EliteFTS Spotlight: Shannon Turley
EliteFTS Spotlight is a new 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.
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
Work Capacity: Do It Stronger, Faster, Harder, and Longer
There are many elements to strength and conditioning (S&C) training as it relates to mixed martial arts (MMA). Most folks think that it’s all about “strength” or “cardio.”
What Does It Take to Be an Effective Strength Coach?
What are the attributes of an effective strength and conditioning coach? I was recently asked this question, and as I stumbled over myself for a few minutes, I thought it would make a great topic for an article.
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.
The Power of Information
As coaches, we all know about the myriad problems we’ll encounter in the course of trying to make our athletes better. These problems are generated by everyone our players come into contact with on a daily basis. From their parents, to their friends, to the ubiquitous “guys on message boards,” our kids are bombarded with stuff that’s not coming from
Five Essential Movements for Hockey Players
Hockey is a sport of intensity, physical contact, stamina, strength, and speed.
Olympic Lifting for the Growing Gymnast, Part 2
Figure 3 exhibits an example of the progression of strength from the developmental strength workout for the compulsory age group.
Assistance Training for Strongman and “Functional” Strength
A lot of guys who train for Strongman don’t put much thought into assistance work, if at all. Assistance exercises can improve specific attributes and get you through your sticking points in many cases.
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.
Conjugated System Approach to High School Strength
This story goes back to the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association Clinic of 2004.
The Angry Coach Sounds Off
If you had control of everything in your football program, how would you set up your work week with regard to the organization of in-season practices? What would be the ideal way to marry the biological needs of the athletes with their game day needs (individual and group drills to implement and execute your game plan for the week)?
Dynamic Chest Training: What’s Your Upper Body Vertical?
At some point in their training careers, most people reading this have probably been asked, “What’s your bench,” as if the bench is the one and only indicator of strength.
How EliteFTS Helped Me to Lift During Football Season
If you’re still playing football, this article isn’t for you so stop reading now. Just listen to your coach.
Defensive Position Specific Football Coaching Drills
In football, a defensive player’s success will depend on whether or not he can position his feet correctly to place himself in the best possible position to make plays. Foot speed is critical for improving athletic performance on the field. If a defensive lineman’s first step is exaggerated or slow, he will lose balance and be driven off the line
Developing Explosive Power for MMA
In almost every sport, the ability to be explosive and powerful often goes hand in hand with success, and this is especially true in mixed martial arts (MMA). Being a faster and more explosive fighter gives you the ability to overpower, outwork, and outgun your opponent from start to finish.
An Interview With The Angry Coach
The Angry Coach is the newest member of the Elite Fitness Systems Q&A Staff. I first met this guy at a seminar back in 2005, and I was immediately impressed with his life experience, his training knowledge and his ability to communicate the things he felt were right and wrong with both athletics coaching and the fitness industry.
Five Questions for The Thinker
1. It must be very exciting to be involved with a winning program at this point in the season. How has this football season been progressing for you, personally?
Strongman Versus Power Cleans for Football, Part 1
You might disagree, but hear me out on this. As an ex-college football player and currently a strength coach, I’ve found the utilization and teaching of Olympic lifts to be tedious, inefficient, and downright boring. As a college athlete, I hardly found the patience to learn the correct lifting technique for the power clean. Although I held the St. John’s
Off-Season/Pre-Season Training for the High School Athlete
It seems that the terms off-season and pre-season are synonymous in the world of high school athletics. Most of the athletes who I train play multiple sports or participate in the same sport in multiple seasons. Unlike the college athlete, the high school athlete doesn’t have 16–24 plus weeks in the off-season/pre-season to devote to a comprehensive strength and conditioning
Making the Switch from Powerlifting to Fighting
A competitive powerlifter has one goal—to get as strong as hell. We try to perform GPP, eat healthy, and do all of the other little things to stay in shape. However, the bottom line is if it isn’t increasing the total, it’s not really high on the priority list. This is my mindset as a powerlifter, and most of the
An Interview with Cal Dietz
I’m the head Olympic strength and conditioning coach at the University of Minnesota and am currently working with eight sports. These include men’s and women’s hockey, men’s basketball, men’s track and field, men’s swimming, baseball, and men’s and women’s golf.
Interview with Strength Coach Todd Hamer
Todd Hamer is the head strength and conditioning coach at Robert Morris University.
Elitefts Spotlight: Landon Evans
As many times I’ve been made fun of because of my past, I think it’s imperative to outline so some people can see why I am the way I am.
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.
Dads and Sons
As I look back, I realize that the time spent between a father and a son is by far the most precious thing that we, as men, can give to our sons. The time spent with dad is the most important time a boy can have in his entire life.
