The Testify Morning News - May 22, 2023
/THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
From our video Cleans vs Power Cleans vs Hang Cleans - What's the Difference?! (click the title to watch):
Josh P
Besides ease of operation, is there any inherent advantage between the variations? Is one preferable to the others based on what muscles are being targeted or what fitness goals are?
Phil
(edited for length)
Below is a quick list - it could be fleshed out more, but it will get you started:
Clean (AKA full clean or squat clean):
This will permit a lifter to lift the most weight, so it's the most common variation seen in competition (although not the only variation).
Power Clean:
This allows you to move a lot of weight (a reasonably high percentage of a full clean) without requiring a lifter to become proficient at receiving the bar in a front squat position. For general training (i.e., general strength training including those who play sports), this is the variation I'd recommend the most. Olympic lifters will still use this variation as well as it provides excellent practice and focus on finishing the pull completely and explosively.
Hang Clean:
This can be especially useful for those who are working on technical aspects of the pull. For example, if someone has an early arm bend, this is easier to fix by shortening the distance of the pull (since you're not pulling from the floor), and then slowly lowering the height of the hang position until you're back to pulling from the floor (only going lower if there's no arm pull).
Hang Power Clean:
This is the simplest of all of them, so it often is the first variation used in teaching a lifter how to clean (we also use it this way). Because it is the simplest, you will also often see this most commonly in high school and college weight rooms because it requires the least coaching - you don't have to coach your lifter how to correctly pull from the floor or how to front squat.
ARTICLES & VIDEOS
Pulling Blocks: What, Why, and DIY vs. Commercial (Which Should YOU Use?)
What are pulling blocks, why are they useful, and should you buy them or make them yourself? We cover it all. Click here to watch.
Most Common Deadlift Error? (It's NOT What You Think)
Are you making this deadlift error? It's extremely common, and it's making your deadlifts a lot harder (and last longer!) than they should be. Let's fix it. Click here to watch.
How to Convert Kilograms to Pounds Fast - Easy Math Trick!
Convert kg to lb fast - and by fast, I mean “in-your-head-faster-than-whipping-out-your-calculator” fast. Fast like you read about. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: Maximum Acceleration in the Clean! | Olympic Weightlifting
Learn how to put maximal acceleration into your clean. Phil and Becky discuss and demonstrate how to do this. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Mistakes New Lifters Make - Part II
We discuss and demonstrate a few more common mistakes (and how to correct them) in the 2nd edition of the "Mistakes New Lifters Make" series. Click here to read.
NEW TESTIFY GEAR!
Sun's out, guns out, and we've got men's and women’s tank tops in multiple colors. Get yours today and represent your favorite gym!
Click here to head to the Testify Store.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Update! The concrete crew has been hard at work (with impressive results!), and as a result, some areas of the parking lot will be restricted for the next 2 weeks.
Reminder: In observance of Memorial Day (Monday, 05/29/23), we will be open for training during our usual morning hours (5:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.) that day, but we will be closed that afternoon and evening.
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 Strongman Summer Showdown
June 17, 2023
Show up to lift, throw, carry, push, and pull big things, but most importantly, show up to have a great time with your fellow competitors and perhaps try something new!
Click here to register or for more information.
Testify IronFest V
July 8, 2023
IronFest is a team-based strength meet wherein the contested lifts will be the squat, press, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors will form teams of 2 lifters/team and perform all 4 lifts; each lifter will perform one upper body lift and one lower body lift, and each lifter will receive 3 attempts for each lift.
Click here to register or for more information.
Testify Fall Classic
October 21, 2023
The Testify Fall Classic is back for 2023, 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 to register or for more information.
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 2023.03.20.
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 2023.02.27.
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 2023.01.30.
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 2023.01.30.
Most Common Deadlift Error? (It's NOT What You Think)
/Are you making this deadlift error? It's extremely common, and it's making your deadlifts a lot harder (and last longer!) than they should be. Let's fix it.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
How to Convert Kilograms to Pounds Fast - Easy Math Trick!
