Home and the Home Gym — The Heart Follows the Iron
In this article, we reach the end of our journey. You will read about how original home gym owners made different choices and changed their lives as they followed the iron.
Seven Tips to Get Your Ass Back in the Gym
This article is for the grizzled veterans who are now getting up in years. If you’ve fallen off the exercise wagon here are seven easy tips to get your training back on course.
Life Imitates Powerlifting
The lessons I have learned from powerlifting help me with situations I come across in my life. I recently experienced this while on my first mule deer archery hunt.
WATCH: Table Talk with Mark Dugdale — Exercise Execution, Pre-Workout Fo...
Mark and Dave share their combined knowledge in both powerlifting and bodybuilding, gained from multiple decades honing their respective crafts.
What Data Collection Could Mean for Your 2017 Powerlifting Total
Just like you have lifting data, you also have life data. As the New Year has begun, let’s review 2016.
Off-Season Case Study #1 — Examining Weakness And Implementing Correctiv...
In this case, we examine a young competitive athlete who has limited experience and is facing several serious issues in his squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Joe "The Lad" Ladnier Mississippi Monster
As the first man ever to break the 2100-pound barrier (2160) in the 220-pound class, Joe Ladnier rocketed to the top of powerlifting world more than 30 years ago.
WATCH: Rapid Fire Table Talk — Westside Before Bands, Programming By Gen...
Looking for an unconventional use for bands?
The Isometric Deadlift Cycle That Took My Deadlift to 800 Pounds in 22 M...
Isometrics are so terrible, in fact, that I am going to give you the exact cycle I use. If you are willing to go through everything I lay out, I am willing to give it away.
The S Word — What I've Learned
In this final part, I try to wrap it all up with insight into how I currently feel about steroids.
Competing Requires Management Skills
Having a good meet means accounting for every aspect of your performance. Mismanage one aspect and you’re not going to have a great day.
Bodybuilding Exercises for the Powerlifter — Rear Delts Rows
Get a bigger bench and boulder shoulders with this easy movement.
How to Use Lifting Straps: A Simple Tutorial
This method is fast, simple, and won’t let the bar ever slip from your hands.
The Three Most Important Factors for Becoming A Great Lifter
If you ever want to be a top-ranked lifter, you’re going to need all three of these things.
WATCH: Should You Arch Your Back When You Bench Press?
Bench-builder or back-breaker? Steve has the answer.
The Road to Westside Barbell
I had only one goal and nothing else mattered: to make it to Westside and get as strong as I possibly could.
A (Battle) Cry for Help
Is it a bad decision to stop performing lifts that cause an axial load on the spine when the back is injured?
The S Word — Effects on Mental Illness
I am going to take a little detour to talk about personal issues I dealt with during this time, how these issues affect me, and if any of these issues were affected by what I was taking.
Why Compete in Powerlifting?
Powerlifters train for years to test their strength at powerlifting meets, yet receive little recognition or financial reward in return. So where’s the motivation?
WATCH: Table Talk Compilation Series — JL Holdsworth
Stories of Westside, vomit, blood, cysts, spine health, circa max training, pizza, and more…
No One Cared Who I Was Until I Put on the Mask
What if I could lift with a complete lack of inhibition, able to call upon whatever I needed from the dark recesses of my mind?
WATCH: Painless Hook Grip Technique
Despite all of the positive aspects of using a hook grip, there’s one significant deterrent: pain. What if you could avoid it?
The elitefts Definitive Guide to Board Pressing
Dave believes the most important and widely used purpose for boards is to increase/correct the mini-max or sticking point.
The Yearly Training Plan of the Strength Athlete: Transitioning From Com...
Once the competitive season commences, the athlete will need to be transitioned into a contrasting training paradox, otherwise known as the off-season.
WATCH: Table Talk Compilation Series — Maliek Derstine
All in one article, we revisit Dave and Maliek’s discussion on sticking points, longevity, equipped powerlifting transitions, and challenges a lifter must face when following a percentage-based training program.
It's Not A World Record (And Other Things That Piss Me Off)
Most of the time I ignore what I don’t agree with, but considering I am three weeks out from my meet and I have been a grumpy bastard the last few weeks, I am going to write about a few stupid things I’ve seen.
The S Word — Side Effects and A Higher Dose
When I took HRT therapy to a new level, my initial ideas began to change. It wasn’t anything like what I had read or heard about.
My Bittersweet 2016 WPC Worlds
One day you can have the best day of your life and the next day could be your worst. This week included both for me.
