Sometimes rather than serving as an escape from real life, our obsessions can become a source of something that everyday life cannot always provide. Here’s how it’s worked for me.

With this meet, I wanted to prove to myself that I could go from competing equipped to qualifying for USAPL Raw Nationals.

I left the biggest meet of my powerlifting career so far with a PR total, but more importantly, I learned eight valuable lessons for the future.

My first meet as part of elitefts was the first Lexen Pro/Am ten years ago. Last weekend, in Columbus again, I finally got to 2400.

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.

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.

Since competing at the XPC Finals in March, I took the last few months to regain control over my physical and mental health. In the process, I transitioned back to raw.

My biggest mistake over the last few years was competing too much and training through injuries. Taking time off was probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do.

With a limited time frame and many issues to fix for these three lifters, I had to target their specific weaknesses with training adjustments. This is how we did it.

The beginning of XPC preparation proved how much I stood to learn from Dave, Matt Smith, and the other weekend regulars.

You may have heard that committing to your goals means eliminating the possibility of failure. The problem? This isn’t realistic. You can’t always win.

With only four weeks to go, our athletes are getting serious (and animated) in the S4 Compound.

As winner of both 2014 XPC Finals and GPA Worlds, Tank knows a thing or two about strength.

Watch XPC footage from Christine Brass, Sheri Whetham, and Brandon Smitley. What’s next for these elitefts athletes?

Is a poor showing on the platform a failure or an opportunity?

Get inside the heads of Team elitefts and see the behind-the-scenes from the XPC Finals in Columbus.

Dave Tate interrogates Jeremy Frey about his road to the XPC Finals.