The Student Guide to Grocery Store Navigation
For autistic college students, these guidelines can be instrumental in minimizing stress at the grocery store.
12-Week I Can Jump Rope Program
In a traditional gym class, how will the concept of jumping rope look for an autistic child? Considering that 79–83 percent of the autistic population does not display the appropriate motor skills for their age group, their needs will likely not be met. Until now…
18 Exercises Your Child Wants To Do
Somewhere between a child eloping, having a meltdown, or worse, associating everything miserable toward training, circle back to play with these exercises.
#111 - Autism Interventions That Really Work
They dive deep into strength training and Spell to Communicate, two significant modalities that encompass the whole child and form the basis for all other therapies.
Connect By Entering Their World
Where does a child go when their physical world is too loud or quiet, bright or dim, uses jargon that makes no sense? Somewhere worth visiting.
#75 - Dave Tate's Table Talk with Sheena Leedham
Are you a parent, educator, or personal trainer serving autistic children and young adults? If so, perfect your active role through The Power of a Note.
Why "The Power of a Note" is Empowering
The Power of a Note is an outreach tool for parents, educators, and personal trainers to help a child with autism reach his highest potential through movement and health.
Editor's Letter for May
Last month, the bulk of our content wore many hats: squats, legs, COVID-19, autism, home gyms, and home exercises. Here’s what you can expect for May.
Editor's Letter for April
I hope this letter lifts your sanity as we at elitefts continue to live, learn, and pass on – educating and outfitting the strongest athletes around the world. You’ll find new content inside!
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: Home Training
Now at home, this is a great opportunity to get the family involved by creating new healthy habits using indoor and outdoor space.
What To Do When Your Thyroid Fails You
Slowly each week, I was getting bigger and bigger — and not the good kind. I exploded from a 130-pound fitness chick to a 200-pound walrus. After a solid three years of impeccable blood lab results, it’s time to dabble in my sob story and ultimately share the phases I undertook to regain my health and life.
Writing Through the Storm
Three years and counting, through change of grounding and shelter, one thing remains. Here’s my attempt at living, learning, and passing on.
Editor's Letter for December
Happy holidays from elitefts! We’ve stuffed your stockings with more content to get you closer to your strength, hypertrophy, and power goals — performance in bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman. All you have to do is rip the wrapping!
Editor's Letter for October
If you’re after Gobstoppers, Reese cups, Jolly Ranchers, Snickers, or Candy Corn this October, knock on your neighbor’s door. If in fact, you’re after exercises to strengthen your spinal erectors, a conjugate triphasic program, an injury equation, intramuscular pressure, and alternatives to the Olympic lifts, click here. And of course, you’ll find the most popular content from September in here
Editor's Letter for September
As we begin to swing into autumn, take a quick fall into the piles of content we have stored away for this month: more Table Talk episodes, exercise variance, conjugate, strength training equipment (for injured rugby players and small budgets), food allergies, internship opportunities, and more!
Editor's Letter for August
The content calendar for August is packed with special content from Justin Harris, Vincent Dizenzo, JM Blakely, and Jordan Shallow that’ll bring you gains in muscle, strength, and knowledge. For a sneak peek at what’s to come, read on ahead!
Dave Tate, A Mother's Perspective
Marge Tate could have allowed labels, sickness, and loss to paralyze her legacy. Instead, through passion, tradition, and communication, her commitment to human connection and service is alive — and she passed it on to Dave.
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…
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip —The Missing Link to Social Skills: Move...
“This is going to debunk everything we know about autism. ” Sheena Leedham talks about how she intertwined movement and social skills through the OSU Men’s Aspirations program.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip — Playing the "Autism Card" in...
When a stranger asks the guardian of a child with autism to calm down their kid, should they say, “Sorry, my kid has autism”? Dave Tate and Sheena Leedham share their perspectives on what to do in that situation.
What's Right About "Rain Man"
Begin the motion to expand upon the public’s perception of autism with an educational application. How? Try filling in the blanks by using the movie “Rain Man” as your springboard.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip — The Programming Process Behind the Wor...
Training is more than the squat, bench, and deadlift — especially for a child on the autism spectrum. According to Sheena, bring together observation, communication, scheduling, progression, and motivation, and you’ll have a solid start to a program.
LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast #5 with Sheena Leedham
In this episode of Table Talk Podcast, Dave Tate opens up about being a father to a son with Asperger’s, and elitefts Managing Editor Sheena Leedham talks about training and educating Blaine and other young adults on the spectrum.
Supplemental Material for Table Talk Podcast on Autism
Do you have questions relating to exercise for a child or young adult with autism? For a father raising a child with autism? Click here to ask questions that Dave Tate and Sheena Leedham will address tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST on the Table Talk Podcast.
World Autism Awareness Month Kicks Off April 2nd
April 2nd, or Autism Awareness Day, marks the start of Autism Awareness Month. Instead of donning blue as a symbol of autism awareness, here are a few other things you could do to participate in this month, as well as what elitefts has planned. (Hint: It involves a sale, articles, and a special Table Talk Podcast episode.)
Milestones National Autism Conference — Presenting Men’s Aspirations
Rather than attending another highly acclaimed conference centered on helping individuals with autism, it was time to present at one.
