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PODCAST · health

Dave Tate's Table Talk

by elitefts.com

Are you sick of "fitness influencers," training fads, and crappy advice that barely applies inside the gym or on the field? Then sit down with elitefts CEO Dave Tate as he interviews the strongest & smartest minds across the strength sports community to talk real, hardcore training, business, life, and more. If you're looking for real, applicable information on all things training, join the crew.

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Episodes

  1. #450 Stop Getting MRIs For Low Back Pain (Do This Instead) | Dr. Justin Farnsworth

    The Most Powerful Rehabilitation Tool Isn't an Exercise—It's Changing How You Think About Pain. The most powerful rehabilitation tool isn't a complex exercise sequence or an expensive imaging machine—it's convincing a person that low-level pain doesn't necessarily mean their body is breaking. Dr....

  2. #449 Why 90% of Lifters Pick the Wrong Weight on Game Day | Matt Gary

    Most lifters don't lose a meet on strength; they lose it on ego, bad math, and missing their first attempt. After three decades inside elite powerlifting—from coaching multi-time IPF world champions to analyzing over 17,000 competition attempts—Matt Gary reveals why attempt selection is an exact...

  3. #448 Why I Banned Headphones in My Gym | Jason Manenkoff

    Building a Gym from Scratch, Real Estate Landmines, and Why Most Lifters Are Training for Instagram Instead of Real Strength He built a thriving facility with $10,000, zero safety net, and a landlord operating an illegal warehouse with no certificate of occupancy—then spent two decades refining…

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  4. #447 "F*ck Your Micronutrients" | Anthony Oliveira & Roman Mustaccio

    "We're worried about micronutrients. You missed two training sessions this week. F*ck your micronutrients." Long before Anthony Oliveira squatted an all-time 1,074-pound single-ply world record and Roman Mustaccio benched a drug-tested Junior record of 720 pounds, both were just thin kids piecing...

  5. #446 You Don't Need a Periodized Program | Guillermo Blanco

    You do not need a periodized plan to build high-level performance. Guillermo Blanco started lifting in eighth grade before moving through Division I football programs, collegiate strength coaching, multi-ply powerlifting, and training military populations in the Army's H2F program. Facing...

  6. #445 Why Olympic Lifting Still Belongs in Football (Despite the Haters) | Evan Barr

    Most strength coaches build athletes by the book, but the ones who actually build champions learn that true physical development begins long before anyone ever touches a barbell. Before guiding Toledo Football through brutal Division I seasons or developing NFL champions, Evan Barr was a farm kid...

  7. #444 You're Not Overtrained (You're Overstimulated) | Steve Denovi

    Stop turning your lifters into data-obsessed overthinkers who melt down the second a $10 velocity app tells them the bar moved 0.02 meters per second too slow. Most modern powerlifting coaches aren't actually building athletes; they are running a digital marketing business wearing a singlet,...

  8. #443 25 Years a Personal Trainer: Why You're Still Broke | Charles Gardner

    Most personal trainers fail because they master the mechanics of exercise but completely ignore the high-stakes psychology of holding a client's trust. Personal training veteran Charles Gardner spent over two decades in the trenches discovering that keeping a client on your roster for years has...

  9. #442 You Are Recovering From Training That Didn't Even Happen | Dr. Mike T Nelson

    Most recovery protocols are actively killing your strength gains because you haven't trained hard enough to earn them. Dr. Mike T. Nelson's path to elite performance didn't start in a weight room—it began in mechanical engineering laboratories, where he learned to view human physiology through...

  10. #441 I Squatted 1,000 lbs, Then My Entire Life Collapsed | Patrick Maguire

    "I've squatted 1,000 pounds more times than I've successfully asked out a female." Most superheavyweight powerlifters hide their rock-bottom moments behind PR reels, but Patrick Maguire walked onto the platform after a catastrophic quad tear, took a token squat, and pulled sumo for laughs just to...

  11. #440 The Medical Lie Keeping Strength Athletes Injured | Dr. Christopher Marvin

    Most strength athletes aren't broken—they're just loading flawed mechanics until something snaps. Dr. Christopher "Marv" Marvin came back from nine surgeries, a wrist injury that baffled over 30 doctors, and a lifetime of being told to quit lifting to graduate as valedictorian of Palmer College...

  12. #439 How 47 Football Players Hit 20+ MPH in One Off-Season | Mark Uptegraff

    Most coaches fail their athletes long before an injury ever occurs because they train muscles for show while completely neglecting the structural integrity of the joints. Mark Uptegraff II had his Division I playing career ended in an instant by an L4–S1 laminectomy, a devastating setback that...

