WPC World Championships — My 12-Week Meet Prep for a 1000-Pound Squat
I won my division at the 2014 WPC Worlds. I’m hoping to repeat this year, but there’s also another goal I’m focused on.
The Evaluation of a Strength and Conditioning Coach: A Process-Based Pro...
Why do strength coaches quit and the people that hired them don’t care? Before exploring some possible answers, let’s look at the problem.
Energy Balance: How Your Body Fights Weight Loss
Let’s tackle some of the issues contributing to failed attempts at creating a negative energy balance.
Staying Motivated With No Chance of Winning the 2016 USAPL Raw Nationals...
We often find ourselves swimming in a sea of excellence, chasing the purple dragon of someone else’s achievements. That’s not how to become a champion.
Breathing IS NOT Bracing
A hot water balloon and a balloon for a child’s party can both be filled with air, but that doesn’t make them equally strong or stable. This is how you need to think of your training.
WATCH: Table Talk — Bench Press Bar Path
Should you press in a straight line or in an arc, finishing with the bar over your face?
WATCH: Wendler's UGSS Presentation — Programming Layout for Youth A...
The first step to having a good program is following a training outline that balances every need of the athlete.
20 Pro Strongman Tips for the Strength Athlete
Prepping to become a pro-card carrying competitor? These tips from professional strongwoman Kristin Johnson will help you reach your strength and power goals.
WATCH: Simple and Effective Training for the Recreational Athlete
This presentation is directed towards the recreational athlete with the goal being to provide simple and effective tools to improve performance, reduce injury, and improve general levels of fitness.
Building the Raw Bench Press
We first need to look at the specific needs of a raw bencher — once we know what body parts need brought up, we can then create a program that strategically utilizes the most beneficial exercises.
The Absurd Effectiveness of Simplicity
Young strength coaches, go back to the basics to improve your athletes’ performance.
5 Lessons from 13 Years in Leadership
When I began this career, I was 26 years old. I’ve learned a lot since then. These are some of my most valuable lessons.
The Yearly Training Plan of the Strength Athlete — Adapting Evaluations ...
Evaluating your training protocol is only the first step. The real differences are made by enacting them into the practicals of training.
WATCH: Physical Therapy — Anterior Pelvic Tilt Fix with Casey Williams a...
The last two years have been the most uncomfortable but also the most rewarding of my life. Part of this process was putting aside my ego to address some physical dysfunctions that were holding me back.
Manipulating Acute Variables in Training— A Guide to Building Lean Muscl...
If you’re training under a Conjugate System, variation is your key to success. Let’s talk about the two acute variables that you should use to your advantage: exercise variation and equipment selection.
7 Daily Rituals for Success
Three years ago I wrote about habits of trying to be successful. Since then, these practices have evolved into something better: rituals.
How to Run a Great Strongman Contest: The Final Days Before Competition
If you followed my advice from the first article and prepared for the events, there are just a few more things you need to do before kicking off the competition.
6 Things I Learned About S&C When I Moved from College to High School
After 15 years at the collegiate level, I didn’t think I had anything to learn from high school. I was wrong.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Widowmaker Squat Challenge
A high-rep squat set is a MFer challenge, there’s no doubt about it.
Four Traps to Avoid When Starting Conjugate Training
Using the Conjugate Method has been one of the most rewarding and fun things I’ve ever done, but it requires ownership and a tenacity to keep looking for answers. Here are four things to avoid as you begin your quest.
WATCH: Wendler's UGSS Presentation — Training Standards and Injury ...
In this video, the second part of his presentation, Jim goes into detail about both the mental and physical aspects of training kids.
The Aging Rebels: An Exercise in Rehab and Friendship
Being stalked by the orthopedic reaper (not to mention the internal reaper) has been a challenge for Jack and I, but we have found ways to overcome every obstacle.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: Off-Site Team Tr...
As we relocate a group of connected individuals outside of the gym, the mindset attached to training evolves.
Deadlift Training for the Strongman
For strongmen, the deadlift is many times just a a tool, not a factor itself. Your routine should reflect this.
Building the Bench, Piece by Piece
This article gives you the 12 best exercises to build mass in the necessary areas for a stronger bench press. Body-part by body-part, exercise by exercise, it’s all here.
Finding Strength: Strength Haven
This top-notch facility in Elkhart, Indiana has earned its reputation through their development of athletes and the social causes they support in their community.
Fatigue vs Fatigue Compensation: Functional Abdominal Training
Instead of relying on outdated and sub-optimal methods, choose a more functional approach in combination with PRI to optimize ribcage position and abdominal strength.
Powerlifting: 25% Training, 75% Pre-Hab, Rehab, and Injury Prevention
If you think you’ll make it in this sport by pushing through your workouts even when you’re injured or suffering, you’re wrong.
WATCH: Using the Box Squat to Correct Posterior Chain Weaknesses
If you or your clients are failing to properly load your glutes and hamstrings during a competition squat, this video will show you how.
