IMPROVE Your Daily Protein Intake with ONE Simple Method

A lot of protein advice sounds good but doesn’t survive real life. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers one small change that actually works and consistently improves daily protein intake. Give it a shot and keep training.

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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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 is the BEST time of day to workout? (it's NOT what you think)

What time of day should you train? Morning or evening? Maybe lunchtime? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers cuts to the chase.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 03/13/23)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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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?

Things You Should NEVER Do

(This article was originally published on Starting Strength on 12/28/21.)

Here are a few training-related situations that you should try to avoid. At all costs. Watch out, now.

1. NEVER train when injured.
If you’ve pulled your right hamstring, for instance, it doesn’t matter that we can modify training to deal with this and help the healing process along. It doesn’t matter that you can still make excellent progress on - at the very least - your upper body lifts, and it doesn’t matter that you have three other perfectly usable limbs with which you can train (you know - your right leg and your two arms). Just don’t do it. Never do it. You might start to develop the inclination and ability to make progress in the face of adversity. This would be Bad.

Instead, just rest. Stay home. Get weaker. Mmmm . . . weaker. Sounds delicious.

(Oh, and definitely don’t read the excellent article - A Clarification on Training Through Injuries - by John Petrizzo.)

2. NEVER train when tired.
If it’s early, and you’re still sleepy, hit the snooze. If it’s after work, and you’re exhausted, head on home for a drink. It’s just one workout. It probably won’t become a habit. Besides, we live in a very physical society these days - you’ll probably get a nice training effect from mowing your lawn on Saturday with your self-propelled or riding mower. It’ll be fine. 

3. NEVER train if your MD, PT, PA, chiro, masseuse, dentist, mechanic, dog walker, hair stylist, relative, or barista tells you that you shouldn’t be lifting weights . . .
. . . especially if they tell you that “you don’t need to be lifting those heavy weights!” These people have an intimate understanding of your goals, your training history, and what goes on in the weight room when you train, so always pay attention to them. Also, these people are your masters. Do what they say. That’s why they pay you . . . wait . . . no, nevermind. Do not think, talk to others, evaluate, and then make a decision for yourself. You might start to develop an independent spirit. Self-reliance, even! This would be Bad.

4. NEVER perform the Olympic lifts if you’re over 40.
Old farts like you die every day doing these lifts! What were you thinking?! Don’t you know these lifts have to be performed with absolute perfection?! Arm pull? Death. Less-than-optimal rack position? Death again. Just not very explosive in general? Death to you and your progeny! 

You thought you could approach these lifts like a sensible human being - learning the lifts with the help of a coach, practicing the lifts, and then deciding whether or not you want to keep doing them?! Sheer idiocy. Good heavens - you might even enjoy the process and improve over time! How dare you.

We hope these words of wisdom help you in your journey to NEVER get stronger and live better.

—————

Hopefully, you caught the blatant and well-intentioned sarcasm!

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(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?

Should I Train When I'm Sick?

When you've got a cold, should you train? What about the flu? What about when your insides want to be on your outsides? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks it down.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 03/06/23)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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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?

Do This . . . NOT This: Lifting Etiquette

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/25/21)

Discussing lifting etiquette may not be particularly exciting, but if you’ve ever received a bad hand-off on a bench press or had someone stand right in your line of sight on a press, you already know it’s important, so let’s briefly cover a few key points: 

Gentle hand-off on the bench press
If you’re spotting someone on the bench press, be smart, and be kind. Provide just enough assistance on the hand-off to help the lifter guide the barbell into place over the shoulders, but don’t provide any more assistance than that. Too many spotters lift up too hard and ruin the lifter’s setup in the process.

This . . . is NOT how a spotter performs a good hand-off.

“Working in” with another lifter
It is perfectly normal to share a bar, rack, and/or platform with another lifter (and it makes lifting more fun as well). If you lifted in high school or college, you’re already used to this, but this might be a new concept for those who started lifting later in life. For the squat or press, this situation tends to work best if the lifters are somewhat close in height (set the pins for the shorter partner as the taller partner can always get lower to unrack the bar), but pretty much everyone can bench with someone else, and this is certainly true for floor pulls like snatches, cleans, rows, and deadlifts as well - especially if there’s a deadlift jack available.

