Teaching the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift to Athletes
Teaching the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift to Athletes
Do you teach them the squat, bench, and deadlift the same way you would teach a powerlifter? If not, what differences are there?
Don’t Call It a Comeback
Don’t Call It a Comeback
I was beyond grateful that Dan Green still welcomed me to compete at Boss of Bosses V (a fantastic event) this year. Strap in and pay attention if you like a good drama.
A Question of Strength
A Question of Strength
Sixteen questions covering the basics (and often neglected) beginning with bench press templates to dimel deadlifts.
I Know Squat — Five Keys to Squatting Big Weight
I Know Squat — Five Keys to Squatting Big Weight
I’ve squatted with some of the strongest squatters in the world at Westside Barbell. I’ve squatted with three-time World’s Strongest Man Bill Kazmaier and I was coached to a 700-pound raw squat by Josh Bryant when I was 22 years old. Here's what I know.
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 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.

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.

WATCH: Table Talk with Dan Green — Training Frequency of the Powerlifting Movements
WATCH: Table Talk with Dan Green — Training Frequency of the Powerliftin...

How many times per week should you train the main lifts?

WATCH: The First Time I Trained with Ronnie Coleman
WATCH: The First Time I Trained with Ronnie Coleman

The plan for the training session was to squat but the bodybuilding group had a lot more in mind.

Strong, Shredded, and the Ability to Perform Pain-Free
Strong, Shredded, and the Ability to Perform Pain-Free

Want to be lean, muscular, strong, and conditioned, with the ability to move without pain? There are many variables, but these guidelines apply to everyone.

Meet Report: All-time World Record and Best Overall Lifter at 2017 Reebok Record Breakers
Meet Report: All-time World Record and Best Overall Lifter at 2017 Reebo...

I finished 7/9 with a 799 squat, 424 bench, and 815 deadlift (raw with wraps). That was good enough for a 2039 total and an all-time world record in the 198-pound weight class, plus a 592 Wilks and best overall lifter.

Foundations of Coaching Lifts — An NSCA Course for Teaching Lifting Technique
Foundations of Coaching Lifts — An NSCA Course for Teaching Lifting Tech...
This event offers step-by-step instruction on what a lift should look like, how to cue it, and how to use coaching progressions to take an athlete from never having done the lift to mastering it.
My Indicators
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.

Motivation Found in the Gains of Others
Motivation Found in the Gains of Others

I have trained with three classes of people in the last few months, including young college men, 50-year-old women, and two very strong powerlifters. Each group has encouraged me in its own way.

30-Pound Total PR at 2017 UPA Iron Battle on the Mississippi
30-Pound Total PR at 2017 UPA Iron Battle on the Mississippi

Some days you go yard and sometimes the pitcher gets you reaching. You take what you can get and learn from your time in the batter’s box.

WATCH: Westside Misconceptions — High Standards
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.

Meet Report: 2017 Iron Battle at Showtime Strength and Performance
Meet Report: 2017 Iron Battle at Showtime Strength and Performance

This was my first meet in a year and a half, since October 2015, when I was battling through a torn supraspinatus and a half torn right biceps. Training went well, but the meet reminded me of a few crucial powerlifting lessons.

Meet Report: CETC US Open 2017 — Second Place with a 2121 Total at 220
Meet Report: CETC US Open 2017 — Second Place with a 2121 Total at 220

I’ve had a taste for where I’m meant to be, and now I will be training with an unmatched ferocity. I may not have been strong enough to beat the colossus on this day, but I faced him prepared to die.

Meet Report: 2017 CETC US Open Powerlifting Championships with Ben Pollack
Meet Report: 2017 CETC US Open Powerlifting Championships with Ben Pollack

I’ve already written about my training strategy going into the meet, and what I’ve learned from my meet prep, but I didn’t share a few things for competitive reasons.

2017 XPC Finals — I’m Not Retired Yet, Motherf*ckers
2017 XPC Finals — I’m Not Retired Yet, Motherf*ckers

If I had a lot riding on this lift before, everything was riding on it now. Making it would be the highlight of my powerlifting career. Missing it would probably be the beginning of the end.

5 Cues That Can Screw Up Your Lifting
5 Cues That Can Screw Up Your Lifting

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing”, and over-applying a cue when it’s not needed can really jack up a lifter’s technique.