How To Price Personal Training
Unsure where to set prices for 1:1 or small group training? Here’s an in-depth look at the industry’s current rates and how to best incentivize your trainers while bringing more clients—and money—to your gym.
How to Run a Great Strongman Contest: 6 Steps to a Better Competition
Our show is one of the longest-running shows in America and is a highly-organized, efficient, and well-run event that athletes look forward to. But it wasn’t always like that — we started poorly and disorganized. Here’s how we fixed it.
Who’s the Greatest?
It’s more than athletic prowess or shredded muscularity that flows with beautiful symmetry and balance.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Current State of the Fitness Industry
What do you think of the fitness community today and all the shitty gurus on social media?
WATCH: Jim Wendler's UGSS Introduction — Earn the Barbell, Training...
This video is Jim’s full 20-minute introduction to his UGSS presentation.
Strongman Corporation’s Masters Nationals — America’s Strongest Master
This competition was a celebration of three crazy strongwomen who have competed in this sport for over twelve years.
WATCH: Mickey Belaineh — Harvard Law Graduate and IPF Junior World Champion
With bar exams complete and results pending, Mickey's focus on powerlifting continues to evolve.
2016 RPS Memphis Classic Meet Report
This meet was about a few monster numbers that have been weighing down on me. All of the lessons from my elitefts teammates are starting to pay off.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Kevin Jabroni?
The 2016 Mr. Olympia ended up being more about Kevin Levrone than Phil Heath. Was it empty hype?
The Complete 2016 Off-Season Rugby Training Manual
I'm sharing with you the actual manual that I gave my professional athletes prior to departing for their one-month break. This covers all the athletes' needs for staying in shape for the rigors of pre-season training.
Are You and Your PT Compatible?
Beyond skill-set, a physical therapist's personal belief system, communication style, vision, and philosophy are just a few things you should consider when searching for the perfect match.
Real People, Real Results — 8 Lessons in Training, Nutrition, and Busine...
I’ve spent the better part of these last two years working with hundreds of new clients and continuing to meet and learn from seasoned coaches.
WATCH: Personal Training vs. Online Coaching
Not all clients are serious strength athletes and not every coach prefers to work in-person. In this video Christian explains several key differences and shares his opinion on working with general population.
Close-Grip Bench, Dips, and Chins — When and Why I Don't Program
Let’s get into how you can adjust your form, what to pay attention to, and how you can get the greatest gains from these three exercises without beating up your body.
WATCH: Table Talk — Can You Use Competition Lifts for Max Effort Work?
If you feel you need more work on the competition movements, can you use them as max effort work instead of doing specialty exercises?
WATCH: The Story Behind the Logo — TRAIN
The TRAIN logo emphasizes what we stand for. It's what we do.
Why Fitness Articles Suck — Confessions of a Content Mill Author
If you’ve been in the fitness industry for a couple of decades like I have, you may be wondering what the hell happened. Fitness articles weren’t this bad when we were starting out, were they?
Guest Judging Boss of Bosses 3
Watching a lifter going for a lift he knows he has to make to move into first place...
Watching a lifter going for a record that has stood for 15 or 20 years...
WATCH: Jim Wendler Speaks at Open Underground Strength Session
As elitefts team members, we’ve seen the impact that this community and time training together has had on our lives and lifting careers — we're bringing more people into that fold.
Finding Strength: The Strength Depot
The owners of this Livonia, Michigan facility have made a commitment to bettering the world of strength sports, providing a home to many lifters and raising money for Relentless Detroit.
Stress and Social Support — How Can You Help Your Athletes?
At the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is food, shelter, and safety. If your athlete doesn't have one of these three things, how can you expect them to perform at their best?
Squat Mechanics: Why Stacking the Knee Overtop of the Ankle Is Important
There are a lot of things we work on with fixing lifters' squats, let's start here.
Mitigating ADHD in Athletics
To improve the lives of those with ADHD and those interacting with these individuals, we must better educate the teachers, coaches, and mentors.
Dr. Squat: Fred Hatfield’s Journey Through the 1000-Pound Barrier
When Dr. Squat decided he wanted to squat over 1,000 pounds, he performed several statistical computations to figure out exactly how he would be able to get there.
WATCH: Dave's Squat Tips for NBS Lifters
What began as a heavy squat session in the S4 Compound became an impromptu coaching session with Dave. Here are the five things he told these lifters to fix.
Stop the Madness! #SMEP Single Minute Exercise Prep
You don't need 45 minutes of mobility work for a 30-minute work out. Here are some general guidelines and an approach to effectively employing preventative and corrective work.
WATCH: Off Topic — Should You Periodize Your Conditioning?
In building your aerobic base, is it enough to simply add Prowler pushes, hill sprints, and sled drags to your program? Dave and Jim explain the purpose behind GPP.