Use THIS CUE to PR Your Lifts!

Try out this simple cue the next time you're going for a heavy single at the gym or in competition. It just might help you nail that PR you've been chasing. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/05/22)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

12 Outdated Lifting Trends to Ditch in 2025 (and What to Do Instead)

Still doing these outdated lifting trends? It's time to level up. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down 12 common lifting habits, techniques, and myths that need to be left behind - and what you should be doing instead to actually get stronger. No gimmicks. No fluff. Just real, effective strength training advice.

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Why THIS is the Most Important Supplement for Building Muscle

Everybody is all about the supplements. Whey protein, creatine, pre-workout - the list goes on, but do you know what the most important supplement is?

It’s not whey protein, and it’s not creatine. Both of those are useful (which is a profound rarity in the world of supplements), but neither one tops the list.

The most important supplement is magnesium carbonate. Use it immediately before training and during training, but there’s no point in using it after training.

What is magnesium carbonate and why use it?
Magnesium carbonate - also known as chalk - typically comes in block form and is specifically used for increased friction between your hands and the bar. It absorbs the natural oil and moisture (e.g., sweat) in your hands so that you have a more secure grip. As an added bonus, it helps in case the Neanderthal who used the barbell before you didn’t use chalk and thus left his sweat and oil on the bar. 

Figure 1: Look close and you’ll see that dave intelligently uses chalk to pull this 237 kg (522.5 lb) deadlift.

You use it for the same reason that rock climbers and gymnasts use it - to hang onto things. Your deadlift is (or will be in time) heavier than a rock climber or gymnast, so you have even more reason to use chalk than those folks do.

What lifts does it help?
It’s most useful for pulling movements such as cleans, snatches, deadlifts, and rows (even chins-ups), but it’s also useful for other lifts such as the squat and pressing movements. If you’ve ever had your hands start to slide a bit on a heavy squat or bench press, you know that it’s a very disconcerting experience and not one that you’d like to repeat.

When do you apply chalk?
Here’s a simple approach - apply chalk at the following times:

1. At the start of your training session (you probably won’t need much at this point)

2. When you start to warm-up your deadlifts (or cleans or snatches)

3. Before your last deadlift warm-up set

4. Before your deadlift work set (or before each work set if you have multiple work sets)

figure 2: correctly chalked hands

How do you apply chalk?
Again, let’s keep it simple:

1. Rub the block onto each hand.

2. Set the block down.

3. Rub your hands together. At this point, your hands should be white and chalky (Figure 2).

If you don’t use chalk, you’re making things more difficult than they need to be, and you’re not even aware of it. When your grip is compromised (and it is), other factors become compromised as well.

The weight feels heavier, your back starts to round, and you can’t completely lock out your deadlift at the top. It’s terrible, and it’s easily preventable by using chalk (in addition to using a modified grip such as the hook grip, mixed grip, or straps).

Don’t like the feel of chalk on your hands? Remind yourself that you’re not a baby and that you don’t care about your feelings. After all, you don’t like the feel of a heavy barbell on your back in the squat, and you still do that.

figure 3: geneva uses chalk to successfully complete her sets of pause deadlift.

You can Pinnochio up for a few minutes and use chalk like a real boy (or girl).

Don’t use chalk for the feel. Use it for the friction, and use it for the increased strength that comes with successfully completing your deadlift work sets.

(If you still won’t use regular chalk, at least use some version of liquid chalk.)

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

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• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

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(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

The BEST Squat Accessory Ever: "This simple tool helps so much!"

How can one simple object fix your knees' forward position, your knees' lateral position, and even your hip position and back angle?! If you train on your own, the TUBOW can be a huge help to your squat. What's a TUBOW? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains as Becky demonstrates.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/03/22)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

How to Squat Heavy ALONE! | How to Fail a Squat Safely

Everybody needs to squat, but if you train alone, you need to be able to fail a squat safely. What to do? It's simple, and Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and demonstrates.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 11/28/22)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

You've Been Unloading Your Barbell Wrong This Whole Time (plus bonus tip)

You’re done lifting - you’ve finished your deadlifts, snatches, cleans, rows, whatever was on the docket for the day - you’ve got a bunch of bumper plates on the barbell, and you’ve got to unload them.

It’s a bit of a pain, of course, and you don’t want to work any harder than you have to, so let’s cover how to make your life easier when unloading your bar (and read to the end for a bonus tip).

You can also watch the video below to see these steps in action.

Step 1: Get all the metal plates or “change plates” off the bar.
Take care of the smaller plates first. If it’s not a full-sized plate (i.e., a bumper plate or a metal 45 lb plate), it’s easy to slide off since it’s not sitting on the floor, so get these plates off first.

Step 2: Outer Plates Off
Move to one side of the bar and roll the innermost plate up onto a small, change plate (a 2.5 lb plate works well). Doing this raises that entire side of the barbell up just enough that you can easily slide off any other plates on that side of the bar (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Step 3: Inner Plate Off
On the same side of the bar, you now have one remaining plate (i.e., the plate that you rolled up onto the 2.5 lb plate in Step 2). This is the only plate that requires a little work to remove. You can pick up the bar with one hand and slide the plate off with the other hand (Figure 2), or your can move to the outside of the barbell and use both hands to pull that last plate toward you.

figure 2

Note: Don’t let that end of the barbell simply drop jarringly to the floor when that last plate comes off. Be kind to your barbell.

Step 4: The Best Part
Grab the empty end of the barbell, walk it up (Figure 3) until the barbell is completely vertical, and then simply pick up the barbell as it slides up and out of the stack of plates now resting on the floor. At this point, you can store your barbell and then easily put away that stack of plates.

figure 3

Bonus Tip:
When getting your barbell out (or when putting it away), if you’d like to conserve some energy, don’t carry it in your hands. Pick it up, place it on one shoulder (one end will counterweight the other end, so this is a pretty easy process), and then carry it over to your squat rack.

figure 4

Since the bar is already on your shoulder, it’s at roughly the same height as your j-hooks (if you’re set up to squat or press), which means you can lean against the squat rack to make sure the barbell is against the uprights (Figure 4) and then just dip slightly until the bar is resting in the hooks.

Note: If there are other people around, make sure you don’t clock someone in the face when carrying it at this height.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

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• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

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(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?