Leg Drive in the Bench Press | Get a Bigger Bench

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Forgetting to use your legs when you bench or just not sure how? In this video - our 4th in a series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the bench - Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers quickly discusses and demonstrates how to drive with your legs when benching.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 10/15/22)

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FIX Your Bench Press in Under 2 Minutes: Shoulder Position

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are your terrible shoulders ruining your bench press? In this video - our third in a series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the bench - Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers quickly discusses and demonstrates how to correct your shoulder positioning.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 10/08/22)

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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?

This Mistake Will Ruin All Your Lifts...

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

The topic of today’s discussion is the mistake of not having a focal point, which can show up in two different ways.

Balance plays a pivotal role in your ability to move a challenging load. If you’ve squatted long enough, you’ve accidentally gotten forward onto the balls of your feet (and you remember how terrible that rep was), if the barbell drifts away from you slightly when deadlifting, it makes for a much harder rep than it should have been, and the press is exceptionally susceptible to bar path and balance issues.

figure 1: the wandering focal point

A focal point helps greatly with balance, so you don’t want to put your balance at a disadvantage by not having one. With this in mind, let’s cover the two forms of this error.

Error #1: The Wandering Focal Point
With this version of not having a focal point (Figure 1), your eyes wander when performing the lift. You might be looking forward at the start of the press, you might look up while pressing upward, and then you might look downward slightly as you lock out the press overhead.

Error #2: Closing Your Eyes
While this error (Figure 2) prevents you from committing error #1, it’s no better as closing your eyes prevents you from focusing your gaze on a single point. Your eyesight contributes mightily to your ability to balance, so you want to keep your eyes open.

figure 2: ladon demonstrates the error of closing the eyes when lifting.

The Solution
As is so often the case, you want to think about what you should do and not dwell on what you shouldn’t do. For example, if you tend to close your eyes when driving a heavy squat up out of the hole, don’t bother telling yourself, “Don’t close my eyes, don’t close my eyes!”

Instead, give yourself something to do. The moment you take your stance, tell yourself, “I’m going to look at this point and keep staring there during every rep and between every rep.” In other words, give you eyes a job to perform.

For the press, tape an X on the wall in front of you at eye-height, for the squat and the deadlift, put something on the floor out in front of you (such as a 2.5 lb plate or your water bottle), and if you’re benching, pick some point on the ceiling to stare at.

Stare at that point and remind yourself that you’re going to keep starting at it until you are completely done with the last rep. Give your eyes a job to do, and commit to it. If you keep doing this, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can fix this problem.

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:

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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?

FIX Your Bench Press in 1 Minute: Bar Path

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Is your bench press bar path - which should NOT be vertical - ruining your lift? In this video - our second in a series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the bench - Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 10/01/22)

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.

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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!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What is a compression grip, and why should you use it for the bench press and the press? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains in the first video in our series on the correct grip for each lift.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 09/26/22)

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.

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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?

FIX Your Bench Press in Under 1 Minute! (Establish the Correct Focal Point)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Is your focal point - or lack thereof - destroying your bench press? In this video - our first in a series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the bench - Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 09/24/22)

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.

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?