Speed Work — Are You Doing It Correctly?
You know the simple rules of dynamic effort training but may be forgetting the small-but-crucial details that make it effective.
WATCH: Training Camp Q&A — What Do You Wish You Would've Done S...
JL Holdsworth, Swede Burns, and Casey Williams opened their training camp by answering this question.
Inside the Mind of Stuart McRobert — Training Advice You're Not Fol...
Get bigger and stronger with these four cornerstones of McRobert’s training method.
Should Powerlifters Do Curls?
Your biceps aren’t the prime movers for any of the three powerlifts. A lot of people think this means you shouldn’t train them. Are they right?
Table Talk — Thin Crust or Hand-Tossed Pizza?
Somehow this all ties into real-world experience and the steps taken to reach success as a business owner. Trust us.
Mental Characteristics of Successful Powerlifters
In my years of powerlifting, I have seen some really gifted people go nowhere, and some really poorly suited people do very well. Mindset is everything.
6 Don'ts for New Lifters Going Into a Meet
As a coach and competitor these are the recurring mistakes I witness many first-timers make.
Do You Believe?
Was I able to do these things and reach the level that I did simply because I believed?
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift — Big Air
So, you want a big squat, bench and pull? You better learn how to breathe.
What's Old?
Instead of thinking of age as a disability or a disadvantage, recognize your experience for what it is: an advantage in achieving physical and mental greatness.
WATCH: Table Talk — How to Maintain a Healthy Spine
Screw up your back and being unable to squat or deadlift won’t be your only concern.
Know Your Bars
Nobody wants to waste hard earned money on equipment they’re not sure about. Use this overview of the SS Yoke Bar and the Rackable Cambered Bar to make your next purchasing decision is an educated one.
Post-Meet Training — What to Do the First 9 Weeks After Competition
This 9-week program is designed to allow recovery, build muscle, improve conditioning, and prepare you mentally and physically for another heavy training cycle.
Jeff Magruder: Powerlifter and Bench Press Champion
A multi-world record holder in the bench press, a successful gym owner, and a successful all-around lifter, Magruder has certainly made his mark.
WATCH: Reno Hardcore With Guests Dan and Sparkle Green
Chad interviews world-record holding powerlifter Dan Green and his wife Sparkle after a seminar at American Iron gym.
Tapering for a Powerlifting Meet
Let’s evaluate how to train in the final four weeks leading to a competition. Most importantly, what does it mean to taper and how should you do it?
WATCH: Table Talk — Peaking for A Meet with Circa Max Training
Dave and JL talk about the aspects of Circa Max that many lifters overlook: the what, how, when, why, and who.
Are You MapQuesting Your Training?
This is the difference between running a system or following a program. It’s the difference between getting lost or arriving at your destination.
Three Powerlifting Fads That Are Hurting Your Total
Training isn’t meant to be flashy — it’s meant to be effective. Resist the temptation of these “hip” techniques and stay on track to bigger PRs on meet day.
Confidence — What Separates the Elite from the Novice
Where is your confidence and what are you willing to do to strengthen it?
Powerlifting as a Team Sport — The Professional Mindset of Tank's T...
Any successful team needs all of its athletes to be on the same page and shooting for the same goal.
WATCH: How To Properly Use the SS Yoke Bar
This bar brings endless potential to your weight room — but only if used properly. Don’t forget these two cues.
WATCH: Table Talk — What Is the Most Disgusting Thing You've Seen i...
If visions of vomit, blood, cysts, and puss make you queasy, find another video to watch.
How to Fix Your Bench Press: Programming Issues and Assistance Work
Knowing now how to set up and execute the lift, there is one final process to perfect your bench press.
REGISTER NOW: April 30th Training Camp with JL Holdsworth, Swede Burns, ...
You will have the opportunity to learn about any topic in strength training you choose, from execution of the main lifts all the way down to minute details of accessory work.
No Longer Chasing the Bench — Leaving the Platform After 30 Years
I am not leaving the sport. I love this sport and even more so, the people in it, but the juice is no longer worth the squeeze.
Table Talk — What Is the Biggest Lesson You Learned From Westside?
JL Holdsworth joins Dave for a look back at the years they spent training at Westside and everything they learned there.
Squat and Deadlift Coaching Lessons from the XPC Training Cycle
With a limited time frame and many issues to fix for these three lifters, I had to target their specific weaknesses with training adjustments. This is how we did it.
Are You Willing to Be Wrong?
I was unwilling, to my core, to be corrected. I would rather get hurt than admit I was wrong. And I did, many times. Once that character defect changed, so did everything else.
WATCH: Coaching Session with Brandon Smitley and Purdue Barbell Club
Smitley discusses each cue and technical advice given to the young lifters, explaining how and why it is important for them to make the changes in their training while preparing for competition.
