Testify Source - February 12, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video How to Start Lifting: Learn to Squat (click the title to watch):

PrideNeverDies
Should you use your quads on the way up? It's normal to feel the quads working right?

Phil
You should indeed use your quads, but if you cue yourself to drive your hips up, then your quads will get used as they are responsible for straightening the knees, and the only way for the hips to go up is for the knees to straighten.

In general, think (and cue) movements - not muscle groups. The exception is when you're trying to prevent movement. For example, we cue "tight abs" to help cue the Valsalva maneuver (bracing) before descending into the squat. This helps turn the trunk into a rigid, non-deformable column.

You might feel your quads the next day after squatting, but it's completely normal (and usual) to not feel them when you're actually squatting (unless you're doing something like a set of 20 - which I don't recommend - in which case you'll start to feel a bunch of things get fatigued toward the end).

Think of it like throwing a baseball or shooting a basketball - focus on the movement, not any one muscle group.

PrideNeverDies
wow what a great response I get exactly what you mean, thank you!!! @TestifySC 

Phil
I'm glad it was helpful, and you're welcome!

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

STOP Bench Pressing VERTICALLY! How to Bench Press Correctly
Are you bench pressing in a nice, straight, vertical line? Well . . . don't do that. We cover how and why to bench correctly. Click here to watch.

 

Slippery Lifting Platform?! Use THIS.
A slick lifting platform can cause a lot of problems, so we help you solve this problem simply, quickly, and cheaply. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: Get Stronger . . . Faster! Save Time at the Gym!
You want to get stronger, but you don't have all day to spend at the gym. In just over two minutes, Phil covers how to productively train while saving time at the gym. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Looking Down in the Squat
Where should you look when you squat? We address where to look and why we do so. Click here to read.

NEW TESTIFY HOODIES ARE AVAILABLE!

Looking to train in style and comfort this winter? Get yourself a Testify hoodie - in practically any color! Get yours today and represent your favorite gym.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

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.

Free Intro to Squat Session

  • February 17, 2024

  • Are you interested in getting stronger? Book your free "Intro to Squat" session and learn to squat, meet some of our coaches, and see the gym! All ages and abilities are welcome.

  • Click here to book your session.

Bring Your Grandparent to Squat Saturday!

  • February 24, 2024

  • Is your grandma or grandpa interested in getting stronger? Bring your grandparent (or parent!) to the gym on February 24!

  • They'll learn how to squat, meet some of our coaches, and it's FREE!

  • If they join Testify, you and they EACH get a $75 discount for 1 month of membership.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp

  • May 18, 2024

  • 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.

THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
“Prowler Base”
1. Load up a manageable weight.
2. Sprint 40m at 85% intensity.
3. Rest until breathing and heart rate slow down. (45 sec – 2 min)
4. Repeat 5-15 times.

Courtesy of “Death by Prowler” (on Starting Strength).

Compare to 2023.12.11.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.

Compare to 2023.11.20.

Option 3
5-10 rounds of:
30 sec ME tire flips
30 sec rest

Compare to 2023.10.23.

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 2023.10.23.

Slippery Lifting Platform?! Use THIS.

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

The last thing you want when you're training is a slippery lifting surface - at the very least, it's inefficient and a good way to miss a lift, and on the other end of the spectrum, it's a good way to accidentally end up doing the splits and perhaps get injured in the process.

you don’t want a slippery platform when lifting.

The Problem: Lack of Friction
A lifting surface with reasonable friction is rather important, and it's especially important in the Olympic lifts. Picture the split jerk wherein your feet leave the ground and then come back down in different positions - friction is vital as you’ve got some decent front-to-back force between your feet, and you don't want to end up doing the splits. However, friction is important in the slow lifts or “strength lifts” as well - you don't want any chance of your feet slipping under the load of a heavy squat.

So, if you train on a surface that tends to be a bit slick, or if you train in a humid environment that can occasionally create such a situation, what do you do?

The Answer
Rosin powder. It’s cheap, it works well, and you can get it quickly from Amazon (click here). Rosin powder is simply rock rosin mixed with magnesium carbonate - in other words, crystallized tree resin mixed with chalk so that it comes in a powder form that’s easy to apply. You can also get rosin in rock or crystal form, but this powder is tough to beat for convenience and portability.

How to Use It
Perform the following steps (watch the included video above for a demonstration and explanation)

Step 1
Sprinkle some powder on your platform. You don’t need much, and it doesn’t matter where you sprinkle it as the goal is to get it on the soles of your shoes (not the platform).

Step 2
Grind and/or stab your shoes into the powder repeatedly until all of the powder is on the soles of your shoes.

