Lifting Gear: What to Wear and What NOT to Wear!

The topic of what to wear when training seems rather straightforward at first - you just put on a shirt, put on some shoes, probably put on some shorts as well, and you're good to go, right?

Not so fast. There’s a host of potential bad decisions to be made here, so let’s briefly (get it?) address a few considerations to help you train more effectively.

This is the first article in our “Lifting Gear” series, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks for future articles in the series.

Shirts
Whether you choose a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, or a sweatshirt, they’re all fine, but the big takeaway here is cotton. Cotton is your best friend when it comes to training, and specifically, you don’t want a technical shirt, which is the type of shirt made from moisture-wicking material.

Tech shirts are great for running, playing basketball, etc., but they are terrible for lifting because the material itself tends to be rather slick. You want excellent friction between you and the barbell when squatting and cleaning, and you again want significant friction between you and the bench when bench pressing, and a tech shirt is simply awful in this regard. Wear cotton.

Additionally, if you’re squatting, benching, cleaning, or jerking (perhaps pressing as well), don’t wear a tank top. Humans are sweaty and oily when they train, and you don’t want your sweaty, oily, and therefore slick shoulders in contact with the bar or the bench when you train. Friction is important, so don’t wear a tank top. Unless you’re performing curls - tank tops are then, of course, mandatory.

Pants
Sweatpants, shorts, leggings - all of these are acceptable. You do, of course, want to make sure they allow you to move freely and don’t bind up on you, so if you’re wearing shorts, don’t wear shorts so long that they come to or below your knees. Shorts of this length tend to bind up at the knees when squatting (and should be reserved for 14-year-old male basketball players anyway), so they’re a bad choice.

the power diaper - Eat your heart out, people.

With that said, if your shorts are long, you can either roll them up a bit at the waistband or hike them up like I do and embrace the “power diaper” look (Figure 1). Granted, my shorts aren’t actually that long - I simply prefer the power diaper.

Socks
For the most part, any pair of athletic socks will do when training. The length of the sock doesn’t matter . . . unless you’re deadlifting, snatching, or cleaning. When pulling from the floor, you want to keep the bar as close as possible, but you also don’t want to nick your shins with the bar. Shins bleed easily, so I recommend wearing long socks if you’re not already wearing sweatpants or leggings.

By “long socks,” I mean over-the-calf-just-below-the-knee long socks. Don’t skimp here - once you’ve caught your shin with the bar, bled, and developed a scab, it’s extremely easy to break that scab open again during subsequent training sessions, and as a result, you won’t be as efficient at keeping the bar close to you (it might be a subconscious effect, but it’s a real effect, nonetheless).

Shoes
Wear lifting shoes. The most important feature of a lifting shoe is the rigid, nondeformable sole, which is extremely useful and efficient for force transfer. Regular shoes are great for walking and running but terrible for lifting - they are squishy and akin to lifting while standing on pillows. We have several videos that cover lifting shoes in depth, and I’d recommend watching one of those for more information.

Also, don’t lift in Chuck Taylors. A Chuck Taylor is not a lifting shoe. A Chuck Taylor is the shoe for someone who started thinking about lifting shoes but never completed the thought. Don’t lift in your squishy Chucks - you’re better than that.

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

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The Squat: Vertical Will Happen . . . Eventually.

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 04/01/22)

For both new and experienced lifters, a common problem in the squat is that of trying to make the back angle become more vertical right away as the lifter starts the ascent. In other words, the lifter is lifting the chest when he starts his ascent instead of maintaining his “lean” and driving his hips up.

If you have this problem, here’s something to remember: Vertical will happen eventually, but wait for it.

In other words, your back angle will become more vertical eventually - we do finish the lift in a completely upright position - but don’t try to make your back angle more vertical (i.e., don’t raise your chest) - right away. It makes life difficult, uncomfortable, and it makes for a weaker squat.

Drive your hips. Stay in your lean. Stay leaned over. Keep your chest pointed at the floor. These are simply different cues for the same motion, and reminding yourself that “vertical happens eventually, but wait for it” might be a good reminder for you as well.

So, unlike Jester and Maverick, don’t go vertical - at least not right away. As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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The Mistake That is KILLING Your Deadlift! | How to Set Your Back: Part 4

The Problem
You don’t want to look like the fool in Figure 1 when you’re deadlifting. After all, before you pull the barbell off the floor, you want your back to be in flat, rigid extension, so with this in mind, welcome back to our series on how to accomplish exactly that.

figure 1: no one should look like this . . . it’s just hideous.

In Part 1 of this series, we covered the cue “squeeze your chest up,” which is included in the 5-step setup for the deadlift, in Part 2, we talked about “pushing your belly down between your thighs,” and in Part 3, we discussed the cue “wrinkles in your shirt.” However, if those concepts and cues aren’t working for you, try today’s cue on for size . . .

Cue #4: Point Your Rectum at the Wall
Is this an anatomically blunt cue? Absolutely, and if you’re surprised by this one, stick around to the end of this article for a related cue that’ll make your mind . . . explode.

In the meantime, being blunt is exactly the point of this cue (I’d recommend watching the included video). You’re focusing on something very specific, telling yourself to point it in a very specific direction, and thus giving yourself a very specific task to accomplish.

Point your rectum at the wall behind you.

This gets across the idea that there should be a slight tilt of the hips (i.e., anterior pelvic tilt) to accomplish the task of setting your back. After all, you don’t point your rectum at the wall by raising your butt but rather by a slight forward tilting of the pelvis.

Another Way to Cue Yourself
My favorite version of this cue - a bit crude, but extraordinarily memorable - is as follows:

If you have explosive diarrhea, you need to spray the wall behind you - not the floor.

