Should Kids Play Youth Football?
I will never tell a parent they are right or wrong for enrolling their child in a contact sport such as football. What I do recommend, however, is that parents ask themselves three important questions before putting their kid into a contact sport.
WATCH: Three Exercises to Build Bigger Traps
John Meadows breaks down three simple but effective exercises that are alternative movements to help build bigger trap muscles: band-pulls, a face-pull variation, and banded shrugs.
Learn to Train X — Teach Your Athletes How to Train
In this particular clip, Harvey switches gears to provide some personal advice on teaching athletes how to train themselves – a not-so-simple technique that requires trust, buy-in, strategy, and effort.
WATCH: Breaking John Rusin — The Accessories
From chest-supported rows, to vertical pull-downs and face-pulls, Tate tightens up Rusin’s supporting exercises to ensure that they are addressing his weak points in a way that will have correspondence to the “big three” lifts.
WATCH: Table Talk — What Would You Change?
His answer — revolving around canvas gear, Westside, and Louie — may surprise you.
3 and Out Method Setup
Based on the previous article, a lot of you were asking how to best set up the program – ask and you shall receive. I will cover one simple way and two in-depth ways to set it up.
Programming Chaos
Learning and thinking about the many issues that we – as coaches – face, have reminded me to look back at my own programming and question the good, the bad, and the ugly with regard to what I’ve seen and done over the years.
Program Guidelines for Young Strength Coaches
Approach programming as you would approach written materials relevant to our field. One doesn’t simply open Supertraining, and begin perusing its contents. Supertraining requires a foundation of knowledge prior to endeavoring to cognize its contents.
Undervalued Tools and Overused Methods in the Weight Room
When I fully shifted to powerlifting and really began learning about strength, I just kept thinking about why I never got any of this information when I was an athlete.
WATCH: Who Do You Take Advice From?
I’ve been completely immersed in the sport of powerlifting for over 25 years. When you reach this level of knowledge and experience, some people assume that you just stop asking questions. Wrong! I ask questions all the time.
WATCH: Power to the Female Powerlifters
If you’re a man and you’re trying to hold a woman back from powerlifting, or doing whatever she wants to do…Who are you to try and change her mind, and get her not to do it?
WATCH: How to Build a Mind-Muscle Connection
The mind-muscle connection is a legitimate thing. What I’m sharing with you is real science – not “bro-science.”
Confession: I'm a Coachaholic
Heavily inspired by the LTTX, I took what I taught and learned there and shared it with my gym members. Although basic (think powerlifting 101), these new lifters needed to hear my message. Watch the entire presentation here.
Sumo Pulls for Athletes
We rarely ever did “agility drills” with our athletes, and the majority of their agility scores consistently improved. I’m very confident that proper box squatting and sumo pulls were a major contributor to this. Step-by-step, here’s how to program and cue them for your athletes.
Max Effort Training for Dynamic Results
It seems that everyone wants to start racing a Ferrari before they learn how to put the key in the ignition.
Learn to Train X — More Technique Fixes for Athletes
In this video, Nate Harvey discusses: the proper way to jump and land, scapular retraction and depression, and simply training what you say you’re training – a feat that’s easier said than done.
Integrity — Is It Missing or Just Hard to Find?
Let’s begin by honestly answering these four questions.
A Cheat Sheet to Greatness
You’ll still be weak and look like shit, but man, people will know you lift.
Resignation of a Strength Coach
There is actually a history here, and something I think young coaches getting into the profession need to think about.
Growing Pains — Aunt Helen’s Famous Jello
She was my aunt, and I accepted her explanation as fact. I can’t say for sure that I didn’t cry myself to sleep the next time those pains struck, but I know there was at least a part of me that experienced a sense of pride.
WATCH: Yes to Training Triceps, No to Elbow Pain
Please keep in mind that if you don’t feel it, then kill it. You must feel your triceps working to make gains. If you are experiencing trouble with feeling them engage, there are a couple techniques that you can try to bring the focus back to your triceps.
The Six Pillars of Excellence
Since I am a strength and conditioning coach, I placed Hard Work first on the list, but in reality, they should all be given equal ranking.
WATCH: Equipment Feature with Mike Bartos — Contrast Platform
In this video, Bartos demonstrates the quick-release technique, traditional isometric movements, the Ladder Deadlift, Pause Deadlift, and three different ways to use eccentrics with the support of the multi-purpose Contrast Platform.
A Meathead’s Take on the Army Combat Readiness Test
Maybe this is coming from a place of bias and resentment, because at a lean 205 pounds, I was always the fat guy with a two-mile time over 14 minutes…but I digress.
The Value of Accessory Work
I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to moving a weight that makes me “feel good” about training, versus doing a movement that requires less weight on the bar because it exposes weakness.
Championship Nature Series: Thought Stoppage
It’s human nature to let negative thoughts rise and wreck your ability. It’s easy to just let things happen. In contrast, a championship nature stops these thoughts and does not let the downward spiral happen.
Grow Your Gym with the Thank Up Strategy
Word-of-mouth advertising, client testimonials, and organic growth are the best ways to grow your gym. But if you just wait for it to happen, you’ll starve to death. Take the process from passive to active by taking control of the conversation.
Learn to Train X — Box Squat Technique Fix for Athletes
In this presentation, Harvey goes back to the often-neglected and rarely taught basics. His first “simple technique”, is a detailed breakdown of how to box squat correctly.
