The Testify Inquirer - December 16, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video 4 Simple Exercises to Get Stronger, Feel Better, and Have More Energy in 2025 (click the title to watch):

Tom (Senior Gym Bro)
I appreciate your videos, Film Makers!

“No Siri, it’s Phil Meggers, not Film Makers!”

All joking aside, I turned 65 two months ago, and I do these lifts 3 days a week, along with some other lifts.

I got back into weightlifting 3 years ago. Today I’m Much stronger and feel Much better, than I did when I started. Your channel has helped me So much since I found it a year ago. Thank you Phil!👍💪

Phil
That's fantastic, Tom (and Siri has actually made that mistake for me as well) - way to stick with it, and a happy belated birthday to you! Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad our videos have been helpful for you.

Tom (Senior Gym Bro)
Thanks Phil! I’m also a survivor of colorectal cancer and melanoma in the last 8 years. I’m blessed to be cancer free right now.

Phil
You're welcome, and that's wonderful news!

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Interested in getting stronger working remotely with one of our Starting Strength Coaches? Click here to book a free intro call and strategy session.

Get Stronger. Live Better. Start today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

4 Simple Exercises to Get Stronger, Feel Better, and Have More Energy in 2025
Want to get stronger, feel better (look better too!), and have more energy in the new year? We cover 4 simple exercises to help you achieve your fitness and health goals. Click here to watch.

 

The TRUTH About Breathing, Bracing, and Lifting Heavy
”Stop making this mistake. It’s inefficient, it’s unnecessary, and it makes you look like you’ve been reading too many 80s and 90s fitness magazines. The mistake we’re discussing is…” Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: The THREE Things Everyone Should Know About the Squat
Do these 3 things to get yourself into the strongest position when squatting. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Shakira and the Press: Hips Don't Lie
”A common problem in the press is that - instead of reaching forward with the hips and using the rebound this creates - a lifter will accidentally…” Click here to read.

TESTIFY BEANIES ARE AVAILABLE!

Represent your favorite gym - even when it's cold outside!

And, it gets better - you can choose your beanie from EIGHT different colors!

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

The first ever Barbell Blizzard team event was a fantastic success! We had 9 different teams, over 30 people, and it was great to see people having fun and lifting big weights . . . to Christmas music, of course. The annual Testify Christmas party afterward was a ton of fun as well (complete with annual awards!) and y’all brought some amazing dishes. Thank you to everyone who was there!

Reminder: Below are the hours for the weeks of Christmas and New Year's (you can also find these on our Location & Hours page). Any days not listed retain their normal hours.

Christmas Week (2024)
Tuesday, 12/24/24: 5:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (closed in the evening)
Wednesday, 12/25/24: Closed
Thursday, 12/26/24: 4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (closed in the morning)

New Year’s Week (2024-2025)
Tuesday, 12/31/24: 5:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (closed in the evening)
Wednesday, 01/01/25: Closed
Thursday, 01/02/25: 4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (closed in the morning)

You can always find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events as we’ll be posting some 2025 events soon!

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 2024.10.14.

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 2024.09.23.

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 2024.08.26.

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 2024.08.26.

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.

The TRUTH About Breathing, Bracing, and Lifting Heavy

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Stop making this mistake. It’s inefficient, it’s unnecessary, and it makes you look like you’ve been reading too many 80s and 90s fitness magazines.

The mistake we’re discussing is that of breathing like a buffoon when lifting.

This error shows up in a number of ways, but a very popular version of this mistake is seen when people breathe in on the way down and breathe out on the way up. We have a lot of old fitness magazines and books to thank for this preposterous way of breathing, and in short, don’t do it.

Your body intuitively knows that this is silly nonsense. You don’t breathe like this when you’re constipated, and you don’t breathe like this when you’re trying to push a stuck vehicle out of a ditch. In these situations, your body automatically takes the correct and most efficient action - you take a big breath, you tighten your abs and “bear down,” you then push as hard as you can, and you don’t release that breath until the effort is over.

The same is true in lifting, and the way to remember this is simple: All breathing (both in and out) takes place only at one location - the start and finish point of the lift.