The Relationship Between Size and Strength, Part 2
The strongest lifter in any given weight class is not necessarily the lifter with the most muscle mass because lifting maximal weights involves more factors than just muscle mass.
The Relationship Between Size and Strength, Part 1
It always bugs me when someone says that there is no relationship between size and strength.
Sixteen Rapid Muscle Growth Tips (Part 2)
Let us remind you that immediately following training, it is vital for you to take your 100% MR and Muscle Synthesis right there on the gym floor.
Citrulline: An Ergogenic Nitric Oxide Stimulator?
We’re always on the lookout for the next ergogenic supplement, but only every so often does one catch our eye.
How We Use the Prowler
The latest installment in our “How We Use The Prowler” series comes from Elliott Hulse of St. Petersburg, Florida.
How We Use The Prowler
A few weeks ago, we decided to put together a roundtable-style article about the use of the Prowler…
Back and Forth: An Interview with Dave Tate and Alwyn Cosgrove
AC: Dave, you’re an Elite powerlifter and own one of the most successful strength training equipment companies in existence—and by extension a website that has become one of the best educational companies in the field. So, what’s the plan from here?
Strength
The quest for strength, the quest for power, in its basic essence is man’s quest to be “more than himself.” This is a basic, instinctive, seed drive that carries him forward through his own personal evolution.
Incorporating the “Big Three” into Sports Training: Part 2
For as long as I have been involved in sports and training, I have seen more cookie cutter training programs than you can shake a stick at (and that’s a lot).
Training Athletes: A Matter of Balance
The title of this article is a little misleading. It’s not about the balance that most trainers think about such as standing on one foot on a Bosu ball. It’s about building a physically and structurally balanced athlete. These ideas and qualities are what form the exercise selection of our strength program. Our staff has five major goals in mind
An Objective Look at Intermittent Fasting (Part 2)
Long periods of fasting punctuated by large meals — yes or no?
Strength Training in Hockey
In keeping with Canadian tradition, our athletes have started counting down the days to next year’s NHL camp. That’s right—the Stanley Cup has just found a home in Hockey Town. (That’s the Super Bowl of professional hockey for everyone in the Southern States. You know, the NHL. It gets its airtime following basketball, bowling, Will and Grace reruns, and the
Training Economy
When it comes to strength and sports—and how to increase strength for those sports—most of the information out there is about sports such as football, powerlifting, basketball, and hockey. But what about the lesser known sports such as cheerleading, figure skating, and dance?
elitefts Nutrition Roundtable
…with Jim Wendler, Mike Ruggiera, Tom Deebel, Julia Ladewski, Mark McLaughlin, Alwyn Cosgrove, Lance Mosely, James Smith, Brian Schwab, and Travis Mash
Conjugate Training System and Applied Functional Science for High School...
Having used the conjugate system in my own training and with professional male basketball athletes, I’ve found it quite easy to “sell” the idea of max effort, dynamic, and repeated effort methods to experienced athletes and lifters.
Neural Performance and Recovery with Carnitine-L-Tartrate
In this article, we’ll take a look at the theoretical basis for CLT to improve something even more elusive—neural performance and recovery.
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.
Your First Meet Part I: Setting a Date and Developing Goals
Congratulations! You’ve finally decided to take the plunge and compete in a powerlifting meet
Spotlight on Nutritionist Shelby Starnes
Shelby Starnes, a brand new addition to Team Elite Fitness Systems, is one of Justin Harris’/Troponin Nutrition’s premier nutritionists.
Top 17 Tips for Losing Body Fat ASAP (Part 2)
Summer is quickly approaching. Will you be at the pool proud of the way you look or hiding at the snack bar?
Top 17 Tips for Losing Body Fat ASAP (Part 1)
Summer is quickly approaching. Will you be at the pool proud of the way you look or hiding at the snack bar?
Optimizing Muscle Strength and Recovery with CLT
Through the haze of misinformation clouding the supplement industry, strength athletes are often left wondering if anything will actually help them. Recently, a little known supplement has emerged that can do just that.
Optimizing Your Size, Strength, and Recovery with Protein
I have one of those good news/bad news situations for you. Which do you want first? Let me guess….
Advanced Sumo Deadlift Training
Deadlifting is one of those lifts that becomes more than a little frustrating, especially when you hit lulls and plateaus in your training.
The Misconception
As a strength and conditioning coach, I feel there’s a duty not only to educate and learn from fellow sport-specific coaches on proper implementation of strength and conditioning programs but to educate and learn from the athletes as well.
