How to Start Lifting: Learn to Deadlift
/In the fourth video of the "How to Start Lifting" series, Phil and the Testify gang help you learn how to deadlift and also discuss how to go about your first deadlift workout.
(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 10/25/21.)
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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.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
Most Common Deadlift Error? (It's NOT What You Think)
/Are you making this deadlift error? It's extremely common, and it's making your deadlifts a lot harder (and last longer!) than they should be. Let's fix it.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
Don't Let This Mistake RUIN Your Deadlift!
/With a very simple cue, Phil addresses a common deadlift mistake that lifters make when setting their backs and starting to pull the bar off the floor.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
The Deadlift: Use Your Lats . . . But DON'T Think About Them
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Do you think he’s thinking about his lats?
Got a barbell that wants to drift away from you when you deadlift? It’s a miserable experience. Let’s fix it fast.
(Watch the included video for a quick demonstration of how to do this.)
Your latissimus dorsi (your “lats”) form a connection between your upper arm and your spine, and because of this, they perform an important function in the deadlift - they keep the barbell close to you as you pull, i.e, they are responsible for keeping the bar over the middle of the foot.
However, if you tend to let the bar swing away from you when you pull, simply cueing yourself to “use your lats” may not be terribly useful as it can be difficult to picture what the lats are actually doing. With this in mind, let’s cover a useful mental picture as well as a few cues to help you use your lats . . . without ever thinking about them.
figure 1
Mental Picture
Instead of holding a barbell, picture yourself holding a pool noodle - you know, those flexible, floaty pieces of foam that you use to whack your friends over the head . . . in the pool. With this mental picture (Figure 1), use one of the following cues:
Cue #1: Bend the bar backward.
If you’re holding a pool noodle, you can actually bend it backward around your shins (as shown in Figure 2). This action of pulling back on the bar is performed by the lats, but you don’t need to think about your lats - you simply think about the action of bending the bar backward around your shins, and the lats will automatically do their job. As a side note, it is rarely useful to think about individual muscles while lifting - think “movements” not “muscles.”
Figure 2: Bend it backward
Cue #2: Pin it to your shins.
Same idea - just a different way to think about it. Cue yourself to keep the bar pinned to your shins, and if you accomplish this, your lats will be doing their job.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
-Phil
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