This 1 Minute Routine Makes Your Deadlift Instantly Stronger

One minute. One habit. A huge difference in how your deadlift feels and performs. Try this before your next pull—you’ll feel it immediately. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

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The One Tiny Adjustment That Will Determine Your Benching & Pressing Strength

Think your bench and press are stuck? It might just take one tiny adjustment to unlock serious improvements. In this short video, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down the small change that can make a big difference in your pressing power.

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Don't start deadlifting before you've done THIS

It's simple. It's fast. And skipping it could wreck your deadlift. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and demonstrates.

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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 BEST Grip for Deadlift!

There is one correct way to grip the bar in the deadlift, and it's probably not what you think. In the 5th video in our Saturday Shorts series on fixing the deadlift, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains what's up.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 11/26/22)

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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?

Why is EVERYONE Failing Their Deadlifts? (WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON?)

A lot of people are failing their deadlifts for a reason that's completely and easily preventable. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and demonstrates.

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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?

What You Should NEVER Do When Deadlifting!

If you train with barbells, you’ve got to stop making this mistake.

What mistake are we talking about? That of using a compromised grip.

When you train - specifically when you train pulling movements such as the deadlift, row, snatch, clean, chin-up, etc. - your hands are the interface between you and the barbell (this applies to an equal or lesser extent to other lifts such as the squat, bench, etc.). With this in mind, your grip needs to be secure.

The Problem: Grip and the Deadlift
Using the deadlift for the purposes of our discussion, at some point, the deadlift gets heavy enough that your grip becomes the limiting factor unless you choose to do something about it, and you should absolutely do something about it because grip is a silly reason not to strengthen your deadlift.

The Solution: Part 1
First of all, use chalk. Start using chalk on day one of your training journey. If you train at a gym that doesn’t allow chalk, sneak it in anyway, use something like Liquid Chalk, or better yet, find a different gym at which to train. I kid you not - chalk is that important.

Use chalk right from the start. Get some on your hands at the start of your training session (yes, even for the squat), chalk up again when you start warming up the deadlift, and then chalk up one more time when you get to your work set(s) on the deadlift.

However, pretty quickly, the deadlift will get heavy enough that chalk alone won’t be enough. What do you do then?

The Solution: Part 2
The second part of the solution is to modify your grip. You’ll either need to use a hook grip or a mixed grip (also known as an “alternate grip” or “switch grip”). If you’re not sure how to do this, watch the included videos for a demonstration as well as explanation.

The thumb is the weak link in your grip since you only have one thumb around one side of the bar while you have four fingers wrapping around the other side, so when your grip fails, it’s the thumb that’s losing the battle. Both a hook grip and a mixed grip solve this problem, so pick one and use it.

If you don’t like either of those options, then you need to use straps, and you can watch the video below to see the difference between hook grip, mixed grip, and straps.

New Lifters vs Those Who Refuse to Learn
All this advice is intended to help the new lifter who might not know about chalk, hook grip, mixed grip, etc. If you’re an experienced lifter - if you already know about all of these things - and you’re still not using chalk or a modified grip, this article is not for you. You’ve decided to make a Silly Choice, and wasting your time and energy on the deadlift with a compromised grip is certainly your prerogative.

Where to Go From Here
Start using chalk right away, and before your grip becomes the limiting factor, start modifying the grip. There are a couple of telltale signs that the grip is starting to fail - it will become difficult to lock out the deadlift at the top of the lift, it will feel like the bar is starting to slip out of your hands (because it is), and it will be tougher than usual to keep your back set in rigid extension when you’re pulling off the floor. Before any of these start to become a serious issue, simply use a hook grip or a mixed grip, and you’ll be amazed at the difference it will make.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

(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?