WATCH: I am Joe Sullivan
WATCH: I am Joe Sullivan
Get to know elitefts athlete Joe Sullivan as he talks about how he got into powerlifting, his day-to-day routine, and his goals.
Choking on My Own Face — The Diagnosis
Choking on My Own Face — The Diagnosis
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.
WATCH: Dave Tate and Ed Coan Show the Women How to Deadlift at Omaha Barbell
WATCH: Dave Tate and Ed Coan Show the Women How to Deadlift at Omaha Bar...
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."
2018 World's Strongest Man Totals 2,425 in Powerlifting Competition
2018 World's Strongest Man Totals 2,425 in Powerlifting Competition
Overall, Hafþór Björnsson fared pretty well in Thor's Powerlifting Challenge, which is the top strongman competitor's first-ever powerlifting competition.
2018 in Review
2018 in Review
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.
A Basic Lifting Skill Review: Grip Strength
A Basic Lifting Skill Review: Grip Strength
Every seasoned lifter appreciates how easy it is to lose simple habits in pursuit of getting stronger. One such habit: Getting a good grip.
The Greatest Gifts for Powerlifters Transitioning to a Commercial Gym
The Greatest Gifts for Powerlifters Transitioning to a Commercial Gym
I literally have no other gym options in my area. Please, give a stranded powerlifter such as myself hope... and everything on this list.
Game of Thrones Actor Prepares for Thor's Powerlifting Challenge
Game of Thrones Actor Prepares for Thor's Powerlifting Challenge
Gregor "the Mountain" Clegane is coming... to a Dec. 15 powerlifting meet.
WATCH: CBUS Lifting Co. Featured on Good Day Marketplace
WATCH: CBUS Lifting Co. Featured on Good Day Marketplace
"Oh, yeah, look at these guns." -GDM co-host after one session at elitefts VIP gym.
Top-5 Monolift Commandments
Top-5 Monolift Commandments
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.
WATCH: Should Beginners Train with Bands?
WATCH: Should Beginners Train with Bands?
Technically, it isn’t wrong.
Choking on My Own Face
Choking on My Own Face
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.
Life in the Void
Life in the Void
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.
WATCH: A Question from Donnie Thompson
WATCH: A Question from Donnie Thompson
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.
A Conversation with Me About Competing at 77
A Conversation with Me About Competing at 77
When I entered these very senior divisions, there was no bar, no standard, no records. Now there is.
The Powerlifting for Bodybuilding Christmas Gift Guide
The Powerlifting for Bodybuilding Christmas Gift Guide
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.
Make America Squat Again
Make America Squat Again
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.
Bodybuilding for the Powerlifter: The Big Picture (With Sample Routine)
Bodybuilding for the Powerlifter: The Big Picture (With Sample Routine)
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.
WATCH: Power to the Female Powerlifters
WATCH: Power to the Female Powerlifters
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?
Confession: I'm a Coachaholic
Confession: I'm a Coachaholic
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.
A Cheat Sheet to Greatness
A Cheat Sheet to Greatness
You'll still be weak and look like shit, but man, people will know you lift.
Beware of False Prophets
Beware of False Prophets
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.
WATCH: Check Your Ego When Choosing Attempts
WATCH: Check Your Ego When Choosing Attempts
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.
Learn to Train X — 20 Years in the Making
Learn to Train X — 20 Years in the Making
With this year marking the 20th anniversary of elitefts, Tate acknowledges the significance of the timing of the LTTX seminar for his team, reflecting back on the success of the company in a market where this is not necessarily the norm.
The Downfall of Driven
The Downfall of Driven
When I first glance at the word, I think of some clown with a “Lift Angry” shirt on and bright red Beats headphones rapping out loud to some gangster rap song portraying a life that he’s never had or in which he’ll never partake.
 WATCH: Ed Coan and Dave Tate on Their Powerlifting Inspiration
WATCH: Ed Coan and Dave Tate on Their Powerlifting Inspiration
Whether it was aspiring to be the next legend of the sport, reading industry magazines, or simply setting personal strength goals, once Coan and Tate got their first taste of powerlifting, they were hooked.
Meet Report: Earning My Regrets at the USPA Tribute
Meet Report: Earning My Regrets at the USPA Tribute
Four weeks out is when I suffered a quad tear—I should have dropped out at that point. In fact, I talked to Dave Tate, and that's exactly what he told me to do.
WATCH: Learn to Train X — The Power of Bench Press Cues with Vincent Dizenzo
WATCH: Learn to Train X — The Power of Bench Press Cues with Vincent Diz...
An impressive self-coached athlete himself, Dizenzo has benched 600 or more raw in three different weight classes and has a 900-pound equipped bench to his credit. With the precision and detail required to properly execute a press, it is no wonder that thoughtful cues from a seasoned elitefts coach can make all the difference.
How Much Volume Can You Take?
How Much Volume Can You Take?
Consider two powerlifters who are identical in strength and technique, but one is 20 centimeters taller than the other. This height difference changes everything about the lifter's levers, and thus volume needs.
How Not to Suck as a Training Partner
How Not to Suck as a Training Partner