  13. #438 Why Powerlifters Die Young (Fix Your Work Capacity) | Jason Brown

    The myth that aerobic conditioning steals your strength is the exact reason most experienced lifters hit an early plateau and stay chronically beat up. From running high-volume CrossFit boxes to completing a PhD in Kinesiology, Jason Brown realized that rigid, maximal-effort splits were wrecking...

  14. #437 I Ignored My Surgeon's Rehab Protocol | Josh Hendrickson

    Standard medical advice after a catastrophic muscle tear will turn a high-performance lifter into a spectator if you blindly follow it. Four months after snapping his bicep off the bone on an axle clean, National Champion Strongman Josh Hendrickson refused to sit passive in a sling and hit a...

  15. #436 Why You Should Never Bodybuild | Ben Mayfield-Smith

    Most lifters suffer through brutal competition preps not because they lack discipline, but because they are using a physical outcome to mask a broken identity. After a career-ending rugby injury shattered his athletic dreams, Ben Mayfield-Smith rebuilt his mindset by merging raw physical grit…

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  16. #435 Why 90% of Hardcore Gym Owners Fail | Chandler Parsons

    Choosing between athlete, coach, and gym owner is the only way to avoid burning out—you can only pick two. After 20 years under the barbell and totaling 2,044 raw, Chandler Parsons realized that chasing elite performance, coaching lifters, and building a gym from scratch was a fast track to...

  17. #434 Why Most Lifters Over 30 Are Destined To Break| Mark Valenti

    Stop chasing cheap metrics in your youth only to end up a broken, thirty-five-year-old former athlete who doesn't even know how to properly brace. When high school geometry teachers double as strength coaches, young lifters pay the price decades later with wrecked spines and destroyed joints.…

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  18. #433 Stop Buying Biohacks Until You Fix Your Training | Anthony Castore

    An 185-pound frame earned in the trenches taught Anthony Castore that no protocol can out-discipline a broken foundation. From a 117-pound teenager asking too many questions to a Fellow at the Seeds Scientific Research & Performance Institute, Castore turned an obsession with cellular mechanics...

  19. #432 Your Heavy Squat Is Actually Fake Strength | Brian Bott

    If you train high school athletes like Division I pros, you are destroying their potential. For 13 years at Wisconsin, Brian Bott built NFL offensive linemen and Rose Bowl champions using old-school grit—only to realize that the biggest mistake strength coaches make is confusing intensity with...

  20. #431 To Fix Your Body, You Have to Destroy Your Identity | Ben Pollack

    To survive the brutal reality of elite-level strength, you might have to destroy the very person you spent a lifetime building. Ben Pollack earned a PhD in physical culture history while systematically destroying his own body, ignoring years of excruciating warnings for the sake of world records...

  21. #430 Why "Bought Fitness" Will Never Make You Strong | Daniella Means, Kailey Latimer, & Lu Faustin

    You can buy fat loss with an injection, but you cannot fake the raw, violent physical capability required to survive when the lights turn on and the floor turns into a warzone. Before stepping under the Hollywood lights as the new faces of American Gladiators, Daniella Means, Lu Faustin, and…

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  22. #429 I Ignored My Surgeon's Warning (And Benched 435lbs Anyway) | Jordan Wong

    The worst thing that can happen to an elite bencher might be the exact psychological reset needed to save their career. Before Jordan Wong could break all-time world squat records and scale a massive commercial gym facility, he had to navigate a catastrophic, full-tendon pec rupture without…

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  23. #428 Stop Training Athletes Like They're Good at Lifting | Lucas White

    "Your skill set's not going to be lifting weights—it's going to be the sport, but you still have to learn how to strain." For thirteen seasons, including eleven in the collegiate trenches, Lucas White has survived the brutal, revolving-door reality of Division I strength coaching by adapting…

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  24. #427 The Trap of the 300-Pound Power Clean | Monte Sparkman

    Most high school strength coaches are hiding behind a rigid workout template because they are terrified of what happens when the plan fails on the weight room floor. For Monte Sparkman, fifteen years of building elite teenage athletes across Texas proved that being married to a specific exercise...

  25. #426 What Powerlifting Judges See (But Never Tell You) | Valerie Smith

    You aren't truly learning how to lift until someone forces you to pull the slack out of a stiff bar with an opener that's completely out of your league. For multi-time world champion Valerie Smith, transitioning from a decade in corporate HR to the elite tiers of Master's powerlifting meant…

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  26. #425 We've Broken Our Natural Hormones to Survive the Modern World | Mike Stratton

    Your body naturally produces testosterone, but it doesn't make the gallons of coffee you are using to survive a modern, unsustainable lifestyle. Mike Stratton built a multi-million dollar health optimization empire from the ground up, yet he nearly killed himself in the process by abandoning his...

