Testify Journal - August 26, 2024
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video Starting Strength Squat Looks HORRIFYING, Here's Why (click the title to watch):
EatMeatandLiftWeights
What I find horrifying, even more than death, is to end up weak, frail and dependent on others for basic needs when I am older. I am a 61 yo woman and love lifting heavy, I will never give it up, it's a game changer.
Phil
That's fantastic that you love lifting heavy, and absolutely - it's a game changer.
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ARTICLES & VIDEOS
Shoes, Wraps, Belts, and more...STOP Making These MISTAKES With Your Lifting Gear - Part 2
You're making some mistakes with your lifting gear, and you don't even know it. In Part 2 of this series, we cover 7 more errors (and how to fix them) that lifters make with their equipment. Click here to watch.
What is a Hang Power Snatch? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique
What is a hang power snatch? How is it different from a snatch, power snatch, or hang snatch? Phil covers it all here in this brief article. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: FIX Your Press in less than TWO MINUTES! | Get Your Focal Point Right
Is your focal point - or lack thereof - destroying your press? In this video - our sixth in the series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the press - we quickly discuss and demonstrate how to solve this problem. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: The Deadlift: You're Doing This Wrong - Part 6
Stop yanking or jerking the bar off the floor. It's not efficient, and it won't help you when it gets heavy. In the 6th article in our series on fixing the deadlift, Phil helps you identify and fix this problem. Click here to read.
“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!
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WHAT'S COMING UP
Congratulations to everyone who competed at this past Friday's Deadapalooza and thank you so much to everyone who helped out! Judges, loaders, table officials, those who helped set up and tear down - you all were great, and we couldn't have wonderful events like this without you!
Reminder: We will be closed for training on Monday, 09/02/24, in observance of Labor Day.
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.
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.
Benching Bonanza! The Annual Testify Bench Press Jubilee
November 22, 2024
Benching Bonanza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the bench press. There will be one bar, and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It'll be a ton of fun, so come on out!
Click here to register or for more information.
THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING
Option 1
“Prowler Base+1”
1. Load up a manageable weight.
2. Sprint 40m at 85% intensity.
3. Rest 30 sec.
4. Repeat 5-15 times.
Courtesy of “Death by Prowler” (on Starting Strength).
Compare to 2024.06.24.
Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes
Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.
Compare to 2024.06.03.
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 2024.05.06.
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 2024.05.06.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
What is a Hang Power Snatch? | Olympic Weightlifting Technique
/What is a hang power snatch? How is it different from a snatch, power snatch, or hang snatch?
FIGURE 1: THE LIFT STARTS WITH THE BAR HANGING IN THE HANDS (SINCE “HANG” IS PRESENT).
As in our previous snatch articles (click the links above), let’s break this down simply and quickly, and for a demonstration with explanation, watch the included (and short) video.
“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 snatch starts with the barbell hanging in the hands (Figure 1). Usually, the lift will start somewhere around the middle or lower part of the thigh, but you can also start a hang power snatch from a lower or higher position.
Again - and this is the important part - a hang power snatch 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 overhead 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 overhead squat position (Figure 2).
So . . . What IS a Hang Power Snatch?
Thus, a hang power snatch 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 locked out overhead (AKA “received,” “racked,” or “caught”) in a partial depth overhead squat position before it is then stood up.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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FIX Your Press in less than TWO MINUTES! | Get Your Focal Point Right
/Is your focal point - or lack thereof - DESTROYING your press? In this video - our sixth in the series of Saturday Shorts on fixing the press - Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem.
(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 07/16/22)
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 Deadlift: You're Doing This Wrong - Part 6
/(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 07/29/22)
This is Part 6 in our series of articles on common deadlift errors and how to fix them. Today’s error is that of trying to jerk or yank the barbell off of the floor.
Jaden . . . is NOT doing this wrong. He’s about to pull very smoothly.
This is a common problem for new lifters, and indeed, you might even be able to get away with this error when the weight is light, but it will cause problems when the weight gets heavy (your back will flex or you’ll get pulled forward), and by then, you’ll have created a bad habit that’s harder to break.
This error is usually related to step 4 of the deadlift setup process. In step 4, the lifter squeezes the chest up to set the back in extension, and when you do this, be sure to start applying some tension to the bar; in other words, there needs to be some upward pull on the bar when you set your back. Below are a few cues that can help (and we covered some of these in a previous article as well):
“Bend the bar” or “Bend it before you break it”
When you squeeze your chest up to set your back, try to bend the bar upward in the middle. If the bar is heavy enough, it actually will bend, but try to bend it upward regardless of the weight on the bar. “Bend it before you break it” simply means that you try to bend the bar before you try to break it off the floor.
“Pull the slack out of the bar” or “Pull the click out of the bar”
Barbells and plates have some “slop” in them, and when you set your back hard and apply tension to the bar through your long, straight arms, you should be pulling upward enough that this slop disappears. If you do this correctly, you’ll hear a click from the bar and the plates.
“Heavy in the hands”
When you apply upward tension as you set your back, do so hard enough that the bar starts to feel heavy as you’re hanging onto it. This is because you are starting to support some of the weight as the floor starts to support less of the weight.
After using one of these cues to help you set your back with tension on the bar, simply remind yourself to break the bar smoothly off the ground (or “squeeze” the bar off the floor), and you’ll have created a smooth, strong deadlift.
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.)