Matt Gary on Dave Tate’s Table Talk episode 449

Build the Total, Not Your Ego: Matt Gary on Game-Day Coaching

— elitefts
Matt Gary explains how smarter attempts, athlete communication, and consistent execution turn existing strength into a bigger powerlifting total on meet day.
Dave Tate and Jason Manenkoff in the official Table Talk #448 video thumbnail, labeled Lockdown Fight Club.

Jason Manenkoff on Building a Gym Culture That Lasts

— elitefts
Jason Manenkoff explains how clear gym rules, member accountability, and an established client base helped him build a lasting strength training community.
Dave Tate with Anthony Oliveira and Roman Mustaccio in the Table Talk #447 thumbnail, with the words Stop Optimizing

F*ck Your Micronutrients: Get Your Training Priorities Straight

Dave Tate, Anthony Oliveira, and Roman Mustaccio explain training priorities, useful loading, and the habits that help powerlifters prepare for meet day.
Evan Barr

Why Olympic Lifting Still Belongs in Football I Table talk #445

University of Toledo Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Evan Barr joins Dave Tate to discuss Olympic lifting for football, movement development, programming, deloading, competition, and what it takes to build stronger athletes and a better strength staff.

Guillermo Blanco on Dave Tate's Table Talk discussing adaptable training and periodization.

You Don't Need a Periodized Program to Build Strong Athletes

Guillermo Blanco explains why adaptable GPP, posterior-chain strength, and minimal effective strain beat rigid periodization for real-world athletes today.
Evan Barr Table Talk video thumbnail for why Olympic lifting still belongs in football

Why Olympic Lifting Still Belongs in Football | Evan Barr #445

Evan Barr explains why Olympic lifting still belongs in football when the lifts are coached as tools for force production, coordination, load absorption, and intent instead of treated like a separate sport.

A picture of charles gardner

Expect to Be Poor: The Truth About Personal Training l Charles Gardner #442

TABLE TALK  •  COACHING  •  BUSINESS 25 Years as a Personal Trainer: Why You're Still Broke Charles Gardner has spent 25 years training real people in real gyms. What kept him...
The Medical Lie Keeping Strength Athletes Injured l Table Talk Episode 440

The Medical Lie Keeping Strength Athletes Injured l Table Talk Episode 440

Dr. Christopher "Marv" Marvin joins Dave Tate for a hard look at patient-first rehab, hypertrophy, pec-tear warning signs, bracing, blood-flow restriction, imaging, and what it really takes to keep training.

Mark Uptegraff

How 47 Football Players Hit 20+ MPH in One Off-Season

Fordham strength coach Mark Uptegraff took his team from nine athletes over 20 mph to 46 in a single offseason, and cut the grade-two MCL return-to-play time from 6 weeks to 11 days.

Torn Biceps, Strongman, and the Long Game l Josh Hendrickson Table Talk #437

Torn Biceps, Strongman, and the Long Game l Josh Hendrickson Table Talk #437

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.

Beyond the Barbell: The Mental Side of Elite Performance l Ben Mayfield-Smith #436

Beyond the Barbell: The Mental Side of Elite Performance l Ben Mayfield-Smith #436

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.

The High Stakes of Collegiate Strength and Conditioning

The High Stakes of Collegiate Strength and Conditioning

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.

The Anatomy of a Loss: Why You Have to Fail Forward to Build an Empire

The Anatomy of a Loss: Why You Have to Fail Forward to Build an Empire

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 Shiny Object Trap and the Ultimate Free Drug

The Shiny Object Trap and the Ultimate Free Drug

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.

Keep It Real and Cut the Bullshit

Keep It Real and Cut the Bullshit

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.

The Iron Path to Powerlifting Recovery and Longevity

The Iron Path to Powerlifting Recovery and Longevity

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 and kid

What I'd Tell the 300-Pound Version of Me (And Why He Wouldn't Listen)

— Dave Tate

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

combine

Beyond the Box Squat: 5 Hard-Won Truths on Strength, Survival, and the Science of Resilience

— Dave Tate

 "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."

 

bench dump

The Quarter-Metric Ton Ghost: Swede Burns and the 525-Pound Lesson in Mechanical Failure

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

 

Jordan Buchla

Tame Your Dumb Strength: Jordan Buchla's Blueprint for a Flawless Squat Setup

— Dave Tate

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.

The Evolution of Strength: Why the True Genetic Freaks Are Just Arriving

The Evolution of Strength: Why the True Genetic Freaks Are Just Arriving

The future of strength is not behind us. As powerlifting grows, better athletes, better coaching, and harder-earned wisdom are changing what is possible under the bar. Matt Levine’s story cuts through the noise: longevity matters, “optimal” depends on the lifter, and the strongest athletes are forged by training, adversity, community, and the decision made at the chalk bowl.

What Powerlifting Judges See (But Never Tell You)

What Powerlifting Judges See (But Never Tell You)

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 Giveth, and the Barbell Taketh Away

The Barbell Giveth, and the Barbell Taketh Away

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.

Dr Todd Lee and Tom

Every Lifter Hits This Wall. Here's How to Smash It

— Dave Tate

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