You Should Be Unloading Your Barbell Like This | EASY and FAST (plus BONUS tip)

How do you unload your bar after deadlifting, cleaning, rowing, etc. in a fast and easy manner? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and demonstrates and also provides a bonus tip.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 07/08/23)

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Use This Grip for a BIGGER Deadlift! (Tension Grip)

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/08/23)

What is a tension grip, and why should you use it for pulling movements like the deadlift, row, and clean? This is the second article in our short series on the correct grip for each lift. In the first article, we discussed the compression grip, which is useful for pressing movements such as the bench press, press, close grip bench press, etc., and you can read that article by clicking here.

Today’s Topic: Pulling Movements
The grip we are covering today is the type of grip you would take for pulling movements such as the deadlift, the row, the clean, etc. This grip is commonly referred to as a tension grip (watch the included video for a demonstration).

Whether you execute a pulling lift (e.g., deadlift) or a pressing movement (e.g., bench press), the same principle is true - gravity wants the bar to go down, so your grip should put the bar in the lowest stable position possible. In this way, the bar cannot accidentally reach a lower position than that which it’s already occupying.

What NOT To Do
In a pressing movement - as discussed in the compression grip article - you place the bar at the base of the palm. However, since the hand will be pointing downward in a pulling movement, putting the base of the palm against the bar puts the bar in an unstable position. The compression grip is very strong for pushing and pretty terrible for pulling.

Figure 1: compression grip (shown in reverse for viewing purposes): good for pushing - terrible for pulling

Placing the base of the palm against the bar - this will look like you’re pushing down on the bar (Figure 1) - compromises the grip, and this will show up in several ways. First, if you can even break the bar off the floor, it may result in a soft lockout at the top of the lift (e.g., knees that are still bent) or the complete inability to finish the lift at all. Second, when your grip is compromised, everything else starts to compensate - your back starts to round, the weight feels heavier, and it will actually be harder to pull the bar off the floor.

Figure 2: tension grip (shown in reverse for viewing purposes): good for pulling

The Answer
Take a grip that permits the bar to sit a little lower in the hand - down by the fingers a bit more (Figure 2).

(As a side note, don’t take a monkey grip - you shouldn’t have a visible air gap between your hands and the bar.)

Put simply, it should look like you’re pulling up on the bar and not pushing down on the bar. Note the differences between a compression grip (bad for pulling) and a tension grip (good for pulling) in the photos below.

Whether you use a double overhand grip, a hook grip, or an alternate grip, make sure the bar is carried down by the fingers and not positioned up by the base of the palm. When in doubt, put some upward tension on the bar, and voilà - your wrists will straighten out, and the bar will be positioned correctly.

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

-Phil

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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

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This Mistake Will RUIN All Your Lifts!

Want to improve every one of your lifts with one fix? Make sure you're doing this. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 05/27/23)

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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?

Cleans vs Power Cleans vs Hang Cleans - What's the Difference?!

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 10/20/23)

Cleans, hang cleans, power cleans, hang power cleans - what are the differences between these lifts, and how can we remember these differences in an easy and practical manner? To sort this out, we first need to understand two words - hang and power.

HANG
Hang refers to a starting position, so if you see the word hang, then you know the lift starts with the bar hanging in your hands. Common hang positions include the mid-thigh, low thigh, above the knee, below the knee, and even mid-shin, but most often (without any other specific qualifiers), hang typically refers to a start position at the mid to low thigh. 

Finally, note that if you don’t see the word hang, then you know the lift starts with the bar resting on the floor.

POWER
Power refers to a landing position (AKA receiving position), i.e., the position in which you catch or rack the bar. When you see the word power, simply think partial squat (tip: power and partial both start with the letter “p”). Thus, if you see the word power, you’re going to receive the clean in a partial depth squat (i.e., not a full depth squat). If you don’t see the word power, then you know you’re going to receive the clean in a full depth squat.

Now that you’ve got those two terms down, it’s time for the actual lifts . . 

CLEAN (AKA squat clean or full clean)
Since you don’t see the word hang, the bar starts on the floor, and since you don’t see the word power, it’s not received in a partial squat and is therefore received in a full depth front squat before being stood up. 

In summary, the clean starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a full depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers (i.e., stands up).

POWER CLEAN
You don’t see the word hang, so the bar starts on the floor, but you do see the word power, so the bar is received in a partial depth front squat.

In summary, the power clean starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a partial depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers.

HANG CLEAN
You see the word hang, so the bar starts hanging in the lifter’s hands, but you don’t see the word power, so the bar is received in a full depth front squat.

In summary, the hang clean starts with the bar hanging in the hands, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a full depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers.

HANG POWER CLEAN
Not surprisingly, this is a combination of both the hang clean and the power clean - the love child of both of those lifts. You see the word hang, so the bar starts hanging in the lifter’s hands, and you also see the word power, so the bar is received in a partial depth front squat.

In summary, the hang power clean starts with the bar hanging in the hands, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a partial depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers.

By knowing what hang and power mean - and knowing what it means when those words aren’t present - you’ll be able to consistently figure out these variations of the clean. As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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Pulling Blocks: What, Why, and DIY vs. Commercial (Which Should YOU Use?)

What are pulling blocks, why are they useful, and should you buy them or make them yourself? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers it all.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 05/15/23)

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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?