Testify Post - October 21, 2024
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video These 3 Easy Fixes Can Blow Up your Squat (plus bonus tip) (click the title to watch):
Art Barkley
Thanks for the very useful tips on squatting! Just one question…how exactly do you define “shoulder width” for foot position? Should your heels be underneath the actual shoulder joint, or underneath the widest point of the shoulders including the width of the deltoids? Thanks!
Phil
You’re very welcome! Roughly speaking, we’re looking for a hip width stance for the deadlift and a shoulder width stance for the squat. This boils down to the heels being about 8 to 12 inches apart in the deadlift, so the squat stance will be a little wider yet.
With that said, “shoulder width“ is simply a good starting point, and as you’ve noticed, the shoulder is not a point and has some width itself (to be fair, so do the heels).
With this in mind, this is an easy thing to accidentally overthink. In lieu of having us or another Starting Strength Coach work with you (which is ideal), simply set up with your heels underneath where you consider your shoulders to be (if you want to, you can tell yourself “heels under armpits“).
Then, assuming you’ve got your toe angle set correctly, simply reach back with your butt, point your chest at the floor and squat down while shoving your knees apart (record yourself on video), and make sure that you’re achieving depth. A stance that is too narrow (for example, hip width) is going to make this difficult, and a stance that is too wide is also going to make this difficult, so you can make small adjustments to your stance over the course of 2 to 3 reps.
Checking out our “Learn to Squat“ video might be useful for you as well: https://youtu.be/iDWIeTVoGG8
TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING
Want to get stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches? Click here to contact us and learn more.
Get Stronger. Live Better. Start today.
ARTICLES & VIDEOS
These 3 Easy Fixes Can Blow Up Your Squat (plus bonus tip)
Want a better, stronger squat? We cover three easy tips to help you out and include a bonus tip as well. Click here to watch.
NEVER Make This Belt Mistake Again! (fast fix)
If you use a belt when lifting - and you should - you're going to make this mistake eventually. In this short article, we help you prevent it. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: Lifting Straps | What You're Doing WRONG (and other common mistakes)
Phil covers several common mistakes that new lifters make with lifting straps. He also covers the secret reason straps actually work so well - it's not what you think. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Are You Ruining the EASIEST Part of the Deadlift?
Lowering the deadlift back to the ground should be the easiest part of the lift, but for many lifters, this part of the lift causes some series (and unnoticed) problems. Let’s remedy this real quick-like. Click here to read.
“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!
Why do you train? Because getting stronger makes everything else easier. Get stronger. Live better. “Testify” to this message and represent your favorite gym with this shirt in several color options.
Click here to head to the Testify Store.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Reminder: We will be closed for training on Saturday, 10/26/24, as we are hosting the annual Testify Fall Classic.
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 Fall Classic
October 26, 2024
The annual Testify Fall Classic is back, and we invite you to be a part of it! This is a strengthlifting meet, which means the contested lifts will be the squat, press, and deadlift.
Click here for more information.
Benching Bonanza! The Annual Testify Bench Press Jubilee
November 22, 2024
Benching Bonanza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the bench press. There will be one bar, and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It'll be a ton of fun, so come on out!
Click here to register or for more information.
Barbell Blizzard! A Winter Wonderland of Weights
December 14, 2024
Barbell Blizzard is a team strength meet wherein the contested lifts will be the squat, press, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors will form teams of 2-4 lifters/team and perform all 4 lifts; each lifter will receive 3 attempts for each lift.
Click here to register or for more information.
IN OTHER NEWS . . .
There will be a small price increase for members who have grandfathered membership rates. Please be on the lookout for an email with the details (only members with grandfathered rates will receive an email from me). If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at barb.mueller@testifysc.com.
Thank you for your understanding and commitment to getting stronger with us at Testify Strength & Conditioning!
Barb Mueller
barb.mueller@testifysc.com
THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING
Option 1
“Prowler Base”
1. Load up a manageable weight.
2. Sprint 40m at 85% intensity.
3. Rest until breathing and heart rate slow down. (45 sec – 2 min)
4. Repeat 5-15 times.
Courtesy of “Death by Prowler” (on Starting Strength).
Compare to 2024.08.19.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.
Compare to 2024.07.29.
Option 3
1. Work up to a heavy single on the axle clean-and-press (i.e., ground to overhead).
2. 5 x 100 ft Zercher carry (50 ft down-back). Add weight each round. Rest as needed.
Compare to 2024.07.01.
Option 4
Outdoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
50 yd sled push, 100#/50#
Indoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
100 ft sled push, 250#/125#
Push sled slow for recovery. Score is slowest row.
Compare to 2024.07.01.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
