Sometimes More Is Better
One of the first things we learn in the fitness industry—whether you’re a trainer, a gym rat, or that “newbie” who is still wet behind the ears—is that more isn’t always better.
What I Wish I Knew as a Female Athlete
As an athlete, you’re taught many things—work hard, compete until the end, work together with your teammates, push yourself to the limit, and have fun.
An Introduction to the Sport of Kettlebell Lifting
By now, you should know what a kettlebell is, or at the very least, you should have heard of kettlebells. They are popping up everywhere, and you can even purchase them from your local sporting goods retailer. There are kettlebell fitness trainers, kettlebell boot camps, kettlebell gyms, and even kettlebell infomercials. Kettlebells certainly have broken into the mainstream. Some might
Gain One Inch on Your Arms in Thirty Days
Just recently, a man who was very well acquainted with Vince Gironda contacted me. He told me some stories about the old “Iron Guru” that I hadn’t heard before. It got me thinking about Vince.
The Biggest Gimmick in Strength and Conditioning
I’ve been to a ton of seminars in the past year, and every single time I came away confused on the most effective way to design a strength and conditioning program for high school athletes. One of the most conflicting methods used when talking about speed training is overspeed.
Thirty Days Without Weights: Part III
Many bodybuilders and physique specialists have wanted to know more about how to gain muscle mass using basic, body weight exercises.
Westside for Fat Bastards!
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the monsters at the Westside Barbell Club in Ohio.
5/3/1 In A Commercial Gym: Observations
Because of a major career change, I've recently relocated to a new city. With this move, and all the bullshit that goes along with moving, I've been forced to endure the misfortune of trying to find a new gym
Echocardiography Evidence of Cardiac Output Training
About 7 years ago, I managed to free myself from the commercial gym mess and train at home, but I used this as an excuse to neglect my cardio training since I didn’t have any pieces of cardio equipment. Working in the medical field, you would think I’d know better.
Pull-up Progression (Part 2: SHWt Edition)
You’ve probably read the first part of “Pull-ups” according to “H” and say to yourself, “Sure, that’s fine, but I can’t even do a single rep.” That’s ok. In this part, we’ll address your need(s) in being able to perform that repetition.
Release Your Inner Masochist
It was not until the early to mid-1900’s that we even NEEDED a “gym” to exercise in. Before then, people were active enough just working in a factory in New York or a corn field in Nebraska.
Warm Up Essentials
The cookie cutter approach to exercise doesn’t make sense to me, especially when people are stuck behind desks (sustained lumbar flexion, shortened hip flexors) all day or opt to train with movement impairments. Corrective strategies are necessary, and everyone needs to have a static and dynamic evaluation. It’s common to confuse being strong with being healthy.
Under The Bar: The 2009 Underground Strength Session
Before I get to the Underground Strength Session (UGSS) I need to take care of a little business first and bring everyone up to speed with what’s been going on around here. Don’t worry – I’ll be quick and even use bullet points.
Seven Secrets to Better Workouts
As your old high school gym teacher might have led you to believe, stretching before weight training isn’t the best way to warm up. Recent reports show that static stretching before exercise can reduce muscle strength. Stretching relaxes your muscles, so why would you want to relax your muscles when you need to lift explosively during weight training?
Basic Tips to Lose Weight
Everyone at one point or another wants to lose weight or get “ripped.” Some of these people succeed in their goals and strive to keep improving. However, many fail miserably and make excuses as to why they didn’t succeed.
Developing an Effective Strength Training Program
The key for athletic success begins in the weight room. Studies have shown that athletes who participate in a strength training program are faster, quicker, and more explosive, and they have fewer injuries.
Pull-up 101, Part I
When Elite asked me to write an article about pull-ups, I thought, no problem. This will take about one line—grab a bar and give it a tug. That’s it. Finished. Done! Then I thought, well, no…
Back to Simplicity
Can structure exist without rules? If you have a penchant for a more Apollonian protocol, you would answer with a passionate “no.”
What’s Best for Increasing Muscle Mass and Strength—Linear or Reverse L...
“Training is an exact science.” —Mike Mentzer
Fat Loss Without Cardio?!?
Aerobic exercise is often very rhythmic, and many people detest it because it is so boring. Every time I go into a gym, the so-called cardio section is full, and the weight area is somewhat like a ghost town.
Reevaluation
Recently, I’ve been on a 10-week decline in the gym. It began with a powerlifting meet that I entered back in November.
Abdominal Training for the Power Athlete
The other day I had to suffer the great indignity of paying for a day pass at a commercial gym. Lifting in a commercial place isn’t all that bad. It can actually be good from time to time to expose you to new equipment or just get a change of scenery.
“Sport-Specific” Training for Youth: Athlete and Parents Beware, Part 1
“Sport-specific” is the new marketing buzzword when it comes to strength and conditioning programs for youth. Uneducated masses of parents and coaches herd their sports teams at a young age into “athletic performance” programs that supposedly address the strength, movement, and speed demands of one specific sport.
30 Days Without Weights: Part II
In my first article on body weight training titled “30 Days Without Weights,” I spoke about the many benefits of using body weight training during a training phase.
Analogies for Understanding: Origins of Strength
Motor units, rate coding, fast-twitch muscle fibers, recruitment capacity—do you have this all down?
Periodization, Part II: The Science of Peaking
As opposed to the first part of this series, which could benefit anyone who trains seriously, this part is more targeted to an elite audience. Peaking isn’t of much interest to someone who doesn’t compete. Although deloading can be beneficial for any athlete, peaking goes way beyond deloading, and its temporary nature makes it irrelevant for non-competing athletes.
