Deadlift Fix: 4 Cues for a Stronger, Smoother Pull

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/12/21)

Attempting to jerk or yank the bar off the floor when starting the deadlift is a common problem for new lifters.

Don’t do this.

You might be able to get away with it when the weight is light, but you won’t be able to get away with it when the weight gets heavy, and by that time, you’ll have accidentally ingrained a very counterproductive habit.

In the 5-step setup for the deadlift - stance, grip, shins, chest, pull/drag - this is typically a problem with step 4: squeezing your chest up to set your back in extension. When you lift your chest to set your back, you must start applying tension to the bar – you must start pulling on the bar even though you're not lifting it off the floor just yet. Treat the bar as an anchor against which you start to pull to help you set your back. 

Here are 4 cues that you can use to help with this process:

Cue #1: Bend the bar.
When you start applying tension to the bar - when you squeeze your chest up to set your back in extension - picture yourself bending the bar upward in the middle (i.e., make the bar look like a mountain, not a valley). Will it actually bend? That depends on how much weight is on the bar, but you visualize yourself bending it nonetheless.

Cue #2: Bend it before you break it.
Bend the bar before you break it off the floor. Very similar to the first cue, but it reminds you to put a lot of tension on the bar before you decide to break it off the floor.

Plus, it's catchy - this is the “try it before you buy it” cue of the deadlift world.

Figure 1A: Note the dark gap or “slop” between the top of the shaft and the collar.

Cue #3: Pull the slack out of the bar.
Barbells have some slop in them. Take a close look at your barbell and note that there’s a little gap between the shaft of the bar and the collar of the bar (Figure 1A). Set your back hard enough - pull hard enough with long, straight arms - that this slop nearly or completely disappears (Figure 1B).

Figure 1B: Note that the gap has almost disappeared.

Plates (even competition plates to a small degree) also have some slop between themselves and the bar - this is what allows you to slide them on and off. When you walk up to your deadlift, the bar is resting on the plates. When you squeeze your chest up and start to apply tension, pull up hard enough that the plates start to rest or hang on the bar instead.

Cue #4: Pull the click out of the bar.
Same idea as the previous cue, but this emphasizes that you should hear it when you apply tension and pull the slack out of the bar. 

Once you’ve applied a significant amount of tension to the bar using one of these cues - and you’ll find one that works best for you - then you squeeze the bar smoothly off the floor.

Remember, breaking the deadlift off the floor isn’t digital - it’s not a switch that you flip from off to on. It’s analog - it’s a dial that you keep turning up and turning up - pulling harder and harder - until the bar starts moving. This is a skill - not a particularly complicated one, but a skill nonetheless - and it’s one that you need to - and can - develop.

We hope these cues help you get stronger and live better!

-Phil

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3 Tactics to Triage Your Press FAST | Get a Bigger and Better Press TODAY

Having problems with your press but not sure what to fix or where to start?

It’s important to remember that if you don't have a coach, then – by default – you are your own coach. With this in mind, let’s cover a few major technical points to look for when you watch your press on video. These are not the only things to look for, of course, but they certainly are large “bang-for-your-buck” items.

Get these issues ironed out, and you’re well on your way to a bigger, stronger press.

We did a similar article about triaging squat problems a few weeks back - click here to read the article, or you can watch the video below.

#1 Elbows and Wrists
When you unrack the barbell, are you doing so correctly with your elbows slightly in front of the bar and with relatively straight wrists? Or are you unracking the bar with elbows behind the bar and with wrists hideously bent backward in full extension?

this . . . is awful.

It’s worth noting that your wrists should not be totally straight – there will be a slight amount of extension – but we absolutely want to avoid the rather lazy and weak position of full extension (see photo above).

Your elbows and wrists should be correctly positioned before you stand the bar up. If you find yourself needing to make elbow and wrist adjustments after unracking the bar, simply stop, rack the bar, fix the issue, and then unrack it again.

Remember that you unrack the bar only with your legs – everything else should already be in the correct position.

this . . . is much better.

Also, be sure to lower the bar so that your elbows and wrists are already in the correct position for the next rep. Don’t be lazy and allow your wrists to bend backward and your elbows to drift behind the bar.

Lower the bar with a purpose, and that purpose is to set yourself up correctly and efficiently for the next rep. Lower it to the same setup position you started from – every time.

Want to see these errors and their corrections demonstrated? Watch the short video below.

#2 Knees
Keep your knees straight. Cues such as “flex the quads”, “tight knees”, and “keep the knees back” are all useful toward accomplishing this goal.

