The Bench Press: You're Forgetting to Do This - Part 4

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/10/22)

In this article - our last in this series - we cover an aspect that is forgotten very frequently by new lifters (ahem . . . sometimes even experienced lifters) . . .

Retract your shoulders blades.

Which picture is correct? Hint: It’s not the one on the left.

Imagine you’re sitting upright and have a pen oriented vertically between your shoulder blades. Now, pull your shoulder blades back so that you’re pinching the pen in place (see photos below).

This is what you want to do when benching as well - only lying down. Retract the shoulder blades before you unrack the barbell, re-retract them after the unrack as well in case you lose some shoulder positioning during the process of unracking, and then keep them retracted throughout the set. Additionally, if needed, re-retract them between reps if they get out of position.

Retracting the shoulder blades creates more stability and puts us in a stronger, safer, and more efficient position from which to bench. Not having your shoulders retracted is the benching equivalent of squatting while standing on your toes - just plain dumb.

Retracting your shoulders also has the added bonus of shaving off just a bit of distance that the bar has to travel (just like squatting while flat-footed means you don’t squat as far as you would if you stupidly squatted while balanced up on your toes).

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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8 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Squatting HEAVY (plus 2 BONUS tips)

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What should you take care of before a heavy squat? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 8 simple and effective tips - plus 2 bonus tips - when preparing to squat 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.

Testify Newsday - July 1, 2024

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THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video The Best Way to Put On a Lifting Belt! (and a secret weapon!) (click the title to watch):

Diego Castillo
Have you guys ever pulled a shoulder muscle putting on a weight belt just with your bare hands?

Phil
I have not, and I haven’t heard of any of our members doing that, but that’s a bummer. Most of us use the squat rack to put on the belt as it’s a very easy and effective approach.

Diego Castillo
@TestifySC with a heavy 4-inch belt and externally rotating out to get a tight fit I have at times pulled my shoulder. something gets pulled and I'm left with a dead arm. I'll definitely start using your screwdriver method to put on my belt. It really works.

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Want to get stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches? Click here to contact us and learn more.

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ARTICLES & VIDEOS

Power Snatch vs Squat Snatch vs Split Snatch: Which Should YOU Do?
In weightlifting (AKA Olympic weightlifting), there are 3 different landing positions for the snatch, and each has its unique advantages. We cover each version as well as why you might want to perform it. Click here to watch.

 

What is a Hang Power Clean? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique
What is a hang power clean? How is it different from a clean, power clean, or hang clean? We cover it all here in this brief article. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: FIX Your Press | Eliminate WEAK Wrists to Press More!
Are bad wrists ruining your press? In this video - our second in the series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the press - Phil quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The Squat: You "Kneed" to Do This
Are your awful knees ruining your squat? In this short article, we address how to solve this problem. Click here to read.

“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!

Why do you train? Because getting stronger makes everything else easier. Get stronger. Live better. “Testify” to this message and represent your favorite gym with this shirt in several color options.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

Reminder: We will be closed for training on Thursday, 07/04/24, in observance of Independence Day.

Reminder: On the afternoon of Friday, 07/12/24, our training hours will run from 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. as we are hosting the annual IronFest competition that day. The morning hours remain the same as usual.

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 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.

Minneapolis, MN: Starting Strength Squat & Deadlift Camp

  • August 31, 2024

  • Spend the day learning the theory and practice of the low bar back squat and the deadlift.

  • Participants will spend lots of time on the platform receiving coaching and instruction on the squat and deadlift in a small group setting. We will also have a lecture and discussion on programming and cover how to identify and correct common technical problems.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp

  • September 28, 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 Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid.” 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 2024.04.29.

Option 2
Bike/row:
3 rounds of:
8 x 20 sec on/40 sec off
Rest 3 min between rounds

Score = lowest distance

Compare to 2024.04.08.

Option 3
1. Work up to a heavy single on the axle clean-and-press (i.e., ground to overhead).
2. 5 x 100 ft Zercher carry (50 ft down-back). Add weight each round. Rest as needed.

Compare to 2024.03.11.

Option 4
Outdoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
50 yd sled push, 100#/50#

Indoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
100 ft sled push, 250#/125#

Push sled slow for recovery. Score is slowest row.

Compare to 2024.03.11.

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

What is a Hang Power Clean? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What is a hang power clean? How is it different from a clean, power clean, or hang clean? As in our previous clean articles, let’s break this down simply and quickly, and for a demonstration with explanation, watch the included (and short) video.

Figure 1: the lift starts with the bar hanging in the hands (since “hang” is present).

“Hang” is Present
We begin by examining the words present or not present in the name of the lift. The word “hang” is present, so the hang clean starts with the barbell hanging in the hands. Usually, the lift will start somewhere around the middle or lower part of the thigh, but you can also start a hang power clean from a lower or higher position.

Again - and this is the important part - a hang power clean simply starts with the bar hanging in the hands, and thus the lift does not start with the bar resting on the floor.

figure 2: THE LIFT IS RECEIVED IN A partial DEPTH FRONT SQUAT (SINCE “POWER” is PRESENT).

“Power” is Present
The word “power” is present, and “power” refers to a landing position (AKA receiving position) - specifically, a partial squat landing position. As a result, this means that the lift will be caught or received in a partial depth front squat position.

So . . . What IS a Hang Power Clean?
Thus, a hang power clean is a lift wherein the bar starts hanging in the hands and is then accelerated upward, imparting enough momentum to the bar that the bar continues upward, whereupon it is then racked (AKA “caught” or “received”) in a partial depth front squat position before it is then stood up.

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?

FIX Your Press | Eliminate WEAK Wrists to Press More!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are bad wrists ruining your press? In this video - our second in the series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the press - Phil quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 06/18/22)

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 "Kneed" to Do This

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/03/22)

You’re ready to squat - your lifting shoes are on, the barbell is situated on your rear delts in that snug, low bar position, and you’ve got your focal point nailed down. What’s next?

Good heavens, this is painful to look at.

Reach back with your hips, point your chest down, and Shove. Your. Knees. Out.

When we say “shove your knees out,” we mean that your knees should go sideways. Of course, your knees will also go forward (after all, that’s what knees do when they bend in the squat), but we’re also going to shove them sideways.

This . . . is much better.

In other words, when you’ve taken your shoulder width stance with toes pointed roughly 30 degrees out, you’re simply going to point your knees (and thus your femurs) in the same direction as your toes. Simply put, your toes will act as arrows for your knees so that the knees go forward and out.

When we do this - when we shove our knees out and keep them out as we squat down and back up again - we force our abductors and external rotators to perform the task of keeping our knees out. As a result, we get to train that muscle mass - and this also allows our adductors (i.e., groin muscles) to contribute to coming back up again, so we get to train that muscle mass too.

Training all of this muscle mass helps us lift more weight, so we can get . . . you know . . . stronger. Getting our knees out also has the added benefit of making it easier to achieve depth in the squat.

Lots of muscle mass, a long range of motion, and lots of weight lifted . . . these sound like three very nice criteria for a lift designed to help us get stronger.

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?