Get the Most Out of Your Warm-up
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/27/19)
You know - sage lifter that you are - that the purpose of your warm-up is to prepare you for the work ahead of you that day. You know it’s important, and you know that whether you’re going to squat 145 lbs or 345 lbs for your work sets, it is neither prudent nor productive to simply load the work weight on the barbell and have at it without the appropriate warm-up.
But . . . there is an additional purpose to the warm-up. Perhaps it’s not even an additional purpose, but rather a purpose that is merely hidden in the concept of preparing for the work ahead. Put simply, you can (and should) use your warm-up to become a better lifter.
The weights are (relatively) light when warming up, so this is a great time to work on refining your technique. Because you haven’t yet reached the soul-crushing, mind-altering load that is your work weight for the day, the warm-up is when you can spare some mental bandwidth and put into practice any changes or cues that you and your coach have recently discussed.
Maybe you’re trying to fix some pesky knee slide in the squat. Break out the TUBOWs and get to squatting. Perhaps you’re attempting to improve the bar path in the press or the bench press. The warm-up is a great time to do exactly that. Are you inconsistent when it comes to hitting depth in the squat? Grab a coach (or a fellow well-informed lifter) and ask him or her to check your depth as you warm-up.
The warm-up is a precious time. A magical time. Don’t just plow through it - get the most out of it. You can finish your warm-up a better lifter than when you started. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
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EASY Way to Put on Tight & Stiff Knee Sleeves (TWO TIPS)
/What's the easiest way to put on knee sleeves - especially sleeves that are tight and stiff as with brands like SBD, Stoic, and Pioneer? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers gives you tactics to help you save your energy for . . . you know - actually training.
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The Testify Herald - May 6, 2024
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video 12 Pieces of Lifting Gear to THROW AWAY (and What to Replace Them With) (click the title to watch):
Jonathan Martin
Interesting. I had never thought about the moisture wicking shirt being slick but it makes sense.
Phil
Yep, they're terrible. That said, I think the A7 "bench shirts" and other shirts like that are moisture wicking, but they have a special grip section on the upper back for squat and bench purposes, and that section has a lot of grip, so if you're willing to shell out the cash, there are exceptions to the "cotton only" principle.
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ARTICLES & VIDEOS
12 Pieces of Lifting Gear to THROW AWAY (and What to Replace Them With)
What pieces of weight lifting equipment would Phil throw away and what would he replace them with? Click here to watch.
WORST Deadlift Ever?! How to Set Your Back: Part 5
In part 5 of the "How to Set Your Back for the Deadlift" series, we cover a useful drill to fix a rounded back. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: Correct Setup for Squat & Press: STOP Making This Mistake!
You don't need to walk a mile back from the rack to squat or press. Keep your setup simple and concise. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Get Thee to a . . . Gym?!
To get stronger, what is the most important thing? Hint - it's not your technique, programming, nutrition, or equipment. Click here to read.
TESTIFY HOODIES ARE AVAILABLE!
Looking to train in style? 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
Reminder: We will be closed for training on Saturday, 05/11/24, as we are hosting the annual Testify Barbell MAYhem meet.
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.
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.
Testify Strongman Summer Showdown
June 22, 2024
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 VI
July 12, 2024
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.
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 2024.03.04.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.
Compare to 2024.02.12.
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 2024.01.15.
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 2024.01.15.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
WORST Deadlift Ever?! How to Set Your Back: Part 5
/Still Having This Problem?
Do you have a nasty-looking, rounded back when you deadlift? That’s no good, so let’s fix it. Welcome back to our series on how to set your back in flat, rigid extension when you pull from the floor. In the previous four articles, we covered the cues “squeeze your chest up” (Part 1), “push your belly down between your thighs” (Part 2), “wrinkles in your shirt” (Part 3), as well as the anatomically blunt cue, “point your rectum at the wall” (Part 4).
Figure 1: Joy demonstrates a back set rigidly in extension.
If you still struggle to set your back correctly, then the drill presented in this article (the last article in the series) might just help you out. Specifically, you’re going to set your back incorrectly to then help yourself set it correctly. In other words, you’re going to do it wrong to help yourself get it right.
Don’t Jump the Gun
Before we dive into that process, however, be sure to read the previously mentioned articles and try out the relevant cues first. Executing a cue is a simpler and quicker process than performing a drill, so if a cue will do the job, all the better. If cues aren’t working for you, and your back still looks like a camel’s hump, then it’s time to try the following drill (and I’d recommend watching the video below to see this drill in action).
The Setup
Set the barbell on the safeties (Figure 2) inside your squat rack at such a height that the bar sits just below your kneecaps (if you need to start slightly higher, that’s fine as well).
Figure 2
Load a very manageable amount of weight on the bar. You don’t need a lot, but you need enough weight that the bar doesn’t easily move when you start to apply upward tension.
Set up as you would for a deadlift or rack pull, i.e., with the bar positioned over the midfoot, so you’ll need to stand very close to the bar. At this below-the-knee height, you’ll have roughly vertical shins in contact with the bar if you’re set up correctly.
figure 3: his back is in flexion (i.e., rounded).
“Round the Back”
With your hands gripping the bar in their normal deadlift spacing, start with your back in flexion (Figure 3). In other words, start with your back rounded, which is usually an easy position to achieve, especially if you’re struggling with the problem of extending your back anyway. To do this, cue yourself, “round the back.” If it helps, imagine making your back look like a mountain.
Note that the bar is over the middle of your foot, your shins are touching the bar, and here’s the important point for what you’re about to do next: everything from your hips on down does not move. Your butt doesn’t drop, your knees don’t move, your shins don’t move, and the barbell certainly doesn’t move.
“Flatten the Back”
Now, tell yourself to “flatten the back,” “extend the back,” or “push the belly down between the thighs.” It’s easier to achieve a flat back (Figure 4) when the bar is higher up from the floor than a normal deadlift, so you’re in a position where you’ll actually be able to accomplish this.
figure 4: his back is in extension (i.e., flat).
If necessary, you can use the cue “arch the back” or imagine making your back look like a valley, i.e., the opposite of the mountain image you used when rounding the back. An arched back (or “overextension”) is not actually what you want - this is an example of an overcue - but it can be a useful mental picture when trying to achieve a flat back.
Alternate
Perform a set of five reps wherein each rep consists of you starting with a rounded back, moving to a flat back, and then back to a rounded back. In other words, you are alternating between the incorrect position (rounded back) and the correct position (flat back).
By starting each rep with a rounded back, you’re allowing yourself to then simply do the opposite movement to get into the correct position. As stated earlier, you’re doing it wrong to get it right. You learn where you don’t want your back to be, and that helps you get your back into the correct position.
Moving On Down
If you can achieve a flat back for a set of five reps from this initial height - and you’ll need to record yourself on video to check if you are doing so - then you graduate to the next, lower pin setting. Do another five reps, and when you can achieve a flat back at that pin height, keep going lower, repeating the process until you’re pulling from the floor with a straight back.
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.)