If your knees bend, remind yourself that the rep doesn’t count. You’ve done a push press instead.

Nice lift, but not the one you’re training.

Absolutely terrible

#3 Bar Path
Are you keeping the bar close to you or are you allowing it to loop out away from you?

Bar path is important for all barbell lifts, of course, but the press is especially bar path-dependent – a rep that gets even slightly out of the correct groove is significantly harder and often simply becomes a missed rep.

this bar is extremely forward of the correct bar path . . . and it makes for a miserable experience.

Cues such as “keep the bar close”, “aim for the nose”, and “throw it back” can all be helpful if you find yourself consistently allowing the bar to get forward.

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?

Use This Grip for a BIGGER Bench Press and Press!

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/24/23)

Want a bigger bench? A bigger press? Of course you do. Let’s get right to it.

figure 1: Compression grip (bench press configuration)

This article is the first in our short series on the correct grip for each lift - from pushing movements like a bench press or a press to pulling movements like a deadlift or a row, and we’ll also discuss the differences that come into play when you have an Olympic movement like a snatch or clean.

Today’s Topic: Pushing Movements
The grip we are covering today is the type of grip you would take for the bench press (Figure 1), the press, the incline bench press, the close grip bench press, etc. This grip is commonly referred to as a compression grip.

An important concept to remember is that - and this is true for both pushing and pulling movements - gravity alway wants objects to move downward.

This includes the barbell that’s in your hands, so when you’re pushing on the bar, you don’t want to put the bar in a position that permits the bar to accidentally reach a lower position (in your hands) than the position it’s already occupying. In other words, make sure that the bar is in the lowest, stable position you can achieve . . . right from the start.

figure 2: Do not put the bar up here.

What NOT To Do
For example, when you unrack the press, don’t support the barbell up high in the hand (Figure 2). If you do this with a heavy weight, it’s simply going to bend your wrist backward (thus lowering the bar). As a result, your flimsy, little, dainty, baby wrists are in a rather unstable position of extreme extension (Figure 3).

You’ve created an energy leak, and this is not a productive position from which to press or bench heavy weights. What to do?

figure 3: wrists in extreme extension - don’t be like this fool.

Figure 4

The Answer
Before unracking either the press or the bench, get the bar sitting over the base of the palms - not up by the base of your fingers, but at the base of your actual hand (Figure 4).

This position permits the bar to be stacked right over the bones of the forearms, which is excellent for force transfer.

From here, pronate your grip just enough that your thumbs can grip the bar (Figure 5). This positions the thumbs so that they can wrap around the bar in the opposite direction of the rest of your fingers.

Squeeze the bar tightly, and that’s it - this is your grip (Figure 6).

figure 5: pronate the grip slightly until the thumbs are below the bar.

The Result
This grip permits the bar to sit deep in the base of your palm - whether you’re benching or pressing. Your wrists are as straight as they can be, although they won’t be entirely straight - let’s call it a neutral position.

As a side not, wrist wraps can help achieve and maintain this position, but they shouldn’t be a crutch - learn to achieve the correct position without wraps, and then start using wraps as your work weights get heavier.

Figure 6: squeeze the bar tightly.

The wrists certainly are no longer bent back in extreme extension, and they also aren’t so straight that it feels like the bar is pushing down on the webbing of your thumb.

As previously mentioned, the bar is now positioned right over the bones of the forearm (Figure 7), which makes for efficient force transfer between your arms, hands, and the bar, and this makes for a stronger press or bench press.

figure 7: compression grip (press width)

Next up - the tension grip.

As always, we hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

• 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.

(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?

8 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Benching HEAVY (plus BONUS tip)

Let’s cover 8 things that successful, intelligent, wily lifters do before bench pressing, and at the end, we’ll address a bonus tip that people rarely consider. Let’s dive in.

#1 Stance
The bench isn’t that wide, so it doesn’t give you much lateral stability. Instead, it’s your stance that performs this job; in addition, your stance gives you the ability to effectively drive with your legs (covered later in tip #4) and therefore make yourself more rigid and stable.

With this in mind, take a roughly squat-width stance – you can go wider if you like, but a squat-width stance generally serves very well. Also, keep your feet flat on the floor as you can drive your feet into the floor more effectively when they are flat on the ground than with your heels up in the air (this is also often a rule in competition).

#2 Grip
Take a grip that is about a hand-width wider than where the knurling starts (a thumb-length will also often work quite well).

This will serve nicely to get started, and you may need to make a small adjustment inward or outward once you start benching. Record yourself on video or have a friend watch you – specifically, you’re looking for a grip that permits vertical forearms (as seen from the head or the foot of the bench) when the bar touches your chest. 

