Optimal Reality
Optimal Reality

Is this really the most optimal way to train? NO, not at all, but…

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.

How I Control Training Volume on the Mountain Dog Program
How I Control Training Volume on the Mountain Dog Program

My goal in training is simply to be able to train my ass off for as long as I can.

21 Days to Effortless Fat Loss
21 Days to Effortless Fat Loss

With most of the US population being obese, these questions come from everywhere and everyone.

An Average Saturday....Part 2
An Average Saturday....Part 2

Another Day in the Gym…Weekender Style

A Weekend at elitefts™
A Weekend at elitefts™

Weekenders get along with Mountain Dogs

7 Minutes of Leg Hell
7 Minutes of Leg Hell

7 minutes of pure hell I will never do again

Tsunami Bar Rows

Whip it! Whip it Good!

Twist Press

Press, Twist, Repeat

LTT TV - Squat Foot Position
LTT TV - Squat Foot Position

Dave Tate takes us back to school

EFS Classic: Flexibility/Mobility: An elitefts™ Roundtable Discussion
EFS Classic: Flexibility/Mobility: An elitefts™ Roundtable Discussion

With Jim Wendler, Mark McLaughlin, Bob Youngs, Alwyn Cosgrove, Tom Deebel, Jason Ferruggia, Julia Ladewski, Dave Tate, and Mike Hope.

EFS Classic: Less Is More
EFS Classic: Less Is More

Growing up I was always the skinniest, weakest kid in school.

EFS Classic: Top Five Lifts for Football
EFS Classic: Top Five Lifts for Football

If you’re a football coach or a strength coach for football, check this out. It may give you some ideas.

Mountain Dog Leg Day
Mountain Dog Leg Day

90 minutes from another leg day training hell.

Not to be a Dick - The Q&A Application Process
Not to be a Dick - The Q&A Application Process

I want to take this time to congratulate them on making it to the site!

Under The Bar: The Social Media Whore
Under The Bar: The Social Media Whore

Training Tip: regardless of your program or coach you need to trust your gut. You’re the only one who has been to every workout.

"So You Think You Can?" Contest
"So You Think You Can?" Contest

Last week an idea was suggested to take this to another level and bring in some of our team members to work with selected readers.

S4: Week 5-8 of 12 Week Training Plan
S4: Week 5-8 of 12 Week Training Plan

As of week five, weak points have been determined and modifications to the program have been made.

Part VI: So You Think You Can Bench?
Part VI: So You Think You Can Bench?

See what Josh learned in Part 6 of So You Think You Can Bench?

Part V: So You Think You Can Bench?
Part V: So You Think You Can Bench?

By this point in the process, I wasn’t anywhere near an expert, but things were starting to click.

Part IV: So You Think You Can Bench?
Part IV: So You Think You Can Bench?

The good news was that my shoulder felt fine with the much-needed grip change.

Best Bench Press Video
Best Bench Press Video

We asked Dave for his “best bench video ever” and this is what he ended up with.

Part II: So You Think You Can Bench?
Part II: So You Think You Can Bench?

Who knew the traps were an important part of the bench press?

10 Things You Need for Vacation Training
10 Things You Need for Vacation Training

When I travel and have no idea what type of gym I will have access to.

ONE Movement: The BEST Movement for Tricep Size and Strength
ONE Movement: The BEST Movement for Tricep Size and Strength

The JM Press is a hybrid of two different exercises.

Are You Normal Down There?
Are You Normal Down There?

Well you should wonder, but in case you haven’t, I have. And this is what I came up with.

Gourmet Muscle Shake: Turtle Almond Nut
Gourmet Muscle Shake: Turtle Almond Nut

This is a modified version of a turtle shake Dr. John Berardi gave me to try years ago.

Captain Of The Cups
Captain Of The Cups

You want to leave them there so you can see your victory each time you enter the kitchen.

Get Some Big, HUGE, Strong and Powerful Triceps
Get Some Big, HUGE, Strong and Powerful Triceps

I was messing around the other day and came up with this killer triceps exercise.

