The Effects of COVID-19 Eliminated My Job
I recall heading into this year like a proverbial bull in a china shop. I was prepared for a fantastic and productive 2020. It was a sound plan until it was not. So, now what?
Five Tips for the Early Deadlifter
Is the bar even with your shoulders to optimize the pulling distance? Or is the bar pulling you forward? Are you keeping your head up? Are you holding your air while pressing your belly into the belt?
How to Gain 65 Pounds of Muscle in Two Months
Based on my brief observations of the garage training crew (and conversations with my son), these are a few of their Keys to Progress. These macro components (“the Keys”) have contributed to their above-average gains in size and strength.
COVID-19 and the Gym Rats
“Well, Lifetime Fitness is closed for now. They are freezing memberships – I am getting bloated as hell. I was wondering if you wanted some company in the garage gym and (long pause) maybe I could come and train with you a couple times?”
Ricardo Garcia and The Posterior Chainsaw
Ricardo Garcia had a problem. He had agreed to kill someone. Garcia accepted the money. He promised to do the job and took the money – an advance payment, from Jimmy Luciano of all people, “Chainsaw” Jimmy Luciano.
From Meathead to Streethead
I quizzed Mitch to uncover some of the keys to his transition from a resistance training focus to a largely conditioning focus – from a max bodyweight of 235 to a lean bodyweight of 165.
TSA, Travel Sports, and Screwdrivers
For those of you required to travel by air frequently, if you have had difficulties with the Transportation Security Administration, you might enjoy this read. Just remember this: lacrosse sticks are NOT allowed in carry-on bags when flying.
2020 Goals and Strategic Execution
Your 2020 goals won’t be achieved in a day. It takes time to build new habits and make lasting changes. See how 75HARD made a difference in Erik Eggers’ goal execution.
Creature of Habit
Habits can be a double-edged sword that work against you, particularly in training. Attending elitefts’ LTT3 Seminar catalyzed the habits I needed to break to push past my training plateaus.
Chin-Ups at a Higher Bodyweight
If you’re a heavier trainee, chin-ups are difficult… but not impossible. Case in point: I’m nearly 50 years old and weigh 245 pounds, but I do chin-ups for volume rather than output. Here lies the secret to my chin-up success.
Resistance Training for Youth Lacrosse Athletes
I introduced my daughter to resistance training a couple of years ago. This August, we ramped up the training with two weekly sessions and speed training. This article details some excerpts from the resistance training portion of our program.
Competing in the College Classroom
I wrote an article about planning to achieve athletic success, and the classroom path is no difference. By following the same (or similar) principles, students can achieve academic success as well. If you want to avoid a terrible GPA, please read onward.
The Running Shoe Caste System
“Buy nice; don’t buy twice.” That saying might apply to elitefts equipment, but it might also apply to running shoes when it comes to doing cardio… Any suggestions for replacing a 27-year-old pair of sneakers?
The elitefts Article That's Changing My Life
One elitefts article is changing my life, and it was a completely unexpected article! Thanks to Matt Ladewski’s “4 Non-Training Podcasts you Should Listen To,” I’m a third of the way done with a 75-day challenge. It’s taught me a lot about myself and my habits, both good and bad.
3 Don'ts for the Early Deadlifter
My son sent a text last week — just a video of him deadlifting in our garage gyms. We discussed one of the mistakes we discovered he was making at the start of the pull. It was our discussion that influenced this article.
Our Children, Athletics, College, and Memories
I will refrain from boring you with a litany of reasons for children to participate in athletics, outside of the apparent physical conditioning benefits, but I will mention that sports are a great way to acquaint them with adversity and the dedication and commitment necessary to overcome.
The Practice Squad
I recently reconnected with an old client: Don Cherry, whom I first met as a 16-year-old football player. Over the last several years, I’ve been lucky to watch that kid I trained in the belly of the Beast become a college and NFL football player and most recently, one of the voices behind a great podcast.
Positivity, Desire, and Magic
I had the pleasure of hearing Earvin “Magic” Johnson speak at a leadership conference I attended. Magic discussed his experiences in business and basketball and his pervasive passion for winning, regardless of the endeavor, much like elitefts’ approach.
My 5 for 2019
As we rapidly move into mid-January, here are My 5 for 2019—not resolutions necessarily, but aspects of life to consider.
5 Exercises to Get Your Bench Press Moving Again
If your bench press is rusty and you need to take it easy, try some of these lifts out. (elitefts Power Rack and dip attachments are highly recommended but not included.)
Growing Pains — Aunt Helen’s Famous Jello
She was my aunt, and I accepted her explanation as fact. I can’t say for sure that I didn’t cry myself to sleep the next time those pains struck, but I know there was at least a part of me that experienced a sense of pride.
How Clubber Lang Used Schwarzenegger's Rules of Success to Defeat R...
Listen to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger (or if you are under 30, Hearts on Fire by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band) while reading.
Rediscovering the Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
In response to some unusual elbow tenderness, I recently gravitated back to the incline dumbbell press — an exercise with tremendous benefits that I had not performed in a long time.
