Bench Press Cue: Pull Your Fists Back!

/
Joy’s arms are straight, but notice the position of her fists in the picture on the left versus the position of her fists in the picture on the right (i.e., with shoulders retracted).

Joy’s arms are straight, but notice the position of her fists in the picture on the left versus the position of her fists in the picture on the right (i.e., with shoulders retracted).

When we set up to bench press, we retract our shoulder blades before we start the movement. We do so as this process creates more stability (i.e., it creates a wider base of support on the bench itself) and puts us in a stronger and more efficient position from which to bench. It also has the added bonus of reducing the distance the bar has to travel throughout the lift.

However, lifters occasionally have a bit of trouble pulling their shoulders back into the proper position. Sometimes this is due to a lack of understanding of what this position looks and feels like, and sometimes it’s simply an inability to exert conscious control over something they can’t see. Either way, if you struggle to retract your shoulders blades, try cueing yourself to pull your fists back instead.

Compare the height of the barbell in the photo on the left (incorrect: fists not pulled back) with the height of the barbell in the photo on the right (correct: fists pulled back). For a reference point, look at the “Exit” sign in the background.

Compare the height of the barbell in the photo on the left (incorrect: fists not pulled back) with the height of the barbell in the photo on the right (correct: fists pulled back). For a reference point, look at the “Exit” sign in the background.

The cue “Pull your fists back” implies that - when you’re set up on the bench with the bar locked out overhead on straight arms - you’re going to try to pull your fists back toward you as far as possible (i.e., as close to you as possible) without bending your elbows. You can try this with or without a bar, and either way, you’ll find that you can actually pull your fists back toward you at least an inch or two, and having done so, you will have successfully retracted your shoulder blades into the correct position without having ever thought about your shoulders.

Pull your fists back the next time you set up on the bench - it will help you develop a stronger and more efficient bench press, and that’s always a good thing. If you’re interested in more tips to help your bench press, check out the video below:

Week 2021.04.26

/

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 2021.02.22.

Option 2
5 rounds:
10 cal bike
1 min rest
4 sandbag-over-bars
1 min rest

Set the yoke crossmember at 35/33, and the weight is 150#/75#.

Compare to 2021.02.01.

Option 3
8 rounds:
Outdoors:
4 tire flips
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
4 tire flips
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2021.01.04.

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 2020.12.28.

Conditioning with the Rower

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Evan gets to work with some 1-minute intervals.

The rower (AKA rowing machine, ergometer, or erg) is a great conditioning tool. It uses primarily concentric movement and thus doesn’t cause a lot of unnecessary soreness. As a result, you can get some effective conditioning from rowing, and if approached in an intelligent fashion, this conditioning should not get in the way of your strength training.

With this in mind, we’re going to take a look at a few sample rower workouts that you can implement in your training, and as you become better conditioned over time, you can modify these workouts to increase the stress.

Workout #1
5, 7, or 9 rounds of:
Row 1 minute
Rest 1 minute

For this workout, you’ll simply row for one minute, rest one minute, and then repeat this process until you’ve accumulated the desired number of rounds. You can use the rower’s timer (if it has one), you can use a continuously running stopwatch, or you can set a programmable timer to repeat one one minute intervals.

Over time, you can increase the conditioning stress by adding rounds (e.g., going from 5 rounds to 7 rounds) or increasing the distance rowed. You can record the distance for each individual round, or for ease of recording, you can simply record and score yourself on the shortest distance you rowed in any round.

Workout #2
6, 8, or 10 rounds of:
Row 30 seconds
Rest 2 minutes

For this workout, row for thirty seconds, then rest two minutes, and then repeat until you’ve completed the prescribed number of rounds. The goal is to cover the maximum distance in each round, so as with Workout #1, you can record and score yourself on each round, or you can simply record and score yourself on your slowest round (i.e., the shortest distance rowed).