Having the right crew or partner to rely on, and to train with, can make or break a lifter. It’s one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-find things for competitors and hobby lifters alike.

Pay Attention, CrossFit Box Owners
Pay Attention, CrossFit Box Owners

The powerlifters are coming, and they’re bringing their money.

Try This On for Size
Try This On for Size

It all started about two weeks post-Arnold, when I secured my second win back-to-back. I did what I’d always done—push the limits, take drugs, and eat food.

Why the Smartphone is Your Greatest Advantage in Meet Training
Why the Smartphone is Your Greatest Advantage in Meet Training

For you, as a serious powerlifter who has aspirations of achieving greatness in this amazing sport, the advent of a single technological implement just might be the one thing that delivers on all of the aforementioned promises.

WATCH: Table Talk with Dave Tate — How To Find Your Perfect Weight Class
WATCH: Table Talk with Dave Tate — How To Find Your Perfect Weight Class

You may be between weight classes or on the far end of the spectrum. Find out if your future should include Big Macs and candy bars or chicken and rice.

WATCH: Table Talk — What Have You Learned Post-Powerlifting?
WATCH: Table Talk — What Have You Learned Post-Powerlifting?

With the muscle-building knowledge he has gained since retiring from the sport of powerlifting, what would Dave change about his years training for the platform? We rewind to Dave’s first Table Talk from 2015.

5 Powerlifting Lessons I Flunked Day One
5 Powerlifting Lessons I Flunked Day One

With my old ways of thinking, I kicked ass and got better. But I’ve figured out along the way that it’s like nitrous: it’s great for a quick burst, but powerlifting isn’t a quarter mile.

The 2018 Special Olympic Nationals with CJ Piantieri
The 2018 Special Olympic Nationals with CJ Piantieri

I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of CJ. He may not fully understand what he’s overcome, but I do.

The Three Disciplines of Getting Stronger
The Three Disciplines of Getting Stronger

How do you continue to progress as a lifter when life gets tougher, progress is slower, and motivation is lacking?

WATCH: Table Talk with Dan Green — Injuries and Trying to Stay at the Top in Powerlifting
WATCH: Table Talk with Dan Green — Injuries and Trying to Stay at the To...

Has Dan Green’s peak in powerlifting come and gone?

When to Back it Down
When to Back it Down

Do you know when to push? How about when to back it down?

The 14-Day Program: An Interview with John Bott
The 14-Day Program: An Interview with John Bott

What did your training look like before you began this training? Give us a sample week/template that would be fairly typical of what you did.

WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Intra-Workout Reese's, Pushing Training Partners, and Balance
WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Intra-Workout Reese's, Pushing Training Pa...

Not all training junk foods are created equal. This topic, and more, are explained in this week’s episode.

A Day in the Life of Swede Burns
A Day in the Life of Swede Burns

When Kendall Alston and his crew approached me with the idea of filming a documentary about what a normal day in my life looks like—and not simply my lifting or my coaching—it hit my like a breath of fresh air. This video is the result.

WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Rounded Upper Back Deadlift, The Best Part of Powerlifting in 2018, and Low Back Exercises
WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Rounded Upper Back Deadlift, The Best Part of P...

Still on the road and still answering your questions, this episode focuses on deadlift cues and exercise selection with limited equipment.

WATCH: How to Set Up Bands Correctly for the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift
WATCH: How to Set Up Bands Correctly for the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift

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.

RANT: Stick with the Program
RANT: Stick with the Program

You paid a coach for a program and don’t like what they gave you? There’s a right way to handle this situation — and it’s not by deviating from the plan just because you want to.

WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Elaborate Setups, Being Too Bloated, and Minimum Effective Dose
WATCH: Road Trip Rants — Elaborate Setups, Being Too Bloated, and Minimu...

No table, no problem. This first on-the-road video Q&A covers five questions from five different elitefts readers.

Five People You Need in Your Training Life
Five People You Need in Your Training Life

I have looked at my personal success and observed who in my life has helped me move toward my goals. These are the types of people who can bend my ear, grab my attention, and then push or pull me toward the place I need to be.

WATCH: Custom Equipment for Destination Dallas
WATCH: Custom Equipment for Destination Dallas

After a visit to the S4 Compound, Greg McCoy and his Gasp affiliates found a piece of equipment for their Plano, Texas facility.

Supermen: Cross-Athleticism, Who These Guys Are, and How They Ended Up There
Supermen: Cross-Athleticism, Who These Guys Are, and How They Ended Up T...

Certain sports are based on cross-athleticism and the mastery of more than one set of skills, such as the triathlon, the decathlon, strongman, Highland games, and now Crossfit Games. But do you get better at one by being better at another?

The 5thSet Black Meet and Women's Pro Am Weekend: Back-to-Back Wins
The 5thSet Black Meet and Women's Pro Am Weekend: Back-to-Back Wins

After the inaugural 5th Set Black Meet on Saturday, I drove all night to Cincinnati for the Women’s Pro Am. My motivation for a weekend short on rest and long on PRs can be summed up in a single sentence: I love powerlifting.

Dave Tate's Free Squat Manual
Dave Tate's Free Squat Manual

You can build a powerful looking body without ever entering a power rack. But you’ll never really be strong. Stronger than the average guy, sure, but not the type of strong you dreamed of when you first set foot in a gym. For that kind of strength, you need a heavy bar on your back.

Why Powerlifters Shouldn't Train Alone
Why Powerlifters Shouldn't Train Alone

If you aren’t training with a group of serious lifters, you’re missing a lot of what you need to get stronger.

Death of a Number
Death of a Number

I’ve seen men shoot bottle rockets out of their ass for views and women with “shorts” on using thirst trap camera angles from the rear all in an attempt to be accepted as a “powerlifter.” Sadly, it works.

The Silent Partner
The Silent Partner

The weights weigh what they weigh and I can either lift them or I can’t. They never try to convince me of anything. They are what they are and that is what they will always be.

Take the Emotion out of the Bar
Take the Emotion out of the Bar

Motivation doesn’t mean a thing if you haven’t done the work. Relying on the psych up didn’t work for me and this is why.

Rooting: The Lifter's Connection Between Foot and Floor
Rooting: The Lifter's Connection Between Foot and Floor

Most lifters don’t think about the connection of their feet to the floor, but proper rooting provides a more solid foundation, enables maximum transfer of power through the body, and starts activation of the correct muscles used in the lift.

WATCH: Coach Shoop's Impact on Dave
WATCH: Coach Shoop's Impact on Dave

Continuing their conversation, Shoop and Dave talk about the past and what brought them back together.

WATCH: Coach Shoop Visits Dave Tate
WATCH: Coach Shoop Visits Dave Tate

If you’ve read Under the Bar you know who Bill Shoop is — he’s the high school football coach Dave credits with changing his life forever.

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