company history and mission - Our Company Story

Founded in 1998, built on passing it on

elitefts was founded in 1998, but what matters most is how we started.

Dave Tate built the original site around a truth that still holds today: the best strength advice he ever learned came from people who never charged him a dime. They taught because someone once did the same for them. That is the heart of our Aim and the reason elitefts exists.

Live. Learn. Pass On.

We started with a Q&A, not a catalog

Before there was a store, there was the Q&A.

Because not everyone can afford a coach. Not everyone has access to a strong training culture. And if the best knowledge only lives behind paywalls, the sport gets smaller, not better.

So we built elitefts to keep knowledge moving forward.

That same Q&A spirit still drives what we publish today through the articles on the site, the podcast, and our ongoing education. Since inception, we have published over 1 million pages of content, free to anyone who wants to learn.

The standard has to match on both sides

We are known for education, but we are also known for outfitting lifters with the highest quality products, and that is not optional.

You cannot have great content and junk products. You also cannot sell great products and publish weak content and expect people to trust you long-term. The gear is part of the message.

If we published elite-level training advice but shipped mediocre equipment, the education would feel like marketing. If we sold world-class equipment but treated education like an afterthought, we would be like everyone else. Our standards have to match, because your results, your safety, and your trust depend on it.

The FTS in our name stands for Focus, Trust, Strength

Focus on what works, not what trends
Trust built through consistency, truth, and taking care of people
Strength as the outcome in the gym and the standard in life

Service is not a department here. It is the strategy.

In a market full of noise, we chose the one thing that holds up over time: service.

We are here to take care of people with patience, straightforward answers, and real support. We do not overpromise. We listen, fix what needs fixed, and treat the smallest customer the same as the largest.

Because free education is service, too. And when you combine education, quality, and service, you get something that lasts.

The promise

If you train, you belong here.

Whether you are a coach trying to help your athletes, a lifter chasing a PR, or someone who cannot afford a coach but refuses to stay stuck, the goal is the same: give you the knowledge and the tools to get stronger, then help you pass it on.

That is elitefts. Founded in 1998. Still here for the same reason.