Hip Squat with Bands
This is a special exercise I use to teach the hips to fire while keeping the back arched.
One's Ambition
Sean realizes his dream of opening his own training facility and shares his experience with readers.
Fast Track to Speed Development
Trying to improve your speed? Jerry discusses how to do just that and provides some sample workouts.
Assistance Exercises for the Raw Squatter
So it’s been three meets now and I’m still doing this raw thing.
Smith’s Got Your Back: Warm-ups for Squat Injury Prevention
Squat injuries happen more frequently without a proper warm-up. Dr. Ryan Smith discusses a few simple movements he uses that can save you from painful complications.
1100 Pound Abs
The other day in the gym, the topic of ab training for strength came up. I figured there was nobody better to ask than 1100 pound squatter Matt Wenning.
Under The Bar: The S-4 Weekender Program Part 2
This article is the continuation of the Weekender Series that has documented the training of a few of our featured training log lifters, as well as the weekend group training in our weight room:
Want to Squat Like a Man? Lift Like a Woman
Every day you can go into a weight room anywhere in the country and two things will be certain
Raising the Bar: A Review
Dave Tate’s first book, Under the Bar, was billed as a book that wasn’t about training but kind of was. It wasn’t about business but kind of was, and it wasn’t about life but kind of was. His second book, Raising the Bar, is very similar but with a dark twist.
Underground Strength Session 2009 Review
It was Friday night. I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. This was nothing new, but when I woke up in five hours, I would be starting my trek to one of the strongest gyms in the Midwest—the EliteFTS compound.
Powerlifting Sport Psychology Training
Have you ever been to a powerlifting meet and heard someone boast about colossal training lifts?
Under The Bar: The S-4 Weekender Program
I'm still not quit sure how it happened, but over the course of the past twelve months, we have attracted a group of competitive powerlifters into our gym. It was not that long ago that I retired from the sport and spent my weekends training with one or two other guys, and that was it.
Reach a 1000-lb Squat Easily
When I went to local meets and saw 600-lb squats, I thought about how cool it would be to achieve that strength. Boy, times they do change.
Product of Your Desires
You hear people talk all the time about how someone is a product of his or her environment. This is almost always the case when someone has done something wrong, and the argument is used as an excuse for the person as if they had no choice in the matter other than to become what their environment leads them to
Interview with Jeremy Frey
I first started lifting when I was about 11-years-old. I started doing little things before this time, but I entered a weight room when I was about 11-years-old.
ABCs of Squatting, Part I
Learning to squat properly may be one of the hardest tasks you have ever undertaken, but it is well worth the effort.
Five Random Things I’ve Learned at Westside
You see, unless you train at Westside, you don’t know Westside
The Return of Hardcore
That’s it. I can’t take it anymore. These sissified commercial gyms and their clipboard holding trainers have just about ruined the weightlifting world.
My Top Five Strength Movements for Basketball Players
Players need overall lower body strength, single leg strength, upper back and shoulder strength, mobility, and a solid core. The game also subjects players to pounding and stress on the lower body.
EliteFTS Spotlight: Matt Wenning
The subject of this week’s EliteFTS Spotlight is Q&A staff member Matt Wenning. Matt is one of only a handful of people to total over 2600 pounds in professional competition.
EliteFTS Spotlight: Julia Ladewski
EliteFTS Spotlight is a weekly feature here on EliteFTS.com where Q&A member The Angry Coach interviews athletes and strength and sport coaches from various disciplines in order to find out more about what they do, how they train and how they do business.
Making the Switch from Powerlifting to Fighting, Part II
There’s no question that strength is a huge asset in any sport. In “Making the Switch from Powerlifting to Fighting, Part I,” we established the carryover of strength developed specifically for the platform. It can relate to fighting in a big way. Clearly, there are changes that need to be made to harness this strength and make it useful on
Monolifting Made Easy: Part 1
This article applies to three different types of lifters. If you’ve never squatted in a monolift, don’t train consistently in a monolift, or do squat in a monolift but don’t feel solid taking weights out of the monolift, keep reading.
Hardcore Extreme Jan. 09
I’ve been fighting it for a few weeks, but I’m definitely overtraining again. I don’t do shit anymore, but I keep overtraining. One of my training partners asks me what I expect, because don’t sleep. That’s easy. I’m Chad Aichs, and I expect to train hard every day while still getting stronger.
