Dave Tate's Table Talk

John Ruoppo is an elite American powerlifter, coach, and gym owner based in Massachusetts.

He's the All-Time World Record holder in the 308 lb single-ply squat (1,075 lbs) and has posted best competition lifts of 1,201.5 lb squat, 700 lb bench, and 804.7 lb deadlift, for a 2,560 lb total.

John co-owns Evolve Fitness & Training in West Boylston MA with his wife Stefanie—an ex-college soccer player and marathon runner. Together the...

John Welbourn is a former 10-year NFL veteran (Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots) turned entrepreneur, strength coach, and performance educator. After retiring from professional football, he founded Power Athlete, a global leader in athletic performance programming, education, and community building. John is also the creator of CrossFit Football, one of the earliest sport-specific training programs to br...

In this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk, we're joined by Alex Kikel, also known as The Prep Coach—a leading figure in the world of human optimization, performance enhancement, and health restoration. With a Master's degree in Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement and a background in Exercise Science, Alex brings a powerful blend of academic knowledge and real-world coaching experience to the table.

Alex launched The Prep...

Jared Maynard is a Canadian physiotherapist, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter who specializes in resilience through strength training. In January 2023, what began as a mild cold quickly escalated into Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and deadly hyper-inflammatory disorder. Despite being strong and healthy, Jared rapidly suffered multi-organ failure, including liver and kidney failure, requiring ...

We welcome Tanner Baird and Tommy DeFea from Massenomics back to episode #379 of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

Massenomics is known for its lighthearted approach to the strength and fitness industry. Their motto of "Lift Hard. Live Easy." summarizes how they like to take the lifting journey seriously but still have as much fun as possible. It was started by Tommy DeFea and Tanner Baird in Western North East South Dakota, and they...

Eugene "Big Gene" Bazemore is a 32-year-old Army veteran-turned-super-heavyweight powerlifter who clawed his way from orphan shelters in Hampton Roads, VA to a 2,050-lb raw total and an XPC Arnold Worlds title in barely three seasons on the platform. After military service left a competitive void, Eugene discovered powerlifting through Westside vs The World, self-coached his first meet in 2022, and has been stacking 2K-plus totals—...

Don is best known for training actors like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, John Krasinski, Sebastian Stan, Blake Lively, and Emily Blunt for some of the most significant blockbuster roles of the last two decades. He opened his first gym, Drive 495, in New York City 2005. He later transitioned into building a global online fitness business, coaching tens of thousands of people worldwide through digital programs, live coaching, and spea...

elitefts founder and strength legend Dave Tate is back with his third book, "Racking the Bar." In this deep-dive interview, Dave reveals the raw, unfiltered lessons fro...

Dr. Todd A. McDougle, BS, DC, FICA, is a 25+ year veteran of the chiropractic world and the man behind the McDougle Chiropractic Methods (MCM)—a technique built to keep strength athletes strong, not "sprung."

From backstage at World's Strongest Man, to consulting for UCLA Gymnastics, USC Swimming, and the LA Dodgers, Todd has spent decades treating the world's top performers when it matters most—under the bar, mid-contest, and in c...

We welcome Ben Pauli to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

As the Athletic Director of Rochester Performance Gym (RPG), co-founder of Coaching Revolution, and owner of Michigan BarBenders Barbell, Ben brings a unique blend of Conjugate methodology and data-driven auto-regulation to the strength world. A seasoned multi-ply powerlifter with best lifts of 1,107 lb squat, 810 lb bench, and 810 lb deadlift, his "strain as a...

We welcome Thomas Lilley to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

Thomas is a 36-year-old Australian powerlifting coach, gym owner, and federation president who founded Zero Weakness, a powerhouse strength brand with 11 gyms across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. He leads three major federations—APL, NZPU, and UKPU—with APL now Australia's largest. Known for coaching lifters to multiple all-time world records, includ...

In 2020, Cameron transitioned into the collegiate ranks, serving as Associate Director of Football Performance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before moving to Indiana University as an Athletic Performance Coach for football, where he remained through 2023. From there, he joined Auburn University as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach, working with one of the most competitive programs in the SEC. Today, Came...

We welcome Aaron Williamson to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

Aaron Williamson is a Marine veteran, celebrity trainer, and fitness professional with 27+ years of experience. He's trained Hollywood's biggest names—Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sylvester Stallone, Zac Efron, JK Simmons, Josh Brolin, Jamie Foxx, Emilia Clarke, and more—while also carving out roles on screen in Terminator: Genisys and American Heist.

Aaro...

We welcome Josh Thigpen to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

Josh Thigpen is a professional strongman from Houston, Texas, whose incredible 20-year career has taken him to over 60 contests in 30 countries. A four-time World's Strongest Man competitor, Josh has earned 12 international podium finishes, held multiple world records, and achieved the legendary feat of holding the most weight ever by a human—600 pounds in e...

We welcome Mike Niklos to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

Since 2008, Mike Niklos has worked with athletes at every stage—from young athletes just beginning their journey to the highest-caliber professionals in the world. With nearly two decades of coaching experie...

We welcome John Quint to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

John Quint holds a Bachelors of Health and Promotion Fitness with a minor in Coaching from Otterbein University. He graduated from the American Institution of Alternative Medicine in Neuromuscular Therapy. He is a Functional Range Systems Instructor and travels throughout the world teaching and lecturing. In addition to maintaining a private practice located ...

Chris Duffin is a world-class strength athlete, inventor, and entrepreneur known for pushing life to the extremes—performance, competence, and achievement. He is the founder of Kabuki Strength and advisor to companies like Bearfoot Shoes and LiftLab, blending engineering, biomechanics, and human performance into transformative products and education.

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