Category: Articles

Exercise selection is the foundation of any strength training program. One question I’m frequently asked is, “What exercises do you recommend?” My stock reply is, “Choose a compound movement that targets the muscle groups you want to improve.” A compound movement involves two or more joints in motion simultaneously. Four lower body multi joint exercises are squats, deadlifts, lunges, and step ups. Each exercise requires the use of the hip and knee joints and to Read More

My wife and I are both active members of the USAPL (USA Powerlifting) as competitors, coaches, and national referees.  Sioux-z (pictured left) was also recently voted to serve on the USAPL Women’s Committee, which is designed to promote, protect, and serve the interests of  women’s powerlifting.  Together we have 27 years of competitive powerlifting experience under our belts.  With experience comes wisdom. Experience and wisdom are far more precious than strength.  In powerlifting, experience and wisdom often Read More

Success in athletics is easily quantifiable in a myriad of ways including PRs, scores, and winning. Success is neither an accident nor a coincidence. Achieving success is a process and the direct result of a set course of action. It doesn’t just happen. The past three months have been some of the most exhilarating of my entire life. In June 2012, I was as an assistant coach on the USA teams at the inaugural IPF Read More

There’s a definite line representing winning and losing. Accordingly, one’s performance is either above the line (winning performance) or below the line (losing performance). As Coach Tomlin advocates for the standard, he characterizes performances as being above or below that line. Since 1969 the Pittsburgh Steelers have had three head coaches. This is fewer than any other team in the NFL during that timeframe. The Steelers pride themselves on consistency and stability. These two constants Read More

Show me a person who doesn’t want to be strong and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t get off the couch very often. The ability to move heavy objects and perform physically demanding tasks is just plain cool. When you’re strong, you don’t have to walk around thumping your chest like an idiot, people will stand up and take notice. Since most of us don’t go around lifting cars or chopping down trees with our Read More

Navigating the tortuous road to athletic achievement requires a comprehensive roadmap. Motivated trainees are constantly searching for the latest protocol that will transport their performance to the next level. They will scour the Internet for the most recent training methodology. Athletes will dive into the pool of printed media including articles, journals, periodicals, and texts in an effort to find the missing link that will take them from novice to elite. Some will even travel Read More

Selecting appropriate attempts, at powerlifting competitions, is a lost art. Too often, lifters fail to reap the rewards of a long training cycle because they select poor attempts. “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” – Henry Russell Sanders, UCLA head football coach, 1956.  This famous quote epitomizes the competitive spirit that permeates sports in our society. While this attitude is entirely appropriate in many sports arenas, it doesn’t make much sense in powerlifting. Powerlifting Read More

Serious and quantifiable improvement, in any quest, necessitates specific goals and objectives with imposed deadlines. If you merely want to get stronger this year, then visit your local gym and start working out. But, if you wanted to squat 500 pounds by June 1, then clearly defined and methodical training is essential. In part one of this article series, I will give a brief historical account of Periodization then define how it applies to training Read More

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed,..” Theodore Roosevelt In 1983, my sixth grade geography teacher was Spero Tshontikidis (pictured left). In addition to teaching, Mr. Tshontikidis was a competitive powerlifter in Read More

  If the squat is the king of all exercises, then the pull-up should be acknowledged with the same royalty. Simply stated, the pull-up is the squat for the upper body.  The squat is the unrivaled king of all strength training exercises. It is unparalleled in its overall effectiveness at taxing the entire body. The ankle, hip, and knee joints are all in motion thus ensuring that nearly every major leg muscle is utilized. Additionally, Read More