Struggling to Finish Deadlift Sets? The 2nd Rep Holds the Answer

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 09/15/23)

The Phenomenon
You’re sweaty, nervous - heck, practically nauseous at this point - and you are entirely unsure whether your upcoming set of five on the deadlift is going to go or not. So what do you do?

“Feelings lie,” you remind yourself, so you walk up to the barbell, set up, and start the set.

The first rep is rough. Very rough. Rough like that single ply toilet paper you thought wouldn’t be so bad . . . but it was.

And then something interesting happens . . . the second rep is actually easier. Quite noticeably. You break it off the floor smoothly, and it certainly moves faster than the previous rep.

The third rep is about the same as the second rep, and the fourth and fifth reps are pretty tough, but by now, you know you can finish the set, and indeed you do.

What on earth? Why does the second rep go better than the first rep? And how can you take advantage of this phenomenon in the future.

Why This Happens
While there might be more than one reason, one probable factor is that - by the time you get to the second rep - your body “knows” how hard you have to pull to get that bar moving.

Among the Big Four - the squat, deadlift, press, and bench press - the deadlift is unique. It is the only lift of the four wherein you don’t support the weight of the bar before the lift starts. After all, it’s sitting on the floor. In the squat, press, and bench, you are supporting the bar before any movement starts, and as a result, you get to feel the weight of the bar compressing you before the real work begins. This gives your brain and body an opportunity to calibrate itself for the task ahead; it gives you a rough sense of how hard you have to drive the bar upward.

This isn’t true in the deadlift. That very first rep - the first time you struggle to break the weight off the floor - that is the actual opportunity for this so-called calibration. As a result, there are two activities going on in the first rep - you are getting a sense of the bar’s weight while at the same time completing a rep.

By the time you get to the second rep, you know - whether consciously or subconsciously - how hard you have to pull, and as it turns out, this helps quite a bit.

How Can You Use This Phenomenon to Your Advantage?
Get the first rep.

No, it’s not complicated or sexy, but it’s crucial. Don’t think about whether or not you’ll get all five reps. Don’t think about how tough the set is going to be. You know that - as long as you complete the first rep - the second rep will be easier, so . . .

Get the first rep. This is what you tell yourself. Get the first rep, and the rest of the set will take care of itself. It’s too easy to go down the rabbit hole of anxiety before starting a work set of deadlifts, so cut that process off at the pass. Remind yourself to complete the first rep, and then take it from there.

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?

STOP Using Your Back Like This (How to Squat Correctly)

Are you using your back like a doofus when you squat? Let’s fix it.

We’re not talking about a conceptual misunderstanding of what to do with your back - if you’re reading this article or watching the accompanying video below, you’re probably aware of what you should be doing with your back as you squat. You’re trying to reach back with your hips and point your chest at the floor as you start your descent. You’re already aware that this relatively horizontal back angle in the squat makes for a stronger, more efficient back angle and is indeed how we train our backs to get stronger as well.

In this case, what could possibly go wrong?

We’re talking about the problem of overextension in the low back (i.e., arching the low back). Watch a video of yourself squatting, and as you start your descent, if you see more wrinkles develop in the back of your shirt - specifically, in the lower half of your back - then you are probably overextending your back.

In other words, if it looks like you’re twerking when you start to squat (Figure 1), you’ve got a problem.

Figure 1: don’t squat like this fool.

This problem tends to show up more often with young kids and women, but the error can happen with anyone regardless of age or gender, and - on a rather important note - this problem tends to cause more back discomfort issues than a rounded (i.e., flexed) back.

Don’t get me wrong - we want a straight, rigid back when we squat, so we’re not looking for either an overextended (arched) back or a flexed (rounded) back, but of these two errors, the overextended back tends to cause more problems, and there are two situations which commonly cause this error to happen, so let’s take a look at them.

Cause #1: Bad Focal Point
A high focal point means lifters have to keep their eyes up, which usually causes them to keep their chest up (instead of pointing it at the floor), which - combined with reaching the hips backward - makes for an arched back.

This also means that if you squat in front of a mirror (and I’m terribly sorry if your gym is silly enough to put mirrors in front of the squat rack), you need to ignore that mirror. Looking at yourself while squatting means you’re keeping your gaze too high, which is no good. You don’t watch yourself while throwing a baseball or shooting a basketball, and you certainly don’t need to watch yourself while squatting either.

The solution is to choose a fixed point on the floor about four to six feet in front of you and stare at it the entire time you’re squatting. Stare at it before your first rep, during each rep, and between reps as well. Looking forward and down will help you reach your hips back and point your chest down as you start to descend, which allows you to achieve the correct back position.

Cause #2: Reaching Back Without Leaning Over
This version of the error shows up when a lifter knows he should reach back with his hips and lean over, but he accidentally only focuses on the “reaching back” part of the movement (Figure 2).

If you reach back with your hips and accidentally keep your chest up, you will be overextending your back, so the “reaching back” aspect of the movement must be accompanied by the “leaning over” or “pointing the chest down” aspect of the movement.

Figure 2: jeremiah was kind enough to purposely demonstrate the mistake of reaching back without leaning over. . . . don’t do this.

Reaching back and leaning over should go hand-in-hand, but if you can only focus on one part of that duo, I’d recommend focusing on the “lean over” cue. After all, you are probably quite adept at not falling over, so you’ll naturally reach back with your hips as you lean over to help with balance.

Bonus Cue
If you find that you still arch your back when you squat, then you can try out the overcue “round your back” or “flex your back” as you start to descend.