Brandon Smitley's 1377-pound Total at 2016 WPC World Championships
Brandon Smitley's 1377-pound Total at 2016 WPC World Championships

I walked away with a two-pound squat PR and breaking my all-time world record, a fraction of a pound PR on bench, and a 12 pound PR total. Soon enough, 1400 will be mine.

WATCH: Using the Box Squat to Correct Posterior Chain Weaknesses
WATCH: Using the Box Squat to Correct Posterior Chain Weaknesses

If you or your clients are failing to properly load your glutes and hamstrings during a competition squat, this video will show you how.

2016 RPS Memphis Classic Meet Report
2016 RPS Memphis Classic Meet Report

This meet was about a few monster numbers that have been weighing down on me. All of the lessons from my elitefts teammates are starting to pay off.

Squat Mechanics: Why Stacking the Knee Overtop of the Ankle Is Important
Squat Mechanics: Why Stacking the Knee Overtop of the Ankle Is Important

There are a lot of things we work on with fixing lifters’ squats, let’s start here.

The American Idol Phenomenon in Powerlifting
The American Idol Phenomenon in Powerlifting

Without that experience in their back pocket, they simply get eaten up and spit out by the industry.

Programming 201: The Realistic Strength Program
Programming 201: The Realistic Strength Program

You can have the holy grail of training programs, but if it doesn’t fit your job, it isn’t any good.

Boss of Bosses 3 — A Failed Water Cut, The Setback, Meet Day, What's Next
Boss of Bosses 3 — A Failed Water Cut, The Setback, Meet Day, What'...

This weekend I cried more tears than I thought were possible. It was emotional, the entire thing, from start to finish. But, it’s something I had to do, for me.

WATCH: Off Topic with Dave and Jim — Box Squatting
WATCH: Off Topic with Dave and Jim — Box Squatting

Box squats have been around for years but the debate still hasn’t been settled.

IPA Mountain Madness — My First Single-Ply Meet
IPA Mountain Madness — My First Single-Ply Meet

After three injuries in a half a year, I was pissed. I was depressed. I was dumbfounded. But I found my way back, hitting a PR total for my first single-ply meet.

What to Do As A Novice Strongman — Writing Your Own Program
What to Do As A Novice Strongman — Writing Your Own Program

You need a lot in a strongman program: basic barbell lifts, accessory work, practice with the events, conditioning, flexibility, mobility, and recovery work. Use these ideas to build your own training program.

To Redemption: UPA Old School Iron Gym Summer Showdown
To Redemption: UPA Old School Iron Gym Summer Showdown

I hated that I fell short of my goal at the XPCs…90 pounds short to be exact. Each and every pound I left on the platform back in March is what fueled my training for my off-season and meet preparation.

The Yearly Training Plan of the Strength Athlete — In-Season Management and Outlook
The Yearly Training Plan of the Strength Athlete — In-Season Management ...

There are three very important priorities for a strength athlete to keep in focus during a competitive year.

Ten Time-Proven, Big-Three Technique Tweaks for Happy Joints
Ten Time-Proven, Big-Three Technique Tweaks for Happy Joints

Are you getting beat up from squatting, benching, and deadlifting? Here’s a handful of tips to help cure what ails you.

Maximizing Muscle Growth Q&A: Rep Ranges, Chest Size Without Heavy Pressing, and Core Lift Rotation
Maximizing Muscle Growth Q&A: Rep Ranges, Chest Size Without Heavy P...

You have questions, team elitefts has answers. Today’s topic: building muscle through rep ranges and exercise selection.

144 Things I Love and Hate About Powerlifting
144 Things I Love and Hate About Powerlifting

Every lifter has their own reasons to love or hate this sport. Here are mine.

elitefts Classic: How to Set Up A Program — A New Look at Weak Points
elitefts Classic: How to Set Up A Program — A New Look at Weak Points

I don’t know how many questions we’ve gotten about how to train certain weak points. Of course, almost every question is in regard to a weak muscle group or a certain portion of a lift.

USPA Drug Tested National Powerlifting Championships — Meána Franco PRs in Every Lift
USPA Drug Tested National Powerlifting Championships — Meána Franco PRs ...

I needed to regain confidence in myself as a lifter and take a step out of my comfort zone. I accomplished this at USPA Nationals.

