2020 Vision
Powerlifting benefits all ages, from young to mature. No matter your age, results won’t come without motivation and motivation won’t come without discipline. What are your 2020 goals and how will you achieve them?
The First Eight Months
The journey of being a strength and conditioning coach is different for everyone. However, there’s something to be gained from sharing what you’ve learned along the way.
WATCH: How Tricep Extensions Can Improve Your Bench Press
Elbow pain is a common ailment of powerlifters, particularly when it comes to the bench press. However, an unlikely move can help treat and prevent bench press related elbow pain.
Peaking Technically
Peaking technically is reeling in your training from general to specific as a meet approaches while changing and removing variations and setting yourself up to be at your best technically. This is important when transitioning to a conjugate approach.
Create SMART Goals for 2020
It’s not enough to simply declare a goal. In order to stay realistic and successful, make sure your goals are SMART.
Relationship Roadblocks to Overcome
Relationships aren’t always a walk in the park. It’s all too easy to avoid talking about issues because they make us uncomfortable. However, when we face the discomfort, we become stronger.
WATCH: Dave Tate's Powerlifting Warm-Up Circuit
If you’ve dreamed of training the same way Dave Tate’s athletes do, today’s your lucky day… well, not exactly. Maybe you can’t train like them, but you can sure warm up like them!
Writing Through the Storm
Three years and counting, through change of grounding and shelter, one thing remains. Here’s my attempt at living, learning, and passing on.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast #41 with Swede Burns
Join Dave Tate and Swede Burns for today’s Table Talk.
Stress Management for Growth and Recovery
Whether it’s good or bad stress, how can we deal with stress so it does not outstrip our ability to recover? There are plenty of techniques to explore, so turn off the TV and grab your cat (or dog) so we can start trying some out.
Your “Other T” Levels
Testosterone isn’t the only “T” that’s driving internal health and performance. Meet the thyroid, the main metabolism gland in your body. It’s in charge of influencing food consumption and the amount of energy strength sports athletes have to hit new PRs and doing daily tasks.
Phase 2: How You Should Start Young Athletes in the Weight Room
In this phase, we will focus on developing more stability. We’ll also introduce movement patterns that the athlete will need down the road.
WATCH: Reconsider Bands as Your Strength Warm-up
Are you really utilizing your muscles at their maximum strength?
Pre-Season: Our Time to Shine
It is the one chance each year that sports practices do not take priority or leave players fatigued that they cannot give 100 percent to the physical development program.
2020 Goals and Strategic Execution
Your 2020 goals won’t be achieved in a day. It takes time to build new habits and make lasting changes. See how 75HARD made a difference in Erik Eggers’ goal execution.
Mount Baker High School Looks at What Really Matters
Chris Bartl is an experienced powerlifter dedicated to teaching high school kids the proper way to lift weights. More than that, he’s teaching them life lessons they’ll take with them well past graduation.
Week of Testing: Rest or Train?
Rest and recovery is a key part of any workout program, no matter the type or level of difficulty. Remember that while reaching your PR goals is important, so is your mental and physical health.
I’m a Prep Coach, Not a Salesman
I was invited to a bodybuilding group on Facebook the other day and though I get a lot of these types of invitations and usually dismiss them, I decided to click on this particular one because the discussion being showcased was asking who in the group was a nutrition or prep coach.
The Stretch Reflex: A Power Generator or Not?
The theory is that when you rapidly descend into the “hole” of the squat, there will be a reflexive contraction of the muscles that primarily extend the knee. This will act as some sort of muscle trampoline and will allow you to reflexively contract your way to a completed rep.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip — Dave Gives Advice to College Students
“It’s going to feel heavy as fuck, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”
10 Training Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some simple mistakes to avoid that will allow you to put yourself in the best position to train pain-free for life, perform like a stud, and look good naked.
WATCH: I am Jordan Shallow
“I’m not the strongest guy in the world, but I might have a run as one of the stronger chiropractors.” elitefts coach and columnist Dr. Jordan Shallow wants to make his mark in chiropractic, education, training, and fitness — and he might be doing just that through his travels and writings.
Pause
More recently, as a result of various social media platforms, some things seem to have gained popularity because one or two highly esteemed lifters or coaches with powerful spheres of influence begin to do them.
Is Programming More Important Than Technique?
I decided to poll lifters at a meet to get their opinion. Their answers may surprise you.
Caffeine for Strength Athletes
Considering all of the good stuff, why wouldn’t a strength athlete consume caffeine day in and day out?
Editor’s Letter for January
With another year coming to a close, let’s take a look back at all that we’ve accomplished this year. Some exciting things came to fruition and we can’t wait to see what this coming year has in store!
WATCH: JM Blakley's Ultimate 6-Rep Triceps Workout
Even though it’s 6 reps, you might want to tell the person who wants to use the cable machine they’ll have to wait a bit. This exercise puts the burn in slow burn.
Project Return to Press: The Road Back
You really don’t appreciate something until it’s gone. But man, when you’re able to bench again… there’s nothing like it.
Should You Load a Stable Joint?
