Strongman competitor and gym owner Josh Hendrickson sits down with Dave Tate to talk biceps rehab, training through injury, chasing a sub-20 5K, building 580 Barbell, promoting better strongman shows, and what it takes to stay in strength sports for the long haul.

The hardest part of elite performance isn’t always the training. It’s managing identity, pressure, suffering, recovery, relationships, and the person you become along the way. This article breaks down the psychological architecture behind contest prep—and why building the mind matters just as much as building the body.

Former Wisconsin strength coach Brian Bott joins Dave Tate to unpack the realities of collegiate strength and conditioning—from rebuilding broken movement patterns and maintaining power deep into the season to creating a weight room culture built on accountability, resilience, and long-term athlete development.

Winning can hide the truth, but losing exposes every weakness. This article breaks down how one failed ruck attempt became a blueprint for better strategy, stronger leadership, smarter training, and a deeper sense of purpose.

The fitness industry is obsessed with the next peptide, supplement, hormone, and recovery shortcut. But none of it matters if the foundation is weak. This article breaks down the training, nutrition, sleep, hydration, recovery, and cellular principles that drive real physical progress—and explains why exercise remains the most powerful performance tool available.

Lucas White’s road through college strength and conditioning was not clean or comfortable. From cement weights in a basement to unpaid internships, smashed glasses, SEC weight rooms, conjugate training, and in-season football programming, this article keeps it real on what the profession actually demands: coaching, communication, strain, and the ability to build athletes who do not fold when it matters.

Jordan Wong breaks down the realities of staying in the iron game—from serious injuries and smarter rehabilitation to autoregulation, meet-day decisions, gym ownership, and knowing when ego is doing more harm than good.

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

 "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."

"Unfortunately, that impact caused my spine to break and caused the disc to herniate and move."

Jordan Buchla squatted 820 pounds at a fraction of the size of most elite lifters. The reason comes down to one thing most people refuse to give: time under the bar before the bar moves.

Valerie Smith’s path through powerlifting proves that the platform is only one part of the education. From bombing out at her first meet to becoming a lifter, coach, referee, and meet director, she learned that better lifting comes from better decisions, sharper standards, and a broader view of the sport.

The barbell builds you, teaches you, humbles you, and eventually demands something back. Inspired by Elitefts Table Talk Episode #422, this article breaks down the hard-earned lessons Jim Wendler, Matt Rhodes, and Vincent Dizenzo share on aging under the bar, coaching the next generation, training for longevity, and redefining strength when max-effort lifting is no longer the goal.

Table Talk #346 with Dr. Todd Lee breaks down the exact checklist to run before assuming you've hit a real plateau

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.

 "All of these different diets at the end of the day do their thing because of how they influence the actions of insulin," meaning the best nutritional approach is simply the one that allows you to remain consistent within the demands of your specific lifestyle and budget.

What does it take to hit PRs for 10 straight years without burning out? Marcellus “The Swolefessor” Williams breaks down competing often, building work capacity, treating powerlifting as a skill, protecting your mental battery, and using strength to build a better life—not just a bigger total.

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.

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.

"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."

Elite strength is built in the margins. This article breaks down how elite powerlifters evolve over time through smarter programming, better fatigue management, refined technique, harder accessory work, stronger training environments, and strategic weight-class decisions.

"If you want to achieve your ultimate physical goals, you must become 'every type of jacked' by mastering autoregulation and truly understanding the biological systems that drive your performance and recovery."