  27. #424 You Learn More From One Loss Than 100 Wins | Phil Daru

    Most people think discipline is about pushing harder, but Phil Daru argues that real growth begins the moment failure exposes the flaws in your plan. From coaching UFC champions and elite performers to nearly destroying his body attempting a 150-mile ruck, Phil's most valuable lessons didn't come...

  28. #423 Powerlifting's Dirty Secret (The Real Freaks Haven't Arrived) | Matt Levine

    The elite coaches dominating the fitness industry aren't out-programming you; they are out-communicating you. For twenty years, Matt Levine didn't just survive the brutal meat grinder of competitive powerlifting—he used its systemic failures to rewrite the rules of modern strength education. Now,...

  29. #422 The Barbell Giveth, and the Barbell Taketh Away | Jim Wendler, Matt Rhodes, & Vincent Dizenzo

    If you think your current training routine is built for longevity, you are lying to yourself about what decades under a heavy barbell actually does to the human frame. For over twenty years, Jim Wendler, Matt Rhodes, and Vincent Dizenzo chased the white rabbit of absolute strength through the...

  30. #421 Why Most Dedicated Lifters Crash Out Outside the Gym | Marcellus Williams

    The illusion of world-class strength is built on rigid programming—but the truth is that strict protocols are often what cause elite lifters to plateau or break. Long before he was known as The Swolefessor, Marcellus Williams discovered that textbook biomechanics and conventional gym culture…

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  31. #420 Why D1 Strength Programs Are Actually Ruining Elite Athletes | Jared Bidne

    *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:2523425b-13bd-4ad0-b39f-df637437cb7e-1"...

  32. #419 Do ONLY These 3 Exercises for the First 5 Years | Dr. Ian Butcher

    Stop majoring in the minors and trying to fine-tune a physique or training split you haven't even earned the right to optimize yet. Dr. Ian Butcher runs four distinct brick-and-mortar health and fitness businesses in the real world, completely outside the digital echo chamber, because he's too…

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  33. #418 To Total 2,000lbs, I Had to Change Who I Was | Matt Sharafinski

    *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:ab4eb3eb-3833-417a-83de-084e79d16afc-0"...

  34. #417 The Truth About Your Breaking Point (It's Not What You Think It Is) | Dr. Dylan Seeley

    *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:94b6191a-3082-4dd4-82d5-5137a06536ba-0"...

  35. #416 Why "Data-Driven" Coaching is Failing the Next Generation of Athletes

    The weight room isn't just a place to build muscle. It's a battlefield where psychology meets physical adaptation — and most coaches are losing because they're coaching numbers instead of people. Dr. Justin Lima joins Dave Tate at the elitefts compound to dismantle the myth of "optimal" training...

  36. #415 The Raw Truth About the American Gladiator Arena (What TV Cut) | THE BULL, STEEL & FANG

    The staged spectacle of the ring and the curated edits of prime time are stripped away to reveal a raw physical reality that cannot be faked. Eric "Bull" Bugenhagen, Jesse "Steel" Godderz, and Michael "Fang" Wardlow endured a month of sensory deprivation and high-stakes violence to resurrect a...

  37. #414 Your Strength Has an Expiration Date | Sean Noriega

    *]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))]...

  38. #413 How to Handle 10x More Weight: The Secret to a Flawless Setup | Jordan Buchla

    Taming your "dumb strength" is the only way to survive when 900 pounds is trying to crush your spine into the floor. Jordan Buchla spent a decade as an emergency room trauma nurse while simultaneously becoming the #2 all-time strongest female squatter on the planet. From intubating patients…

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  39. #412 How Westside Training Saved Me From 4 Years of Cancer | Kalil Sherrod

    One heavy squat at 400 pounds was all Kalil Sherrod needed to know the poison hadn't won. Seven weeks before this recording, Kalil walked into elitefts HQ to hit his first major milestone since a brutal cancer diagnosis. That moment bridged the gap between his life as an elite performance coach…

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  40. #411 How to Get Every Type of Jacked (Even With Zero Genetics) | Drew Donaldson

    You are likely sacrificing long-term health for short-term gains because you're following a "get bigger" blueprint designed for a body you don't actually want. After 21 years in the trenches—from wrestling on the WWE developmental circuit to coaching at the legendary MI40 gym—Drew Donaldson...