WATCH: How to Rehabilitate A Recurring Hamstring Injury
If you misidentify the cause of the injury, not only will you fail to solve the problem, but you may actually make it worse.
Home and the Home Gym: Making Your Home into a Gym
Nine athletes and coaches who have owned home gyms were asked to share the purpose and evolution of their early setups.
Do You Have the Guts to be a Successful Powerlifter?
All the success in your lifting that stems from work you put in at the gym can be compromised, often significantly, by your failures outside of the gym.
The Six-Day Triphasic Microcycle
We ran the first variation of this setup in preparation for our last powerlifting meet and it resulted in around 1,400 pounds of total PRs spread amongst nine different lifters.
WATCH: Mario D'Amico — A Return to Raw
When the long-term goal is a 1000-pound squat at 220, and the ultimate goal is a 2400-pound total, you need two things: patience and a lot of hard work.
How Are YOU Performing the Dimel Deadlift?
Even the best of the best display small form errors while performing common lifts — Clint Darden challenges Dave Tate.
The S Word — When My Perspective Changed
I can now write about this subject and share how things worked out for me. It has been a journey with more than a few twists and turns.
Bodybuilding Exercises for the Powerlifter — The Vacuum and Reverse Hype...
This article series describes how you can incorporate bodybuilding exercises into your powerlifting training for big benefits in strength and aesthetics.
WATCH: True Age vs Training Age
There are rules about training age that apply whether you’re 15 or 50.
How to Bench 5 Plates Raw: 400 to 500 at a Moderate and Sustained Pace
In this article, we are going to discuss the training of the bench press for someone approaching a press 1.8-2x their bodyweight.
5 Gifts for the Guy or Girl Who's Getting into Powerlifting
‘Tis the season for winter bulking, New Year’s resolutions, long lines at the squat racks, and a bunch of gym bros begging to work in on your bench sets.
WATCH: Mental Preparation Tips for Powerlifting
To be your best on the platform, you need your mind to be just as prepared as your body.
5 Ways You’re Screwing Up Speed Work
Commit too many of the mistakes I’m about to present to you and your training will result in zero results. You certainly wont be getting the desired effect of optimizing force development.
11 Set and Rep Schemes for Massive Reverse Hyper Back Pumps
You should be doing Reverse Hypers twice a week, year-round. Keep them fresh and challenging with these programming variations.
Power Teams: Kick-Ass Home Training Gyms
This is sweat. This is heavy, hardcore training, fueled by chalk dust and ammonia. Welcome to Outlaw Powerlifting, Boomer’s Iron Grounds, and The Wharehouse.
What Is A Competitive Lifter?
There are a lot of things to argue about in powerlifting, but you can’t argue about integrity, you can’t argue about desire, and you can’t argue about dedication. You need these things no matter what.
Home and the Home Gym — The Roots
This is the dimension occupied by nursing babies with their mothers, lovers having intimate sex, and friends and family hugging. The relationship between lifter and bar is that intimate.
My First Visit to elitefts — UGSS with John Meadows
Some people may have thought my trip from Florida to Ohio for a weekend of lifting was silly, but this is passion. This is what unifies us.
Brandon Smitley's 1377-pound Total at 2016 WPC World Championships
I walked away with a two-pound squat PR and breaking my all-time world record, a fraction of a pound PR on bench, and a 12 pound PR total. Soon enough, 1400 will be mine.
Joe Sullivan's 2000-pound Total at SPF Reebok Record Breakers
My training cycle was stellar, and I had not missed a rep in training in months. Despite that, the nerves were still there. If I wasn’t scared traveling to this meet, I wouldn’t be human.
Why My Home Gym Is Better Than the S4 Compound
My home gym has been one of the best investments I have ever made. Let me explain how I got here.
WATCH: How I Made It Easy to Rep A 1000-pound Deadlift
It may surprise you how great I felt, but if you actually take a look at my training leading into the event, you will understand why.
Three Quarters of a Century and Still Getting Strong(er)
How long will getting stronger continue? At what point, or age, or condition does deterioration begin? Am I racing a clock? Is my time on the platform limited?
Senator, You're No Jack Kennedy — Don't Drop the Deadlift
One of the most impactful statements in debate history can teach you a thing or two about deadlifting.
3 Ways to Know You're Getting Stronger Without Taking a Max
The key is to find ways to consistently track strength increases throughout the training cycle, so that the ebb and flow of peak strength doesn’t negatively affect the overall picture of your training.
Athletic Responsibilities in a Competitive Environment
It is of great importance for all involved in sport participation, especially athletes, to understand what is exactly being asked of them when they make the choice to compete.