What I'd Tell the 300-Pound Version of Me (And Why He Wouldn't Listen)
Dave revisits the article he wrote over 20 years ago and gives his honest assessment of what he got right, what he got wrong, and what he would have actually done differently if he could go back
The Strength Foundation: A Primer on Maximal Strength and Human Potential
"The human potential is limited by the human mind, and it takes a very, very, very strong, rare, special person to break the barrier."
What a Five-Year-Old Taught Me About Strength, Business, and Life
A kindergartner who lost everything in a house fire looked around at his classmates and said, "I have all I need right here," and it changed how I think about training, business, and what actually matters.
Beyond the Box Squat: 5 Hard-Won Truths on Strength, Survival, and the Science of Resilience
"I think that was a big thing, the reason why the doctor said, like you would have been dead, and several times, I probably should have died if my baseline wasn't so high going into it."
The Industry Got Loud. The Sport Never Did.
The strength industry I built my life in is unrecognizable, but the sport itself never moved.
You're Not the Only One in That Room Who Feels Like They Don't Belong
Most people misunderstand imposter syndrome. Here's the real distinction, and why the only ones certain they belong are the ones you should worry about.
What This Sport Reveals About You When Things Go Wrong
The hardest character test in powerlifting has nothing to do with the weight on the bar.
Do It Anyway
After tearing his pec and being told he would never bench 400 again, Dave Tate kept driving to the gym. Here is what happened.
Driven Doesn't Require a Destination
What if being driven has nothing to do with knowing where you're going, and everything to do with knowing what you refuse to become?
From Basement Clinics to Better Data: Mike Stratton’s Long Road to Marek Health
From teenage lifter to burned-out founder, Mike Stratton’s story is a raw look at strength culture, hormone health, entrepreneurial sacrifice, and the wake-up call that reshaped his mission with Marek Health.
5 Things People Get Wrong With the Max Effort Method
The max effort method is one of the most powerful tools in strength training. It's also one of the most misunderstood.
Don't Fight the Last War: Why Your Best Training Results Might Be Your Biggest Enemy
The method that built your best results can become the thing holding you back — here's why most lifters stay stuck and what to do about it.
You're Not Crushed by the Weight. You're Crushed by Thinking About It
Most of what wrecks you never actually happens. It's the thinking about it that does the damage.
The 4 Biggest Traps That Kill Lifters (And How to Stop Falling Into Them)
Four traps will end most training careers before they start — here's how to recognize them and what to do instead
You're Talking to the Wrong People
You are broadcasting pain to people who cannot change it, while avoiding every conversation that could.
How High Would You Go? A Better Way to Figure Out What You Actually Value
A simple thought experiment with a plank reveals more about your values, your training, and your life than any goal-setting framework ever will.
Why Most Video Podcasts Fail: The Hidden Production Mistake Costing You Viewers
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 Evolution of “The Sheriff”: Matt Sharafinski’s 2,000-Pound Journey
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.
The Equipment Your Grandfather Trained On Is Back. It Never Should Have Left.
Five plate-loaded, old-school machines every serious gym should have, and why serious lifters keep coming back to the basics
The Void: Mastering the Mind Under the Bar
"The void" is described as a transformative mental state of freedom and peace where an athlete sheds their daily stressors to become a different, often more aggressive, version of themselves, pushing past physical limits into a space of absolute nothingness.
How to Use the elitefts SS Yoke Bar: Every Application Worth Knowing
The SS Yoke Bar is not just a squat bar replacement. Here is how to get everything out of the most important specialty bar in any serious gym.
How to Get the Most Out of Working With Any Coach
Most lifters hire a coach and then immediately get in their own way. Here's the framework that will make every session count.
The Generation That Figured It Out: How Growing Up Gen X Built the Way I Train
Gen X didn't have YouTube, apps, or on-demand coaches. We had a bar, a rack, and the stubborn refusal to quit, and that built something most lifters today never find.
I Built This Because Nothing Else Worked
I've been competing in powerlifting long enough to know what the tricep actually does in this sport. It locks out the bench. It finishes the press. So when every strap on the market kept failing me at both ends of the pushdown, I stopped looking for a solution and started building one. This is the origin of the elitefts 3-Loop Tricep Strap, why I designed it the way I did, and why it has never left my cable machine.
