One Clue to Identify a Bad Squat EARLY

Don’t be like this fool.

Are you making your squat harder, weaker, and less efficient than it should be? 

Here’s a tell-tale sign: if you’re trying to maintain a vertical torso (i.e., a vertical or upright back angle) as you descend, you’re making a mistake, so let’s fix it quickly.

The Problem
The error of trying to keep the torso upright during the descent of the squat is a common one, and it usually stems from confusing - whether consciously or subconsciously - the concept of a straight back with that of a vertical back.

Make no mistake - we want a straight back. We don’t want a rounded back (i.e., flexion), and we certainly don’t want an arched back (i.e., overextension) either. We simply want a straight, rigid back, which is extremely useful for efficiency of force transmission between you and the barbell.

However, the back will not always be - nor should it be - vertical during the squat itself. In fact, it won’t be vertical for most of the squat. Your back will be vertical at the start of the squat before you start your descent, and it will be vertical at the end of the squat when you finish standing up, but during the movement itself, the back will travel through a range of angles.

note that tyler has gotten correctly (and efficiently) leaned over as he descended into his squat.

The Solution
Trying to keep your torso vertical as you start makes the squat harder, weaker, less efficient, and even uncomfortable, and lifting heavy weights is already uncomfortable, so let’s not make the situation worse through inefficiency. To fix this issue, use the following cue as you start your descent:

“Hips back - chest down.”

As you begin the descent, reach your butt back as if you’re trying to touch the wall behind you while simultaneously pointing your chest down toward the floor. In other words, you lean over on purpose as you push your hips backward.

Using this leaned over position on the descent puts you in a stronger and more efficient position from which to drive up out of the bottom of the squat, and efficiency is always a good thing to have when squatting.

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?

Power Clean vs Split Clean vs Squat Clean: Which One is Best?

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/04/21)

A couple of weeks ago, we covered the three landing positions for the snatch. There are also three landing positions for the clean, and as with the snatch landing positions, each has its own advantages. Let’s briefly cover them here:

POWER CLEAN

Landing Position: Partial squat (i.e., partial-depth front squat)

Maddie performs a power clean.

Advantage: The power clean is the simplest to learn as your feet do not travel far from their original pulling position. It also doesn’t require learning how to perform a front squat as in the . . .

CLEAN (AKA full clean or squat clean)

Landing Position: Front squat (i.e., full-depth front squat)

Advantage: Of the three landing positions, the full clean allows lifters to lift the heaviest weights as this lower receiving position means the barbell doesn’t have to be lifted as high before racking it on the shoulders.

Maddie performs a clean.

SPLIT CLEAN

Landing Position: Split stance - nearly identical to the split jerk stance, but the split is often even longer and deeper.

Advantage: The split clean allows the lifter to drop further under the bar than the power clean without requiring the ability to drop into an front squat position as in the full clean. For this reason, the split clean  - although potentially useful at all ages - is especially well-suited to older lifters.

Maddie performs a split clean.

You’ll notice that the word “hang” - as in hang clean or hang power clean or hang split clean - is conspicuously absent in this discussion. This is because “hang” refers to a starting position, not a landing position.

If “hang” is added as a prefix, then the lift simply starts with the bar hanging in the hands (usually at about mid-thigh height) as opposed to starting with the bar resting 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?

Do These FOUR Things When Starting Strength Gets Hard... (plus 3 bonus tips)

What do you do when Starting Strength gets hard?

Specifically, we’re discussing the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression, but this advice applies generally to people at all stages of their lifting careers.

The Situation
You’re a couple of months into the linear progression, and lifting has gotten challenging indeed. You finish your first work set of squats, and you’re flabbergasted, “Son of a gun, that set was significantly harder than I expected it to be!”

In this situation, what do you do?

3 Bonus Tips First
First, make sure you’ve taken care of “The First Three Questions.” You can go more in depth and read Mark Rippetoe’s article on this topic by clicking here, but in brief, you need to make sure you’re doing the following:

1. Resting an intelligent amount of time

   • Are you resting 2-3 minutes between work sets? Don’t do that. You need to rest a sufficient amount of time between work sets, and for a hard-working lifter like yourself, 2-3 minutes is ridiculously too short of a rest period.

2. Making intelligently-sized jumps regarding the load on the bar

   • If you’re a few months into your linear progression and you’re still trying to add 10 lb to your squat and deadlift each session, and you’re still trying to add 5 lb to your press and bench each session, you’re going to have problems. Make smaller jumps, e.g., 5 lb on the squat and deadlift and 2.5 lb on the press and bench.

3. Taking care of your recovery

   • In short, make sure you’re sleeping and eating enough.

Assuming you’ve taken care of these issues, there are four things to do when the novice linear progression gets hard.

#1: Check your book.
Take a second look at your training log - you may have read it incorrectly. Perhaps you were supposed to squat 205 lb today and you mistakenly thought you were supposed to squat 215 lb (and thus you loaded the barbell 10 lb too heavy). Perhaps you were supposed to press 75 lb, but you accidentally loaded up your bench press weight and tried to press that (it happens frequently).

Check your book and make sure that what you intended to lift today is actually what’s on the bar.

#2: Check your bar math.
Maybe you meant to load 145 lb, but you accidentally put a 10 lb plate on each side instead of a 5 lb plate, thus ending up with 155 lb. If 145 lb was already going to be tough, then 155 lb will be a problem indeed.

If you tend to make loading errors and are doubting your math, ask your training partner (or someone else in the gym) to tell you what’s on the bar once it’s loaded. If their answer matches your plan, then you’re probably good to go.