Not sure how to break the ice with another lifter? Just walk on up and say, “Can I work in with you, bro?”

Don’t coach someone else
Just don’t. It’s a bad idea. It’s all sorts of a bad idea.

Get out da way
It’s ludacris to stand in the way of a lifter’s focal point, so don’t position yourself directly in a lifter’s line of sight if you can avoid it. This is not a big deal on most warm-ups, but it is rather important on work sets. If you’re about to walk by or are about to lift directly across from Bob, who’s performing his work sets of press, simply wait until he finishes the set, and then go about your life.

This . . . is NOT the greatest place to stand while someone is pressing.

Brush the chalk off your bar
You use chalk when you lift because you have a brain, and due to this brain, you also probably realize that chalk absorbs moisture (which is why you use it). Because of this, you’ll always want to brush the chalk off of your barbell when you’re finished lifting to help prevent rust formation.

Put your equipment away
. . . or you owe the gym a dozen donuts . . . at least if you train with us at Testify. It should go without saying that you should put the equipment back where you found it (benches, barbells, weights, collars, etc.), but sometimes, it still needs to be said.

Wipe down your bench when you’re finished
Simply spray a rag or paper towel with whatever cleaner your gym uses and quickly wipe down the top surface of your bench. By doing so, you’ve ensured that no one else is subjected to the salty remnant of your sweaty backside.

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

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(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?

This Simple Tactic Fixed His Squat & Deadlift in One Rep

How can a cue actually help improve every lift?

Let’s dive in.

What Aspect of a Lift Does This Cue Help?
Today’s cue is useful at the beginning of the lift. It can be used over a broad range of lifts - from squats to deadlifts to bench presses to snatches - but it is specifically useful to address technical issues present at the start of the lift.

figure 1: becky demonstrates the error of breaking at the hips before before the knees at the start of the squat.

Here are a few examples of when today’s cue could be useful:

• In the squat, you tend to break (i.e., bend) at the hips before the knees as you start your descent (Figure 1) instead of bending the hips and knees simultaneously.

• In the deadlift, you try to yank or jerk the barbell off the floor (which causes all manner of problems).

• In the bench press, you pop your shoulders and the bar slightly upward before starting each rep’s descent.

• In the press, you “wind up your hips” and reach backward with your hips before pushing them forward at the start of the rep.

• In the snatch, you have the same problem as in the deadlift, and you try to yank the bar off the floor (instead of accelerating it smoothly).

The Solution
The cue is simply “Smooth start.”

As with many solutions, this may seem a bit underwhelming, but the execution of it is both important and potentially profound in terms of its impact on your lifting, so let’s discuss how this applies to the errors above.

figure 2: becky correctly bends the hips and knees simultaneously as she starts her descent.

• Squat: Cueing “smooth start” or even “slow start” allows you to focus on simultaneously bending both the knees and hips as you initiate the descent (Figure 2). Remember that this is a cue for the first few inches of the lift’s movement, and that’s where this simultaneous movement needs to happen in the squat.

• Deadlift: You now are focused on pulling smoothly and not trying to yank the bar off the floor. This allows you to keep your back rigid and pull in a nice, vertical path.

• Bench Press: The error of “popping” the shoulders up before starting the descent tends to be a quick movement, so cueing “smooth start” helps eliminate this bench press twitch.

• Press: “Slow start” can again be a useful variation of the “smooth start” cue as both cues will tend to slow you down a bit at the start, and this allows you to focus on only pushing the hips forward (and thus not allowing them to move back).

• Snatch: As with the deadlift, cueing “smooth start” encourages you to gradually accelerate the bar at the start of the pull instead of jerking the bar off the floor. The “slow start” variation of today’s cue can work when learning how to snatch and clean, but this cue usually needs to be abandoned as the weights get heavier, whereas “smooth start” remains useful at all weights.

Be sure to watch the included video (click here or scroll up) to see this cue in action, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(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?