Also, you want the bar positioned over the bones of your forearms, so pronate your grip slightly and make sure the bar is supported in the base of your hand and not up by the pads of your fingers.

Lastly, do not take a thumbless grip (AKA “suicide grip”). Wrap your thumb around the bar when benching – always.

#3 Chest & Shoulders
Your chest should be up and your shoulders should be pinched back and down.

Doing this puts your shoulders in a stronger, safer position from which to bench, and by getting your chest up, you also position your pecs into a more mechanically advantageous position.

#4 Leg Drive
Drive your feet forward and downward (i.e., diagonally) into the ground.

This is closely related to the concept of getting your chest up and providing yourself with a nice arch – your feet should be driving into the ground almost as if you are trying to slide up the bench, i.e., as if you are trying to slide toward the uprights.

Of course, you don't want to slide toward the uprights, but the bar is pinning you in place, so don’t worry about that.

Be sure you aren’t driving your legs in such a way as to cause your butt to come up off of the bench (your rep doesn’t count when you do that).

You drive with your legs so that you compress yourself slightly and create as stable and rigid of a platform (i.e., a more rigid and stable you) as possible from which to bench.

#5 Focal Point
First, have a focal point, and second, it’s not the barbell (don’t stare at something that moves).

With the bar locked out, pick a spot on the ceiling directly above you and note that you can still see the bar in your peripheral vision. That bar needs to finish in the same place every single time at the top of each rep.

#6 Breathing and Bracing
We’ve covered how to do this for lifting in general, and we’ll link to a video below that addresses these general principles of breathing and getting tight. 

Here, let’s cover two interesting notes specifically related to breathing when benching.

First, the bench is a rare lift wherein you might consider doing multiple reps on one breath. That is perfectly acceptable, but don't take this as a test of your manhood (or womanhood) to see how many reps you can get on one breath. Passing out while benching is always a lousy idea.

Second, when you have the bar locked out at arms-length between reps and need to take a breath, don't take the biggest possible breath. When you do that, it's moves your upper body, which makes it difficult to keep your shoulders pinched back into place. Instead, think of the breath as a smaller, “topping-off-your-gas-tank” breath.

#7 How to Unrack a Heavy Bench Press By Yourself
If you’re training with someone, it's great to have your buddy help you with the unrack (i.e., the “lift-off”) so that you can stay in position efficiently and keep your shoulders pinned back and down.

However, if you're lifting on your own, it can be difficult to lift a heavy barbell up off the j-hooks and then maneuver it horizontally to the starting position directly above your shoulders.

The key is to use the leverage provided by the rest of your body to help you accomplish this task. Check out the short video below for an explanation and very useful demonstration of this process, but in short, the steps are as follows – first, flare your elbows out and back slightly. Second, lift your hips up off the bench. Third, unrack the bar, and fourth, bring your hips back down as you bring the bar into position.

#8 Safeties and Spotters
When possible, get a spotter. 

A spotter is great for the lift-off, and a spotter is also great if you get into trouble – after all, the bench press is the most dangerous lift in the room, so be smart about this and have a spotter when possible.

However, having a spotter is not always possible, and in this case, make sure that you set the safeties at the appropriate height. They need to be set low enough that you don't run into them when benching, but they also need to be set high enough that they save you from trouble if you fail a rep.

Check out the short video below for a demonstration of this.

Be sure to practice this, i.e., practice failing a rep with an empty bar and with the safeties set at the correct height. You should be able to relax your arch, set the bar on the safeties, and then slide out safely from under the bar. If you can’t do this, raise the safeties until you can.

We also recommend not using collars when benching as you can dump the plates (side-to-side) if you fail a rep, but the absence of collars is not sufficient as it won’t save you from the type of catastrophic disaster that can occur during the unracking or racking process and results with a bar on your face or neck.

Get a spotter or use safeties correctly. These are the only two options.

Bonus Tip
Use chalk.

Take a look at the big bench presses on YouTube or on social media, and you’ll notice that these guys and gals use chalk (you’ll see a few examples in the video below as well).

Chalk is most important in pulling movements like the deadlift, but it’s still important in the bench as well, and if you’re ever had your hand start to slide outward slightly when benching, you already know what I’m talking about.

You don’t need a lot of chalk, but it is wise to use some. Also, remember that if you’re training at a commercial gym, you’re not only dealing with the moisture and oils from your hands – you’re also dealing with the moisture and oils from whoever has used that bar before you.

Stay chalked, my friends.

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?

