We adopted the timed squat method from Louie Simmons. Let’s just say we had the most regional qualifiers in school history.

Our revisited phase 2 will give you good ideas as to how to start your teams back up after an extended layoff. Waverly had one of their best years in school history following this.

My football players were being held back by strength deficits that are left underdeveloped in most high school programs—development of speed and maximal strength in the weight room. Here’s how I filled in the gaps.

What athletes can I use this with? How do I know how much weight to use? How do I peak for an event or playoffs? I thought you’d never ask.

Pick one or two of these hacks, run them for about two months, and see where it takes your bench. Hack #4 was a tremendous help getting my raw bench to the best it’s ever felt.

Eric Cressey, a strength and conditioning legend known best for his expertise in baseball athletes, joins the Table Talk Podcast to talk with our elitefts co-hosts. This talk sounds off how to get athletes stronger, healthier, and better in spite of COVID-19.

This is not me trying to sound like a meathead lifter and talk about how I’ll go psycho if I don’t get my swole on at the gym. But kinda…

More precise bar positioning, simpler coaching cues, and easier chain and band placement are just a few of the many benefits of this innovative bar design.

Speed is king, right? Then you’d better train it. I have some medicine ball throws to get your athletes up to speed. Make sure those movements are crisp and fast! Go, go, go!

The great thing about this system is that it’s flexible. Here are four different methods you can choose from this in-season so your athletes feel good and get stronger.

Have you ever asked the question, “How should I adjust conjugate for X sport?” Find your answer? If not, here’s what I’ve found to be the most productive and efficient way to adjust things.

In phase I of Nate Harvey’s Waverly Project, it’s all about movements; getting them down properly before moving on. Phase II is where the work really comes in for student athletes.

Most college programs that I’ve seen basically run three sets on all accessories. I didn’t want to be most college programs. I had to find a way to do a ton of work and build work capacity but also not run the kids into the ground. That’s where waving volume came into play.

I am here to tell you if these are on your Christmas list and you get all these items, then you will be on track for a massive total and some of the best training of your life. I cannot recommend all of these pieces enough.

Believe it or not, sometimes max effort work is not the best option. Here are a few scenarios where that may be the case as well as what you can do to fill in the gaps where the max effort method would be.

My first experience with elitefts equipment was from the days I was a Division I strength coach at the University of New York at Buffalo. Let’s just say the price was not the only factor in why I decided we should go with elitefts equipment.

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about internships, all in one place.

Ideally, the kids should be learning from the coaches’ example. So what does that say about coaches who are calling kids lazy?

In the strength industry, we’re putting too much emphasis on the side dishes. We’re combining the main course and the dessert. When’s the last time you smeared your cupcake frosting over your fat juicy steak and mushrooms?!

Dave Tate and Nate Harvey, die-hard supporters of the conjugate method, sit down on this Table Talk Podcast episode.

You know, we hear coaches complain about their athletes’ excuses… but let me tell you, coaches can be just as bad. Case in point: The excuses coaches make for not making their kids do box squats.

I’ve been told I do a good job of being a heretic of the strength and conditioning coach profession, so I might as well keep it up and stir the pot with some of my hot takes on sumo deadlifts, box squatting, and more.

People have asked me to write about how I train. I haven’t done it because I figured you guys thought it’d be boring… until now. Here’s a look at my training and the process behind it.

These off-season lane options are meant to keep them in the ballpark of being in game shape without beating the crap out of them. They don’t have to be ready all the time; just ready to get ready. If you think they are not sport-specific enough or intense enough, that’s why.

For the first time in our head coach’s time at Indiana State, the entire roster passed their fitness test before the start of the spring season — and did zero conditioning outside of morning practice sessions. Thank you, conjugate method!

You won’t ever find my old programs on a typed-out card. Why? Because I don’t run the same program each year. I meet my kids where they’re at, which is why this program isn’t a program. It’s an outline.

Cardio can help you cut weight, get shredded for the stage, and increase athletes’ performance. But with so much cardio out there, where do you start? Start here with elitefts team members’ top-3 cardio items, based on their sports or areas of expertise.

Here’s a red pill for you to swallow: The conjugate system is like an XL shirt that fits differently on different people. With a few modifications, that shirt can be made to fit just about anyone. Same goes for the program in this article.

My why is to improve athletes through and of the human body and mind by giving them all a well-thought-out program to make them faster, stronger, and more resilient. What’s your why? And why?

Can you deadlift 600 pounds but can’t budge a 225-pound stone off the floor? If you didn’t know, the upper back comes into play in nearly every strongman event; therefore, a weak upper back will surely decrease your chance of winning and advancing in the sport.

