The elitefts Internship Guide
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about internships, all in one place.
The Poopy Raccoon
In preparation for our next training session, I knew I needed the help of my coworkers. The next morning they all received the following email blast…
WATCH: Chainz for Gainz — Is Your Accommodating Resistance Doing Anything?
Using chains as accommodating resistance incorrectly can be detrimental to your athletes…and your street cred.
LISTEN: Just Fly Performance Podcast Episode 16 with Guest Mark Watts
Most athletes will forget the win-loss records of their teams, but they won’t forget the way the coach treated them. This podcast episode focuses on the impact coaches can have on young athletes outside of sets and reps.
Learning from Those Around You: 10 S&C Lessons from Friends, Mentors...
If you aren’t open to the knowledge and expertise of those around you, you’re only holding yourself back. These are some of the most influential things I’ve learned from others in this industry.
Honoring elitefts Members Who Served Our Nation
We are honored to have team members who served our nation and this is a post paying homage to them. Check out their stories.
The Impact Show Episode 25 with Guest Mark Watts: A Coaching Journey
Sets, reps, and exercises alone have never made a great strength and conditioning coach. With host Jim Kielbaso, this podcast focuses on the things that truly have an impact on athletes.
WATCH: The Vision and Growth of Showtime Strength and Performance
Nick Showman built his facility with a purpose and, in the process of growing, has found a niche in softball, welcomed serious lifters, and expanded the services he and his coaches provide.
The Five Exercise Assignment
You must pick five and only five exercises or drills to train all of the university sports for all of the seasons. What makes your list?
5 Ways You're Rejecting Self Improvement As A Coach
I recently started going through some old boxes and found an article I printed and saved when I coached at Denison. The information was pertinent for coaches then and it still is now.
LISTEN: The Podcast with Jay DeMayo — Mark Watts on the Field Today
Stepping outside ‘the grind’ of coaching has given Mark a different perspective on his career in strength and conditioning and the challenges that young coaches face. He shares his thoughts on this topic and more in Episode 77.
Practical Application for Developing Rotational Power
All sports are rotational to some degree. Here are some effective ways to develop and assess rotational power within a team setting.
Pacey Performance Podcast — Mark Watts and Aiden Oakley
With an abundance of experience in strength and conditioning, Watts and Oakley share an in-depth evaluation of the opportunities for growth in the industry.
Mark Watts on The Impact Show
Mark Watts does an interview on the podcast: The Impact Show. The takeaways are more than what you would expect.
The Evaluation of a Strength and Conditioning Coach: A Process-Based Pro...
Why do strength coaches quit and the people that hired them don’t care? Before exploring some possible answers, let’s look at the problem.
3 Programming Considerations for In-Season Football Training: Scheduling...
When should the athletes lift? Where is the total training volume based from? How is intensity individualized within a team setting?
Three Coaching Cues You Need to Avoid
Most coaches rely on verbal internal cues, which may be the least effective. Here are several alternative options to help your athletes.
Tweaking the APRE Cluster Method
I had used the APRE Method with great results in the past. After trying some new things in the summer, we decided to implement these changes in the fall.
WATCH: Periodization Differences Between Small and Large Groups
In a question-and-answer session, Dave Tate and Mark Watts talk training with a group of strength and conditioning students.
My Weekend of Strength
With a clinic and meet scheduled on back to back days, I was surrounded by influential members of the strength community and made a few discoveries.
Strength and Speed Seminar at Robert Morris University
Become a better coach by learning from Mark Watts, Cal Dietz, Cam Davidson, and other coaches and professionals in the strength and conditioning field.
WATCH: Hypertrophy Circuits for Athletes in a Team Setting
Offering a standardized program of muscle-building protocols can keep your athletes engaged and motivated to complete the training demands.
WATCH: JL Holdsworth Defines the Culture of The Spot Athletics
It is no accident that The Spot Athletics has a distinct persona in the sports performance industry; JL and his coaches have worked hard to establish precisely the training facility they want for their clients.
