WATCH: Table Talk — Overcoming the Fear of Injury After Rehabilitation
If you're scared of a weight, you're not going to be able to lift it, even if your body is strong enough. This can be a serious problem if you're coming back from injury.
Strength 101 from Westside Barbell
If people would take their heads out of their asses and set their egos aside, they would see that what Louie teaches has nothing to do with multi-ply powerlifting.
WATCH: Table Talk — Straight Line or Arched Bar Path in the Bench Press
No matter which style you use, there's one rule with your wrists and elbows you always have to follow.
Observations of Beginner Powerlifting Mistakes
With five years in the sport of powerlifting, my best total before I came to Westside Barbell was 1685. After training at Westside for a little over three years, my best total is 1950. Here are the big issues to avoid if you want similar progress.
WATCH: Table Talk — Making Time to Train Around A Busy Work Schedule
A busy work schedule can make it hard to train at the times you'd like to, but there's always a way to make it work.
WATCH: Table Talk — Too Much Science?
There are two types of people when it comes to using science in training. Don't be the first kind.
Thanksgiving 2017 — A Letter from Dave Tate
Reflecting on past Thanksgiving letters, my closing from 2016 hit me like a ton of bricks. It has been a big year of challenges and opportunities, hardships and success.
WATCH: Table Talk — Back-Down Sets
After you've reached the heaviest set of the day, is there a reason to reduce the weight and do more reps?
How Dave Tate and elitefts Used 7,292 Pieces of Content to Outlift the C...
Enjoy this short read written by Jason Thibault from Massive Kontent to gain a better understanding of the ins and outs of our content department.
WATCH: Table Talk — Method Muppets
There are people who have been in the gym for two years or less and now they have their own method. What's the method? Tying their shoes and walking through the gym?
WATCH: elitefts Fitness Professional Summit — Don't Be A Big Fish i...
The fitness industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. It's the war you want to be in.
When a Building Is More Than Its Four Walls
All that the S4 embodied—all the history, all the depth of meaning, all the blood, sweat, tears, sacrifice and giving—will live on as those traits come to life and are reborn with S5.
WATCH: Table Talk — Should You Train Assistance Movements to Failure?
For a powerlifter on a conjugate or Westside style program, you first need to make sure you know the role of each exercise you're doing. This will give you direction on how close to failure to train.
WATCH: elitefts Fitness Professional Summit — Owning A Business Is Harde...
It only makes sense to start your own gym, fulfill your passion, and make boatloads of cash in the process, right? Maybe not.
Reflecting on Strong(er) Business: elitefts Fitness Professionals Summit
When I registered for this event, I knew that not only would the presentations be top-notch, but so too would the social event.
Top Training Tips For Advanced Lifters — Technique, Injury Scale, and Sh...
There's no doubt that there are times when you have to push through because you're just not “into it” but there are other times when you really need to shut it down. The trick is knowing the difference.
WATCH: Table Talk — The 3 Most Impressive Things Dave Has Seen at the S4...
The mind-blowing lifts and accomplishments that have occurred in the S4 are too numerous to recount, but there are a few that stick out in Dave's mind.
Saying Goodbye — Memories of the S4 Compound
As we leave the S4 Compound and christen the S5 Compound, join us in giving a proper farewell to a place we have called home for many years.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Three Best Conditioning Tools for Powerlifters
Conditioning doesn't have to be complicated or require expensive equipment. These are the best options for a powerlifter.
WATCH: Q&A with Coach Kav — The Most Common Weaknesses of Aspiring N...
When young athletes who plan to go into an NFL camp or enter the draft visit Coach Kav, there are two main issues he almost always encounters.
Closing in on Our 20th Year in Business
Thanks to your valued partnership, after nearly two decades of business we are still focused on the future.
My Indicators
My key indicators (as well as yours) take time to know and develop. They also will change over time, so always be on the lookout and always monitor your training.
WATCH: Table Talk — Tapering for a Meet Using Conjugate
The appeal of conjugate is the ability to build multiple performance traits at once, but this confuses a lot of lifters as they get closer to a meet. It doesn’t have to be so complicated.
WATCH: Q&A with Coach Kav — Execution vs. Beast Mode
When you start patting yourself on the back for basic shit you’re supposed to be doing anyway, you’re missing the whole point. You’re a failure.
The Science of Winning According to Vasili Alexeyev
This is a repost of what Dave feels is one of the most educational articles we have ever posted.
