SFL StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification—Minneapolis, MN, USA

Schedule

Fri, 09 Oct, 2026 at 08:00 am to Sun, 11 Oct, 2026 at 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

ABsolute Strength | Minneapolis, MN

Advertisement
The School of Strength is in session. Dive deep into the powerlifts plus several high yield barbell exercise.
About this Event

INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Michael Hartle, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor

SCHEDULE

8:30am-6pm Friday

8:00am-6pm Saturday

8:00am-5pm Sunday

*Check-in begins at 8:00 am on Friday

CONTACT

For all registration inquiries and other questions, please contact Dr. Michael Hartle at [email protected].

This certification is organized and licensed by Advanced Strength and Speed Strategies by Dr. Michael Hartle.

PAYMENT PLAN

A 3-Installment Payment Plan option is available for a limited time for select registrations. For more details, please refer to the checkout page.






SFL StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification

At our School of Strength we take barbell lifts apart and put them back together strong. We have seamlessly integrated biomechanical breakthroughs from Russian sports labs, intuitive discoveries of the finest coaches and lifters around the world, and insights from medical professionals. As a result, our cues and progressions lead the industry, and the learning curve of our students is the steepest.

Welcome to the SFL StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification. Dive deep into the powerlifts plus several high yield barbell exercises:

  • Back Squat
  • Bench Press (plus variations)
  • Deadlift (conventional and sumo)
  • Front Squat
  • Zercher Squat
  • Good Morning
  • Military Press

We promise that you have not seen the level of attention to barbell technique at any other school.

Our instructors’ experience coaching and consulting a widest range of people, from couch potatoes to tier one military operators to world record holders, has enabled StrongFirst to develop the most robust learning progressions in the iron industry. And nearly fail-proof troubleshooting tactics for every imaginable technique flaw, from beginners’ gross mistakes to platform veterans’ imperfections too subtle to be seen by most coaches’ eyes.

Your SFL instructor manual, loaded for bear with progressions, cues, and pro tips will serve you as well and as long as your trusted barbell.

The manual’s programming section is just as power packed.

The SFL programming of choice is classic cycling—the system behind US powerlifting dominance in the golden era of the sport and many records that still stand decades later. The beauty of this system—in addition to the gold medal pedigree—is its simplicity and time efficiency. Ron Fernando, a powerlifter who competed during the golden age of the sport, wrote an article entitled “Quest for Simplicity in the 21st Century” in Powerlifting USA. He started by waxing nostalgic about the best car he had ever owned, a 1980 Chevy Camaro Berlinetta. The ride was fast, easy to maintain, even by an amateur, and it looked good too. He compared it to modern fancy wheels with computers, too many features and options, a forbidding service bill, and an absolute impossibility to fix at home. The old-school powerlifter drew parallels with strength training systems of yesterday and today: “These systems, like classic muscle cars, will never go out of date and in many cases will outperform anything touted as new, high tech, or scientific today.”

The SFL manual’s programming section alone is worth the price of admission:

  • Surefire beginner programming for your athletes’ first year in the iron game
  • Solid intermediate programming for an athlete who does not yet know his or her rhythm of adaptation
  • 10 power bodybuilding cycles and plans—to build muscle that is as strong as it looks
  • 30 top-of-the-line cycling templates for intermediate and advanced lifters—hand-picked from top North American and Eastern European lifters and coaches and developed in-house
  • Plus 3 time-tested non-cycled strength training programs—boosted with a cycling tactic
  • Understand the logic of cycling—most athletes and coaches do not get it
  • Learn how to fix the problems of cycling—undertraining, overtraining, peaking too soon
  • Find out how to reboot a failing cycle
  • Discover how to personalize a power cycle
  • Drive home the difference between long-term strength gains and peaking—failure to know the difference leads to failure on the platform
  • How to max if you are not a competitive lifter
  • Master the art of deloading
  • Discover the science behind light days; pros and cons of having them
  • 7 effective tactics for planning light days
  • 10 weekly strength schedules used by pros—pick the one perfect for your needs
  • How many reps per set?—wonder no more
  • How many work sets?—your decision making matrix
  • How to change your plan when you are having a bad day—2 professional tactics for different circumstances
  • 7 powerful ways to structure the back-off sets for hypertrophy
  • The best exercise selections for hypertrophy back-off sets: 4 for the back squat, 6 for the bench press, 9 for the deadlift, 11 for the military press…

If this is not your first barbell rodeo and you check at least one of the following boxes, welcome to the SFL StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification.

  • A strength coach committed to becoming a world class professional and making his or her athletes win
  • A lifter ready for new PRs
  • An athlete seeking an edge in his or her sport by becoming a lot stronger than the competition
  • A personal trainer too proud to be delivering shoddy product common in the industry

The School of Strength is in session.

