Strength Training Articles and Programs

Dave Tate digs into the January 1986 issue of Powerlifting USA, from Ed Coan's 12-week deadlift routine and the 1985 IPF Worlds in Finland to Kuc and Williams, with five takeaways you can use today.

Being the best isn’t about finding the perfect program or relying on talent. Ashley Jones breaks down the daily standards, habits, preparation, and character that separate elite performers from everyone else.

Strongman Champions League’s Behind the Strength follows the work, relationships, and purpose behind the competition. Watch the documentary, plus Table Talk episodes with Brian Kichton and Adam Roszkowski.

Start with the lifter, give every exercise a job, and check the result. Dave Tate shares practical programming lessons alongside Tom Sheppard’s new book, Individualized Training.

Envy is useful for about five minutes, and after that it turns into the thing that keeps you from getting stronger.

Choose the right band length and resistance for pressing, pulling, leg work, and accessories. Includes six elitefts demonstrations, real setup photos, and correctly labeled two-band calibration charts.

Start with the setup, not the load. Matt Wenning’s video and elitefts manuals explain low anchors, doubled bands, reverse bands, and checks for the squat, bench, and deadlift.

Momentum is hard to build and easy to waste. Dave Tate looks back at the training decisions that shortened his career and the business lessons that brought elitefts back to its culture.

Online coaching gave lifters access to great programming from anywhere, and it quietly pulled the crew out of the room.

Ashley Jones breaks down how he develops strength, power, size, and durability in rugby locks—and how the same methods can help tight ends and linebackers. From French contrast training and sled work to upper-body size, CARE work, and in-season programming, this is a practical blueprint for building big men who can move, hit, and keep going.

Is strength coaching a trade, a profession, or something in between? Ashley Jones explores the divide between hands-on coaching experience and formal education, and explains why the best strength coaches need both craft and professional standards.

Ashley Jones breaks down the Neural Contrast Complex, a training method that combines heavy strength work, progressive plyometrics, explosive lifting, and reactive movement. Discover how this three-week system develops strength, power, and speed without sacrificing movement quality.

Rugby demands strength, speed, conditioning, and the ability to do it all again next week. Ashley Jones shows how to adapt the Westside Barbell conjugate system across the off-season, pre-season, and competitive season, with practical programming built around performance on the pitch.