Learn to Train Seminar at Elitefts Compound 

After gassing up the bat mobile (my all-black Dodge Challenger), I headed down to London, Ohio, for the Learn to Train Seminar held at the Elitefts compound. It was a 13-hour drive, and well worth it. Knowing full-well this event would be jam-packed with some of the industry’s best, including our very own Murph, I had to be there.

All of the proceeds from this two-day event went to the Make A Wish Foundation. During the opening of the event, Dave Tate, CEO of Elite, showed pictures of the kids whose wishes were granted due to the participants of the event. The kids had various wishes granted, one went to Disney World, another to Alaska, and one just wanted to go to the playground. The proceeds helped around 10 kids, which was very moving.

I do not know the exact numbers but there were approximately 50 to 100 attendees along with many team members, many who traveled long distances from all over the country to be there. The attendees consisted of gym owners, trainers, and gym enthusiasts all looking to better themselves.

Each day there were three speakers, then the participants broke up into groups covering the various lifts i.e., squat, bench, deadlift, strongman training, and mobility work. There were also breakaway groups available for you to ask questions relating to anything you needed help with.

Murph over-delivered with a discussion on the benefits of strongman. He even brought handouts!

Steve Pulcinella taught us the Isosceles Triangle of Domination – This one diagram was worth the trip!

Josh Bryant helped us understand more about assistance work.

Jeremy Frey told us how to eliminate A Hole programming. Jeremy also delivered a wonderful message from the top of a plyo box reminding everyone of the importance of a clean gym!

Mountain Dog John Meadows described his methods of nutrition surrounding a workout and emphasized the importance using carbs at the appropriate time.

Chad Wesley Smith discussed the Juggernaut method and how he applies the method to training athletes. He also summarized a two-day seminar into five minutes which was very impressive!

There also was a group of lifters who were training either raw or in full gear, appropriately called The NASTY Group. After clearing it with communication coordinator extraordinaire Rachel Cassano, I participated in the NASTY Group.

Day 1 we worked on squats and deadlifts. The coaches were Matt Kroc, Matt Ladewski and C.J. Murphy. There were a lot of great lifters in the group. Everyone was helping each other do their best. I was so excited to be training at the compound, I lost my balance with 225 on my back! Matt patiently cued me to “slow down” and I did my best to comply. I worked up to a 650 squat and a 585 deadlift. Both of these lifts were done wearing Metal Jack Briefs. There was another piece of gear used during the squat which will remain nameless.

That night, Dave provided a wonderful banquet meal at a local restaurant for all the Elitefts Team members and their guests. The meal was home-style cooking and very tasty! I had two desserts, after some encouragement from Murph, who was carb back loading. 

On Day 2, we benched. Joey Smith of Nebo Barbell was the head coach of the bench session. The energy of this day was AWESOME. Many in the group hit new PR’s! One guy (I believe his name was Carl) hit a 50lb PR with a 455 Raw Press. Mike Hedlesky took 585 for the first time full range, Scott hit a fast 585 1-board. Will PRed with a press in the high 5s. John hit a full range PR in the high 3’s! There were a few more guys there whose names I do not know who also hit bench PRs. I worked up to a 475 bench full range in my Metal Jack Shirt. This was my third time in the shirt and the weight moved fast for a 20lb PR!

During the bench portion of the NASTY Group, Joey Smith emphasized the importance of seeing the lift you are about to attempt already completed successfully in your mind’s eye. Many records were set over the two days. My total for the two days was 1720, which was 50lbs better than my last meet!

Wrapping up the event, Dave answered business-related questions. It was apparent that Dave puts a high value on personal development. He is constantly studying and then acting on what he has learned.

The biggest lesson that I took from this portion of the event is the importance of being very clear on your own personal mission and values.

Dave explained how he personally was taken under the wing of older and more experienced lifters who never asked for anything in return for their helping him become better. Because of this he made a commitment to himself to never make a profit from the training information he shares. This is also why he does not charge for the Q & A, articles and training logs on elitefts.com.

Dave’s core mission is to Live, Learn, and Pass On. The seminar was a great example of his living on purpose.

If you are passionate about training I would highly recommend you attend this event.

Wishing you the best in your training,

Russ Smith

Assistant Strength Coach at Total Performance Sports

CFT, WSB Certified