I’m here to present the case that you should load your stable joints; otherwise, how will you increase its stability?
Project Return to Press: No Barbell, No Problem
OK, maybe I shouldn’t have gone so hardcore with jiu-jitsu, but you know what? I made the best of my injury and learned from it.
Standing Ab Movements to Build Your Squat and Deadlift
Get up from the floor. You squat and deadlift standing up, so the majority of your ab work should be standing.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip — Are Hex Bars, High Squats, and Box Squ...
What do Dave Tate, Nick Showman, Louie Simmons, and high school athletes have in common? A love-hate relationship with the trap bar… and a few other movements.
The Path to Greatness: Tension
To me, greatness is a journey, not a destination. The next few articles I write are going to talk about the path to greatness and the key things that I think are necessary for ultimately reaching that goal. The first thing is tension.
A Strength and Conditioning Program for Youth Swimming
As with training any new client, there is a trial and error process to see what is effective and what isn’t. In this case, the training system I have put in place for my swimmers has supported them in breaking multiple national records in various events.
The End of an Era?
Hardly. Those who think the world of weights has a definitive destination are unfortunately on the wrong path.
Programming the Overly Complex Needs Assessment
Stepping away from collegiate strength and conditioning, I’ve had time to reflect. In this article, I’ll delve into programming — the good and the ugly. Program-wise, exactly what are your goals?
The $500 Christmas List Winner
After four days of reading, comparing, rereading, and finally voting, the big winner is…
What's Most Important?
This is a question that we need to ask ourselves as many times as possible year after year because everything we do on a daily basis needs to be grounded on our answer.
5 Common Strongman Weaknesses and How to Fix Them
Consider the Press, Deadlift, Farmer’s Walk, Death Medley, and Atlas Stones. I’ll pinpoint the common weakness in each event and provide an exercise (a solution) for you to fix the weak point. No excuses!
6 Training Rules for the Washed-Up Meathead
These rules are NOT for those competing. They are not for those who want to increase their “longevity” in the sport. They are not for the beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifters. There are different rules for all of these groups, and these are NOT them.
December's GPP for Your Business
How can you bulk up your gym’s profits during the holiday season? These 5 steps will help your gym get those financial gains.
Evidence-Based Practice: Are You Really Ahead of the Curve?
With the same irony that Botox and liposuction clinics have absorbed the words “health” and “wellness,” the evidence-based approach has become a marketing buzzword to try to signal to the public that you are “cutting edge”. Are you all hype or really ahead of the curve?
The 7 Pillars of Leadership
It took time and a whole lot of failures for me to learn these core principles of leading others. But they are what helped me grow my business to over 160 members and a team of four others working alongside me… which brings me to these 7 lessons of leadership.
Jeff Guller's 2019 in Review
Even though I didn’t make all of the goals I set for this year, I did have some good results. And if results are the measure of a year, then it was a good year.
Vote for the Best 2019 Christmas List
With your vote, a fellow meathead will be just a click away from fulfilling their wildest iron dreams this holiday season...
Choose wisely.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip — What is NEVERsate?
NEVERsate started off as a band name and became the name of Brian Alruhe's gym — but there's more to the name than that.
Top 5 Recovery Tools From elitefts
Want to prevent injury by building a bulletproof back? Have achy elbows and knees? Suffering from a low-grade strain?
12 Gifts for the Whole Family
Move over, Oprah's Favorite Things — these are the hottest and strongest gifts of the season, all in a one-stop-shopping guide.
More Nutrition "Facts" Debunked
Nothing is bad for us, per se. What we have to do is figure out how much we need, and then supply it in the correct amounts. But to villainize sugar, carbs, fats, and other nutrients is a gross miscarriage of judgment.
Run a Successful High School Strongman Contest with This Christmas List
If Santa and his reindeer deliver these items, you’re guaranteed to have a great Christmas and an amazing strongman contest at your school!
Got Upper Back?
It seems that lifters do not understand the importance of the upper back or how to use it in the three main lifts. The lifters I judged at a recent meet and just about all of my clients prove that to me, so let's fix that.
The Gifts of Manhood to Make Those Jingle-Balls Drop
Do you know a poor dude whose testicles really need to drop this holiday season? This selection of gifts has been proven to raise testosterone levels by as much as 1,849 percent!
Enjoy a Drink and Still Lose Weight
Let's be honest, tis' the season. Here's how to socialize with your friends, drink alcohol (more than a glass of champagne), all while still reaching your fat loss goals. Cheers!
5 Items for a Fatter Christm-ass Than Last Year
While your keto-obsessed cousin and diabetic grandmother stress over their diet decisions and stay away from the dessert tray, go all in. Make Christmas count this year.
Competition Results: 7 elitefts Athletes, 3 Meets, 1 Weekend
Check out how some of your favorite lifters did this past weekend at Great Lakes Raw, IPA Buckeye Brawl, and APF Raw Power Challenge.
5 Gifts for the Legacy Lifter
This list is for the aged, the battered, and the arthritic lifter you love. Let's face it, he or she will always train, so help ease their pain.
