Use THIS CUE to PR Your Lifts!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Try out this simple cue the next time you're going for a heavy single at the gym or in competition. It just might help you nail that PR you've been chasing. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/05/22)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Better Deadlifts Start When You Ignore This Muscle

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Do you think he’s thinking about his lats?

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/05/23)

Got a barbell that wants to drift away from you when you deadlift? It’s a miserable experience. Let’s fix it fast.

(Watch the included video for a quick demonstration of how to do this.)

Your latissimus dorsi (your “lats”) form a connection between your upper arm and your spine, and because of this, they perform an important function in the deadlift - they keep the barbell close to you as you pull, i.e, they are responsible for keeping the bar over the middle of the foot.

However, if you tend to let the bar swing away from you when you pull, simply cueing yourself to “use your lats” may not be terribly useful as it can be difficult to picture what the lats are actually doing. With this in mind, let’s cover a useful mental picture as well as a few cues to help you use your lats . . . without ever thinking about them.

figure 1

Mental Picture
Instead of holding a barbell, picture yourself holding a pool noodle - you know, those flexible, floaty pieces of foam that you use to whack your friends over the head . . . in the pool. With this mental picture (Figure 1), use one of the following cues:

Cue #1: Bend the bar backward.
If you’re holding a pool noodle, you can actually bend it backward around your shins (as shown in Figure 2). This action of pulling back on the bar is performed by the lats, but you don’t need to think about your lats - you simply think about the action of bending the bar backward around your shins, and the lats will automatically do their job. As a side note, it is rarely useful to think about individual muscles while lifting - think “movements” not “muscles.”

Figure 2: Bend it backward

Cue #2: Pin it to your shins.
Same idea - just a different way to think about it. Cue yourself to keep the bar pinned to your shins, and if you accomplish this, your lats will be doing their job.

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

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

12 Outdated Lifting Trends to Ditch in 2025 (and What to Do Instead)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Still doing these outdated lifting trends? It's time to level up. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down 12 common lifting habits, techniques, and myths that need to be left behind - and what you should be doing instead to actually get stronger. No gimmicks. No fluff. Just real, effective strength training advice.

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

Testify Review - May 26, 2025

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video BENCH PRESS REGRETS: Top 7 regrets from veteran lifters (click the title to watch):

Kevin Miller
The breathing part confused me, I've always been told to inhale on way down and big exhale as you push up. Everything else in the video I've been doing.

Phil
Understandable as that breathing myth is still out there - not as common, but definitely still out there. It’s useful to remember that breath is stability, and another way to think about it is, if the bar is moving, one shouldn’t be breathing.

Kevin Miller
@TestifySC Great to know! Always something new to learn.

Phil
Glad you found it useful!

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Interested in getting stronger working one-on-one remotely with us? Click here to book your free strategy session.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start Today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

BENCH PRESS REGRETS: Top 7 regrets from veteran lifters
Think your bench press is solid? Think again. In this video, Phil breaks down 7 common bench press mistakes and how to avoid them. Learn from the mistakes of others — and make faster, safer progress. Click here to watch.

 

Why THIS is the Most Important Supplement for Building Muscle
The best supplement for strength? It's not what you think. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: The BEST Squat Accessory Ever: "This simple tool helps so much!"
How can one simple object fix your knees' forward position, your knees' lateral position, and even your hip position and back angle?! If you train on your own, the TUBOW can be a huge help to your squat. What's a TUBOW? Phil explains as Becky demonstrates. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Hate Wasting Time at the Gym? Here’s What Actually Works
For those whose workouts are taking longer than they would like (or can afford), here are two two tactics to save time at the gym. Click here to read.

SLEEVES ARE OVERRATED - GRAB A TESTIFY TANK!

Sun's out, guns out, and we've got men's and women’s tank tops in multiple colors.

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, 05/26/25), 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 Game Night

  • Join us for the first-ever Testify Game Night at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 6th!

  • Bring on the cards, the board games, the bags (AKA cornhole), and whatever else you’ve got!

  • Bring a game, a snack/drink, and get ready for a fun, relaxed evening with the Testify crew!

