Christmas Party!
/The annual Christmas party is tomorrow (Saturday, 12/04/21) after the meet! Bring a dish and a drink to share. Click here for the food sign-up sheet. See you there!
Fix Your Early Arm Bend on Your Cleans and Snatches!
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Bent arms on a clean or snatch are a problem, so we’re going to try to solve this.
Figure 1: Becky reaches the top of the clean with straight arms, which is what we want.
In Figure 1, Becky demonstrates a clean with straight arms - which is what we want at this point in the lift.
In Figure 2, Becky demonstrates what we don’t want to see, which is a clean with an early arm pull (or “early arm bend”). In other words, we see her bend her arms before they are supposed to bend (for a real time view of this, watch the included video below).
Figure 2: Becky demonstrates an early arm pull (notice the bent elbows), which we don’t want.
The problem with bent arms is that they are deformable, i.e., they can change shape. If you’re Babe Ruth, and you want to hit a baseball, you want to do so with a bat - a rigid, non-deformable object. You don’t want to hit a baseball with a pool noodle because, no matter how strong or fast you are, you can’t effectively transfer that power into the baseball through a squishy pool noodle.
Likewise, during a clean (or snatch) you are trying to take all the power generated in your legs and hips and transfer it through your (hopefully) rigid spine and then down through your long, straight arms into the barbell. If your back isn’t rigid or if the arms aren’t straight, then those structures are deformable, which means they can absorb some of the power you’re trying to transmit to the bar. We don’t want this, so let’s cover some cues to solve this problem.
Cue #1: Long arms (or “straight arms”)
The first cue we’re going to use is the simplest approach. Just cue yourself “long arms” or “straight arms” (or even “straight elbows”). If this works, don’t make it any more complicated. The goal was long, straight arms, so we cued exactly that.
Cue #2: Flex your triceps (or “tight triceps”)
The job of the triceps is to extend (i.e., straighten) the elbow, so if you cue yourself to flex your triceps or tighten your triceps, then your elbows will be nice and straight, which is exactly what we’re looking for.
Cue #3: Shrug
If the first two cues don’t work, try cueing yourself to shrug at the top of the pull (i.e., the top part of the clean where your knees and hips are straight and you’re up on your toes - the top of the “jump”). A shrug is inherent to the movement anyway, but reminding yourself to aggressively shrug at the top of the clean will often solve a bent arm situation (very few people shrug with bent arms).
Cue #4: Leave it on the floor
This one requires some explanation before you actually try it out. The idea here is that you are endeavoring to have such long arms, straight arms that - even though you’re moving upward as you pull the bar off the floor - you are simultaneously trying to leave the bar on the floor. You’re trying to actively stretch your arms out so that, even while standing up, you’re trying to keep the bar down on the floor. It’s obviously an exaggerated mental picture - kind of a “go, go, Gadget-arms!” type of situation - but the cue itself shortens up to “leave it on the floor,” and it tends to work quite well.
We hope these cues help, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
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Week 2021.11.29
/Reminder: Please note that the gym will be closed for training this Saturday (12/04/21) as we are hosting the annual Testify Christmas Classic weightlifting meet.
2nd Reminder: The annual Testify Christmas Party is this Saturday after the meet (roughly 4:30 p.m.-ish). Please bring a dish to share as well as a drink. Click here for the food sign-up sheet (for bringing a main dish vs a side vs a dessert).
New on the Testify YouTube channel!
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 2021.09.27.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 800m
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = slowest time.
Compare to 2021.09.06.
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 2021.08.09.
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 2021.08.09.
Bench Press with Short Legs or Back Pain?
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If you have shorter legs you may find it difficult or simply uncomfortable to keep your feet planted firmly (and flat) on the ground. Let’s fix this.
Having your feet planted flat and firmly to the floor is important because your feet provide lateral stability, i.e., your stance provides side-to-side stability during the bench press because the bench itself is rather narrow. Additionally, having your feet planted firmly on the ground allows you to use your legs to drive up the bench during the movement as well (which provides rigidity in your upper body and also reinforces your arch).