LISTEN: The Last Sports Performance Podcast
It’s been a good two years and 64 episodes with elitefts and the Sports Performance podcast. Mark reflects on the ending of a great chapter.
WATCH: Kettlebell Training for Team Sports
Implement these multi-functional and easy-to-learn movements into your team training for greater time efficiency in the weight room.
WATCH: How to Implement Auto-Regulatory Training in a Team Setting
Auto-Regulatory Training can give coaches an athlete-governed system to promote an optimal training environment with limited resources and shorter training cycles
WATCH: Basic Linear Speed Acceleration Drills in a Team Setting
Training athletes in a team setting poses problems that are easily overlooked. Here are several coaching strategies and cues to get your athletes moving smarter and faster.
LISTEN: Joe Hashey Discusses Training Process, Football Players, and Wha...
The owner of Synergy Athletics and two-time NSCA featured speaker breaks down his career path and gives the advice that all trainers and gym owners need to hear.
WATCH: A Better Way to Train High School Athletes
A year-round training solution for the multi-sport athletes.
LISTEN: Delegating High School Athlete Accountability Through Character ...
NSCA High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Fred Eaves discusses the culture he has created at Battle Ground Academy.
WATCH: Why Communication is Key to a Better Coaching Career
Clear pathways of communication can optimize relationships and elongate careers.
LISTEN: Ted Perlak on Programming, Preparation, and Personal Communication
The Head Strength and Conditioning Coach out of University of Delaware breaks down the beginning of the year struggles and how to set your program up for success.
WATCH: How Are You Teaching the Squat?
Mark Watts visits JL Holdsworth and his staff at The Spot Athletics to discuss instruction of the squat and how to create proficiency in an untrained population.
LISTEN: Basketball Strength with UAB's Cory Schlesinger
The most recognizable strength coach from March Madness, talks about primal movements and programming,
LISTEN: Frank Wintrich—A Model of Humility and Hard Work
The young strength and conditioning coach from BYU explains his development and the values he’s put into place in his new position.
Summer Training for Football (with 8-Week Program)
Like no other sport in America, football relies on a productive off-season to dominate in the fall.
WATCH: 8 Good Morning Variations That Belong in Your Program
Team elitefts gives you this compilation of their favorite good morning variations.
Brandon Smitley's Quick Picks
I’ve been an avid reader of EVERY article for roughly the past 4 years, and it’s the sole place that I go to increase my knowledge base, lifting, coaching, and personal growth. If you aren’t reading the articles on this site, you are really doing yourself a disservice!
SPTS Weekend: Joe Kenn Arrives at S4 Compound
The weekend is off to a busy start, and there's no jokin' about it. (But there is a Joe Kenn).
The Team elitefts Original Soundtrack
What does it take to crank your training intensity? Team elitefts goes all Siskel & Ebert on that.
In-Season Training Discussion with Todd Hamer
We invade Robert Morris University during football two-a-days to grill a prominent strength coach.
Elitefts™ Kettlebell Swing w/Bands (Hips &Bell)
Kettlebell swings with bands around the kettlebell and bands around the hips
Individual Training in a Team Setting
If your athletes were part of the Thursday night pub crawl, how can you expect them to squat heavy on Friday? #beergainz
Challenges the Best Female Strength Coaches Face
Overcoming obstacles in strength and conditioning is what separates the best from the rest.
Being a Dad, Being a Lifter
The impact a father has on his child can only be surpassed by the impact the child has on the father.
On Being a Father
The job doesn't come with a guidebook, but you can learn from the experiences of Team elitefts!
Buddy Morris: Back in the League
Buddy Morris returns to the League as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Arizona Cardinals
How to Deal with Difficult Coaches
Clashing with challenging coaches or parents? Here are the most effective strategies to help cope with them.
Non Linear Periodization for Beginners
Mark Watts explains how deviating from a traditional linear periodization approach in young athletes may yield greater performance.
The Sad State of DIII Strength and Conditioning
We were promoting what was right, but small private schools sometimes do not have the money to do what is right.