  • Click here to RSVP.

Testify IronFest VII

  • June 20, 2025

  • 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.

Deadapalooza! The Annual Testify Deadlift Festival

  • August 15, 2025

  • Deadapalooza is a strength meet wherein the only contested lift is - you guessed it - the deadlift. There will be one bar (possibly multiple bars if numbers dictate), and the meet will be conducted in a "rising bar" format, so the weight on the bar only goes up! It's a ton of fun, so come on out!

  • 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 2025.03.31.

Option 2
Bike/row:
12 min TT

Score = distance

Compare to 2025.03.03.

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

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

Compare to 2025.02.03.

Option 4
5 rounds:
4 tire flips
8 sledgehammer strikes
6 pull-ups
10 push-ups

Pull-ups and push-ups can be modified – talk to the coaches for options.

Compare to 2024.02.03.

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

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

Why THIS is the Most Important Supplement for Building Muscle

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Everybody is all about the supplements. Whey protein, creatine, pre-workout - the list goes on, but do you know what the most important supplement is?

It’s not whey protein, and it’s not creatine. Both of those are useful (which is a profound rarity in the world of supplements), but neither one tops the list.

The most important supplement is magnesium carbonate. Use it immediately before training and during training, but there’s no point in using it after training.

What is magnesium carbonate and why use it?
Magnesium carbonate - also known as chalk - typically comes in block form and is specifically used for increased friction between your hands and the bar. It absorbs the natural oil and moisture (e.g., sweat) in your hands so that you have a more secure grip. As an added bonus, it helps in case the Neanderthal who used the barbell before you didn’t use chalk and thus left his sweat and oil on the bar. 

Figure 1: Look close and you’ll see that dave intelligently uses chalk to pull this 237 kg (522.5 lb) deadlift.

You use it for the same reason that rock climbers and gymnasts use it - to hang onto things. Your deadlift is (or will be in time) heavier than a rock climber or gymnast, so you have even more reason to use chalk than those folks do.

What lifts does it help?
It’s most useful for pulling movements such as cleans, snatches, deadlifts, and rows (even chins-ups), but it’s also useful for other lifts such as the squat and pressing movements. If you’ve ever had your hands start to slide a bit on a heavy squat or bench press, you know that it’s a very disconcerting experience and not one that you’d like to repeat.

When do you apply chalk?
Here’s a simple approach - apply chalk at the following times:

  1. At the start of your training session (you probably won’t need much at this point)

  2. When you start to warm-up your deadlifts (or cleans or snatches)

  3. Before your last deadlift warm-up set

  4. Before your deadlift work set (or before each work set if you have multiple work sets)

figure 2: correctly chalked hands

How do you apply chalk?
Again, let’s keep it simple:

  1. Rub the block onto each hand.

  2. Set the block down.

  3. Rub your hands together. At this point, your hands should be white and chalky (Figure 2).

If you don’t use chalk, you’re making things more difficult than they need to be, and you’re not even aware of it. When your grip is compromised (and it is), other factors become compromised as well.

The weight feels heavier, your back starts to round, and you can’t completely lock out your deadlift at the top. It’s terrible, and it’s easily preventable by using chalk (in addition to using a modified grip such as the hook grip, mixed grip, or straps).

Don’t like the feel of chalk on your hands? Remind yourself that you’re not a baby and that you don’t care about your feelings. After all, you don’t like the feel of a heavy barbell on your back in the squat, and you still do that.

figure 3: geneva uses chalk to successfully complete her sets of pause deadlift.

You can Pinnochio up for a few minutes and use chalk like a real boy (or girl).

Don’t use chalk for the feel. Use it for the friction, and use it for the increased strength that comes with successfully completing your deadlift work sets.

(If you still won’t use regular chalk, at least use some version of liquid chalk.)

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

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

The BEST Squat Accessory Ever: "This simple tool helps so much!"

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

How can one simple object fix your knees' forward position, your knees' lateral position, and even your hip position and back angle?! If you train on your own, the TUBOW can be a huge help to your squat. What's a TUBOW? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains as Becky demonstrates.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/03/22)

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

  • Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

  • Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

  • Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?