Generally speaking, if we can get an athlete stronger, that athlete will get faster. But at what point is the athlete strong enough for continued speed improvements? I hope you weren’t looking for a quantifiable answer on this one…

In order to fully help your athletes maximize their performance while bringing the juice as a coach, you have to be able to communicate to them how to do the lifts properly — through effective and efficient cues. Here, take a sample sip of some of my juicier cues.

If speed is what we’re going after, then why do the weights on both our heavy and light days continue to climb, and bar speed continues to fall? As we get deeper into the competitive season and continue to put more tonnage on the athletes, we are burning the candle at both ends.

Over the past few months, some things in my back training have made a big difference — variations coaches often overlook. Considering paused reps at the chest/stomach, slow eccentrics, scap movements with a rowing motion, and handle/grip variations, back training is limitless.

The Rack is an athletic performance facility that prides itself on its intelligent, passionate coaches, state-of-the-art equipment, and a community of members who are supportive and thrive in a fun and competitive environment.

The purpose of accessory work is to bring up the weak areas of the athletes. It is the time when we do what most people would consider bodybuilding.

Given their expertise in the industry, what better way for the Tate’s to give back and support the school, then to put in place the foundational infrastructure needed to create strong, well-rounded cadets?

In this particular clip, Harvey switches gears to provide some personal advice on teaching athletes how to train themselves – a not-so-simple technique that requires trust, buy-in, strategy, and effort.

We rarely ever did “agility drills” with our athletes, and the majority of their agility scores consistently improved. I’m very confident that proper box squatting and sumo pulls were a major contributor to this. Step-by-step, here’s how to program and cue them for your athletes.

In this presentation, Harvey goes back to the often-neglected and rarely taught basics. His first “simple technique”, is a detailed breakdown of how to box squat correctly.

After reading Conjugate U, I moved forward with implementing the Conjugate Method with my women’s tennis team. Here’s what we accomplished this past season.

Many people will say, “Don’t do it with beginners” and it’s a good thing I’m somewhat anti-establishment because DEM has been a great tool in the development of a lot of beginner-athletes. The simple answer is: just do it.

Dave Tate and Nate Harvey compare exercises for strength sport and team sport athletes, discuss training with bands and chains, examine the value of jump training, and debate the importance of personal records vs. podium finishes in the sport of powerlifting.

So, how does this voodoo work? Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t really care, though, because I know it works and has been a big asset to my training during the past couple of years.

After meeting Nate Harvey and reading his ebook, I decided to try out a conjugate-based system with two of my teams, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball, during the spring semester. Here’s what we did, how it worked, and changes I’m making moving forward.

When I practiced law, it was a standing joke at our bar that an expert was some son of a bitch from Charlotte who had read a book. Well, I read a book.

The main purpose of this is to get you some change-up in your program and get you thinking outside your usual movement selection. I have been doing this in the gym myself and it’s amazing how mentally refreshing it can be.

Owned and operated by Ken Nowicki, this facility services its members with the highest level of soft tissue, neuromuscular, and fascial stretch therapy available, through an individually-tailored injury assessment and treatment process.

If you’re looking for a way to keep your strength up without destroying your body day in and day out, this is the program for you.

Your setup will vary depending on the equipment you’re using and the lift you’re performing. This article includes a step-by-step video guide to ensure you’re getting the most out of your bands.

In three years, Chad Smith has revamped an old practice gymnasium into one of the best training facilities in the country. It’s amazing what you can do with some drive and showing your administrators some initiative.

Many programs account for energy system considerations and athlete deficiencies, but there are a number of other factors I believe are incredibly important for transitioning from off-season to in-season training.

Not only does this bar help avoid the wear and tear a straight bar can have on your shoulders, but it also enables you to build strength while using less weight and perform several very useful exercise variations.

This machine enables hamstring training in multiple positions, at any intensity level desired, for both strength and sport athletes.

Josiah O’Brien’s belief is that every athlete deserves individual attention, and requires it to reach their best performance. This is why every program is tailored to the client and why the client receives full undivided attention for the whole time they are in session.

In theory, it’s good to force your athletes to take a deload every fourth week. In reality, it rarely works out for the best. Here’s an alternative option and a sample program that will keep things rolling in the right direction.

Choosing equipment? Finding a building? Designing the gym layout? No, there’s a step before all of these things.

Neck training is vital for athletes of contact sports. Without requiring the use of large, expensive pieces of equipment, these five exercises with the Iron Neck will prepare your athletes through many planes of motions.