Squat Q&A: Zercher Squats, SS Yoke Bar Breathing, and Tight Hips
Squat Q&A: Zercher Squats, SS Yoke Bar Breathing, and Tight Hips

You have questions, team elitefts has answers. Today’s topic: the squat.

WATCH: Spotting 101 — The Squat
WATCH: Spotting 101 — The Squat

Knowing how to properly spot is not only important for the safety of the lifter but also for your own.

WATCH: Best Secondary Movement for the Squat
WATCH: Best Secondary Movement for the Squat

This week Dave answers the question: If you could only pick one exercise as a secondary movement for squats, what would it be and why?

Perspectives on Hypertrophy
Perspectives on Hypertrophy

My viewpoint runs counter to much of the current climate, which is dominated by the short-term perspective of a “hypertrophy phase.”

2016 APF Equipped Nationals — Qualifying for WPC Worlds
2016 APF Equipped Nationals — Qualifying for WPC Worlds

What I overcame for this meet is far more than I have for any other.

50 Things All Handlers Need to Know
50 Things All Handlers Need to Know

This list and the included video give you what you need to know before, during, and after the meet to help your lifter reach their competitive goals.

Lifting on the Platform — In Honor of My Father
Lifting on the Platform — In Honor of My Father

The journey was difficult but I walked away accomplishing something much more important at the Women’s Pro-Am than a big total.

Things I Have Learned From 15 Years of Conjugate Training
Things I Have Learned From 15 Years of Conjugate Training

Through a lot of ups downs since 2002, I’ve learned things both the hard way and the easy way. In one quick read, here are 137 of the best things to remember about conjugate.

Wish They Could All Be California Meets
Wish They Could All Be California Meets

The whole point of the US Open was to show Tarra and instill some confidence in what I already knew: that she would still be able to perform well at a lighter bodyweight.

Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift — Big Air
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift — Big Air

So, you want a big squat, bench and pull? You better learn how to breathe.

Know Your Bars
Know Your Bars

Nobody wants to waste hard earned money on equipment they’re not sure about. Use this overview of the SS Yoke Bar and the Rackable Cambered Bar to make your next purchasing decision is an educated one.

My Weekend of Strength
My Weekend of Strength

With a clinic and meet scheduled on back to back days, I was surrounded by influential members of the strength community and made a few discoveries.

Confidence — What Separates the Elite from the Novice
Confidence — What Separates the Elite from the Novice

Where is your confidence and what are you willing to do to strengthen it?

REGISTER NOW: April 30th Training Camp with JL Holdsworth, Swede Burns, and Casey Williams
REGISTER NOW: April 30th Training Camp with JL Holdsworth, Swede Burns, ...

You will have the opportunity to learn about any topic in strength training you choose, from execution of the main lifts all the way down to minute details of accessory work.

Building Aerobic Capacity with Barbell Conditioning
Building Aerobic Capacity with Barbell Conditioning

The concept is simple but undergoing this challenge will feel anything but easy.

Do You Speak Pain?
Do You Speak Pain?

When your body speaks, do you listen? You’ll pay a heavy price for ignoring it.

Football Testing Season — Five Weeks to Gain Strength
Football Testing Season — Five Weeks to Gain Strength

Entering the time period away from pre-season or in-season training, our head coach made his expectations clear: “I want to see bench presses go up by 20 pounds and squats by 40 pounds in the next five to six weeks.” Easy, right?

2016 Arnold Sports Festival — Expo, XPC Meet Reports, and S4 Compound Events
2016 Arnold Sports Festival — Expo, XPC Meet Reports, and S4 Compound Ev...

Team elitefts did more than just compete this year at the Arnold. Everything we did is compiled here in one super-sized article.

Switching to Single-Ply and Walking Out the Squat
Switching to Single-Ply and Walking Out the Squat

I’m making some changes and have employed the knowledge of several lifting legends to answer these crucial questions.

2016 XPCs: Team elitefts Squat Results
2016 XPCs: Team elitefts Squat Results
Squats are complete! Moving onto the bench at 2:00 PM.
Fix These Simple Mistakes to Lift Heavier Weights
Fix These Simple Mistakes to Lift Heavier Weights

These mistakes in the squat, bench, and deadlift seem small on their own. But add them to together? You’re leaving pounds off your total.

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