What Every New Lifter Gets Wrong

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/12/21)

If you’re a new lifter, there are a couple of mistakes that you’re probably going to make within your first few weeks or months of training. To help you avoid them, let’s take a look at a few:

Misloading the bar
Bar math can be tough, and you’re eventually going to load your barbell heavier or lighter than you intended. For example, you intend to add 10 lb to the bar, and instead, you absentmindedly add 10 lb to each side of the bar and thus end up adding 20 lb to the bar by mistake.

If you do a work set, and it’s significantly harder than you expected, double-check what’s on the bar. Be sure to check your math if the set is significantly easier than expected as well, and check it again if the weight felt lopsided. In all of these scenarios, there’s a reasonable chance you misloaded the bar. Don’t worry - we’ve all done it, and it won’t be the last time you do it.

Forgetting to wear your belt
You finish your set - it was a bit harder than expected - and you then see your lifting belt sitting on the ground. There’s a very easy solution here - every time you finish a set, hang your belt over the middle of your barbell. Now, you won’t be able to miss it. This also works well for wrist wraps.

Forgetting to use chalk or a hook/switch grip for your deadlift
Grip plays a pivotal role in the deadlift, and you can’t pull as heavy without chalk and a hook or switch grip (or straps) as you can with these things. Eventually, chalking before pulling will be second nature - as will taking the proper grip - but in the meantime, write yourself a large, neat reminder in your training journal. “CHALK + HOOK GRIP” or something of the sort will do nicely.

We’ll examine a few other newbie mistakes in a future article, but in the meantime, give these solutions a try.

Milo understands . . . he’s made a few mistakes, too.

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.

• 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.

(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 Bench Press Truth No One Told You

Here’s a simple tip regarding your bench press technique that - especially if you’re self-taught - you might not be aware of . . .

Retract your shoulders in the setup.

When you bench, you want your shoulders pulled back. Specifically, you want to pull them back and down (i.e., toward your rear end), but if you’re driving up the bench with your legs and properly supporting your arch by doing so, you’ll be taking care of the down aspect.

To see what this looks like in action, watch any of the short videos included in this article.

This retraction allows your shoulders to create a broader base of support on the bench, reduces the risk of shoulder impingement, and as an added bonus, shaves off the extra, unstable range of motion that is accidentally created with inefficient shoulder positioning.

Mike correctly has his shoulders protracted.

Thus, by retracting your shoulders, you create a stronger, safer, and more efficient position from which to bench.

sadly, mike does not have his shoulders retracted here and thus has a weaker and less stable position from which to bench press.

Pull your shoulders back before you unrack the bar and then keep them pulled back throughout the entire set. If you lose some retraction either during the unracking process or during a rep, make sure to re-retract them before your next rep.

Your shoulders - and your bench press PR - will thank you.

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.

• 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.

(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?

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.

• 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.

(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?

Hate Wasting Time at the Gym? Here’s What Actually Works

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/05/21)

You like being at the gym, but you also like other things besides being at the gym, and people are often on a tight schedule, so if your workouts are taking longer than you would like (or can afford), we are going to give you two tactics to save time at the gym. These tactics both revolve around the warm-up, because the warm-up is the best place to save time when you train.

First, don’t rest between your warm-up sets. You need to change the weights as you warm-up, and the act of unloading and loading plates between warm-up sets will provide enough rest for the purpose of warming up. Remember, these are warm-up sets - they’re not terribly difficult - you don’t need a whole lot of rest. After your last warm-up set, you’ll want to rest a few minutes (perhaps 2-4 minutes) before performing your first work set, but if you’re resting 3-5 minutes between all of your warm-up sets and you’re wondering how to shorten your workout time, this is where you start.

Second, if you really need to speed things up, start warming up your next lift between the work sets of your current lift. Let’s say you’ve just done your first work set of squats, and bench press is your next lift - while you’re resting, go ahead and grab a barbell and do your empty bar warm-up for the bench (if it’s the press, you don’t even need a rack - you can just pick it up off the floor and press it). Then, sit down and rest until it’s time to squat again. After your second set of squats, go ahead and do your next bench warm-up set. You might still have some warming up to do on the bench press when you’re done squatting, but this method will certainly shave some time off the length of your training session.

