Coaches can play a pivotal role in the overall health and development of athletes of all levels (beginner to elite). Through the inclusion of more generalized training phases throughout one's training ... Continue Reading
The 8 Most Impressive Feats of Strength By Hollywood Actors
Usually when an actor needs to get a Hollywood Body™ for a role, it means cutting to unbelievable, unsustainable, but admittedly impressive levels of body fat. (Ryan Reynolds is said to have ... Continue Reading
Returning to Weightlifting After Time Off
Recently, I was asked by a few different athletes how I train to come back to weightlifting after taking time off whether from injury or just a break. In all honestly, I was a little stumped. I’ve had ... Continue Reading
Bodyweight Versus Barbell Movements: Is One Really “Better”?
Before we can talk about building strength, let me start by asking you a question: how do you define “strength”? In the world of athletics, the concept of “strength” is rather ambiguous. Take elite ... Continue Reading
Should Powerlifters Train Calves?
It's interesting to note that there are some generational differences among strength athletes. Older athletes tended to be much more wary of dietary fat, for instance, and younger lifters tend ... Continue Reading
How to Get Better at Olympic Weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting is not something people naturally pick up and find great success at on a regular basis. While it is true that some gifted lifters may transition/get started very easily into the ... Continue Reading
4 Quick Tips to Go Harder During Intense WODs
Whether you are a powerlifter, strongman/woman, weightlifter, functional fitness athlete, or everyday warrior, you have certain phases of your training where there is an increased emphasis on aerobic ... Continue Reading
Why I’m Doing a 100-Mile Run (with No Distance Specific Training)
“If there’s ever a Mad Max apocalypse, I’m coming straight to the gym and I’m stealing your car. You're the only real person who leaves his keys in the ignition and I know for a fact you’ll still be ... Continue Reading
6 Strategies to Get Through Tough Strength Training Sessions
“Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.” - Henry Rollins On paper never have truer words been spoken: two hundred pounds will forever be 200 pounds, but it doesn’t ... Continue Reading
Benefits of Bodyweight Training: Why YOU Should Try Calisthenics
If your usual training regimen involves lifting barbells stacked on either end with heavy iron plates, things like push-ups, pull-ups, dips, and handstands may seem like mere child’s play. In the age of ... Continue Reading
Why Doubles and Triples Can Increase Your Weightlifting Maxes
Increasing your 1-rep max in the snatch and clean and jerk is an arduous process, often exchanging mere kilos on the bar for countless hours, weeks, and months of continuous training. The trials and ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Find Your Motivation for Fitness Again
Throughout certain parts of an annual training cycle, coaches and athletes need to strike balance between highly structured programming (pre-competition and competition cycles) and more unstructured ... Continue Reading
Does Alcohol Affect Strength Training?
“Not tonight, bro, I gotta lift tomorrow.” For many strength athletes, alcohol is the first thing to go when someone endeavors to “clean up” their diet. After all, alcohol is a poison. You can die from ... Continue Reading
Why Every Athlete Should Do More Beltless Squat Training
In an earlier article we discussed the benefits of using a weightlifting belt during training and competition, which naturally paved the way for belt vs. beltless debate among many strength and power ... Continue Reading
The Heaviest Raw Bench Presses of All Time
“What’s your bench?” Like it or not, it’s often the first question people ask when they meet a powerlifter — there’s something about the bench press translating to brute strength. Regardless of the sport, ... Continue Reading
10 Things Every Beginner and Intermediate Olympic Weightlifter Should Learn
Weightlifting is a lifestyle. It takes years of dedicated hours, reps, and methodical training to develop yourself into a stronger, more power, and technically-improved lifter. The snatch and clean and ... Continue Reading
4 Fundamental Strongman Movements Every Athlete Can Add Into Their Training
Strongman training can offer the average gym goer the opportunity to diversify their strength potentials in varying, highly functional movement patterns and positions. For lifters with minimal strongman ... Continue Reading
How to Improve Running Without Sacrificing Strength
Functional fitness typically attracts two groups of people: those who like to lift weights, and those who like to do cardio. So every time the coach writes up a running WOD on the whiteboard, you're likely ... Continue Reading
How High Should Your Elbows Be In the Jerk?
“Elbows Up!” We have all heard this cue (elbows up, meaning 90 degrees/perpendicular to the torso) during the jerk, where a coach or fellow lifter repeatedly urges the lifter to drive their elbows up ... Continue Reading
5 Steps for Restful Sleep After Late Night Workouts
If you're someone who works out at night and constantly fights the battle of having a restful night's sleep afterwards, you're not alone. For a lot of strength athletes, the night is the only time to ... Continue Reading
Should Olympic Weightlifters Bench Press?
Bench pressing is often a touchy subject when we talk about accessory training for Olympic weightlifters. Many coaches and athletes feel that bench pressing can lead to tightness in the pecs and shoulders ... Continue Reading
How to Train for the Truck Pull
If you ask the average person what strongman is, they’ll probably reply with, “The guys that pull trucks, right?” Of all the strongman events it might be the most iconic, and it’s typically the focal ... Continue Reading
How to Choose The Perfect Heel Height for Your Body and Squat Style
In the last two months we've written multiple articles about new lifting shoes being released. Whether it was Nike, Adidas, Reebok, or even NOBULL, there was always something new coming our ... Continue Reading
The Pros and Cons of Jerking from Blocks
If you are fortunate enough to have access to weightlifting blocks that are capable of training jerks, you may or may not have already taken advantage of them. Block training, in regards to the jerk, ... Continue Reading