7-Step Guide to Learning the Sumo Deadlift
This article includes video that shows the many physical and technical aspects you need to master to get the most of your sumo deadlift.
WATCH: Table Talk — Where Is the Sport Discipline?
There’s going to be a time when you can’t do this anymore. Don’t piss on this opportunity. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
Reliving the Powerlifting Glory Days: Pride, Inspiration, and the 2008 I...
Fame? We never wanted it. My, how times have changed.
An Unconventional Motive for Muscularity
There are a whole shitload of really good reasons you should get as jacked as you possibly can.
Recognize Your Weaknesses and Limitations
This could be the simple rule to great strength — are you following it?
Health Considerations of Powerlifting Technique
Consider the major powerlifting movements, cues, and technical adjustments that may prove helpful in both improving strength and prolonging health.
Finding Peak Performance in Powerlifting Through Personal Coaching
The key to breaking my long-term training plateau was turning to someone with more knowledge and training experience than me. He knew exactly what I needed.
How I Benched 500 Pounds As A Teenager
The methods weren’t perfect, the food was mostly shit, but it worked. There are a few things I’d change before recommending this for someone else.
Raw Unity Meet 9: Coaching, 5thSet, World Record Controversy
Another year of RUM, another weekend of 5thSet lifters kicking ass on the platform. Thank God no one I work with broke a world record, right?
My 30-Year Love Affair with Lifting
If I never did another meet, wrote another article, or coached at another seminar, I would still love lifting.
WATCH: Getting Into A Deadlift Position
It might take you 10 reps to find your groove, or it might take you 100. Keep working until that position becomes automatic.
Interview with LeRoy “The Machine” Walker
Could he be the next man to bench press over 700 pounds raw?
Here and Now: Mindfulness and Being in the Moment
Your time in the gym is precious. If you don’t summon the iron will to shut off the outside world, get out.
5 Strategic Questions Everyone Should Ask About Their Training
When moments of failure start to cloud your perspective of training, you need to return to your core philosophy. Asking these questions will force you to refocus on the big picture.
WATCH: Deadlift Tips on Tightness, Speed Pulls, and Hook Grip
Looking for guidance from one of the best of all time? Steve Goggins breaks down the deadlift in video form.
Brian Schwab's Gear Recommendations
From wraps and singlets to briefs and suits, here are the things I believe you should be wearing when you step on the platform.
Training Solo vs With A Team (or Partner)
There are benefits to having a crew and there are benefits to relying on only yourself. Which are most important for you?
Is Stress Killing Your Progress?
Life stress is unavoidable. It can overwhelm you and have a negative impact on your training…if you let it.
An Updated Deadlift Cycle for Average Joes
This 16-week cycle is for gym rats who have been lifting long enough to have good technique but aren’t interested in peaking for a meet.
Training Heavy with Chronic Pain
No amount of strategic planning can account for your body’s unexpected responses to training and life. Be prepared to stop bowing down to your program and start listening to your body.
Reliving the Powerlifting Glory Days: My Best Meets of '05–'08
When I competed in the WPO in front of thousands of people with standing room only, I loved it. But I also took it for granted not thinking that it would one day end.
The Nines and Tens of Training and Nutrition
The things to which you devote your time fall into one of two categories: those that are building your future or those that are holding you back.
Fixing Your 'Fail at the Chest' Bench Press
For correcting weaknesses in a given portion of a lift, you need to use what I call Mechanically Similar Movements.
Brandon Smitley's 9-Week Conjugate Training Program
This program is built on the foundation of tried-and-true conjugate training methods and includes personal adjustments from a world-record philosophy.
The Sticking Point: How To Find Your Weakness and Fix It
A logical process of elimination begins by considering all possible causes of your sticking point. I don’t have the answer but I can help you find it.
Time Under Tension: It's Not Just For Bodybuilders
As a powerlifter, you have one goal: move the weight. The faster, the better. Or maybe not.
Finding A Personal Record Through Consistency
Powerlifting is one tool I use to measure my strength. Through relocation, job change, a virus, a motorcycle crash, and children (the list goes on), there’s one thing I learned this past year: consistency.
WATCH: Chris Duffin Interviews Ryan 'Bench Monster' Kennelly
The record-holder and 1075-pound bench presser openly discusses technique and his comeback from injury in this Kabuki Strength Lab video.
Third Time’s a Charm or Three Strikes You're Out?
After two heart surgeries, I was starting to recover. I was making progress. That’s when my cardiologist called with more bad news.
Strong(her) Deadlift Progressions for the Novice Female Lifter
The final powerlifting movement may seem simple, but it isn’t. Use this teaching progression with the proper cues to help new lifters.
elitefts Classic: RIP Dynamic Effort Bench?