Most importantly, don’t let this tactic tire you out for your current work sets. The squat/bench press example we’ve given here will not tire you out for squatting because the bench press warm-ups are light and because the bench press is unrelated to squatting, but warming up your deadlift between work sets of squats may not be the greatest idea.

Try these tactics the next time you train, and you’ll save yourself some valuable time. Of course, you could probably shorten those 15-minute-between-set-conversations you have with your lifting buddies as well.

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.

• 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.

(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?

People Believed this Lie about Squatting for YEARS

If you’ve lifted weights long enough - or been in a high school weight room or at a powerlifting meet for about five seconds - you’ve heard it . . .

“You’ve got to look up to go up!”

Let’s put this silly nonsense to bed real quick-like.

You don’t look up to go up when you stand up from your bed in the morning.

You don’t look up to go up when getting up from the couch.

You don’t look up to go up when getting up off of the toilet.

Look up to go up? ridiculous.

In fact, with the notable exception of rock climbing and ladders, you rarely look up to go up in life, and you certainly don’t need to look up to go up when squatting.

Keep it simple. Find a focal point that helps reinforce what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to reach back with your hips and point your chest at the floor on the descent, and you’re trying to stay in that leaned over position as you drive your hips up out of the hole on the ascent.

Looking up tends to yank the head up, and that, in turn, causes the chest to come up sooner than you want - making for a harder, more inefficient squat.

With this in mind, pick a spot 4-6 feet in front of you on the floor and stare at it the entire time. Before your first rep, during each rep, and between reps - keep the same focal point.

This focal point helps you achieve the correct back angle, drive your hips effectively, and makes for a more efficient squat.

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.

• 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.

(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?

Your Hideous Deadlift: Do It WRONG . . . to Get It Right?

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 04/28/23)

Are you having a tough time setting your back correctly when deadlifting? To get it right, it can help to do it wrong first.

(Watch the included video near the end of this article for a quick demonstration of how to do this.)

In this approach, you're going to set the barbell on the pins (AKA “safeties) of your squat rack with some weight on the bar. You don’t need a lot of weight - just enough to allow yourself to put some tension on the bar (i.e., some upward pull) without actually allowing the bar to start moving upward.

figure 1: his back is so terrible he won’t even show his face.

You're setting the bar on the pins because - when going through the 5-step setup for the deadlift (click here for a video) - most people find it easier to set the back correctly in rigid extension from this higher position as compared to the usual position wherein the plates are on the floor. In Figure 2, I have the barbell set just below my knees, but if you need to start higher than this, that’s perfectly acceptable.

figure 2: The bar is set just below the knees.

Back flexion - or rounding your back - is pretty easy for most people to achieve, and you're going to take advantage of that here. First, cue yourself to flex your back (Figure 3). In other words, you're going to do it wrong. Remember that a person who struggles with back extension can usually do this pretty well - in fact, it’s typically the default position - but if you need a little additional help, you can cue yourself to round your back as high in the air as possible or cue yourself to make your back into a mountain.

figure 3: back flexion

Additionally, make sure your shins stay in contact with the bar throughout this process, and the bar must remain motionless. From your hips on down, nothing should move or change shape.

Once you're in this position, you can feel what it’s like to do it incorrectly, so you're simply going to cue yourself to do the exact opposite of what you just did. You're going to push your belly down between your thighs, thus extending - or straightening - your back (Figure 4). Previously, your back was a mountain, and you now cue yourself to make it a valley (which is an overcue, but we’ll cover that in a bit).

figure 4: Back extension

Perform five reps alternating between the positions of flexion and extension. The cues now become: “Flex - Extend” or simply “Round - Arch.” The cues “arch” and “make a valley” are overcues as you don’t want your back actually arched or overextended. You just want it to be straight, but for someone who struggles with extension, these two overcues can be quite useful.

Once you can set your back in extension at a given pin height, move the pins lower and repeat the process - a set of five reps works pretty well. If you’re working without a coach, record yourself so you can watch it afterward and see if you were indeed setting your back correctly. Once you’ve “graduated” from a certain height, continue to work lower and lower until you’re setting up correctly for a regular deadlift with the plates on the floor.

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.

• 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.

(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?