Testify Daily News - May 27, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video 8 Tips to Breathe & Brace CORRECTLY When Lifting Heavy (Also: #1 Mistake!) (click the title to watch):

Factory Stage
Omg the epiglottis trick clicked for me. Out of all the fitness influencers in the powerlifting space and strongman space this video helped me best with this subject.

Phil
Thanks, and I'm glad it helped!

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Stop spinning your wheels and start getting stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches. Click here to contact us and learn more.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

6 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Deadlifting HEAVY
What should you take care of before a heavy deadlift? We cover 6 simple and effective tips when preparing to pull heavy. Click here to watch.

 

The BEST Warm-up for Barbell Training (Plus an EASY Math Trick to Help!)
Phil covers how to efficiently and simply structure your warm-ups for barbell training AND gives you an easy math trick to help. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: How to Improve All of Your Lifts with ONE Cue!
Improve all of your lifts with only one cue?! We'll show you how in less than 3 minutes. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The Squat: You're Going to Do This Wrong
Is your awful back wreaking havoc on your squat? We cover what you're doing wrong and how to fix it. 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: In observance of Memorial Day (Monday, 05/27/24), we will be open for training from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. that day, but we will be closed that afternoon and evening.

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 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.

Testify Fall Classic

  • October 26, 2024

  • The annual Testify Fall Classic 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.

THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
Sled Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid” – rest as needed. The distance for each round is 80 m indoors (a down-back on the 40m course) or 200 ft outdoors (2 down-backs on the 50 ft course). Rest as needed.

For example, Bob does the following (4 tiers):
Round 1: Empty sled
Round 2: 25#
Round 3: 50#
Round 4: 75#
Round 5: 50#
Round 6: 25#
Round 7: Empty sled

Compare to 2024.03.25.

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 2024.03.04.

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 2024.02.05.

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 2024.02.05.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!

The BEST Warm-up for Barbell Training (Plus an EASY Math Trick to Help!)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

How can you warm-up in a simple and efficient manner? It’s not a particularly thrilling topic, but it’s important, and if you’ve been using a percentage chart or an app to help you warm-up, well, you want to stop that right now. 

Warm-up charts and apps can indeed be useful when you’re new to lifting, but they’re the diapers of the lifting world - really useful to have in the beginning, but in the long run, life is a lot simpler, cleaner, and better if you outgrow them. Let’s cover the basic criteria of how to structure a warm-up (and there are a number of videos included that go more in depth), and at the end, we’ll go over a math shortcut that’s awfully handy.

#1: Your Warm-up Should Prepare You
There are three warm-up criteria, and the first is that your warm-up should prepare you for your work sets. To do this, the warm-up sets get heavier in roughly even jumps.

#2: Your Warm-up Should Not Exhaust You
Your warm-up needs to get you ready for the work sets, but you don’t want to waste any unnecessary energy during the warm-up, so you will taper the number of reps in your warm-up sets. A rep scheme like 5-3-2-1 works quite well, and although at the beginning of your strength training career, you might not need that many sets, that type of scheme gets the main idea across quite well.

#3: Your Warm-up Should Be Convenient
In other words, the weights you choose for each set should be relatively convenient and easy to load on the barbell. This is where percentage charts and apps really miss the boat - since they don’t take this factor into account, you’ll get a number like - for example - 90 lb for one of your warm-up weights. Don’t do 90 lb - instead, simply use 95 lb since loading a 25 lb-plate on each side of the bar is much simpler than loading two 10-lb plates and one 5-lb plate on each side.

Also, if you’re using a chart or an app to warm-up, every time your work weight changes, all of your warm-up weights then change too (since they are calculated as a percentage of the new work weight). If you construct your own warm-ups, however, you’ll find that you usually only need to change one or two warm-up sets from session to session.

Warm-ups Are Not Precise . . . Mostly.
As you get stronger, more and more of your warm-ups will stay roughly the same from session to session (as mentioned above), and more of your warm-up weights will be built around the bigger plates such as 25-lb and 45-lb plates. On the other end of things, you’ll find that you don’t need to use 2.5-lb plates for your warm-up as warm-ups don’t need to be terribly precise. You might find that you don’t even use 5-lb plates for most of your warm-ups, and you certainly don’t use 1.25-lb plates for your warm-ups.

The 90% Approach
However, as the warm-up progresses to your last warm-up set, it might be time to be a bit more precise, and with that in mind, performing 90% of your work weight for one rep as your last warm-up set is a very reasonable approach (not the only approach, but a pretty solid one). With this in mind, let’s take a look at a sample squat warm-up using 285 lb as the work weight, and we’ll cover an easy way to calculate 90% of 285 as well (Put the calculator down. Now.).

Sample Warm-up with Work Weight of 285 lb
Starting with the empty bar, our lifter performs two sets of 5 reps and then moves on to 135 lb for his next warm-up set (i.e., he adds a 45-lb plate to each side), so we have the following:

45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5

At this point, he adds a 25-lb plate to each side to reach 185 lb and performs a set of 3 reps:

45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 3

After this, jumping to 225 lb (i.e., two 45-lb plates on each side) is a reasonable jump for someone who squats 285 lb, so he does this and performs a set of 2 reps, giving us the following thus far:

45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2

If you ignore the empty bar sets, you’ll note that we’re using the 5-3-2-1 scheme covered earlier in this article. The question now becomes, “Can he go from 225 lb directly to 285 lb, or should he do one more warm-up set?” He might be able to make that jump without any trouble, but it’s a rather big jump (bigger than the previous two jumps, which is usually a bad sign), and putting in one last single at about 90% of his work weight is probably a wise move.

