Testify Today - May 13, 2024
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video How to (EASILY) Put on Tight & Stiff Knee Sleeves (TWO TIPS) (click the title to watch):
Matt Ronan
Just used the tip of the lifting sleeves inside a Stoic sleeve. Worked perfectly! I was starting to think I might need to size up but this works great. Thanks Phil!
Phil
Excellent – I’m glad it worked well for you!
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ARTICLES & VIDEOS
How to (EASILY) 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? Click here to watch.
EASY Way to Open Your Barbell Packaging | How to Unbox Your New Barbell
Stop prying staples open or twisting your barbell packaging. We've opened a lot of barbells, and this method is - by far - the quickest and easiest way to open your new barbell packaging. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: Can't do a Chin-up or Pull-up? Do This!
Why can't I do a chin-up or pull-up, and what's the first step I should take toward the goal of getting my first chin-up or pull-up? Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Get the Most Out of Your Warm-up
Don't waste your warm-up! Phil explains how NOT to miss out on the valuable opportunity provided by your warm-up. 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
The annual Testify Barbell MAYhem was a great event this weekend, and we are extremely thankful to everyone involved! Loaders, referees, table officials, those who helped setup and tear down - thank you so much!
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:
10-20 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 2024.03.11.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 800m
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = slowest time.
Compare to 2024.02.19.
Option 3
Outdoors:
10 rounds:
25 yd yoke carry
Rest 1 minute
Indoors:
10 rounds:
30 yd yoke carry (15 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute
Compare to 2024.01.22.
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 2024.01.22.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
EASY Way to Open Your Barbell Packaging | How to Unbox Your New Barbell
/Historically speaking, unpackaging a brand new barbell has been a fairly horrific experience. The method covered in this article, however, is going to change your life (better yet, watch the included video for a demonstration).
If you’ve bought a new barbell, you already know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t bought one but are going to purchase one soon, you’re about to experience this cardboard-and-metal terror.
A new barbell comes in a thick cardboard tube, and it has a metal end cap or insert at each end of the tube. Each manufacturer does things a bit differently, but typically, the end cap will be anchored in place very securely with staples or some other fastener.
On one hand, this is good - you want your barbell safe and unscathed while traveling to you. On the other hand, it’s a pain to open the tube as a result of this packaging. The manufacturer’s recommendation is usually to grab a utility knife, cut along one of the seams in the cardboard tube, and then twist to open the packaging (picture yourself opening a tube of Pillsbury dough, and you’ll get the idea well enough).
Don’t do this. I write - unfortunately - from personal experience, and this is a terrible way to open the packaging.
You can see the torn section where I had started the process with the old “screwdriver-and-pliers” method before looking for a better option.
Many people settle on using a flathead screwdriver to pry the staples open and out a bit, whereupon they use a needle nose pliers (or something similar) to finish pulling out the staples. This method works reasonably well, but it takes a while, which is annoying.
The last time I opened a barbell, I had used this screwdriver-and-pliers method on the first of several staples when I thought I’d take a look on the web and see if anyone had come up with a better method . . . and indeed someone had. This method comes courtesy of Colin Burke and his video, and here’s how to do it:
Step 1
Grab a nail punch and a hammer. A flat head screwdriver will probably work if you don’t have a nail punch.
Note: This is the part where I should tell you not to use a flat head screwdriver for this task as you might damage the screwdriver. With that said, if I didn’t have a nail punch, I would certainly have used a flat head screwdriver.
step 2: Use a hammer and nail punch to tap the staples through.
Step 2
Set the tip of the nail punch on top of a staple and then use the hammer to tap that staple several times until the staple has broken through the cardboard (at which point it is no longer anchoring the end cap to the cardboard tube). Repeat this process with all of the staples.
After step 2, all staples have been pounded through.
Step 3
Once the staples have all been pounded through, the end cap is still wedged into place but is no longer attached to the tube, so use a pliers (needle nose pliers or otherwise) and simply pull the end cap out.
step 3: Use pliers to pull out the end cap
Step 4
Set the open end of the cylinder on the floor, lift up the other end, and pull the tube up and back until the barbell is completely out of the packaging (don’t let the bar drop to the floor).
Step 4: allowing barbell to slide out of tube
This process requires only a few tools, it’s quick, and most importantly - it’s easy. After unpackaging a barbell with this method, you’ll never go back to the cut-and-twist and screwdriver-and-pliers methods again.
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.)
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Can't do a Chin-up or Pull-up? Do This!
/Why can't I do a chin-up or pull-up, and what's the first step I should take toward the goal of getting my first chin-up or pull-up?
(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 05/23/22)
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.
Get the Most Out of Your Warm-up
/(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.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)