A practical guide to neck training for lifters, combat athletes, and contact sports. Learn when to train the neck, how to progress neck bridges safely, and how to use harness extensions, lateral flexion, and banded protraction to build a stronger, more resilient neck.

In late 1980, powerlifting was at a crossroads. While icons like Mike Bridges were shattering barriers, the sport was grappling with internal politics and the steroid debate. We revisit this classic issue to uncover the training secrets of Hiro Isagawa and the gritty culture of the original iron game

A simple thought experiment with a plank reveals more about your values, your training, and your life than any goal-setting framework ever will.

Motivation is not something you wait for. It is something you build. This article breaks down how action, progress, and better goal-setting create the kind of long-term drive that keeps lifters training when the weight gets heavy, life gets messy, and excuses start talking.

Table Talk guest Mike Niklos breaks down why your first assessment question should never involve a barbell, what the conjugate method actually means, and why communication is the only coaching skill that will matter in 30 years.

Most people think podcasting is as simple as hitting record. Table Talk proves otherwise. This behind-the-scenes breakdown shows the 25-hour workflow Elitefts uses to produce every episode, including guest sourcing, booking, AI-powered prep, live production, post-production, thumbnail strategy, and publishing.

The June 1980 archive captures a sport at a technical crossroads. From the inaugural Women's World Powerlifting Championships to the physiological secrets of Roger Estep's incredible mass, this issue is a masterclass in old-school strength and early exercise science

If your squat falls apart before you hit depth, your walkout may be the problem. This guide breaks down how to build a tighter squat setup from the rack out: grip, upper back tension, stacking, bracing, foot pressure, and the common walkout mistakes that make heavy squats feel harder than they should.

Highlighting the versatility of resistance bands, Coach Joe Riggio and Dan Goodman demonstrate how this low-impact tool enhances training through applications ranging from warm-ups to assisted lifts like Nordic glute hams. They emphasize that bands have been a staple in their programming for nearly 20 years, serving as an essential tool for athletes of all ages to improve explosiveness and joint health.

Matt Sharafinski’s story is more than a powerlifting comeback. From high school addiction and identity struggles to becoming “The Sheriff,” an elite 2,000-pound totaler and coach, this feature breaks down how discipline, psychology, health, and the weight room helped him rebuild his life under the bar.

Built on the foundation of Bill Starr’s The Strongest Shall Survive, this no-nonsense program revolves around the basics: Pull, Push, and Squat. Ashley Jones breaks down a simple, effective system using rotating exercises, Prilepin-based loading, and real-world strength principles that stand the test of time.

Nate Harvey and Gabe Rangel provide a comprehensive tour of NFL player Lane Johnson's "Bro Barn" gym, detailing how specific elitefts equipment like the Tiger Belt Squat and Chest Supported Row is utilized to address offensive linemen's needs for mobility, work capacity, and injury prevention.

Raw strength matters, but the fastest vertical jump gains often come from cleaning up the leak: foot pressure, descent speed, arm timing, and how violently you redirect force into the floor.

What do you actually believe as a coach—and are you coaching that way? Ashley Jones breaks down why strength is the foundation, why simplicity still wins, why individualization matters, and how great coaching turns programs into performance.

Five plate-loaded, old-school machines every serious gym should have, and why serious lifters keep coming back to the basics

Stop majoring in the minors. Dr. Ian Butcher explains what lifters actually need: hard training, better recovery, smarter nutrition, and real-world discipline.

"It was a Brotherhood yet not a friendship like you were there to get each other better one thing one thing only and if if the person didn't want to be a part of that get the fuck out".

A max-effort day and a high-volume hypertrophy session do not require the same fuel. This guide breaks down how to adjust your peri-workout nutrition so your hydration, carbs, electrolytes, amino acids, and recovery strategy match the training session in front of you.

The headbutting ritual that got me under the bar for years was never about strength, and one line from a friend finally made me see it.

"I'm a poly athlete, I do everything, not all year round. Usually, I layer things seasonally, in the right time period, and I periodize them correctly in blocks."

Too many exercises. Not enough progress.

If your training feels scattered, it probably is. The answer isn’t more variation—it’s better structure.

This article breaks down how Pavel Tsatsouline’s 3–5 method, combined with wave loading, creates a simple, repeatable system for building real strength, size, and power. Fewer movements. Heavier loads. Clear progression.

Heavy. Basic. Purposeful.

Catch the wave—and start training with intent.

Cicero wrote about growing old in 44 BC. The gym just made it make sense.

"And this is a bit of a game changer when you do it and you get annoyed at yourself for not thinking of it sooner, so even within the regular split squat there's an almost infinite number of variations that we can kind of work with there but there's going to be a couple of key tenants that we want to see staying the same. What's up, guys? Today's video is all about single-leg training, and I know you hate it, I hate it, we all hate it, but unfortunately, it's crucial."

Go inside the brutal triceps gauntlet I ran with the American Gladiators and learn the exact movements you need to build unbreakable lockout strength and massive arms.