The role and reputation of the DE bench press has received nothing but a bad rap. I have to admit that I am partly to blame.
elitefts Classic: Falling Forward in the Squat
Novice and advanced lifters make this mistake all the time, in the gym and at meets. To fix this, figure out if the problem is mental, physical, or technical.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Three Biggest Mistakes Intermediate Lifters Make
If you ever want to reach an elite level in this sport, you have to get the rookie mistakes out of the way. These are the most common problems I see in intermediate lifters.
Implementing 5/3/1 Principles in a Conjugated Program
These options can help you combine the best parts of Wendler’s program with your regular routine of max effort and dynamic effort training.
'Tis the Season: The Pros and Cons of Being Huge
It’s not all glitz and glamour in the world of gluttony — but there are some perks.
Meet Day Mistakes: How to Plan for the Finer Points of Performance
You may be hearing these four tips for the first time or you may need a reminder of things you already know — it doesn’t matter. Whether you’ve done two meets or twenty, avoid these mistakes at all costs.
YouTube Olympics vs Peaking for Competition
A lot of lifters show huge discrepancies between their strength in training videos and their performance in competition. If you design your program correctly, your best lifts will happen where it counts: on the platform.
Training Through Obstacles and OBB Success at APF Gulf Coast Winter Bash
Life. It’s difficult. It always manages to throw you curve balls when you’re expecting a straight shot.
How to Cut Weight Without Ruining Your Meet
If you’re going to cut weight, you need to control your body’s response to food and water. Use these reliable methods to make your class without hurting meet day performance.
5 Tips to Come Down A Weight Class
Aside from lessening my bench stroke, carrying extra bodyfat has really no upside. Consider these five easy steps I took to finally say goodbye to Fatville.
WATCH: Chris Duffin Interviews All-Time Record Holder Sam Byrd
The rivalry between Duffin and Byrd has pushed both lifters to higher numbers and bigger squats. Hear them talk about their training, history, and competing against one another.
WATCH: Table Talk — Can You Build the Deadlift Without Deadlifting?
A lot of people disagree about how often you should deadlift in the gym, if at all. For 13 years of competing, this is how I trained my deadlift.
The Training of Vince Anello: How He Became the First Man Under 200 Poun...
The five-time IPF World Champion and York Barbell Hall-of-Famer opens up about his life and the methods he used to build his incredible strength, including a 14-week deadlift routine.
10 Items No Gym Should Be Without
If you want your facility to be capable of producing successful strength athletes, you need the right equipment. Here is my must-have list.
Strong(her) Bench Press Progressions for the Novice Female Lifter
Now that we’ve tackled the squat, let’s break down the bench set up and introduce a cue system to use during every set.
An Alternative Look at Concentrated Loading in the Sport of Powerlifting
This revision and reconsideration of the ‘block’ misnomer helped me better understand concentrated loading and produced a new way to program each lift.
Are You Hearing Advice But Don't Know How to Listen?
You need someone who isn’t afraid to criticize; you need to listen to what you’re doing wrong.
10 Gifts for the Training-Obsessed Woman
The holiday season is here. If you’re struggling to come up with gift ideas for a girl who places training as her top priority, look no further. I’ve got you covered.
I Wanna Get Fat
The decision to cut or add weight does not have to be so complicated. Is it a pleasant experience? Well, that’s debatable.
WATCH: Annual Programming for Powerlifting— Daily Layout of Squat and De...
Your yearly setup is complete. Now let’s look at individual days and how to program main, supplemental, and accessory exercises.
3-Week Cycle of Off-Season Volume Fun
We’ve had great success devoting three weeks to volume in transition from and to competition prep with this 2-on/1-off/2-on/weekend-off setup.
WATCH: Table Talk — Learning From Novice Mistakes
The annoying lifter in your gym might seem like he’s making no progress, but screwing around is exactly what he needs.
Getting the Most Out of Online Coaching
There are obstacles to overcome for effective online coaching. If you’ve considered working with a coach from a distance, here are the things you’ll need to do for an optimal working relationship.
External Rotation: Small Cue for a Big Squat
This vital component of a safe and powerful squat has been misconstrued and misunderstood by much of the strength community. Let’s get it right.
Consistency is the Name of the Game
To develop and ingrain the habits of success overlook no fine details.
Behind the Numbers: Interview with Bruce Mason
With a growing record of impressive meet numbers, this young and talented lifter aims to take over the sport of geared powerlifting.
Training at Westside: Priorities and Lifestyle
For us, lifting was a priority. Louie and Westside gave us the edge to move our lifters on up in the competitive world. More than a place to train, lifting was our lifestyle.
WATCH: Table Talk — Curing Common Powerlifter Pain
Biceps and triceps tendonitis are among the most likely aches to plague competitive powerlifters. Here are several go-to ways to manage these and other common tendon and joint overuse injuries.