What Strength Coaches Know About Barbell Rings That Most Lifters Don't

Confused about barbell rings and what they actually mean? In this video, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down the different types of barbells and how ring markings affect your grip, setup, and lifts.

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How to Clean Velcro - Quick & Easy (The Trick You Wish You Knew Yesterday)

Velcro looking fuzzy and useless? Here’s the quick and easy trick to clean it so it grabs like new again. No special tools—just a simple method that actually works. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

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TRAINING LOG: How to Keep a Training Log and Why You Should (Lifting Gear Series)

Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers discusses why the training log is your most important piece of equipment and also cover how to use one effectively. This is the 6th video in our "Lifting Gear" series.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 02/27/23)

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LIFTING SHOES: The Complete Guide to the Best and WORST Shoes! (Lifting Gear Series)

Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers everything you'll ever want to know about lifting shoes, including what NOT to buy. This is the 5th video in our "Lifting Gear" series.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 02/20/23)

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WRIST WRAPS: The Complete Guide and how NOT to Put Them On! (Lifting Gear Series)

Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers everything you'll ever want to know about wrist wraps, including how NOT to put them on. This is the 4th video in our "Lifting Gear" series.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 02/13/23)

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The Deadlift: Sock it to Me, Baby

effective . . . and stylish

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/28/21)

Want an easy way to improve your deadlift?

Wear long socks. Seriously. When you deadlift, wear socks that go over your calves and up to a point just below your knees. Of course, sweatpants or leggings will work as well, but for pure fashion - and I’m an expert on this topic - I recommend the classic, old-school tube sock with the horizontal stripes.

Why long socks? Two reasons:

First, you’ll keep the bar closer. Remember, step 5 in the deadlift setup is “drag” - i.e., drag the bar up your legs. This keeps the bar close to your body, over the middle of your foot, and it makes for the most efficient pull. Have you ever tried holding a jug of milk out at arm’s length? It’s a lot easier when you keep it close to your body, and the deadlift is no different. Lifters will automatically keep the barbell closer to their legs when they’re not worried about scraping their shins, which brings us to . . .

Second, you’ll prevent yourself from having bloody shins when you actually succeed in keeping the bar close. You don’t want bloody shins - once they bleed, it’s amazingly easy to break those scabs back open again in successive workouts - and we don’t want your DNA on the bar.

Now, if you’ve never let a deadlift drift away from your shins, and if you’ve never had bloody shins when pulling, then feel free to ignore this advice, but your day will come too, my friend, and when it does, you’ll wish you had a pair of those sweet socks.

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

-Phil

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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?