WATCH: Table Talk — Feeder and Recovery Workouts
You can’t just throw in extra workouts or recovery protocols and expect to get the most out of them. Like everything else in training, they need to be programmed strategically and used at the right times.
Why You Should Hire an Online Coach
Not all online trainers are bad. Many members of team elitefts have been in this line of work for decades, training people long before social media even existed. Here’s what to look for.
WATCH: Table Talk — How Should a 15-Year-Old Begin Training for Powerlif...
What’s the difference between a teenager who is an absolute beginner and an older lifter coming back from a decade-long layoff?
WATCH: Blast from the Past — Dave Tate's Presentation at the 2006 S...
There are four components of a weight room atmosphere: coaching, equipment, training, and athletes.
WATCH: Table Talk — When to Add Gear During A Training Cycle
This doesn’t only apply to multi-ply lifters. How you add equipment in training should have a sequence to it, even if you compete raw.
Top Training Tips For Advanced Lifters — The Last Two Weeks, Coaching, a...
You would think this is all common sense, right?
WATCH: Table Talk — Run the Monolift or Walk Out?
This really shouldn’t be a debate. Mimic how you compete.
Top Training Tips For Advanced Lifters — Stay Healthy and Be Your Own Wo...
Do you think the top-level guys are 100% healthy? Do you know the best way to deal with critics?
WATCH: Table Talk — Personality Differences in Powerlifting
Should a training program be altered based on a lifter’s personality?
WATCH: Table Talk — Natural Potential and the Genetic Ceiling
The potential for what a lifter can accomplish without using performance enhancing substances is far greater than most people assume.
WATCH: Blast from the Past — The Number One Biggest Squat Mistake
From the moment you grab the bar until you rack it after the lift, you need to be focusing on this part of your squat.
Sick of Your Gym?
It took me about two weeks to figure out I uprooted myself right into HELL. I ran into many of the same issues many of you are still dealing with.
WATCH: Table Talk — Max Effort Work vs. Submaximal Doubles and Triples
There are different purposes, benefits, and risks of max effort work and submaximal doubles and triples. Which makes more sense for your programming?
Top Training Tips For Advanced Lifters — Life Priority and Team Role
Why am I taking the time to write this? These are the things I find myself repeating over and over again with different lifters.
WATCH: Table Talk — When to Rotate Supplemental and Accessory Exercises
How much time do you really need to spend with an exercise to know if it’s working or not?
WATCH: Table Talk — Why Are Some Lifters More Explosive Than Others?
Every lifter falls somewhere on this continuum. It will determine how your max attempts look and how you should train to increase them.
WATCH: Blast from the Past — Five Biggest Bench Mistakes
The most common mistakes in the bench press haven’t changed much over the years.
WATCH: Table Talk Series Compilation with Dan Green
Over the course of seven episodes, Dave and Dan discuss building a base as a new lifter, limiting factors for lifters of all levels, rehab mentality, adrenaline levels in training, and more. Watch now!
How To Approach Warm-Up Weights
From the bar to 95 pounds, 135, and so on, you should get under the bar and treat it like it’s 400 pounds. How will you unrack that weight? How will you set it up? How will you pull air? How will you sit down?
WATCH: Blast from the Past — How and Why to Use A GHR
The glute ham raise has been lauded as one of the best exercises for posterior chain development for lifters and athletes of all kinds. Are you using it correctly?
Strong(er) Business: elitefts Fitness Professional Summit
Save the date - Saturday October 21st, 2017
Dave Tate: Looking Back On Nearly 20 Years, Some Things Never Change
With the exponential growth of the fitness industry over the past 20 years, the roots of elitefts still hold strong: a foundational trunk of knowledge sprouting enough branches to accommodate nearly every training discipline imaginable.
WATCH: Westside Misconceptions — High Standards
To be on the board at Westside, at the time, meant you had to break the all-time world record, because that was pretty much everybody that was on the board.
WATCH: Westside Misconceptions — Athlete Recruitment Process
You’ve probably heard it said that Westside became the strongest gym in the world by bringing in the best lifters from outside. This is a lie. What made Westside great wasn’t recruiting.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
WATCH: Table Talk with Nate Harvey — Do You Need A Planned Deload?
Is deloading a necessary part of improving as a lifter or is it just a weak excuse to be lazy one week out of every month?
WATCH: Table Talk with Nate Harvey — How Important Are the Quads for a R...
You want debate? Go to a powerlifting meet and ask the lifters in the warm-up room if you should be focusing on your quads to build your squat. You’ll hear a lot of opinions. Who’s right?