The Steel Yard (Jan 09)
Same old, same old. Just training. I just did a meet about eight weeks ago, and I’m still feeling like hell.
Five Essential Movements for Hockey Players
Hockey is a sport of intensity, physical contact, stamina, strength, and speed.
Your First Meet Part II: Getting Diesel
Everyone starts from different points, everyone has different training backgrounds, and everyone is a little bit different from top to bottom.
Squatting with Bands
I will focus on how to set up bands at home. It took a bit of trial and error until I found a set up that worked well for me.
Olympic Lifting for the Growing Gymnast, Part 1
As gymnastics coaches, sometimes we get caught up in sport-specific strength training because that’s what we know best. The belief is that if we strength train for sport-specific movements repetitiously, the gymnast will not only become stronger during those movements but will have less cause for injury. However, it is that frame of mind in which we fail as coaches.
Brian Schwab's Orlando Strength Dec 08
I have to thank Dave Tate and Justin Harris for helping me keep my weight on better this time. I ended up incorporating more sodium into my diet, and even loading with sodium tabs, which did wonders in preventing me from losing my fluids.
2008 NASA Unequipped Nationals
This was my second raw training cycle this year. I did the USAPL State meet to qualify for the Raw Nationals and didn’t get to train for it. I had eight weeks to train for this meet, and the maxes that I based my training on were very conservative.
The Making of Elite Sports Performance
There are many great gyms in the United States. Ohio has the great Westside Barbell, California has Diablo Barbell, New York has Adirondack Barbell—home of the Metal Militia, and Nebraska has Big Iron.
Beginner Follow-Up Program
Here’s the exemplary monthly plan with two trainings of the beginning lift operators:
Warming Up to PRs
What’s keeping you from setting a personal record (PR) in your lifts? Why isn’t your “top end” going up?
Concurrent Strategies in Strength Training, Part 3
Please note that different classifications may be used depending on the athletes’ weak and strong points, level of development, training period, emphasis, and additional items. Those classifications are used to help the coach organize the training system and prioritize things according to the demands of sport and position.
Adding Strength with Little Equipment
Imagine—you’re a broke kid living in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The closest fitness center is miles away and you don’t have a car to get there anyway. None of your friends know what a weight is. You’ve asked them to give it a try, but they just gave you the middle finger as they sped off
Plateau Buster: A Look at Goals and IIx Fibers
When developing strength and speed, fiber type matters.
Concurrent Strategies in Strength Training, Part 2
For more examples regarding loading protocols, I highly recommend reading Christian Thibaudeau’s, Black Book of Training Secrets–Enhanced Edition. Most of these graphs are taken from there. Another interesting book to consider is Joe Kenn’s, Coach’s Strength Training Playbook, which is another awesome read.
NBA Elites and Lifting?
The elite NBA players of today includes Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Dirk Nowitzki and their athletic ability.
After the Meet Is Before the Meet
Fans of Run Lola Run might recall a piece of wisdom featured in the beginning of the movie—“After the game is before the game.”
Tricks of the Trade
In my many years of powerlifting and traveling to meets and gyms to train and through association with many shady characters, I have amassed a “bag of tricks” to help me on meet day.
Incorporating the “Big Three” Into Sports Training, Part I
Sports training or sports-specific training is a different beast than competitive powerlifting. However, the “Big Three” have a great impact on the overall strength and explosiveness of the athlete. The $1500 question is how to develop a strength and speed program to help athletes excel in their sport of choice.
Speed with Style: Dynamic Squat and Pull Cycles
Before performing this cycle, you’ll need to take a few weeks to prepare. Don’t try to jump in unless you’re all ready well trained.
The SOS Way
On day one in November of 2005, I completely committed myself to making sure that everything, every day was going to be as productive as possible to enhance my strength.
An Interview with AJ Roberts
MB: Mr. Roberts, give me some background. Take us from the time that you were a little mate until now.
Metabolic Acceleration Training
I’m a huge believer in using the “alternating set” system when training.
An Interview with Jim Hoskinson
Big Jim Hoskinson is a top level 308-lb lifter. He has a huge 1100-lb squat and 2500-pound total.
The Kroc Files March 08
I just always had this desire to be big and strong. I remember at a very early age being impressed with size and strength and having a strong hunger to get that way myself.