Visit our SFL StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification page for more details.

Read the SFL StrongFirst Barbell Instructor Certification requirements.



STAY SHARP. STAY STRONGFIRST CERTIFIED.

Take advantage of the Unified Recertification and renew your current instructor credentials—included with your registration. Testing will be completed during the weekend.

Our Unified Recertification is also the path towards achieving our highest instructor designation: the StrongFirst Certified Elite Instructor. Once you have achieved all four StrongFirst certifications, you will have earned the StrongFirst Elite title and the three-year certification time frame it provides (in addition to all the other benefits of certification).



ATTEMPT THE BEAST TAMER/IRON MAIDEN CHALLENGE

Do you have what it takes? Visit our Beast Tamer/Iron Maiden Challenge page for rules and details and find out!



Event Photos
Event Photos
Agenda

🕑: 08:30 AM - 06:00 PM
FRIDAY

Info: *Check-in begins at 8:00 am on Friday


🕑: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
SATURDAY
🕑: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
SUNDAY
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

ABsolute Strength, 201 6th Street Southeast, Minneapolis, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 1807.39

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Advanced Strength & Speed Strategies by Dr. Hartle

Host or Publisher Advanced Strength & Speed Strategies by Dr. Hartle

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Halloween Bar Crawl
Sat, 24 Oct at 04:00 pm Minneapolis Halloween Bar Crawl

Bryant Lake Bowl and Theater

PARTIES BAR-CRAWLS
Orthopaedic Nursing Review Course (ONC\u00a9)
Tue, 27 Oct at 08:00 am Orthopaedic Nursing Review Course (ONC©)

MacMillan Hall

WORKSHOPS SPORTS
The Official Halloween Bar Crawl (Fri & Sat) - Minneapolis
Fri, 30 Oct at 04:00 pm The Official Halloween Bar Crawl (Fri & Sat) - Minneapolis

Tom's Watch Bar - Minneapolis

PARTIES BAR-CRAWLS
F1RST Wrestling: UNLEASHED (21+ | SAT. 11\/07\/26)
Sat, 07 Nov at 07:00 pm F1RST Wrestling: UNLEASHED (21+ | SAT. 11/07/26)

James Ballentine “Uptown” VFW Post 246

SPORTS
Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure-Minneapolis
Fri, 19 May at 09:00 am Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure-Minneapolis

US Stadium Bank

TRIPS-ADVENTURES SPORTS
Puzzling Adventures Scavenger Hunt - Minneapolis
Fri, 26 Jun at 10:00 am Puzzling Adventures Scavenger Hunt - Minneapolis

Recommended Parking to Begin Adventure

TRIPS-ADVENTURES SPORTS
Tantrum Sundays Hip-Hop Party
Sun, 21 Jan at 10:00 pm Tantrum Sundays Hip-Hop Party

Tantrum Nightclub @ Dulunos

ENTERTAINMENT DANCE
Magical Minneapolis Amazing Race & Tour
Wed, 06 Nov at 11:00 am Magical Minneapolis Amazing Race & Tour

Graze | Provisions + Libations

SPORTS
Minneapolis Lucky Treasure Hunt
Tue, 29 Apr at 11:00 am Minneapolis Lucky Treasure Hunt

906 E 47th St

TRIPS-ADVENTURES KIDS
Season Ticket Member Pregame Tailgate
Sun, 14 Sep Season Ticket Member Pregame Tailgate

U.S. Bank Stadium

Free Vikings Game Day Shuttle
Sun, 14 Sep at 07:20 pm Free Vikings Game Day Shuttle

Twin Cities 400 Tavern

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
Mon, 15 Sep at 12:20 am Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

U.S. Bank Stadium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Parking Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings
Mon, 15 Sep at 12:20 am Parking Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

U.S. Bank Stadium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
Sun, 21 Sep at 05:00 pm Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings

U.S. Bank Stadium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES CALENDAR
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings
Sun, 19 Oct at 05:00 pm Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

U.S. Bank Stadium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Parking Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings
Sun, 19 Oct at 05:00 pm Parking Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

U.S. Bank Stadium

CONTESTS TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium
Sun, 09 Nov at 12:00 pm Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium

US Bank Stadium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings
Sun, 09 Nov at 06:00 pm Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings

U.S. Bank Stadium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Mathletes - Building Future Mathematicians
Thu, 13 Nov at 02:45 pm Mathletes - Building Future Mathematicians

3820 Emerson Ave N

CONTESTS SPORTS

What's Happening Next in Minneapolis?

Discover Minneapolis Events