The Testify Ledger - April 28, 2025
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video How to Warm-up Correctly for Lifting Weights (STOP Using Percentages) (click the title to watch):
John Fish
What about rest intervals?
Phil
Solid question, and we’ve done a few videos that have covered that as well. Here’s one that you might find useful:
Get Stronger . . . Faster! Save Time at the Gym!
https://youtu.be/6-UNUyoPjBE
In general, you don’t need to rest in between your warm-up sets – they are relatively light since they are warm-ups, and therefore the act of changing the weights will provide enough rest between your warm-up sets. (you can rest between them, of course, but if you’re looking to save time, this is an excellent place to do it)
With that said, you probably will want to rest a few minutes before you start your first work set, and you’re definitely going to need to rest sufficiently between work sets.
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ARTICLES & VIDEOS
Why Does This Bar Position Just Work So Well?
When squatting, why does this particular barbell position work so well, and how do you find the correct location? Click here to watch.
Bench Press & the Biggest Mistake You’re Making
You're set to bench press, and for the most part, it's great. But you're missing one big detail. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: The Deadlift: STOP Lifting Your Chest?!
Lack of knee extension and raising your chest too soon on the deadlift are related errors, and in the 4th video in our Saturday Shorts series on fixing the deadlift, Phil covers how to correct these issues and add pounds to your pull. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: THIS is Destroying Your Press . . . and Driving Me Nuts
Phil covers how NOT to make a very common press error. Click here to read.
TESTIFY 3/4 SLEEVE SHIRTS ARE UP!
Baseball season is here, so represent your favorite team - well, gym - in style!
PLUS - you get four different options to choose from!
Click here to head to the Testify Store.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Below are a few of our upcoming events, and you can find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.
Testify Barbell MAYhem - Teams Edition!
May 23, 2025
Grab a partner and take on the barbell at Testify Barbell MAYhem – Teams Edition! One lifter snatches. The other cleans & jerks. One epic night of strength, teamwork, and mayhem.
Click here to register or for more information.
Testify IronFest VII
June 20, 2025
IronFest is a team-based strength meet wherein the contested lifts will be the squat, press, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors will form teams of 2 lifters/team and perform all 4 lifts; each lifter will perform one upper body lift and one lower body lift, and each lifter will receive 3 attempts for each lift.
Click here to register or for more information.
Deadapalooza! The Annual Testify Deadlift Festival
August 15, 2025
Deadapalooza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the deadlift. There will be one bar (possibly multiple bars if numbers dictate), and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It's a ton of fun, so come on out!
Click here to register or for more information.
THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING
Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10-20 x 25 yds EMOM at a weight of your choice
Every minute, push the sled 25 yards, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.
Indoors:
10-20 x 100 ft EMOM at a weight of your choice
Every minute, push the sled 100 feet, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.
Compare to 2025.03.24.
Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on
Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.
Compare to 2025.02.03.
Option 3
Outdoors:
5-10 rounds:
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
50 yd farmer carry (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 min
Indoors:
5-10 rounds:
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
100 ft farmer carry (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 min
Compare to 2025.01.06.
Option 4
10 x 50 ft farmer carry
Each carry is 25 ft down and 25 ft back and is for time. Rest 1 minute between carries.
Women: 97# per handle (80# of plates)
Men: 137# per handle (120# of plates)
(Note: Each handle weighs 17#.)
Compare to 2024.01.06.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
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