With all this in mind, if you have shorter legs - specifically shorter lower legs (i.e., your shins or shanks) - and if you find that your heels are coming up off the ground, then simply stack a bumper plate or two underneath each foot.
You can use wooden blocks or rubber mats instead of bumper plates, but whatever you use, your new “foot platform” needs to provide a non-slip surface that is high enough that you can keep your feet flat and firmly on that surface. A reasonable benchmark (get it?) is to create a platform high enough that your thighs are roughly parallel to the ground.
The use of such a platform can also be a good tactic if you experience some low back discomfort or pain when you lie down on the bench. This can occur with people with shorter legs due to the excessive arch needed to reach their feet down to the floor, and it can also occur with older people or with people who carry some extra weight.
Jen demonstrates the use of bumper plates to provide an elevated platform for her feet.
If lying down on the bench causes you some discomfort, try raising your feet up a bit by using a platform. If your use of the platform is due to discomfort (and not due to having short legs), you may find that you can reduce the height of your platform over time (e.g., remove a bumper plate from your stack), and you might even get to the point where your feet are flat on the ground again.
We hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)
If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.
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Week 2021.11.22 - 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, 11/24/21: Regular hours
Thursday, 11/25/21: Closed
Friday, 11/26/21: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Saturday, 11/27/21: Regular hours
New on the Testify YouTube channel!
This Week’s Conditioning
Option 1
”Prowler Base+1”
1. Load up a manageable weight.
2. Sprint 40m at 85% intensity.
3. Rest 30 sec.
4. Repeat 5-15 times.
Courtesy of “Death by Prowler” (on Starting Strength).
Compare to 2021.09.20.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.
Compare to 2021.08.30.
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 2021.08.02.
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 2021.08.02.
Enter the TUBOW
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(This article is a Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/20/18).
What on earth is a TUBOW?
So glad you asked! A TUBOW is a Terribly Useful Block Of Wood. Many of you have seen us use 2-foot lengths of 4 x 4 lumber when people squat from time to time - these are TUBOWs.
Why would one use a TUBOW?
We use TUBOWs in the squat, and there are a couple reasons we might use a TUBOW. The most common use is to fix the knee's forward position on the way down.
becky’s knees are so far forward that parker refuses to watch.
Two common errors that we see when people squat is either (a) the lifter's knees travel forward all the way down, or (b) the knees travel forward at the bottom of the squat.
We would like to see the knee establish its final forward position about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way into the descent of the squat, and touching the TUBOW with the knee at this point provides excellent tactile feedback as to whether or not the lifter is doing that correctly. If the lifter accidentally knocks the TUBOW over, it provides excellent negative feedback that the knee has traveled too far forward.
becky touches her knees lightly to the tubow during the descent.
Another use of the TUBOW is to fix the knee's lateral position in the squat, i.e., is the lifter shoving the knees out (to the side) far enough, or perhaps even too far? The TUBOW gives the lifter something concrete (well, lumber, actually) to aim for, and very often, this will help solve the issue.
One of the great side effects of fixing the knee position is that it will often fix the back angle in the squat as well. If the lifter's knees can only travel "so far" forward on the descent, then the hips will have to travel backward (since your hips and knees are connected by your femurs . . . you know . . . the leg bone). If the hips have to travel backward, the lifter will have to lean over during the descent to avoid falling over backward and stay balanced on the midfoot, and that leaned over position is precisely what we want in the low bar squat. Pretty awesome.
Are you one of those people who is deeply, intensely, spiritually, emotionally, and morally opposed to using the TUBOWs? If so, you're probably the type of person whose squat would benefit most from using them. And if your squat benefits, then you benefit, because you'll get stronger - faster.
Where do I get a TUBOW?
You can go to your nearest lumber supply store and get a 4 x 4 (and they'll often cut it to size for you), but if you'd rather just order a 2 foot section of 4 x 4 online and have it show up at your front door, then just click here.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)