10 L(G)ift Ideas for the Formerly MAMF (Military-Aged Male or Female) in Your Life
Don't despair. Christmas is the season of hope, and these 10 ideas will help ease the pain that years of abuse from Uncle Sam have wrought on that body. So break out the AMEX and get your older military officer or veteran back in the fight!
Creating the Perfect Warm-Up
We value warming up before lifting or any exercise, but we don't really think much about how to structure a warm-up. This article will help solve just that with a comprehensive review of the literature on approaches to warming up.
Editor's Letter for November
Find out who's coming to elitefts for November, read what content we're working on for you, and try to win $500 just in time for the holidays!
Share Your 2019 Christmas List — Win $500
With $50 you could buy a pair of Croc Lock Collars, so many bands, a Shoulder Saver Pad, (2) Dead Wedges, lots of apparel, a Backnobber, Spud Straps, (7) bottles of Wake Up Motherf****r Smelling Salts, (1 1/2) pair of compression pants. Imagine what you could do with $500...
How Research Can Help You Manage Detraining and Retraining
Both are scary to endure, but as an athlete, it's part of the game. A little bit of knowledge can go a long way in managing this kind of stress.
Editor's Letter for October
If you're after Gobstoppers, Reese cups, Jolly Ranchers, Snickers, or Candy Corn this October, knock on your neighbor's door. If in fact, you're after exercises to strengthen your spinal erectors, a conjugate triphasic program, an injury equation, intramuscular pressure, and alternatives to the Olympic lifts, click here. And of course, you'll find the most popular content from September in here too. Nobody by the name of Freddy is here. I promise.
Brainstorm: Changing Perspectives on Human Strength — Human Grip
Today I’m going to address one line of scientific inquiry that has a direct impact on our current understanding of human strength: the changing view of the human grip.
Which Max Effort Method is Right For You?
I've seen a lot of articles about the max effort method on here lately, but I haven't seen many address the fact that there are two types of max effort methods! One method might work better than the other for you, so before you give up on conjugate, give this a read.
Death to the Belly Breath
Stop saying "breathe into your belly." It's physically impossible for us to breathe into our bellies! We need to rethink this cue and review breathing mechanics before we can go around fixing people's breathing.
Hard Lessons Learned From Half a Lifetime of Lifting
With a bachelor's degree in exercise science, a master's degree, and a doctorate in the works, you think I'd be smart about how I trained. Well, think again! I've spent most of my life training like an idiot. Don't make the mistakes I did. Learn from them.
Editor's Letter for September
As we begin to swing into autumn, take a quick fall into the piles of content we have stored away for this month: more Table Talk episodes, exercise variance, conjugate, strength training equipment (for injured rugby players and small budgets), food allergies, internship opportunities, and more!
Newton's Third Law (of Gains)
You've probably heard Newton's third law: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Turns out Newton DIDN’T tell you that he specifically wrote this law in anticipation of gym bros only training the muscles they see in the mirror. Let me explain.
Brainstorm: Was "Back in the day" Really That Good?
If so, were the early-day strength athletes stronger, faster, and more powerful than present-day competitors? Studies about nostalgia suggest the answers to these questions root in nostalgic accounts from both positive and negative emotions.
Editor's Letter for August
The content calendar for August is packed with special content from Justin Harris, Vincent Dizenzo, JM Blakely, and Jordan Shallow that'll bring you gains in muscle, strength, and knowledge. For a sneak peek at what's to come, read on ahead!
The Characteristics of Mastery
It's hard to think of a word that has been devalued in the strength and healthcare industry as much as the word “expert.” Luckily, “mastery” hasn't taken the same hit. But what does it take to become a master? What defines mastery? Read on to find out.
How Stuff Works: The Knee Sleeve
Beyond the notorious odor knee sleeves omit when soaked with sweat and stored in your gym bag for days on end, what don't you know about them? Four parts in this personal equipment series, let's find out.
Editor's Letter for July
While you're enjoying some strawberry pretzel salad leftovers and the oh-so-annoying booms and pops of your neighbors' leftover Fourth of July firecrackers, be sure to enjoy a preview of the upcoming content we have stored for you this month, too.
Editor's Letter for June
Here's a preview of what we have lined up for you this June! We welcome Dr. Jordan Shallow to Team elitefts as the newest coach and columnist. Also, find out what was the most popular content in May (especially if you've been busy enjoying the summer weather — without a phone in hand).
How Stuff Works: The Knee Wrap
Beyond the heated debates, love and hate, blood and tears, that constrict knee wraps, exactly how do they work? Let's take a look at the basics, different types, knee wrapping techniques, a 197-response survey to see how athletes use them, and more.
Editor's Letter for May
Click for a sneak peek of what's to come in the month of May, including the updated Team elitefts roster of new athletes, coaches, and columnists. We'll also recap April's top-5 coaching blogs, training logs, and articles.
How Stuff Works: The Wrist Wrap
With a better understanding of belts (the first product studied within this series), it's now time we'll move on to wrist wraps. Exactly how do wrist wraps work? Also, a big thanks to the 262 athletes who gave their input in an interesting survey about their use of wrist wraps.
How Stuff Works: The Belt
If you are reading this, either you train/enjoy strength training or you like/manufacture personal equipment. In either case, I want to help you. As always, I am committed to causing as much damage as I can to shallow thinking and shortcuts to critical-thinking. This is how the belt works.
Editor's Letter for April
Take a look at what we can expect to read from Matt Mills, JP Carroll, Chris Cooper, Mark Dugdale, Swede Burns, Matt Ladewski, and Dave Tate this month. Inside we'll also rewind to March to see the most popular content from your favorite guest writers, columnists, coaches, and athletes.