  41. #410 The Comical Truth About "Accidental" Muscle Growth | Pat Davidson

    Wealth and muscle follow the same law: if you're terrified of the extreme, you'll never master the baseline. From hauling fish on Cape Cod to earning a PhD while competing as a world-class strongman, Dr. Pat Davidson has spent a lifetime proving that obsession is the only path to clarity. He…

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  42. #409 How to Accurately Hit 100% of Your Maxes | Dr. Dwayne Jackson

    Stop looking for the magic pill and start fixing the foundation that's actually killing your progress. Yale-trained neurovascular physiologist Dr. Dwayne Jackson returns to expose why your high-tech peptide stack and "science-based" training mean nothing if you haven't mastered the internal…

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  43. #408 "You Can't Out-Lift Being An A**hole." | Bob Merkh

    The strongest man in the classroom returns to the table. Bob Merkh is back to discuss one of the most unique careers in strength history—highlighted by a sanctioned 1,100 lb squat and 1,100 lb bench press. From the high-stakes platforms of the WPO to a 7th-grade social studies classroom, Merkh…

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  44. #407 The #1 Reason Your Off-Season Is Failing | Tim Walsh

    Alcohol is a biological detergent that systematically strips away the healthy gut microbiota required for elite performance and recovery. Tim Walsh, famously known as "The Vanilla Gorilla," transitioned from a 338-pound teenager to a national-level bodybuilder before becoming the secret weapon…

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  45. #406 Any Idiot Can Make You Tired (The Professionalism Crisis) | Jack Lovett

    The industry says you need more certifications, but the truth is you just need to be undeniable. Jack Lovett walked away from a stable government career and flew to New Jersey with no winter coat and an empty bank account because he knew that "good enough" coaching was a death sentence for a…

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  46. #405 The 50% Testosterone Drop: The Hidden Cost of "The Grind." | Allan Bacon

    Most people believe that mastering your physique requires a radical sacrifice of your professional sanity, but the reality is that the most elite transformations happen through calculated precision rather than brute force. Dr. Allan Bacon spent a decade operating as a dental surgeon before…

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  47. #404 Stop Drinking Water: Why Every Elite Athlete is Doing Hydration Wrong | Nathan Payton

    Your nutrition protocol is failing not because of your effort, but because you are ignoring the biological godfather that dictates every gram of muscle gained and every ounce of fat burned. Before Nathan Payton was the architect behind eight World's Strongest Man titles, he was a Duke-trained...

  48. #403 The Peptide Gray Area: Crossing the Line in 2026 | Anthony Castore

    EPISODE DESCRIPTION The industry lied to you: performance isn't built on a squat rack—it's engineered at the cellular level. Most coaches are guessing with your biology, while Anthony Castore has spent thirty years proving them wrong. Before becoming the bridge between elite medicine and the…

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  49. #402 11 Years of Ballroom Dancing Made Him This Strong | Adam Roszkowski

    In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary "Triple-Threat" career of Adam "Rosco" Roszkowski, one of the most uniquely versatile athletes in modern strength training. We explore the mental and physical shift required to transition from the grace of competitive ballroom dancing to the…

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  50. #401 The Most Overlooked Part of the 800lb Bench | Nick Benerakis

    In this episode, we sit down with Nick Benerakis, the mastermind behind Big Benchas, to deconstruct the technical precision required for elite strength training and world-class athletic performance. With 13 years of experience in the trenches of powerlifting, Nick shares the secrets of the…

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Are you sick of "fitness influencers," training fads, and crappy advice that barely applies inside the gym or on the field? Then sit down with elitefts CEO Dave Tate as he interviews the strongest & smartest minds across the strength sports community to talk real, hardcore training, business, life, and more. If you're looking for real, applicable information on all things training, join the crew.

HOSTED BY

elitefts.com

Produced by Dave Tate

CATEGORIES

health fitness

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Dave Tate's Table Talk have?

Dave Tate's Table Talk currently has 300 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Dave Tate's Table Talk about?

Are you sick of "fitness influencers," training fads, and crappy advice that barely applies inside the gym or on the field? Then sit down with elitefts CEO Dave Tate as he interviews the strongest & smartest minds across the strength sports community to talk real, hardcore training, business, life,...

How often does Dave Tate's Table Talk release new episodes?

Dave Tate's Table Talk publishes regularly with 300 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

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You can listen to Dave Tate's Table Talk on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Dave Tate's Table Talk?

Dave Tate's Table Talk is created and hosted by elitefts.com.
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