Figure 2: Becky sets her back nicely, but milo and parker are not fans of this cue.

A rather colorful concept, to be sure, but it often does the job nicely . . . especially if you have the sense of humor of a 14-year-old boy. Either way, whether you point your rectum at the wall or try to spray the wall, we hope this assists you in your quest for a better, stronger deadlift.

We’ll be back for Part 5 in the near future, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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You WILL Get Weaker . . . So Why Bother?

Julie understands the importance of getting strong now.

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/25/22)

This topic may not be particularly inspiring, but it is extremely important. Here goes:

You will get weaker. So get stronger. Right. Now.

Everyone gets weaker at some point. As the saying goes, in the game of life, “ . . . no one gets out alive.” Whether through injury, illness, or age, there will come a point when we start to get weaker, so it’s very wise to grab a barbell and starting getting really strong right now - while we still can.

When a man who has a 400 lb squat gets older and starts to lose some strength, he still has a 350 lb squat or maybe a 300 lb squat. That is still a very capable man.

When a woman who has a 225 lb deadlift gets older and starts to lose some strength, she still has a 200 lb deadlift or maybe a 175 lb deadlift. Again, that is still a very capable woman.

When a man who can barely climb the stairs gets older and starts to lose some strength, he can no longer climb those stairs. He is no longer nearly as capable in his daily life as he once was.

Strength is vital for the quality of your life. Remember, the day you can’t squat is the day you can’t get off the toilet by yourself, and the day you can’t do that is the day you can’t live by yourself anymore, so get to the squat rack today and build the biggest buffer against weakness that you can - you’ll be glad you did.

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

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If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

Wrist Wraps: THREE Mistakes Every Lifter Should STOP Making

Wearing your wrap here? don’t do that.

Let’s briefly cover a few mistakes lifters commonly make when using wrist wraps as well as how to easily fix these errors. I’d recommend watching some of the included videos to see these mistakes (and others) in action as well as how to correct them.

Mistake #1: Wearing the Wrap Only on the Arm
Wrist wraps are designed to be worn - not surprisingly - on the wrist. However, lifters often wear the wrap in such a way that it’s wrapped only around the arm (see the photo below this article’s title). In this case, the wrap doesn’t provide any support for the wrist itself and is now just functioning as an arm warmer.

Stylish, yes, but not very useful.

Since the wrist wrap should act somewhat as a belt for the wrist, make sure that it covers both the arm and the hand. As you put it on, start by wrapping it around the lower part of your hand and then wrap it further down as you go so that it crosses the wrist and ends up wrapping around the arm as well. You’ll know that you’re doing it correctly if the wrap makes it difficult to bend your wrist backward into extension.

Mistake #2: Wearing the Wrap Too Loosely
Wrist wraps should be worn tightly. If you are able to wear a wrap comfortably for five minutes, it’s too loose. Apply some serious tension to the wrap when putting it on and make sure that it’s very snug. Now, it shouldn’t be so tight that it immediately starts cutting off circulation to your hand, but it needs to be tight enough that - again - it should help prevent wrist extension. If it’s too loose, it won’t provide sufficient support.

Mistake #3: Taking the Wrap Off Between Sets
To be fair, this is more of an option than a mistake, but since lifters are often unaware of this option, we’ll call it a mistake of ignorance. You can take the wrap off between sets, and that’s perfectly acceptable as you certainly don’t want the wrap bound tightly around your wrist when resting. However, you can also choose to simply loosen the wrap instead.

To do this, simply undo the velcro and let the wrap slacken a bit. At this point, it’ll be comfortable enough that you can just leave it on until your next set, at which point you need to tighten it up again. To do this, tuck the thumb loop between your thumb and forefinger (i.e., you just need to pinch it, you don’t need to actually put the loop back over your thumb), and then you can once again apply the appropriate amount of tension to the wrap and secure it correctly.

This tactic is useful for all lifters, and it’s especially useful for competitors in weightlifting, powerlifting, or strengthlifting who may be on a clock and need to get their wraps on in a hurry.

You now have three ways to use your wrist wraps more efficiently, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better

(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. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

Don't be a Noob: Loading the Bar

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 01/06/19)

You have probably noticed (hopefully!) that whenever we load metal plates on a barbell, we always load them so that the numbers printed on the plates face inward (Figure 1), i.e., the numbers of the plates on one end of the bar can “see” the numbers of the plates on the other end of the bar.

figure 1: ted demonstrates the proper method of plate loading on his 405 lb squat.

You may also have wondered to yourself, “Self, why do we always load the plates this way?”

We briefly allude to the primary rationale for this method of loading on everyone’s first day at Testify, but in case you’ve forgotten, let’s chat.

Each metal plate has a lip - a ledge - that makes grasping the plate easier. Loading a plate with the lip facing inward (i.e., away from you) allows your fingers to grasp the plate in a very secure manner. This secure grip is important since the most common injury in a weight room is not a back injury, it’s not a knee injury, and it’s not a wrist injury - it’s a broken toe (or other bone in the foot) caused by dropping a plate on one’s foot.

Every plate is easier to grasp with the numbers facing inward rather than outward, and this is especially true for the 25 lb and 45 lb plates, which - dropped from even a few inches up in the air - are superbly unforgiving to one’s tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges (mind you, dropping the smaller plates can have some nasty effects as well). With this in mind, we always load the plates with the numbers facing inward.

What about the bumper plates, you say? Bumper plates have a lip on both sides (albeit a rather small one), so load them as you please. There’s no rules!

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

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?