A Message to Young Trainees: Pump Down the Volume
The garage gym is getting a lot of use as of late, I am happy to say. It is frequently rumbling with young athletes who remind me of an important fact of the early training years.
Athletes and Strength Training Technique
Because an athlete’s focus is sports performance, they may be less concerned with consistency in strength training, or they may harbor a false belief that having great technique during weight training is relatively unimportant. Change this.
Fivearms and Sibling Rivalry
Never underestimate the ability of healthy competition to fan the flames of the training spirit — even for something as small as forearm size.
Dancing with the Deadlift Devil: Old and Raw
Content is king for big media. BIGHORN was a fun trip down memory lane, but now I have another foray into fictional content in mind.
Blocks and Chains vs. Blockchain and Bitcoin Cryptocurrency
This is the washed-up meathead’s guide to the digital currency taking the financial markets by storm, with a little bit of added wisdom on training.
Ping Pong and Powerlifting
Thinking back to these two activities and my time in college, I find myself wondering if the concept of working in with strangers is a concept lost on today’s youth.
Training Clients for Free — The Unsustainable State
For both trainer and trainee, the service is most valuable when the terms are mutually beneficial and serve the aims of both parties. There’s only one circumstance for me that I’ve found no compensation is sustainable.
Find a Real Gym
Here are several reasons free weight training coupled with a real gym can be a superior alternative for a female trainee.
Training the Attacker
My thirteen-year-old daughter recently started a single weekly session, supplemented with interval running and sports specific training exercises. This is how she’s training for lacrosse.
Sisyphus Stumbles
During the second double of a floor press training session, his pec tears. The bar crashes to the safety pins, inches above his face. For at least the twentieth time, the Collegiate Power Rack saves his ass.
The Need for Flexibility in Exercise Selection and Progression
It’s interesting — as strength coaches, we constantly talk about the need for good programming and consistency, but having flexibility is undoubtedly a key component.
Take It, Take It, Take It
What can I say? Learn from my hard lessons. Make sure your spotters are aware of the intent BEFORE the set.
It's All About the Base
I’ve seen some folks with clients that can’t execute a proper pull start adding these additional implements, and it’s insanity.
Seven Tips to Get Your Ass Back in the Gym
This article is for the grizzled veterans who are now getting up in years. If you’ve fallen off the exercise wagon here are seven easy tips to get your training back on course.
BIGHORN: Love and Momentum
We’ve lost a couple of good ones along this journey. We may lose a few more too.
BIGHORN — AMG Brabus and the Ripsnorters
Alex adjusted the military-grade Golight, which nested on a short pedestal atop the vehicle. It cut through the darkness with razor precision illuminating the monsters.
BIGHORN — Spud Straps and Sledgehammers
I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t hit the Bighorn with the sledgehammer without tearing Jon’s ribs apart.
BIGHORN — The Mace and the Jedi
Watching the hydraulic door slowly lower itself closed had felt like an eternity. We wouldn’t last long if a couple of those things followed us inside.
BIGHORN — The Prowler and the Comanche
It was hard to expunge Jeff’s screams from my mind—and the blood; so much blood sprayed over the Prowler he’d been pushing…
A Young Athlete's Redemption
When the tall, piper-cleaner thin baseball player showed up, I didn’t think he’d last long. I was wrong.
Loading Stones
This article is not about atlas stones. It’s about work and the ingenuity to use all your resources to get the job done.
Resistance Training for Young Girls — Building More Than Strength
As a father raising a young girl, I have seen the importance of empowering the next generation of women. Here are my recommendations.
Navigating the Singles Scene
Although the singles dating scene seems exciting, especially to a married old codger like me, my experiment with singles is of a completely different variety.
Training and the Dead Cat Bounce
In a downward slump, my training has started to look up. I attribute this to one simple programming tactic.
Coaching: Sometimes It's All in the Delivery
Learning to connect with and effectively motivate your athletes can go a long way. Choose your words wisely.
My Hateful Eight
In honor of Tarantino’s most recent big-screen release, I’ve decided to release my own Hateful Eight: the eight exercises and training modalities that make me shudder with anxiety, angst, and downright hatred.
The Balls to the Walls Paradox
Pull back, be patient, and wait for the right time. There are many times I should have taken this advice.
The Irrational Immediate Gratification Society
Young athletes and parents of young athletes, listen up. There’s no powder or program to take you from Pee-wee Herman to Phil Heath overnight.
The Great Race: Easing Back into Training After Injury or Layoff
Has an injury or your busy life schedule kept you away from the gym? Proceed with caution.
Grip, Masochism, and Asphalt: Training During Travel Season
My son baseball’s schedule has kept me away from the gym and forced me to come up with creative ways to keep training.
Hawaiian Pizza, Baseball, and Group Training
With young athletes, the key to using a group training protocol to fuel PRs is understanding the psychology of friendly competition.
How Joe Rogan Saved My Life
How can one adequately explain the significance of the Renaissance Man that is Joe Rogan and his dynamic podcast?