#3: Check your bar symmetry.
In other words, make sure the left side of the bar is loaded the same as the right side of the bar. If you meant to load 155 lb, and you put a 45 lb plate and a 10 lb plate on one side, but you accidentally only put a 45 lb plate on the other side (i.e., you forgot the 10 lb plate), this makes the load asymmetrical, which makes for a tougher set.

Ideally, you’d check these three items before starting your work sets, but at the very least, be sure to check them when things are harder than expected. You might be surprised how often one of these three errors is the culprit.

#4: What if #1, 2, and 3 aren’t the problem?
In this case, check the calendar. If the day of the week ends in the letter “y,” then you simply move on and do the next set.

It’s challenging and it’s hard, but then again, it’s supposed to be hard. This is how you make progress.

In Mark Rippetoe’s words, “Easy doesn’t work.”

It will still be hard two months from now - your 205 lb squat in a month or two will be about as hard as your 135 lb squat was today, but because you can now squat 205 lb, your old 135 lb squat is now just an easy warm-up because You. Got. Stronger.

When I find myself in a situation like this, it also helps me to remember that this is a first world problem. I have food in my belly, I have a place to sleep at night, and training is a privilege. Keeping that in mind certainly helps provide perspective.

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 Most Common Bench Press Mistake You Don’t Even Realize You’re Making

Let’s fix a bench press error that is all too common.

This particular error is relatively easy to fix, but unfortunately, it’s also easy to accidentally commit, and it’s extraordinarily easy to be unaware that you’re committing it in the first place.

Let’s identify the mistake and fix it fast.

The Mistake
The error is that of having a poor focal point or simply having no focal point at all when benching, which makes it difficult to hit a consistent and efficient bar path for each of your reps.

When benching - and really during any barbell lift - you want to stare at an immovable point. A focal point should help you establish balance and consistency, and something that moves does not help you accomplish this.

The Solution
With this in mind, don’t want to watch the bar since the bar is a moving object. Instead, pick a spot directly above you on the ceiling and stare at it at the start of rep, during the descent, during the ascent, and at lockout. 

Before starting the descent, you can see the barbell in your peripheral vision - the bar starts there, and it’s your job to make sure that the bar finishes in that same spot in your periphery every single time.

Keep it simple. Keep it consistent.

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 Deadlift: Sock it to Me, Baby

effective . . . and stylish

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/28/21)

Want an easy way to improve your deadlift?

Wear long socks. Seriously. When you deadlift, wear socks that go over your calves and up to a point just below your knees. Of course, sweatpants or leggings will work as well, but for pure fashion - and I’m an expert on this topic - I recommend the classic, old-school tube sock with the horizontal stripes.

Why long socks? Two reasons:

First, you’ll keep the bar closer. Remember, step 5 in the deadlift setup is “drag” - i.e., drag the bar up your legs. This keeps the bar close to your body, over the middle of your foot, and it makes for the most efficient pull. Have you ever tried holding a jug of milk out at arm’s length? It’s a lot easier when you keep it close to your body, and the deadlift is no different. Lifters will automatically keep the barbell closer to their legs when they’re not worried about scraping their shins, which brings us to . . .

Second, you’ll prevent yourself from having bloody shins when you actually succeed in keeping the bar close. You don’t want bloody shins - once they bleed, it’s amazingly easy to break those scabs back open again in successive workouts - and we don’t want your DNA on the bar.

Now, if you’ve never let a deadlift drift away from your shins, and if you’ve never had bloody shins when pulling, then feel free to ignore this advice, but your day will come too, my friend, and when it does, you’ll wish you had a pair of those sweet socks.

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?

2 Clues to SPOT Your Terrible Deadlift EARLY!

If you've got a deadlift that's drifting away from you as you pull, that's a problem.

Let’s fix it.

Why Does This Happen?
This problem is often caused by accidentally “getting forward” during the setup process. In other words, during the five-step setup for the deadlift, you accidentally allow your balance to shift forward, and this almost always happens during either step two or step three of the setup process. 

I would strongly recommend watching the short video below to see these errors and their solutions demonstrated.

A brief recap of the five-step setup for the deadlift:

1. Stance: Take a relatively narrow stance wherein your vertical shins are one inch from the barbell.

2. Grip: Bend over to grab the bar, but do not move the bar, and don’t touch the bar with your shins (keep the shins vertical) just yet.

3. Shins: Bend you knees slightly until your shins touch the bar.

4. Chest: Squeeze your chest up (without dropping your hips) and set your back in flat, rigid extension.

5. Pull: Drag the bar up your legs.

Problem During Step 2
Remember that midfoot balance is assumed, i.e., you want to be balanced on the middle of your foot and not on either the balls of your feet or on your heels. However, people often allow their balance to shift forward to the balls of their feet when - during step 2 - they bend over to take their grip.

step 2: Taking the grip incorrectly with balance forward (left) and taking the grip correctly with balance over midfoot (right)

If you find yourself doing this, simply cue yourself “midfoot,” or you can even overcue yourself “heels.” We don’t actually want to be balanced on our heels, but this type of overcue can be useful to prevent ourselves from rocking forward.

Problem During Step 3
During step 3, you should bend your knees slightly (i.e., drop your hips slightly) until your shins touch the barbell, but people will sometimes accidentally rock forward to bring their shins to the bar instead.

step 3: bringing the shins to the bar incorrectly by rocking forward (left) and bringing the shins to the bar correctly by bending the knees (right)

If you are committing this error, use the cue “hips drop slightly” or simply “bend your knees” to ensure that you’re bringing your shins to the bar by bending the knees and not by shifting your balance forward.

After that, squeeze your chest up and pull as usual, dragging the bar up your legs.

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?