The “Devil” Bench Workout
Why is it that whenever I’m in a gym I see people benching the same weight at each workout? It usually goes like this—a person performs a few reps at 185 lbs, then at 205 lbs, and maybe at 225 lbs.
The Power of the Pack: Your Guide to Survival
When I first started seriously strength training as a sophomore in college, I did so because everyone else on my dorm floor went down together to the weight room at 4:00 pm.
Lessons Learned from Training Young Kids
I have spent this past winter training young hockey players, often as young as 11-years-old and often by myself in groups of 12–15 kids at one time.
Making the Most of College Lifting
College is a wonderful place. It’s the transitional phase between being nestled securely at home close to your mother’s teat and being thrust out into the real world, which I can assure you, is an awful place once you truly appreciate your time in college.
Seven Successful Habits for Young Athletes
Succeed academically: It’s crucial for young athletes to start developing solid study habits as they get older.
My Journey into Bodybuilding
Well, the diet has started! I decided to cut my off-season down by a few weeks and start dieting. I felt like I was getting to a point where adding more weight would make getting into shape too difficult to accomplish, so I started dieting January 1.
Too Fat to Get Fit?: Addressing the Physical Development Needs of Today...
It isn’t pretty, but it’s a reality. Our youth are getting fatter and unhealthier by the day. Physical education classes are either gone or absolutely minimized in our educational curriculum. The classes that are still intact are ill-suited for the new generation.
The Prowler Challenge
It’s the perfect conditioning device for anyone looking to cut the B.S., start training like a man again and not waste time.
Periodization, Part II
Complete recovery after a hard day of training may last more than 48 hours, and training every other day isn’t really an option for elite performance (there are exceptions to this rule).
Periodization, Part I
This series is an introduction to periodization. Too often, I’ve come across people who don’t understand the foundations of training so I decided to fix this situation. Obviously, I’ll need to keep many details out for the sake of simplicity.
Chain Training
Initially used for accommodating resistance, chains help take into account the body’s natural strength curve. Many people have become familiar with this concept over the last few years as chains have become increasingly popular.
Top 11 Exercises for Athletes
Here are the top 11 movements for athletes. Add them to your rotation and work them hard.
What’s the Big Deal with Partial Lifts?
I’ll come right out and say it—I’m a big fan of partial lifts. Some say they’re dangerous while others say they’re unproductive. Why do a partial lift when you can do the whole lift?
Work Capacity: Do It Stronger, Faster, Harder, and Longer
There are many elements to strength and conditioning (S&C) training as it relates to mixed martial arts (MMA). Most folks think that it’s all about “strength” or “cardio.”
The Dungeon
Wabush, Labrador, Canada. A small mining town nestled in the cold and desolate woodland of northern Canada. Seven months of the year this isolated town in the middle of nowhere is covered in a deep and cold blanket of snow.
The Reintroduction of J.L. Holdsworth, and the Introduction of the FIVE ...
Hello Everyone! My name is J.L. Holdsworth and I’m an asshole.
How I Passed Basic Training at 235 Pounds
Before I get started here, I want to say that I am in no way, shape or form a badass. I’m simply an average guy with a little better than average genetics, and a good work ethic. I know a hundred guys that are tougher and more hardcore than I am. They just haven’t written their stories down on paper
Transforming Together (Part 1)
In March of 2009, I was contacted by Nate and Donia, training partners from Iowa who were looking to get into better shape. Eight months later, they both competed in their first competitions (bodybuilding for him and figure for her) with completely transformed physiques.
Dynamic Chest Training: What’s Your Upper Body Vertical?
At some point in their training careers, most people reading this have probably been asked, “What’s your bench,” as if the bench is the one and only indicator of strength.
No Secret to Balanced Training
Anatomy can be pretty intense and sometimes more complex than necessary. Balanced training is an old idea, so why beat a dead horse? Because bodybuilding dogma continues to prevail and everyone seems to define balanced training differently. So really…what the hell is balanced training?
Rapid Rate of Force Development
Rate of force development (ROFD) is probably the most important and under-recognized area of applied science pertaining to strength training and athletics.
Get Your Back into Your Lifting
I’m becoming a deadlift supremacist more and more. Louie Simmons recently wrote in Powerlifting USA, “A weak man has a weak back, and a strong man has a strong back. It’s that simple.”
The Relationship Between Size and Strength, Part 2
The strongest lifter in any given weight class is not necessarily the lifter with the most muscle mass because lifting maximal weights involves more factors than just muscle mass.
The Relationship Between Size and Strength, Part 1
It always bugs me when someone says that there is no relationship between size and strength.
Beginner Follow-Up Program
Here’s the exemplary monthly plan with two trainings of the beginning lift operators:
Are Plank Exercises for You?
One of the latest rages in the fitness industry is the plank exercise. In essence, plank refers to maintaining your body in a straight line from head to toe, as for example, in the up position of a push-up.
Why Bodybuilding Is NOT for Athletes
The biggest problem I come across with athletes is their current training regime. Everyone wants to train like a bodybuilder. I don't know if it’s the current trend in muscle magazines or misinformation, or maybe the athletes simply don't have the proper goals in mind. Nevertheless, changes need to be made.
Warming Up to PRs
What’s keeping you from setting a personal record (PR) in your lifts? Why isn't your “top end” going up?
An Interview with Paul Vaillancourt
Today is a real treat for the readers of EliteFTs.com. A good friend of mine, Paul Vaillancourt, just won the 105 kg Canada’s Strongest Man Competition and also placed eleventh at Canada’s Strongest Man (the real deal)!
