3 Cues to Set Your Back in the Deadlift

/
IMG_5433.jpg

Setting the back in rigid extension in the deadlift can be problematic for some lifters, and this is understandable. You can’t see what’s going on back there and you might not know what extension really feels like. Your spinal erectors are fighting with your hamstrings for control of your back, and we want your spinal erectors to win this battle because a nice, rigid back is much more efficient at transferring force from your hips and legs to the bar. With this goal in mind, let’s examine a few cues that might help you out.

“Push your belly down between your thighs.”
The first cue we use when teaching the deadlift is “squeeze your chest up,” but after that, this is probably our next best cue, and I believe the credit for this one goes go Nick Delgadillo. The concept is pretty simple - shove your belly down in between your femurs, and if you do that, you’ll have a rigid, flat back.

“Wrinkles in your shirt”
Picture the back of your shirt with wrinkles in it - not smooth (which is what it would be if your back was rounded in flexion) but rather starting to bunch up as you try to arch your back. Granted, we don’t want your back to be arched - just straight - but trying to arch it will help get it straight for a lot of people who struggle with back extension. This one tends to be useful because, even if someone doesn’t have a solid grasp of back extension, they can picture what they’d have to do to put some wrinkles in their shirt.

“Show your shirt to the wall.”
Imagine someone standing about 10-20 feet in front of you. Now - without dropping your hips - try to show the writing on your shirt to that person. That person needs to be able to read what’s on your shirt. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but a useful one nonetheless.

Try one or two of these cues out the next time you deadlift. If you don’t have a coach or an educated friend watching you, record yourself so you can check afterward whether or not you successfully set your back. Happy training.

Week 2020.11.30

/

Reminder: Please note that the gym will be closed this Saturday, 12/05/20, as we are hosting the annual Testify Christmas Classic weightlifting meet.

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 2020.10.19.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 800m

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = slowest time.

Compare to 2020.10.05.

Option 3
Outdoors:
10 rounds:
25 yd yoke carry
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
10 rounds:
30 yd yoke carry (15 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2020.09.07.

Option 4
Sandbag-over-bars
Set yoke at #33 for women or #35 for men.
1. 1 minute AMRAP
2. 5 rounds of 2 reps every 2 minutes (speed!)
3. 1 minute AMRAP

Weights
Female under 40 years
140 lbs and under: 75 lbs
140.1 lbs – 185 lbs: 100 lbs
185.1 lbs and over: 150 lbs

Female 40 years and over
140 lbs and under: 50 lbs
185 lbs and under: 75 lbs
185.1 lbs and over: 100 lbs

Male under 40 years
185 lbs and under: 150 lbs
185.1 lbs – 235 lbs: 200 lbs
235.1 lbs and over: 250 lbs

Male 40 years and over
185 lbs and under: 100 lbs
185.1 lbs – 235 lbs: 150 lbs
235.1 lbs and over: 200 lbs

Compare to 2020.08.31.

I Would Walk 500 Miles . . . But Not to Press or Squat

/
Jason does an excellent job setting up relatively close to the uprights.

Jason does an excellent job setting up relatively close to the uprights.

When you unrack your press and your squat, be economical in your setup process. Stand the bar up with your legs, take one step back, and then take your stance. One step. Do not back up five steps from the rack before getting set to press or squat.

We want to have some space between ourselves and the uprights of the rack when we lift, but there is no need to create four feet of space. Think of how close the bar is to the uprights when you bench (5-10 inches?), and also remember that if your press or squat is out of balance by a few inches forward or backward, you will have failed the rep long before running into the uprights becomes a problem.

Setting up inside a power rack tends to solve this problem, but with squat stands (i.e., the kind with only two uprights), I’ve seen people walk back far enough with their squats that they are no longer squatting within range of the spotter arms. This is ridiculous and unsafe, so if this is you . . . don’t do this.

Setting up an excessive distance from the rack is unnecessary, sometimes unsafe, and always means that you have to expend more effort than needed to setup as well as rack the bar at the completion of your set, so let’s stop this nonsense.

Week 2020.11.23 - Thanksgiving hours

/

Reminder: Below are the hours for this week (you can also find these on our Location & Hours page). Any days not listed retain their normal hours.

Wednesday, 11/25/20: Regular hours
Thursday, 11/26/20: Closed
Friday, 11/27/20: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, 11/28/20: Regular hours

This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)

Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)

Compare to 2020.10.12.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.

Compare to 2020.09.28.

Option 3
Outdoors:
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5R, 5L)
50 yd farmer carry (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5R, 5L)
100 ft farmer carry (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2020.08.31.

Option 4
1. 5 yoke carries @ 30 yd (15 yd downback) – work up to heaviest carry
2. 5 rounds of 5 reps on the axle “clean and press away” – work up to heavy set of 5

Compare to 2020.08.24.

The Bench Press: Use Your Legs!

/
IMG_5376.JPG

The legs assist the bench press, so if you’re not using your legs when you’re benching, you’re missing out on a key component of the lift.

For starters, the legs provide lateral stability in the bench press. Remember, the bench itself is relatively narrow, so your stance contributes heavily to your lateral (i.e., side-to-side) stability, and more stability is always a good thing in any lift. Using a roughly squat-width stance will work when learning to bench, and some may gravitate toward a slightly wider stance over time.

Next, be sure to drive “up the bench” with your legs when you bench. To see what is meant by “up the bench,” lay down on the bench without the bar in your hands and drive your feet into the floor so that you slide on the bench in the direction of your head (i.e., away from your feet). In reality, of course, we don’t want to slide on the bench when performing the lift, but this won’t be a problem because your shoulders will be pinned to the bench by a heavy barbell. Note that driving “up the bench” is not the same as driving “up OFF the bench” - the hips need to stay in contact with the bench throughout the rep, so keep your butt on the bench.

Be sure to drive with your legs throughout the entire lift - drive during the descent as well as the ascent. Don’t wait until you’re pushing the bar up to start driving with your legs. Driving with your legs helps support your arch when benching, and it also makes you a tighter, more rigid lifter - more “compressed.” In a squat, deadlift, or press, your lifting shoes provide a rigid, non-compressible interface between what’s moving the bar (you) and the support surface (the ground), but in the bench press, your body is the interface between what’s moving the bar (your arms) and the support surface (the bench), so getting as tight and rigid as possible makes for a more efficient bench press, and driving with your legs facilitates this.

With all this in mind, don’t forget about your legs the next time you bench. They might just be the missing ingredient for your next PR.

Week 2020.11.16

/

Reminder: Below are the hours for Thanksgiving week (you can also find these on our Location & Hours page). Any days not listed retain their normal hours.

Wednesday, 11/25/20: Regular hours
Thursday, 11/26/20: Closed
Friday, 11/27/20: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, 11/28/20: Regular hours

This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid” – rest as needed. The distance for each round is 80 m indoors (a down-back on the 40m course) or 200 ft outdoors (2 down-backs on the 50 ft course). Rest as needed.

For example, Bob does the following (4 tiers):
Round 1: Empty sled
Round 2: 25#
Round 3: 50#
Round 4: 75#
Round 5: 50#
Round 6: 25#
Round 7: Empty sled

Compare to 2020.10.05.

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 2020.09.21.

Option 3
5-10 rounds of:
30 sec ME tire flips
30 sec rest

Compare to 2020.08.24.

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 2020.08.17.