Testify Star-Advertiser - July 10, 2023
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video You Should Be Unloading Your Barbell Like This | EASY and FAST (plus BONUS tip) (click the title to watch):
Mr Ed
I used to train at Gold’s. Most of the members there perfected the method of simply walking away from loaded barbells.
Phil
Ah yes. Sadly, that is a very popular method at most commercial gyms. At Testify, if someone leaves their equipment out when they leave the gym, they owe the gym one dozen donuts…this is very heavily and very effectively peer-enforced :-)
Mr Ed
oh, I like that. Unfortunately since I built my garage gym that only my two teenage kids and I use, I’m afraid if I initiated that policy, my kids would leave plates on the bar anytime they wanted doughnuts that I would have to pay for anyway.
Phil
Ha! Valid point!
ARTICLES & VIDEOS
Don't Want to Train? Do THIS Instead.
What should you do when you don't want to train? Phil discusses a viable second option. Click here to watch.
You Should Be Unloading Your Barbell Like This | EASY and FAST (plus BONUS tip)
How do you unload your bar after deadlifting, cleaning, rowing, etc. in a fast and easy manner? Click here to watch.
When to Use Lifting Straps (and when NOT to!)
When should you use lifting straps in your training, and when should you not use them? Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: How to Start Lifting: Learn to Power Clean
In this episode of the "How to Start Lifting" series, Phil, Maddie, and Carolyn help you learn how to power clean. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Weightlifting vs Powerlifting vs Strengthlifting
“What’s the deal with all of these lifting sports? I can’t keep them straight!” Phil covers the differences between the 3 barbell sports. Click here to read.
NEW TESTIFY GEAR!
Baseball season is here, and so is Testify’s new 3/4 raglan shirt - in multiple colors! Get yours today and represent your favorite gym!
Click here to head to the Testify Store.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Thanks to everyone who came out and competed at this past weekend’s IronFest V! Also, a big thank you goes to those who helped out!
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.
Deadapalooza! The Annual Testify Deadlift Festival
August 25, 2023
Deadapalooza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the deadlift. There will be one bar (possibly multiple bars if numbers dictate), and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It's a ton of fun, so come on out!
Click here to register or 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 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 2023.05.08.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 800m
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = slowest time.
Compare to 2023.04.17.
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 2023.03.20.
Option 4
5-8 rounds:
50 ft sled push
50 ft sled pull (hand over hand)
Row 1 minute
Rest 1 minute
This can also be done in a group of three where the sledder determines how long the other two people row and rest.
Compare to 2023.03.20.
You Should Be Unloading Your Barbell Like This | EASY and FAST (plus BONUS tip)
/How do you unload your bar after deadlifting, cleaning, rowing, etc. in a fast and easy manner? Phil explains and demonstrates and also provides a bonus tip.
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.
When to Use Lifting Straps (and when NOT to!)
/
What are some viable uses for lifting straps, when should you use them, and when should you not use them? Let’s hit it.
(For instructions on how to easily make your own straps as well as how to use them, see a few of our videos in this article.)
Weightlifting (AKA Olympic lifting or Olympic weightlifting)
If you regularly practice the snatch and clean, you use the hook grip a lot, and as a result, your thumbs can accumulate quite some wear and tear over time. Keep using the hook grip on the snatch and clean - after all, this is part of practicing your sport. However, you might want to use straps on your deadlifts (and rows) to give your hands a break when possible.
Lighter Pulling Day
If you have a light or medium pulling day built into your week - something along the lines of a lighter deadlift day or a row - and if your hands are a bit beat up from your heavy deadlift day, then go ahead and use straps on the lighter pulling movements.
Injury or Other Impairment
Got a broken finger or a sprained thumb? Use straps. Perhaps you’re missing a finger or two or you have a neurological impairment that prevents one hand from squeezing as tightly as the other hand. Again, use straps. The other option is to not pull at all, and that’s a rather silly option.
Back-off Sets
On your heavy deadlift day, perhaps you have a top set followed by one or more back-off sets. For your top set, use the hook grip or a mixed grip as you usually would, and then for the back-off work, go ahead and use straps to give the skin on your hands a break.
Do NOT Use Straps: Cleans
Never use straps when performing cleans. Ever. You can find a few excellent examples on YouTube of people who disregarded this advice and proceeded to break their wrists. It’s worth repeating - do not use straps on cleans.
Do NOT Use Straps: Novice Linear Progression
When working through your novice linear progression, there’s no need to use straps. Simply hang on to your deadlifts using a hook grip or a mixed grip. It’s one set of five reps - that’s it. You can suffer through the hook grip for five measly reps, and if you can’t (or if your hands aren’t large enough), then simply use a mixed grip (AKA alternating grip or switch grip).
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.)
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 Power Clean
/In this episode of the "How to Start Lifting" series, Phil, Maddie, and Carolyn help you learn how to power clean.
(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 01/10/22.)
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.
Weightlifting vs Powerlifting vs Strengthlifting
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jason deadlifts 218 kg (480.6 lb).
(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/20/18)
“What’s the deal with all of these lifting sports? I can’t keep them straight!”
No worries - let’s take a quick look at the three major sports of the barbell world.
Powerlifting
This is the sport of the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Each lifter gets 3 attempts on the squat, 3 attempts on the bench press, and 3 attempts on the deadlift. Take your best attempt from each lift, add them together, and you have what is known as your total.
Geneva presses 55 kg (121.3 lb).
Strengthlifting
This is the sport of the squat, the press, and deadlift. It is similar to powerlifting, but there are several notable differences.
The press (i.e., overhead press) is contested, not the bench press.
The deadlift is conventional, which means your hands go outside of your legs. This is how we teach the deadlift anyway, so it’s not unusual to you, but at powerlifting meets, a beast known as the sumo deadlift often makes an appearance (wherein the stance is very wide and the grip is fairly narrow - inside the stance).
The judges simply tell you whether or not the lift counted, whereas in powerlifting, the judges are a bit more involved.
Maddie cleans-and-jerks 60 kg (132.3 lb).
Weightlifting
This is the sport of the snatch and clean-and-jerk. Like the other two sports, each lifter gets 3 attempts on each of the lifts, and once again, we add the best successful lifts together to get a total.
Weightlifting is also known as “olympic weightlifting” or simply “olympic lifting.”
If you’ve ever watched lifting during the Summer Olympics, this is the sport you witnessed.