2018 Zoo Run Run: Team Not Team Old Man vs. Team Old Man
This was more than a 10-week prep geared to beat our previously recorded race time of 52 minutes and 32 seconds while flying past a self-proclaimed mashed-up meathead.
Year One with Men’s Aspirations — Developing Social Skills with Substance
This program provides a monthly social outlet for teens and young adults with high functioning autism. As we approach year one, I want to share how I’ve made this program my own.
Skip the Gym — The Scioto Challenge
Bridging the gap between immobility and action, this lesson served as another opportunity to reshape the students’ negative associations with exercise and revamp their workout creativity in OSU’s backyard.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength — Gym Training
The goal is to get an inactive child on the spectrum socially and physically strong through movement. This initial type of training, the first in a progression of eight, takes place in the gym.
![WATCH: Defining Autism — Beyond the Label [Documentary]](https://www.elitefts.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/DefiningHeaderImages-300x250.jpg)
WATCH: Defining Autism — Beyond the Label [Documentary]
This documentary is the culmination of years of intimate interaction with a child with autism. Interaction as a father, a mother, an educator, a trainer, and a friend.
Meet Report: Back-to-Back XPC Finals Super Heavyweight Champion
Not only was I there to defend my “title,” but I was also there to finally reach a milestone only achieved by a handful of lifters: a 2300-pound total.
Georgia Southern Adds Donald Day as Assistant Football S&C Coach
No stranger to the collegiate weight room, Donald Day has earned himself a spot at Georgia Southern University as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Eagles football team.
The Student Guide to Grocery Store Navigation — Lucky's Market
Moving from theory to practice, this lesson took us from the classroom to Lucky’s Market on High Street in Columbus, Ohio.
2017 Zoo Run Run: Blaine Tate Runs a Faster 5K
At 3.1 miles, we cross the finish line in 52 minutes and 32 seconds — four minutes quicker than our 2016-competition time. A success! Beating our previous time was exactly what we came to do.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: Program the Cadence
You’ll meet Sean, Wesley, and Blaine (three boys on the spectrum) and consider their needs, find a starting place, and create a program schedule using a singular, linear, or overlapping approach.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: Play Date with a...
Make this your chance to verify how training (all our hard work) gives us lots of opportunities to enjoy life.
Meal Prep Basics for the College Student
Why plan? What can food do for me? When should I eat for a workout? — A group of students with Asperger’s asks questions to fulfill big aspirations to look and feel good.
Ocalicon 2016 — Nation’s Premier Autism and Disabilities Conference
With the option to pick and choose over 40 presentations to attend within a 10-hour day, here’s how I plan on implementing what I learned within the private and college setting.
A New Kid Under the Bar
Erasing the zoo schedule from the dry-erase board that served us for a 14-week prep was unsettling. Where our training has gone, is miraculous.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: Off-Site Team Tr...
As we relocate a group of connected individuals outside of the gym, the mindset attached to training evolves.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: Team Training at...
In this type of training, we’re taking things one step further — we share the entire training experience with at least one partner at the gym.
17th Annual Columbus Walk for Wishes
It's a beautiful sight to see hundreds of people walking to make wishes come true! #walkforwishes
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength: ½ One-to-one, ½ ...
In this type of training, we’re taking things one step further — we share the training experience with a partner.
Zoo RunRun — Blaine Crosses the Finish Line in His First 5K
Two faces in a crowded zoo, here’s our story: a 14-week play-by-play that prepared us for the rigors of race day.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength — Off-Site Training
½ Gym, ½ Off-Site Training leads us here: a full session away from gym grounds. Fit your programming needs within these structures to differentiate skill, meet new people, and have fun.
Social Skill Integration Through Movement and Strength — ½ Gym, ½ Off-Si...
The goal is to get an inactive child on the spectrum socially and physically strong through movement. You’re ready to leave the comforts of the gym and move off-site to extend the learning curve.
Take Your Training Day to the Trampoline Park
If you’re looking to explore a gym-training, flying-through-space alternative, make sure you’re aware of these less-advertised details we learned on our trips to Sky Zone and Get Air.
8 Training Types to Progressively Integrate Social Networks
These training types are rooted in movement that naturally progress the child from private training to play dates with a friend.
Take Your Training Day to the Zoo
A trip to the zoo provides the trainer and child a great opportunity to accomplish new challenges and exercise gym lessons. Consider these tips for the planning process.
Adjustable Programming: Using Flexible Goals in an Inflexible World
By rewriting negative associations at the track and field, Blaine and I were able to overcome previous limitations and create new opportunities for growth.
WATCH: 11 Triceps Variations for Massive Arms
Target all three triceps heads and construct mammoth, balanced, powerful arms with these movements from Team elitefts.
Throw Out Your Expectations
Avoiding hostility and disinterest by following these communication tips will result in greater engagement and child development.
Off-Site Training: Considerations for Training Children with Special Needs
If done incorrectly, leaving the comfort of the traditional training environment can become chaotic. These basic guidelines will make it a positive experience.
Don't Sweat the NEW Stuff
Change can manifest disaster for a child with autism. Here are three steps to follow when presenting something NEW in the training schedule.
Five Gray Areas You're Not Considering
These areas will significantly increase how a child is progressing in the gym.