/
Whether you're doing your physics homework, your chemistry homework, or you're lifting weights, you sometimes need to be able to convert from kilograms to pounds. Let's figure out how to do this fast - and by fast, I mean “in-your-head-faster-than-whipping-out-your-calculator” fast. Fast like you read about.
The common wisdom is to multiply by 2.2, but you don’t want to multiply by 2.2 in your head, and neither do I. The method you’re about to learn will get us to the same answer, and it’s quicker and easier. Using 35 kg for our example, here’s what you do:
Double it. That gives you 70. No problem.
Find 10% of that new number, and yes, that old gradeschool shortcut of moving the decimal over 1 place still works just fine. That gives you 7. Again, no problem.
Add those two numbers together. That gives you 77.
There you have it: 35 kg is equal to 77 lb.
Now, your turn - albeit with a slightly harder example. Repeat the same steps, but this time with 95 kg, and try it out before reading ahead for the solution.
Got your answer? Let’s see how you did.
Double it. That gives you 190.
Find 10% of that new number. That gives you 19.
Add those two numbers together. That gives you 209.
Thus, 95 kg converts to 209 lb.
It takes a little bit of practice, but not much. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s very accurate (within 0.2% of the true value). As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better . . . or at least stop struggling with cumbersome conversions.
-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?
Maximum Acceleration in the Clean! | Olympic Weightlifting
/Learn how to put maximal acceleration into your clean. Phil and Becky Meggers discuss and demonstrate how to do this.
(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 09/20/21.)
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
Mistakes New Lifters Make - Part II
/
(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/26/21)
In Part I of this series - Common Mistakes New Lifters Make (and how to avoid them!) - we discussed the common errors of misloading your bar, forgetting to wear your belt, and forgetting to use chalk or a hook/switch grip for your deadlift.
Parker and Milo make all kinds of mistakes - mistakes only redeemable because the two furballs are moderately cute.
In Part II, we’re going to examine a few other mistakes that new lifters are likely to make, and hopefully, we can help you avoid them or at least quickly correct them. Most of this list is inspired by conversations we have at the gym with new (and sometimes experienced!) lifters, and the mistakes are not listed in any particular order.
Setting the j-hooks too high for the squat (or press/bench press)
For some reason, new lifters often set their j-hooks too high for their squat. You should never be at risk of catching the edge of a hook with the barbell when either unracking the bar at the beginning of your set or racking the bar at the end of your set, so err on the conservative side and set the hooks a bit lower than you think you should. Mid-sternum is a good height to start with, and remember, too low is better than too high - nobody should have to do a calf raise to rack the bar - and you can always raise the hooks later if you’ve set them too low.
Looking for the j-hooks when racking the squat (or press/bench press)
It can be tempting to look at the j-hooks as you’re racking the bar after your last rep. Don’t. Unless you have an exceptionally sneaky and cruel training partner, the hooks didn’t go anywhere while you were squatting, so stop treating them like they have legs. When you’re finished with your last rep, look straight ahead and walk forward until the bar makes (and keeps) solid contact with both uprights. At this point, you’ll know the bar is over the hooks (assuming you set the hooks at a reasonable height - see the previous paragraph), and you can then safely lower the bar down to the hooks. Looking at one hook makes it very likely that you will miss the other, and this tends to be a rather disastrous event - it might not happen today, but it will happen. Don’t look at the hooks.
Breathing in or out while the bar is moving
New lifters often breathe out when the bar is moving upward - we have years of fitness magazines to thank for this inane idea. Again, don’t. Remember: if the bar is moving, you’re not breathing. Instead, inhale before the rep starts and exhale after the rep ends. In other words, all breathing takes place between reps - not during - and for crying in the beer cheese soup, don’t blow your air out at the top of your deadlift. Wait the quarter of a second it takes to lower it to the ground and release your breath when the bar is back on the floor.
Watch one of the included videos above or below for more on how to correctly breathe and perform the Valsalva maneuver.
We hope these tips help you in your training, and we anticipate a “Part III” in the near future.
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.)