WATCH: Table Talk — Training Alone
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the super-heavy lifts that cause most of the problems when training alone.
WATCH: Breaking John Rusin — The Program
In this video clip, Tate and Rusin compile these learnings to develop a comprehensive training program. Together, they discuss how to adjust the workouts to best suit Rusin’s development of the “big three” lifts, planning around his traveling schedule as needed.
4 Box Programming Issues with Solutions
Follow these basic tenets of efficient programming to avoid lower back pain, shoulder discomfort, knee stress, and burnout that can potentially take us or our clients out of the game.
CBD for Lifters — Why, When, and How
In this installment, I will talk a little bit about what I learned from my tour of the Extract Labs facility, from my research of the available scientific data and my thoughts on “why,” “when” and “how” for Cannabidiol, as I understand it.
The Necessity of Olympic Lifts for Athletes
I don’t know exactly where this concept came from—that they are essential to athletes’ being explosive and strong. I do know that this concept has grabbed on tight and locked into the heads of coaches for decades. I say let’s cut to the chase and trim the fat.
The Process with Ryan Davis, Rodney Hill, Brian Johnson, and Dantonio Bu...
People on the outside see the bowl game wins, or the squat PR’s, but what they don’t see is the process.
How Do I Become the Best?
I was just recently asked this again by one of my former athletes and colleague, who is now a collegiate strength coach as well as an aspiring raw powerlifter. Here’s my answer.
7 Steps to Running a Successful Group Training Program
How the hell do I design an effective and appropriate program for all of these different types of people who are training in the same session?
Powerlifting for the Bodybuilder — The Triceps
Just as powerlifters can benefit from bodybuilding movements, so can bodybuilders benefit from powerlifting movements. Today we’re looking at the triceps – a muscle group that I really struggle with and, as a result, have spent a lot of time studying and training.
Depth Jumps and Depth Land Progressions to Increase the Vertical Jump
Training the Gateway Lions Academy Volleyball Team this past spring sparked some progressions to help improve the players’ vertical jump. Take a look.
The Top 5 for September
Where did your top authors rank in September? What did you miss last month? Click here to find out.
Learn to Train X: Dynamic Correspondence to the Platform
Focusing on this concept of carry-over helps powerlifters train in a more intentional and strategic way, ultimately bolstering overall performance come meet day.
WATCH: Table Talk — Agreeing to Disagree with Mark Rippetoe
In this table talk, Dave Tate sits down to answer the following question on Rippetoe: Has Dave ever met Mark Rippetoe? Would be cool to see them get together for a podcast after a few drinks.
WATCH: Breaking John Rusin — The Deadlift
As Rusin adds proper breathing into his deadlift sequence (one of many tweaks you'll see), he notices an immediate difference in his performance. Proper breathing, as he puts it, is a total “game-changer.”
Beware of False Prophets
There is a huge list of things the sport of powerlifting has produced over these seven decades. Within this sizable list, the sport has consistently produced two specific items over and again, each and every single decade.
The Art of Being an Emotionally Detached Strength Athlete
Can you take a deep breath and remember that each set and rep in training is part of the greater year and not just that individual session?
Use Weight Releasers for a Better Bench
I believe that the confidence weight releasers can build is almost as important as any other factor I talk about in this article. If you want to improve your dynamic effort work, give these sample cycles a try.
Go With What You Know
Whatever the reason, what does a strength coach do when things are not going as expected? This is one of the hardest things to deal with, whether you are new at this business, or have been in it for a while.
How to Manage Stress Before It Manages You
There are no magic pills, nutrition protocol, or training method that can address the root of the problem and reduce stress. You have to prioritize your life, what is important, what can wait, and what can be eliminated. And a lot of that has to do with your mindset.
WATCH: Drop Sets 101
Whether you refer to them as descending sets, strip sets, the stripping method, triple drops, down the rack, or running the rack, you’re talking about drop sets. Use of these will sculpt your body and build strength.
You're Training Your Pecs Wrong
Most agree that you can’t train one part of the pectoralis without the whole pectoralis being activated. New evidence shows that you have been fooled!
Defining the Core Values of Garden Fresh Foods
I began defining the core values of Garden Fresh Foods, the company I run with several fantastic managers and my wife, Christina. The process proved challenging and eye-opening with a multitude of cross-over applications to my bodybuilding career.
WATCH: The Truth Behind Training with Chuck Vogelpohl
One such legend is Chuck Vogelpohl, widely known for his extreme intensity and longevity with regard to powerlifting competitions. In this clip, Tate and Coan address the question of what it was like to train with Chuck.
Learn to Train X — What It Really Means to Live, Learn, and Pass On
In rant fashion, Dave Tate breaks down the components of the famous “Live, Learn, Pass On” philosophy that has shaped his personal journey, as well as the overarching mission of elitefts.
How Do You Re-Recruit Your Veteran Staff?
So, how do you re-recruit your veteran staff? The first step is to understand that it isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it is going to require that you swallow your pride and take responsibility not only for omissions and shortfalls on your part but on behalf of your organization.
WATCH: Breaking John Rusin — The Bench Press
From muscle isolation, to max effort work, to spotting technique, and sticking points, Tate customizes his coaching specifically for Rusin, thereby taking his bench press to the next level.
3 and Out Method
Wearing 30 hats as a coach? Working long hours? Use this training method to become bigger, faster, and stronger if you're struggling to find personal gym time.