Testify Republic - July 3, 2023
/THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
From our video Bench Pressing Alone (safely!) and How to Unrack a Heavy Bench Press (click the title to watch):
Jay H
Why Soccer socks
Phil
If I recall correctly, I think I was deadlifting before I shot that video, and long socks are nice for protecting shins on deadlifts, snatches, and cleans.
Jay H
make sense
ARTICLES & VIDEOS
Is This Error KILLING Your Deadlift?! | How to Increase Your Deadlift
Is your deadlift setup destroying the possibility of pulling preposterously ponderous poundage? Phil pontificates. Click here to watch.
Quick Tip to Improve Your Bench Press | FAST FIX!
Phil covers a quick and easy breathing tip to help you improve your bench press. Click here to watch.
Great Tire Workouts for Conditioning!
We cover a few options for incorporating tire work into your conditioning. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: How to Start Lifting: Learn to Bench Press
Phil helps you learn how to bench press and also discusses how to go about your first bench press workout (6th video in the "How to Start Lifting" series). Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Squatting Deeper - Don't Make These 2 Mistakes!
There are two common mistakes that often show up when lifters try to squat deeper. Phil covers these errors as well as a few cues to help lifters correct them. 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
Reminder: We will be closed for training on Tuesday, 07/04/23, in observance of Independence Day, and we will be closed for training on Saturday, 07/08/23, as we are hosting the annual IronFest competition.
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 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.
Registration is closed, but you can click here for more information.
Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp
September 23, 2023
Spend the day learning the Squat, Press, and Deadlift and how to self-evaluate your lifts while training in your garage or commercial gym without a coach.
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:
10-20 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 2023.05.01.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.
Compare to 2023.04.10.
Option 3
5-10 rounds of:
30 sec ME tire flips
30 sec rest
Compare to 2023.03.13.
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 2023.03.13.
Quick Tip to Improve Your Bench Press | FAST FIX!
/Phil covers a quick and easy breathing tip to help you improve your bench press.
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.
Great Tire Workouts for Conditioning!
/
Tires can provide you with some great conditioning options - whether you're using large tires (e.g., tractor tires) for tire flips and sledgehammer strikes or you’re using smaller tires for something like a sled pull. Also, they are generally free; it costs money to recycle tires, so if you contact a tire dealership, you can typically get a tire or twelve for free.
And - let’s not forget - it looks cool.
With this in mind, let’s cover a few easy-to-implement conditioning options - although not easy to do, mind you - that involve tires and sometimes a few other simple tools. You’ll see these options in action in the included video as well:
Option 1
5-10 rounds:
30 sec tire flips (as many as possible)
30 sec rest
Get a tire that’s heavy and challenging to flip and flip it for as many times as you can in 30 seconds. Then rest 30 seconds. Repeat this process for a total of 5-10 rounds.
Option 2
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5 left, 5 right)
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
1 minute rest
You’ll need a sledgehammer for this workout, and if you don’t already have one, you can easily get one at your local hardware store. You’ll also need a sled (or prowler) to push. If you don’t have a sled, you can drag a small tire instead (see Option 3).
For this option, perform 10 sledgehammer strikes - 5 from the left side and 5 from the right side - and then push the sled a total of 100 ft (50 ft down, turn around, and then 50 ft back). Then rest 1 minute. Again, repeat this for 5-10 rounds.
Option 3
10-20 rounds:
50 yd tire drag (25 yd down-back)
1 min rest
To drag a tire, insert a few eyebolts into a small tire, hook a tow recovery strap up to the eyebolts, and then place some weights inside the tire. You can drag the tire by walking forward or backward.
Scaling Up
Over time, you can increase the difficulty of any of these options by doing one or more of the following:
Using a larger tire for tire flips
Adding weight to the sled (for sled pushes) or tire (for tire drags)
Reducing the rest time
Increasing the number of rounds
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger - or at least better conditioned - 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?
How to Start Lifting: Learn to Bench Press
/In the sixth video of the "How to Start Lifting" series, Phil helps you learn how to bench press and also discusses how to go about your first bench press workout.
(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/06/21.)
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.
Squatting Deeper - Don't Make These 2 Mistakes!
/
(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/07/21)
When people are endeavoring to squat deeper - whether because their coach told them too or because they’ve recorded themselves on video and seen the disheartening proof of a “too-high” squat - we often see two mistakes:
The lifter descends significantly faster than before without actually squatting deeper.
The lifter leans over too much.
With regard to mistake #1, remember that going deeper doesn’t mean descending faster. In fact, 50% of the time, going down faster doesn’t change anything except the speed of the descent (yes, duh) and the other 50% of the time, the lifter actually cuts off his squat even higher when he tries to descend more quickly.
Julie makes mistake #2 as she leans over too much in an effort to achieve the proper depth. Note that the crease of her hips have not passed below the level of the top of her kneecap and are, in fact, well above height of the kneecap.
Mistake #2 - leaning over too much - comes from a misunderstanding of how depth is achieved. Depth is achieved when the crease of the hip passes just below the height of the top of the patella. In other words, you squat deeper by taking the hips lower - not by taking the barbell lower.
JULIE HITS THE CORRECT DEPTH ON HER SQUAT.
If the hips go lower, everything else above the hips goes lower as well - including the bar - but the reverse is not necessarily true. When starting your descent, leaning over (as you shove your knees out and reach back with your hips) is important, but once you’ve set your back angle by doing so, keep it constant - don’t lean over more than you already have.
If you struggle with either of these two mistakes, try the cues “stretch deep” or “reach deep” the next time you squat. With the “stretch deep” cue, you are reminding yourself that you will experience a stretch in the hips as you descend lower into the squat, and with the “reach deep” cue, you are reminding yourself that you reach downward with your hips - not the bar.
“Stretch deep” and “reach deep” - give these cues a try, and as always, we hope these tips help 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.)