Likewise, over time, the goal would be to increase the number of rounds or the distance rowed. An approach that combines these goals would be to perform six rounds one week, eight rounds the next week, and then ten rounds the third week - all while holding approximately the same pace (i.e., covering the same distance) - and then resetting back down to six rounds the following week and starting the process again but covering more distance.

Workout #3
5, 10, 15, or 20 minute time trial

This one is simple - set a timer for five, ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes, and then row as far as possible within the specified time. Over time, your goal would be to increase the distance rowed for a given time.

Have fun with these conditioning workouts, and a word to the wise - start conservatively with the first few sessions. You don’t want your conditioning to interfere with your strength training, and you’ve got plenty of time to increase the conditioning stress in later sessions.

We hope these tips and tricks help you get stronger - or at least better conditioned in this case - 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.)

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?

book a free intro

Week 2021.04.19

/

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 2021.02.15.

Option 2
Bike/Row for 9 rounds:
1 min on
1 min off

Record distance for each round.

Compare to 2021.01.25.

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 2020.12.28.

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 2020.12.21.

Tips and Tricks for the New Lifter - Part II

/

Evan demonstrates a handy trick for loading and unloading your deadlift.

In Part I of this series, we discussed several tips and tricks that might help you as a new lifter, and now, in Part II, we’re back with a few more. With practice, using these tactics may seem obvious, and you might wonder why you didn’t think of them earlier, but when you’re starting out, these types of tips are often anything but obvious.

Easy Loading for Deadlifts
When you’re loading (or unloading) your deadlift with more than one 45 lb plate per side or more than one bumper plate per side, roll the plate (on the side you’re currently loading) up onto a 2.5 lb plate. This will raise the 45 lb plate or bumper plate off the ground just enough that it makes it easier to slide on the next plate (see the photo above).

Of course, using a deadlift jack is makes things even easier, and we have a video on how to make one (click here or scroll down to the end of this article), but in lieu of that, using a 2.5 lb plate works quite well.

Holding Valsalva for Multiple Reps
You can hold your Valsalva (i.e., your tightly held breath) for multiple reps on the bench press. Holding your Valsalva for 2-3 reps is pretty common on the bench press, and as long as you aren’t running out of oxygen, doing so works very well as you don’t have to get tight again before the next rep.

Two warnings, though: first, don’t take it as a personal challenge to see how many reps you can get on one breath - this may not end well - and second, holding your Valsalva for multiple reps doesn’t usually work very well for lifts other than the bench press.

Easy Unloading for Bumper Plates
If you’re finished snatching, cleaning, or deadlifting (even rowing), and you have multiple bumper plates on each side of the bar, here’s how to unload your bar: first, take the collars off both sides of the bar. Second, unload all of the plates from the left side of the bar. Third, raise the empty left side of the bar - walking it upward (the right side of the bar remains on the ground) until the bar is sitting vertically inside the stack of plates on the right side of the bar. Finally, simply lift the bar out of the stack, put the bar away, and then put the plates away.

Evan shows how to easily remove multiple bumper plates at once.

Evan shows how to easily remove multiple bumper plates at once.

We hope these tips help you get stronger and live better, and perhaps we’ll be back with a Part III in the future.

-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.)

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?

book a free intro

Week 2021.04.12

/

The 2021 Testify Strengthlifting Challenge is in the books! Lots of PRs were set, and many congratulations go out to everyone who stepped onto the platform to compete this past Saturday. Thank you to those of you who helped out at the meet – setup, teardown, judging, spotting, loading, scoring, announcing – without you, this meet wouldn’t be possible. Also, thank you to those who came out to support and cheer on the lifters – you all made it a fun day for the lifters on the platform.

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 2021.02.08.

Option 2
Bike/row:
3 rounds of:
8 x 20 sec on/40 sec off
Rest 3 min between rounds
Score = lowest distance

Compare to 2021.01.18.

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 2020.12.21.

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 2020.12.14.