Powerlifting

Coming back after a layoff can be a chance to address imbalances, but it also presents the opportunity for new imbalances to develop. Common sense suggests that testing strength after a layoff isn't the best idea. But if you are going to do it, keep these things in mind.

Listen: I'm no doctor or rocket scientist, but even I have enough common sense to know that if you're feeling under the weather, you shouldn't be lifting. You should be resting at home. Yeah, you heard me: Go home and stay home. And stay out of your fancy little garage gym, too!

The meet prep beast is going to rear its ugly heads at you sometimes, and its mugs come in many forms: injuries, stress, or a lousy no-show training partner. When one of them tries to bite, it's best to have a flexible plan of action that helps you nimbly dodge from the monster's jaws.

In the 80th episode of the Reactive Training Systems podcast, host Mike Tuchscherer and Dave Tate talk about how to build and strengthen relationships in order to lay down the foundation for a strong business and a legacy in competitive powerlifting.

There are quite a few things to take into account when it comes to accessory training. If you ask Dave Tate and Joe Sullivan, a few of these things include program design and competition distance (measured in time, not miles or kilometers), and more.

I asked my elitefts colleagues to do a study or if a study exists on whether or not we can build muscle and get stronger as seniors. Rather than wait for their responses, I decided to take matters into my own hands to address the topic myself, based on the individuals I've trained and observed.

It's inevitable that a lifter will hit a plateau at some point or another. It's frustrating, I know. Trust me, I've been there. But after 10 years of powerlifting and 14 years of strength training before that, I think I've unlocked some of the secrets to making gains. Here are five things that helped me increase my lifts.

Sure, you could just pull out some tarot cards or dust off your great-grandmother's crystal ball to predict what powerlifting's going to be like in 10 years. Better yet, you could listen to Dave Tate and Joe Sullivan's powerlifting predictions.

For those of you who’ve never done a meet, save this, and read it again before your first. And for those of you who just can't finesse attempt selection, here's a formula I developed to make attempt selection as close to fool-proof as it'll get.

After being officially diagnosed with sleep apnea, it was time for the CPAP machine to arrive. Let's just say I felt like a cross between a giddy kid on Christmas Eve and as reluctant as Darth Vader probably would've been in the bedroom. Little by little, I'm feeling better, thanks to the supportive gear for my lungs.

If the bar ain't bending, then you're just pretending. What that saying doesn't account for is the danger of a bar bending over you mid-squat. Joe Sullivan's no pretender, and luckily he's here to tell the tale of surviving a bar-bending incident that could've been deadly.

Disclaimer: Not all of us here at elitefts are doctors or physical therapists. Case in point: Joe Sullivan thinks the best way to deal with bicep tendonitis is to watch Dave Tate's Q&A because someone asks this question at least once a week.