Remember - this is an overcue, i.e., an exaggeration of what you truly want to do. You don’t actually want a rounded or flexed back, but exaggerating the mental picture of what to do may help you achieve a straight back, which is what you want.

Find a good focal point, reach back with your hips, point your chest down, and 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 Setup Mistake That Makes Lifters Look Ridiculous

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 08/20/21)

Have you seen that guy at the gym who gets the deadlift dry-heaves? You know the guy - the one who sets his back two, three, or four times before pulling the bar off the floor? If this guy happens to be you, let’s fix this.

When you set up for your deadlift, keep it simple with the 5-step setup:

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

2. Grip: Bend at the waist (not the knees - keep them “straight-ish” for now) and take a narrow grip on the bar - just wide enough to ensure that your hands are on the knurl and that your thumbs don’t drag up your legs on the pull.

3. Shins: Drop your shins to the bar by bending your knees slightly (do NOT rock forward).

4. Chest: Squeeze your chest up ONCE to set your back in extension.

5. Pull: Drag the bar up your legs as you stand up.

On step 4, don’t complicate things (and exhaust yourself!) by squeezing your chest up (i.e., setting your back) and then relaxing multiple times. You are not a ratchet strap, so setting your back multiple times doesn’t make it any tighter than setting it once, and it’s also a waste of energy, which, as you know, is also bad for the climate.

Again, keep it simple. When you get to step 4, squeeze your chest up hard, which sets off a wave of contraction down your back, and then drag the bar up your legs. Set the back once. Set it hard - but set it once.

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?

3 Pieces of Gym Gear That Separate Beginners from Serious Lifters

If your gym bag only has shoes and earbuds, you’re probably just exercising. Exercise is certainly better than nothing - but if you actually train, then you show up with a few specific tools that quietly separate progress from plateaus.

#1: Training Log
The training log separates training from exercise, and you are showing up to train.

Training means there’s a goal, which means there’s a plan - a program - designed to help you achieve that goal. That plan needs data, and your training log is that data. It’s the history of where you’ve been, and thus, it allows you to make decisions to help you move forward.

I recommend a paper notebook, but if you want to go the digital route, that will work, too. Record your warm-ups, record your work sets, record the cues you should be using, and before you walk out the door, record what you plan to do next time. 

The training log is your most important piece of training equipment - more important than your shoes, belt, barbell, etc. All those items are replaceable, but your training log is specific to you, so be an intelligent lifter and start using a training log today.

#2: Chalk
Any decent, dedicated barbell gym should provide chalk for you, but most commercial gyms (i.e., globo-style gyms and chain-gyms) won’t. If your gym doesn’t provide it, there are two solutions - either buy your own chalk or find another gym.

Correctly chalked hands

Seriously, it’s that important. Sneak it in if you need to or use liquid chalk, but if you care about your training, this is nonnegotiable. You use chalk for the same reason climbers and gymnasts use it - friction. It absorbs the natural moisture and oils in your hands so that you have better - much better - grip on the bar.

#3: Fractional plates
Early in your training career - within the first month or two - you’ll need to start using fractional plates on your press, bench press, and possibly your olympic lifts. Females and older folks will find them useful for the squat and deadlift as well. Sadly, commercial gyms won’t have these, so at the very least, go out and get yourself a pair of 1.25 lb plates. Even better, purchase a full set of fractional plates, which includes a pair each of 0.25 lb, 0.5 lb, 0.75 lb, and 1 lb plates.

The ability to make a 2.5 lb jump (i.e, using a 1.25 lb plate on each side of the barbell)  is hugely useful to making continued progress on a number of the lifts, and the ability to make even smaller jumps (e.g., a 1 lb jump using two 0.5 lb plates) is beneficial for many people as well.

If you take your training seriously, have these pieces of equipment when you train. Your results - and therefore your strength - 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?

Stop Destroying Your Squat - Do This Instead

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 09/08/23)

A common problem in the squat is raising the chest early during the ascent. Raising the chest early simply means that you’re making your torso or back angle too vertical too soon when coming out of the hole on the squat. Let’s fix this.

Typically, when addressing this issue, we simply cue you to “drive your hips.” You drive your hips up, and everything else goes up as well. However, if that's not working and you’re still raising your chest too soon, try this cue: “Stay in your lean.”

In other words, stay in that leaned over position that you achieved during the descent. When you initiated your squat, you reached back with your hips, you shoved your knees apart, and you pointed your chest at the floor. Simply put, you leaned over, so stay in that leaned over position a little longer than you think you should on the way back up out of the hole.

Julie will maintain this back angle - this leaned over position - as she drives up out of the hole.

Now, of course, your torso will eventually become more vertical - we do finish the lift in a standing up position, of course. The key is that you don’t try to make it get vertical right away. Stay in your lean.

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?

When Your Press Feels Off, Try This One Small Cue Instead

As anyone who presses knows, the press is supremely dependent on the bar path. If that barbell is just a bit out of the correct groove on a heavy press, your attempt is toast.

It’s possible to miss a press by pushing the weight too far back, of course, but it’s certainly far more common to struggle with a bar path that is forward of where you want it to be. With this in mind, if you find yourself leaving the bar out front on your presses, try this cue . . .

Aim for your face.

Don’t worry about hitting your face. Remember that, as you reach your hips forward, your shoulders and head will naturally counterbalance by moving backward slightly. As a result, you can cue yourself to aim for your face since your face won’t actually be there anymore by the time the barbell gets there.

“Aim for your nose” and “throw it back” are similar cues and ones that we use often, but if you find they’re not working for you, you’ll find that “aim for your face” drives home the concept a bit more aggressively, and that might just do the trick.

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?