Under The Bar: A Day in the Life of Dave Tate
Under The Bar: A Day in the Life of Dave Tate

Shower, breakfast – what I call meal #1 – and time to catch up on my reading.

Help Make Dreams Come True
Help Make Dreams Come True

Help these children follow their passion for a day and know that you have contributed to something they truly will remember.

Training On-the-Go

Although they aren’t brand new, there’s a reason Blast Straps have continued to challenge athletes into 2010.

 Training Blast & Dust
Training Blast & Dust

With strength training or training for powerlifting, you are in the process of trying to combine many training methods to develop many different abilities.

 60 Bench Tips and Common Mistakes
60 Bench Tips and Common Mistakes

Maybe you just don’t know how to f&*%ing bench! Then we suggest you read these tips.

Get a Grip: Know What’s False
Get a Grip: Know What’s False

Dave stormed into the office, slammed down his energy drink and crashed onto his chair, still scrolling through his e-mails on his iPhone.

The Missed Lift
The Missed Lift

One very important thing to remember about training and competitive advice is that what others overlook is usually the answer. In other words, the answer is usually very simple but normally only comes from an advanced lifter.

Metabolic Power Training for MMA
Metabolic Power Training for MMA

SLAM!!! The empty Mountain Dew can hit the table.

 Concurrent Strategies in Strength Training, Part 3
Concurrent Strategies in Strength Training, Part 3

Please note that different classifications may be used depending on the athletes’ weak and strong points, level of development, training period, emphasis, and additional items. Those classifications are used to help the coach organize the training system and prioritize things according to the demands of sport and position.

The Ulterior Motive
The Ulterior Motive

It seems like yesterday when I first set up the Q&A section on EliteFTS.com. I still remember answering the first question back in the winter of 1998. It was about the dynamic bench press, and I knew this would turn out to be a great thing. What I didn’t know at the time was how great it would become.

Inside the Ring: Inside the Mind of a Fighter
Inside the Ring: Inside the Mind of a Fighter

I guess I can begin by saying how wrong I was and how I took our Q&A staff for granted. I know EliteFTS has the best training team on the planet. Yes, this is a very cocky statement, but do me one favor here.

Teaching the Squat
Teaching the Squat

I have been going to Force Training Seminars, either to help Dave or to do them on my own, for almost 3 years and one of the hardest things to do is get someone to squat correctly.

Insight into Baseball Training
Insight into Baseball Training

I get bombarded with emails on a daily bases ranging from business issues, training questions, product opportunities, spam and a number of other issues. While I personally answer most of my emails there are times when I forward them onto people I feel can do a better job answering the questions than I could.

A Beginners Guide to elitefts™
A Beginners Guide to elitefts™

I’m going to do is make a list articles and other assorted products that will make things very, very easy for someone navigating this site and trying to learn.

Bench Training with Ed Rectenwald
Bench Training with Ed Rectenwald

Coming up with new articles each month can be a challenging task and coming up with quality information can be even harder. After a couple hundred articles I find myself repeating myself time and time again.

Having a Blackberry Doesn’t Mean You're Mobile
Having a Blackberry Doesn’t Mean You're Mobile

This plan is not only mobility work but also includes some very basic pre-habitation work for many of the most common strength training injuries (pec tears, sore elbows, knees, lower back and shoulders).

The Voyeur
The Voyeur

Stealth like I maneuver to get into position. I always feel somewhat anxious and nervous because I know security cameras abound but I am agile and cunning like a human Rikki Tikki Tavi.

In the Beginning
In the Beginning

Jim Wendler has written a great series on tips for beginners. I was talking to Dave Tate about it and he gave me the idea for this article. I want to share what my workouts looked like when I first got to Westside Barbell.

Beginner Mistakes - Part I: Max Effort Progression
Beginner Mistakes - Part I: Max Effort Progression

When I first started training using the Westside methods, I would often end my max effort exercise and feel like I didn’t do anything.

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