WATCH: Destroying the Paradigm of a 'Functional Bench Press'
This presentation from the University of Western States Chiropractic College breaks down the bench press and examines why there is a benefit to performing the movement outside of a posturally correct position.
WATCH: Table Talk — Peak Arousal for Performance in Strength Sports
Every lifter has their own optimal place on the arousal curve. Going in either direction from that point will wreck your performance.
My First Training Cycle at the S4 Compound
The beginning of XPC preparation proved how much I stood to learn from Dave, Matt Smith, and the other weekend regulars.
Failure Is Always An Option
You may have heard that committing to your goals means eliminating the possibility of failure. The problem? This isn’t realistic. You can’t always win.
Team Elitefts Welcomes Seven New Members
Every member of this team has been meticulously chosen based on their unique talents. There’s more to earning your spot than lifting big weights.
WATCH: Tarra Oravec Joins Team Elitefts
If Tarra never lifted more than her current best 1200-pound raw total at 181, she would still be one of the greatest. The scary thing? She’s just starting.
Effective or Ineffective: When To Keep or Drop Your Training Program
Your body must undergo multiple stages of adaptation before you decide whether or not your training program is working for you. Patience, my friend. Patience.
WATCH: Table Talk — Can Single-Ply Gear Supplement A Raw Lifter's T...
If you’re competing raw but want to use briefs or a shirt in training, there’s one rule you need to follow.
Gas Station Gains — High Calorie, Low Effort
Yes, you read that right. If you you want to get big quick, you’re not going to do it with broccoli and egg whites. It’s time get to dirty.
The Obstacles You'll Face Becoming A Great Powerlifter
You can be the best in the world or a complete beginner — you’re going to deal with many of the same challenges either way.
How to Fix Your Bench Press: The Execution
So far, we haven’t even moved the bar. Keeping in mind what we learned in part one of this series, we are now ready to begin the press.
WATCH: Dan Green and Dave Tate Discuss Powerlifting Training
From beginner to immediate to advanced, your methods must progress and become specific to your needs.
Arch Your Way to a Bigger Bench
A shorter range of motion means a bigger bench. Here’s how to get your chest closer to the bar without taking your ass off the bench.
The Science of Variable Resistance
Bands? Chains? The strength curve? How can this data make you a better lifter and athlete.
WATCH: Table Talk — Finding Solutions to Deadlift Weaknesses
Leverages will influence your ideal deadlift stance, but that’s only one small part of finding your weakness is.
2016 Arnold Sports Festival — Expo, XPC Meet Reports, and S4 Compound Ev...
Team elitefts did more than just compete this year at the Arnold. Everything we did is compiled here in one super-sized article.
THREE DAYS LEFT — Win 12 Weeks of Free Online Training from Team Elitefts
Participating coaches include; Swede Burns, Clint Darden, Julia Ladewski, Brandon Smitley, Joe Schillero, Ken Skip Hill, Zach Gallmann, Matt Ladewski, Shane Church, David Allen, Casey Williams, Dani Overcash, David Kirschen, Sheri Whethem, Ken Whethem.
Switching to Single-Ply and Walking Out the Squat
I’m making some changes and have employed the knowledge of several lifting legends to answer these crucial questions.
WATCH: Table Talk — Do Some Training Programs Only Work If You Take Ster...
I hear lifters say this shit all the time. It’s ludicrous.
Life and Lifting After Double Hip Replacement Surgery
With 20 years of lifting behind me, I was scared to death of my double anterior total hip replacement. What would life be like after surgery? Could I ever lift again?
Beyond the Barbell
For most powerlifters, exercise begins and ends with the barbell. What if I told you there were ways to get better without it?
WATCH: Physique and Strength Sports — Training and Competing as a Dual A...
Can you do both? This is Julia’s approach.
How to Fix Your Bench Press: The Setup
The first installment of a three-part series, this article discusses the first step of mastering the bench press: learning optimal setup.
Fix These Simple Mistakes to Lift Heavier Weights
These mistakes in the squat, bench, and deadlift seem small on their own. But add them to together? You’re leaving pounds off your total.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Worst Beginner Mistake
This mistake is really, really simple, even if no one wants to take ownership of it.
WATCH: Investigating 'The Reset System'
Talking with founders Shawn Sherman and Jonathan Loos, I learned of the benefits and limitations of this restorative system that aims at pinpointing and eliminating joint dysfunctions.
Strong(her) Overhead Press Progressions for the Novice Female Lifter
Most women are unfamiliar with this movement but, with the right techniques and teaching methods, this can be one of the easiest ‘big’ exercises to learn.