The catch is this: Don’t actually calculate 90%.

Math Shortcut
Of course, you are indeed going to figure out 90% of the work weight, but you’re going to do it - mentally - in a roundabout manner, and by doing so, you’ll have done it faster than you would have if you went over and grabbed your phone, calculator, abacus, etc. 

Here’s how to find 90% of a number: Subtract 10% of the number instead. As you may or may not remember from your grade school days, finding 10% is easy as it just involves moving a decimal point . Breaking this down, we see the following steps:

  1. 10% of 285 is 28.5

  2. 28.5 is a silly number. Round that to 30 (remember, warm-ups don’t need to be that precise).

  3. 285 - 30 = 255

Thus, our lifter will squat 255 lb for one rep for his last warm-up set, which means his entire warm-up is as follows:

45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
255 x 1

At this point, he’s all warmed up, and a huge bonus is that his next squat workout of 290 lb can use the exact same warm-up, with the exception being that he might choose to do 260 lb instead of 255 lb for his last warm-up single.

With a little bit of practice, this method of constructing your warm-up will be quicker, easier, and require less thinking than that old chart or that silly app. 

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?

How to Improve All of Your Lifts with ONE Cue!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Improve all of your lifts with only ONE cue?! We'll show you how in less than 3 minutes.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 05/30/22)

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.

The Squat: You're Going to Do This Wrong

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 04/29/22)

You’ve read the Blue Book, you’ve watched the videos, the bar is sitting in that nice, low bar position, and you’ve correctly performed the Valsalva maneuver - you’re ready to squat.

Don’t be like this fool.

If you’re new to squatting, though, you’re about to do something wrong . . .

You’re going to try and maintain a vertical back angle as you descend - in other words, you’re going to try and keep your torso as upright as possible.

Everyone does this at first, so don’t worry, you’re not a mutant, but we need to correct it, and we want to correct it right away. Simply tell yourself, “Point my chest at the floor” as you start your descent. In other words, reach back with your butt and lean over as you squat (check out the video below for a demonstration).

It’s easy to accidentally confuse “vertical back” with “straight back.” We want a straight, rigid back, but we don’t want a vertical back while squatting.

This . . . is much better.

Of course, it will be vertical at the beginning and the end of the movement (when we’re standing up), but your squat will be stronger and more efficient if your point your chest at the floor as you start your descent and then keep it pointed at the floor as you drive back up out of the bottom as well.

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.)

This . . . is also much better.

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?

6 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Deadlifting HEAVY

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What should you take care of before a heavy deadlift? Phil covers 6 simple and effective tips when preparing to pull heavy.

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.

The Testify News - May 20, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video 8 Tips to Breathe & Brace CORRECTLY When Lifting Heavy (Also: #1 Mistake!) (click the title to watch):

Julie Kelly
One of the best videos on bracing! Bear up not down. Great advice for women who've had babies!

Phil
Thank you very much!

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Stop spinning your wheels and start getting stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches. Click here to contact us and learn more.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

8 Tips to Breathe & Brace CORRECTLY When Lifting Heavy (Also: #1 Mistake!)
How and when should you breathe and brace when lifting weights? The process is not complicated, but there's a lot of poor information out there to sift through, so Phil explains it all in this short video. Click here to watch.

 

What is a Clean (AKA Squat Clean or Full Clean)? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique
What is a clean? How is it different from a power clean or hang clean? What is a squat clean? What is a full clean? We cover it all here in this brief article. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: Spotting the Bench Press | You're Doing It WRONG!
Spotting the bench press isn't complicated, but people do it wrong all the time. In under 2 minutes, we cover some basic mistakes as well as how to spot the bench correctly. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The Bench Press: You're Forgetting to Do This - Part 1
Forgetting to use your legs when you bench or just not sure how? Phil covers why and how to drive with your legs when benching. 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: In observance of Memorial Day (Monday, 05/27/24), we will be open for training from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. that day, but we will be closed that afternoon and evening.

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 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.

Testify Fall Classic

  • October 26, 2024

  • The annual Testify Fall Classic 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.

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 2024.03.18.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

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

Compare to 2024.02.26.

Option 3
8 rounds:
Outdoors:
4 tire flips
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
4 tire flips
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2024.01.29.

Option 4
Sandbag-over-bars
Set yoke at #33 for women or #35 for men.
1. 1 minute AMRAP
2. 5 rounds of 2 reps every 2 minutes (speed!)
3. 1 minute AMRAP

Weights
Female under 40 years
140 lbs and under: 75 lbs
140.1 lbs – 185 lbs: 100 lbs
185.1 lbs and over: 150 lbs

Female 40 years and over
140 lbs and under: 50 lbs
185 lbs and under: 75 lbs
185.1 lbs and over: 100 lbs

Male under 40 years
185 lbs and under: 150 lbs
185.1 lbs – 235 lbs: 200 lbs
235.1 lbs and over: 250 lbs

Male 40 years and over
185 lbs and under: 100 lbs
185.1 lbs – 235 lbs: 150 lbs
235.1 lbs and over: 200 lbs

Compare to 2024.01.29.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!