99% of Lifters Don't Know Which CLEAN to Perform: POWER vs SQUAT vs SPLIT

You have three options for performing the clean – power clean, squat clean, and split clean. Let’s cover the advantages of each so you can decide which one your should be performing, and as a bonus, we’ll also cover what adding the word “hang” (e.g., “hang power clean”) means for these three cleans.

#1 Power Clean
The power clean starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, and the lifter then racks (i.e., catches or receives) the bar on the shoulders in a partial depth front squat position.

alex demonstrates a power clean.

When you read or hear “power,” think “partial squat” – both begin with the letter P, so it's a rather handy way to remember the receiving position.

The advantage of a power clean is that it's the simplest of the three receiving positions (i.e., landing positions) – you don't need to learn to front squat as you do in a squat clean, and your feet don't travel very far as they do in a split clean. For these reasons, the power clean is usually the first version of the clean that we teach, and for general strength trainees or athletes who wish to incorporate cleans into their training, the power clean is what we typically recommend.

Note: If you’d like to see these cleans demonstrated, watch the short video below.

#2 Split Clean
The split clean starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, and the lifter then racks (i.e., catches or receives) the bar on the shoulders with the feet in a split position - one foot positioned in front of the torso and one foot positioned behind the torso.

maddie demonstrates a split clean.

The advantages of a split clean are twofold – first, depending on the length of the split, you can receive the bar at a lower position than that of a power clean, which helps in terms of lifting heavier loads since you don't have to get the bar as high before racking it

Second, you don't have to execute a full depth front squat as you do in a squat clean, and with this in mind, while the split clean can be a solid option for lifters of all ages, it is an exceptionally great option for master's lifters (i.e., older lifters).

#3 Squat Clean
The squat clean – also known as a “full clean” and most commonly as simply a “clean” – starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, and the lifter then racks (i.e., catches or receives) the bar on the shoulders in a full depth front squat position.

abby demonstrates a squat clean.

The advantage of a squat clean is that it has the lowest receiving position of the three cleans, so you don't have to get the bar as high before racking it when compared to a power clean or split clean.

As a result, it is the version of the clean capable of lifting the most weight, and because of this, if you attend a weightlifting meet (AKA Olympic weightlifting meet), the squat clean is the most common type of clean you'll typically see.

Bonus Tip
Power, split, and squat are all receiving (i.e., landing) positions, but the word hang refers to a starting position. Specifically, it means that the lift starts with the bar hanging in the hands instead of with the bar resting on the floor.

As a result, a hang power clean, hang split clean, and hang squat clean all look very similar to their respective versions covered earlier in this article, but the bar starts hanging in the lifter’s hands instead of 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?

4 Easy Ways to Load Your Deadlift

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/05/21)

If you’re new to lifting, it may seem like loading and unloading your deadlift sometimes take an unseemly amount of effort. Let’s improve this situation, shall we?

Option 1
If you’re using bumper plates, simply grab the plate about halfway down or just slightly lower than that, lean back a bit, and simply pull. You’re using your bodyweight to help pull the plate along - the plate will slide lightly along the floor, and you’ll be good to go.

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One of the advantages to this method is that if there is some slop at the other end of the barbell, this tends to tighten up both sides simultaneously.

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Option 2
Deadlifting with metal plates is preferable to deadlifting with bumper plates because, when you add other plates like 25s or 10s, you’re not adding a full size plate, so loading extra plates is relatively effortless until it’s time to add another 45 to each side.

When it’s time to add a 45 to each side, grab a 2.5 lb plate (5s or 10s also work, but 2.5s are best), and roll one side of the bar up onto the plate. This raises the bar enough that you can slide the next 45 on easily.

This method is also very useful when unloading your bar at the end. Simply roll the innermost 45 up onto a 2.5, which leaves the outer 45s off the ground. As a result, they are easy to slide off the bar.

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Option 3
Whether you’re using metal plates or bumper plates, you can use a commercially available deadlift jack. On one hand, a deadlift jack is the best option in terms of ease of use, but it’s also the most expensive option as some models will cost you $150-$200 or more. It’s great . . . but it can be pricey. A more economical version of a deadlift jack would be . . .

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Option 4
The fishhook! (if you’ve seen the movie “Moana,” you’ll understand the name) Anyone can make one of these - the process is simple, cheap, and we have a video covering the entire project (thanks to one of our coaches, Tyler Holm!), and you can scroll down to the end of this article to view that video.

With the fishhook, you can easily jack up one side of the bar, which makes it very easy to slide on either a bumper plate or a metal 45.

We hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

• 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.

(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?