The White Space Problem: Why Most Lifters Are Wasting Their Time
Most lifters spend all their energy chasing nuance when the real problem is they've abandoned the basics that actually move the needle.
Why Modern Powerlifting is Falling Apart
Dave Tate and a current multi-ply competitor, Bob Merkh, go deep on fractured federations, band shirts, judging inconsistency, and the hidden cost of putting the bar before everything else.
The Milk-Chugging Marine: Why Russ Hamilton Bet His Body on the Simple, Brutal Path to the WWE
Strongman champion and professional wrestler Bruss Hamilton details his transformation from a Marine Corps veteran to a title-holding athlete, discussing the "Gallon of Milk a Day" (GOMAD) diet for mass gain, the development of his "Gentleman Barbarian" persona, and the extreme sacrifices he made to secure a WWE tryout.
The 8-Box Framework That Explains Why Some Exercises Build Muscle and Others Don't
Dr. Pat Davidson breaks down the three mechanical variables that determine whether an exercise builds muscle, inoculates against injury, or gets you hurt.
The Bar That Does What Two Bars Used to Do
The Rackable Cambered Spider Bar combines the shoulder-friendly design of the SS Yoke Bar with the brutal instability of the cambered bar into one piece of equipment that will expose every weakness you have.
Eight Training Principles Most Lifters Will Never Apply
Most lifters focus on what to add. The ones who get strong figure out what to cut.
The Perfect Press: A Narrative Journey of the Overhead Press
"The overhead press is probably the single best exercise for ingraining your ability to root into the floor and maintain a neutral posture compared to any other exercise."
The Conjugate Training Roadmap: Anatomy of a High-Performance Workout
"Conjugate training is basically the coupling... it's combining different methods of training... taking the method of Max effort... the repetition method and the dynamic effort method and combining them all together."
Kairikido: A System for Building Real-World Strength
Kairikido blends powerlifting, Olympic lifting, strongman, and gymnastics into one structured system for building complete, real-world strength. With clear standards, progression levels, and adaptable programming, it’s designed to develop athletes—not just numbers in the gym.
The Benefits of the Box Squat: Why Every Serious Lifter Should Be on the Box
The box squat is the most effective squatting tool available, and if you're not using it, your squat is leaving pounds on the platform.
The Magic Carpet: A Rug That Predates elitefts and Has Never Left
It came from Westside Barbell, it has been in every gym we have ever had, and the story behind it says more about what elitefts is than almost anything else I can point to.
Why Every Serious Gym Needs a Monolift
The walkout costs you reps you should be making, and a monolift fixes it before the bar even leaves the hooks.
She Trained Through a Brain Tumor. Here's What She Learned About Autoregulation, Resilience, and Showing Up Anyway
elitefts Rebuild Series: Tom Sheppard sits down with powerlifter, gym owner, and brain tumor survivor Holly Torrez on autoregulation, sobriety, and what real resilience looks like.
Did You Exchange a Walk-On Part in the War for a Lead Role in a Cage?
A Pink Floyd lyric I used to open seminars in 2018 still stops people cold because most of us already know the answer
Beyond the Mirror: Rethinking Strength for Functional Longevity
By periodizing cardiorespiratory exercises with your strength workouts, you can build a "lactate sink" in your slow-twitch muscle fibers that enhances metabolic flexibility, sustains muscular power, and serves as the ultimate predictor of a long health span.
The "Meathead" Manifesto: 6 Unconventional Lessons on Performance, Recovery, and the Edge of Sanity
"I wanted to know what it felt like to break a PR one more time."
When Grit Becomes the Enemy
Swede Burns walked into a Philadelphia meet sick, fifteen pounds lighter, and without his wrist wraps. What happened next took a surgeon and three years to fix.
The Lifter’s Lexicon: A Beginner’s Guide to Weight Room Cues and Commands
"We will stay on this movement until the athletes are showing proficiency in the things that we are looking for with trunk control ankle mobility squat depth all those things."
You Can Train Anywhere: Bob Merkh's Complete Band Workout Guide
Bob Merkh of Atlantic City Barbell breaks down a full-body resistance band workout system you can run from a hotel room, a classroom, or a beach in Panama.
Mastering the X-Frame: A Beginner’s Guide to Diagonal Stability and the Bird Dog Row
By adjusting the upper arm angle and grip during a dumbbell row, you can shift the muscular focus from a lat-dominant pull with the elbow tucked near the hip to a flared, pronated position that emphasizes the rhomboids, rear delts, and traps for upper back thickness.
Lessons Lived & Lessons Learned
Ashley Jones on coaching philosophy, strength, recovery, individualization, and why simple training done with intent still wins.
The Path of Most Resistance: Master the Counter-Intuitive Science of the 800-Pound Bench
"As much as I talk about the setup being so key for a raw bench, the handoff process is bar none the most important part for a quip bench in my opinion".
Beyond the Barbell: 4 Surprising Truths About Strength, Survival, and the Powerlifting Soul
"I knew immediately like I'm not ready to sit back, I'm not ready to be just a gym owner, I'm not ready to be just a coach, I'm not okay with not competing competitively anymore".
Shut Up and Do Something About It
Your life is the sum of every decision you made and every excuse you accepted, and the sooner you own that, the sooner things change.
