THIRST For More Podcast Brandon Smitley | Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training

In the 39th episode of the THIRST For More Podcast, Brandon sits down with Chad Aichs of Courage Barbell. Chad was one of the top multiply powerlifters of all-time. Brandon and Chad discuss conjugate training, the mentality of lifting and training, mental health, and the value of sleep.
Chad is one of the top powerlifters in history. Chad has put up numerous world record lifts in drug free (amateur) and pro (non tested). Chad's best lifts include a 1173lb squat, 821lb bench press, 755 deadlift, and 2733lb total. At one point he was ranked #2 in the world and #1 in the US. Chad has suffered from insomnia and mental health issues and strives to help other lifters in these areas, as well as their technique in powerlifting. Chad also competed in Scottish Highland Games winning amateur caber and weight for height nationals.
CourageBarbell.com
Follow Chad on Instagram:
@chadaichs
Courage Barbell On YouTube

In the 38th episode of the THIRST For More Podcast, Brandon sits down on a solo episode and discusses 1 Rep Max Testing for athletes. Is 1RM testing worth it? How should you layout your testing? What are the pro's and con's of 1RM testing? Brandon goes into a deep dive of everything to help you decide if this data is valuable for you as a coach and/or program.
About Brandon Smitley
Instagram: @bsmitley @team.thirst
Subscribe On YouTube!
Website: THIRSTgym.com
Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.
Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th all-time. He provides online coaching and programming around the world, and has personally worked with over 200 athletes in the US, UK, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Brandon’s been published at Elitefts, Muscle and Performance, and Muscle and Fitness magazine.
He holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level One Sports Performance (USAW), Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications, and is educated in PRI for Fitness and Performance.

In this month's Q&A and live stream, Brandon Smitley goes over the 2023 year for him and his facility.
In this episode of the THIRST For More Podcast Live, we answer your questions regarding strength, conditioning, and performance. We also discuss how 2023 went, and what to expect for 2024.
About Brandon Smitley
Instagram: @bsmitley @team.thirst
Subscribe On YouTube!
Website: THIRSTgym.com
Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.
Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th all-time. He provides online coaching and programming around the world, and has personally worked with over 200 athletes in the US, UK, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Brandon’s been published at Elitefts, Muscle and Performance, and Muscle and Fitness magazine.
He holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level One Sports Performance (USAW), Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications, and is educated in PRI for Fitness and Performance.

In the 36th episode of the THIRST For More Podcast, Brandon sits down with Jim Jarvis of Jarvis Performance. They discuss how Jim got involved with strength and conditioning, training for the hockey population, as well as his route into multi-ply powerlifting. Jim uses ideas from the conjugate system to develop his athletes, and they discuss how he goes about that with that particular subset of athletes and how that sport culture is compared to other sports in the US.
In high school Jim played football, hockey, and baseball until his senior year, then focused on hockey and baseball. He went to UW-Eau Claire for his first two years where he played hockey, and then transferred to University of Minnesota-Duluth. He got into strength and conditioning after taking an exercise physiology class while interning at UMD for two years. After graduating he worked at a private gym in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho for a year before moving back to Minnesota, eventually going to coach at the University Minnesota, Morris. After two years at Morris, he moved on to Northern State University. After completing his masters degree and coaching at Northern State he spent a short time at the University of Minnesota, before accepting the Head Strength and Conditioning position at Carleton College. After four years at Carleton he started Body By Jarvis, which then transformed into Jarvis Performance.
He has competed in both Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting. Having competed in Weightlifting from 2007-2009 and having competed in Powerlifting since 2012. He is currently competing in multi-ply after having competed Raw for his first nine years.
Follow Jim on Instagram:
@jarvisperformance

In the 35th episode of the THIRST For More Podcast, Brandon sits down with Kevin Cann of Precision Powerlifting Systems. they discuss how Kevin got involved with powerlifting and coaching. Kevin has been influenced by Louie Simmons and Boris Sheiko. Brandon and Kevin discuss everything conjugate, programming design, powerlifting issues and hot topics, and overall development of strength sport athletes.
Kevin holds an undergraduate degree in health and wellness and a master's degree in kinesiology. He was coached by Boris Sheiko for 3 years and has been powerlifting for over 8 years.
Follow Kevin on Instagram:
@kwcann
@precision_powerlifting_systems

In this month's Q&A and live stream, Brandon Smitley breaks down how improve your bench press by addressing weak points specifically where you're having troubles.
In this episode of the THIRST For More Podcast Live, we answer your questions regarding strength, conditioning, and performance. We also will be discussing the bench press and addressing weak points within that lift.
Building The Raw Bench Press by Brandon Smitley on Elitefts.com
About Brandon Smitley
Instagram: @bsmitley @team.thirst
Subscribe On YouTube!
Website: THIRSTgym.com
Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.
Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th all-time. He provides online coaching and programming around the world, and has personally worked with over 200 athletes in the US, UK, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Brandon’s been published at Elitefts, Muscle and Performance, and Muscle and Fitness magazine.
He holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level One Sports Performance (USAW), Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications, and is educated in PRI for Fitness and Performance.