Step 3
Check that you’ve gotten all of it on your shoes. You know you’re done when you can’t see any more powder on the platform. You also know you’ve done it correctly (and didn’t use too much) when you can walk around your platform and not leave white footprints wherever you go.

Wrapping Up
A 4 oz shaker bottle of rosin powder costs roughly $10-15, and it should last years. A bottle at Testify typically lasts a few years, and bear in mind that’s with multiple people using it, so if you’re just purchasing it for personal use, it might last longer than you do.

Interestingly, rosin is actually required at weightlifting meets, but we have never seen it present at a local meet (well . . . except ours). With this in mind, if you intend to compete, I recommend bringing your own in case the platform (warm-up or competition) is a bit slick.

As always, 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.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

Get Stronger . . . Faster! Save Time at the Gym!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

You want to get stronger, but you don't have all day to spend at the gym. In just over two minutes, Phil discusses and demonstrates how to productively train while still saving time at the gym.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 04/09/22)

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.

Looking Down in the Squat

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/20/18)

When we teach the squat, we teach people to look at a point on the floor about 3-6 feet in front of them. In other words, we look down (and forward, but I digress). But why?

Loren looks down . . . to go up.

Let's chat . . .

If you lifted in high school, you probably heard some “coach” tell you to look up when squatting. “You gotta look up to go up!” is the loud refrain heard throughout high school weight rooms and powerlifting meets ‘round the world. Rarely is any type of rationale given for this advice, but if pressed for a reason, people might offer something like “ . . . your body follows your head, so to stand up, you should look up.”

This might sound reasonable at first, but let’s think about it. Do you look at the ceiling when you get up out of bed in the morning? What about when you get up out of a chair? I’m going to guess your answer is no. Considering this, we can see that the body doesn’t necessarily follow the head, but it is true that your chest typically does.

Therein lies the major problem with lifting the head while squatting - lifting the head typically causes the lifter to lift the chest. When the chest comes up (i.e., the torso becomes more vertical), the knees shift forward. When the knees shift forward, so do the hips (since the hips and knees are connected by the femurs), and in this “knees forward/hips forward” position, we have now asked the knees to do more and the hips to do less, which is rather silly of us since the hips are the larger of the two joints and are surrounded by more muscle mass than the knees. Without diving too deeply into the physics and anatomy of the situation, we use both the hips and the knees when squatting, and since we want to use them to drive the barbell upward in the most efficient manner possible, that means asking the larger joint (i.e., the hips) to do its fair share of the work.

With this in mind, you look down when you squat since it’s an effective way to keep your hips (and knees) right where they are supposed to be, and this allows you drive upward efficiently with your hips.

As always, 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.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

STOP Bench Pressing VERTICALLY! How to Bench Press Correctly

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are you bench pressing in a nice, straight, vertical line? Well . . . don't do that. Phil covers how and why to bench correctly.

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.

Testify This Week - February 5, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video The TRUTH About Lifting (What No One Tells You!) (click the title to watch):

BravoRebel1776
I am in my 60s, and been at it for 2+ years solid. The strength training is not only life-changing, and life-enhancing, it is literally life-saving.

Phil
Agreed, and way to keep at it!

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

(3 MISTAKES) When Pressing with Your HIPS
There are 3 mistakes you might be making with your hips when you press - let's fix all 3 in under 3 minutes. Click here to watch.

 

Are You Setting Your Back WRONG in the Deadlift?
It's easy to set the back incorrectly by confusing shoulder retraction with back extension. Let's fix this issue fast. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: How to Close Grip Bench Press for Maximum Strength!
Want a bigger bench press? Of course you do. Phil helps you learn how to correctly perform the close grip bench press. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Squat Tip: Hips Back AND Chest Down
We give you two simple and effective tips to improve your squat. Click here to read.

NEW TESTIFY HOODIES ARE AVAILABLE!

Looking to train in style and comfort this winter? Get yourself a Testify hoodie - in practically any color! Get yours today and represent your favorite gym.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

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.

Free Intro to Deadlift Session

  • February 10, 2024

  • Are you interested in getting stronger? Book your free "Intro to Deadlift" session and learn to deadlift, meet some of our coaches, and see the gym! All ages and abilities are welcome.

  • Click here to book your session.

Testify Strengthlifting Challenge

  • April 6, 2024

  • The annual Testify Strengthlifting Challenge is back, 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.

Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp

  • May 18, 2024

  • 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.

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 2023.12.04.

Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on

Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.

Compare to 2023.11.13.

Option 3
Outdoors:
5-10 rounds:
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
50 yd farmer carry (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 min

Indoors:
5-10 rounds:
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
100 ft farmer carry (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 min

Compare to 2023.10.16.

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 2023.10.16.