out of the hotel’s fitness center, or they work days and can train only late at night, which requires him to go to one of those 24/7 fitness places where there is “no yelling, no chalk or pretty much no anything you would require for serious training.”
You find a coach you feel is the best choice, and you make an inquiry. It’s a good fit, and you compensate him or her. You’re a powerlifter with a coach now. You await your program to begin your journey under the guidance of your chosen coach.
I’m almost scared to type this, but both my hip and spine are functioning at…
Acceleration is one of the most important components for building maximum strength. However, you should not confuse acceleration with explosiveness.
Smitley broke an all-time world record in 2015, squatting 567 pounds at a 132-pound body weight – as such, it’s safe to say that he knows a thing or two when it comes to this particular lift.
Instead of just trying to get strong by getting as big as humanly possible, many lifters are paying more attention to their muscularity. Just take a look at Larry Wheels or Dan Green, and you’ll immediately know how successful this strategy can be.
There are two worlds in which we all reside. There is the “gym world”, a world where everything pertains to the gym and your training, where your goals and aspirations for the platform are created, pursued, and lived out. The other world is the outside world, comprised of everything else.
Out of shape? Slow? Dumb? Weak? Ugly? Andrew Jackson (the president on a $20 bill for any non-US-based readers) has a solution for you.
The 825 opener flew, and I told JP to call 881 on my second. This is when I knew I would “earn my regrets” because I actively prepared myself to become injured due to this decision.
Rooted at Metroflex, Warren’s early years building a thick and grainy physique grew to the height of the Olympia.
From chest-supported rows, to vertical pull-downs and face-pulls, Tate tightens up Rusin’s supporting exercises to ensure that they are addressing his weak points in a way that will have correspondence to the “big three” lifts.
His answer — revolving around canvas gear, Westside, and Louie — may surprise you.
I’ve been completely immersed in the sport of powerlifting for over 25 years. When you reach this level of knowledge and experience, some people assume that you just stop asking questions. Wrong! I ask questions all the time.
If you’re a man and you’re trying to hold a woman back from powerlifting, or doing whatever she wants to do…Who are you to try and change her mind, and get her not to do it?
Heavily inspired by the LTTX, I took what I taught and learned there and shared it with my gym members. Although basic (think powerlifting 101), these new lifters needed to hear my message. Watch the entire presentation here.
You’ll still be weak and look like shit, but man, people will know you lift.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the super-heavy lifts that cause most of the problems when training alone.
In this video clip, Tate and Rusin compile these learnings to develop a comprehensive training program. Together, they discuss how to adjust the workouts to best suit Rusin’s development of the “big three” lifts, planning around his traveling schedule as needed.
In this installment, I will talk a little bit about what I learned from my tour of the Extract Labs facility, from my research of the available scientific data and my thoughts on “why,” “when” and “how” for Cannabidiol, as I understand it.
I was just recently asked this again by one of my former athletes and colleague, who is now a collegiate strength coach as well as an aspiring raw powerlifter. Here’s my answer.
Just as powerlifters can benefit from bodybuilding movements, so can bodybuilders benefit from powerlifting movements. Today we’re looking at the triceps – a muscle group that I really struggle with and, as a result, have spent a lot of time studying and training.
Focusing on this concept of carry-over helps powerlifters train in a more intentional and strategic way, ultimately bolstering overall performance come meet day.
In this table talk, Dave Tate sits down to answer the following question on Rippetoe: Has Dave ever met Mark Rippetoe? Would be cool to see them get together for a podcast after a few drinks.
As Rusin adds proper breathing into his deadlift sequence (one of many tweaks you’ll see), he notices an immediate difference in his performance. Proper breathing, as he puts it, is a total “game-changer.”
There is a huge list of things the sport of powerlifting has produced over these seven decades. Within this sizable list, the sport has consistently produced two specific items over and again, each and every single decade.
Can you take a deep breath and remember that each set and rep in training is part of the greater year and not just that individual session?
I believe that the confidence weight releasers can build is almost as important as any other factor I talk about in this article. If you want to improve your dynamic effort work, give these sample cycles a try.
I have been reading EliteFTS logs and articles since I started powerlifting in 2012. For the entirety of that time, I thought it would be amazing to have a log and be on the team. I have actually written out fake logs in my head a number of times. But I never thought it would […]
One such legend is Chuck Vogelpohl, widely known for his extreme intensity and longevity with regard to powerlifting competitions. In this clip, Tate and Coan address the question of what it was like to train with Chuck.
From muscle isolation, to max effort work, to spotting technique, and sticking points, Tate customizes his coaching specifically for Rusin, thereby taking his bench press to the next level.
A lot of powerlifters have trouble with this. They can’t get out of the way of their own ego in order to call proper attempts.
Committed to doing a few full-power meets before I retire in 2020, I’m searching for some alternative means to deal with the pain related to inflammation. Enter Cannabidiol (CBD).