Put another way - if the barbell is moving, you’re not breathing.

Let’s cover the specifics of this for the squat, bench, press, and be sure to read all the way to the end for the deadlift since that’s the lift in which people breathe the silliest.

The Squat
Take a breath in at the top, hold that breath all the way down and back up again with every muscle in your trunk bracing hard, and then release the breath. Be sure to watch the video below on how to brace correctly (i.e., perform the Valsalva maneuver).

The Bench Press
Breathing for the bench press is identical to that of the squat - take a breath in at the top, hold it all the way down and back up again, and then release it.

The Press
Unlike the squat and bench, in which each rep starts from the top of the lift, the press starts at the bottom of the movement, so the breathing takes place at this location instead. In the press, take a breath in at the bottom and get tight, press the bar up, then lower it (don’t blow out your air at the top), and then release your breath when you’re back at the starting position.

The Deadlift
Don’t do it. Just don’t. I die a little bit inside every time a lifter makes this error in the deadlift . . . don’t blow out your air at the top of the lift.

Breathing for the deadlift is identical to that of the press since the lift starts at the bottom, so take a breath when the bar is on the floor, set your back, pull the bar up to the lockout position, set it down quickly, and then release your breath.

If you’ve been releasing your breath at the top of the deadlift, it can be a hard habit to break, but it’s not a physically difficult challenge. People have performed long, grueling pulls - 8, 9, and 10 second deadlifts - and then set the bar back down before releasing the breath. If they can do it, you can do it.

Remember that breathing only takes place in one location - the start (and finish) point of the lift - and you’ll be good to go. Breath is stability, so hold that breath until you’re back where you started.

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 THREE Things Everyone Should Know About the Squat

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Do these 3 things to get yourself into the strongest position when squatting. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 09/12/22)

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?

Shakira and the Press: Hips Don't Lie

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/09/22)

A common problem in the press is that - instead of reaching forward with the hips and using the rebound this creates - a lifter will accidentally reach backwards with the shoulders. The two movements - reaching forward with the hips and reaching backward with the shoulders - look almost the same, but one makes for a stronger press while the other absolutely hinders the press.

To see this in action as it’s being explained, check out one of the short videos included in this article.

Reaching forward with the hips helps us in two ways - first, that nice rebound out of the hips gives us a nice launch at the beginning of the movement. Second, it helps clear our face back out of the way of the barbell (a natural countermovement).

However, if you reach backward with your shoulders instead, you’ll still clear your head out of the way of the bar, but you won’t get any sort of launch or rebound from the hips, and indeed, it will actually make for a much harder and weaker press.

In the photo at left, Becky correctly reaches forward with her hips. In the photo at right, Becky incorrectly reaches backward with her shoulders. For comparison, check the position of the bar with respect to the squat stand in the background.

To check whether or not you’re making this error, ask yourself, “Where am I feeling my balance?” when you reach forward with your hips. If you feel your weight shift momentarily to the balls of your feet, you’re on the right track.

However, if you feel your weight shift to your heels, then you know that you’re accidentally reaching backwards with your shoulders instead of forward with your hips.

Remind yourself of this the next time you press. Simply make your balance shift briefly to the balls of your feet as you reach with your hips, and you’ll be off to an excellent start.

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

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?


4 Simple Exercises to Get Stronger, Feel Better, and Have More Energy in 2025

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Want to get stronger, feel better (look better too!), and have more energy in the new year? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 4 simple exercises to help you achieve your fitness and health goals.

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?

The Testify Ledger - December 9, 2024

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video DIY Strongman Deadlift Tires! (click the title to watch):

Andrew Hoover
Would a 5 lb plate be too fragile?

Phil
That's a good question, and I don't know. We had more extra tens than fives, and to your point, it's entirely possible that a five could be questionable in terms of durability.

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

Want to get 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

The #1 Rule for Strength Training
What's the most important thing in strength training? It might not be what you think it is. Click here to watch.

 

The Pause Squat: What, How, and Why
What are pause squats, how do you perform them, and why might a lifter do them? We cover it all in this short article. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: Gym Equipment: How to EASILY Move Stall Mats!
The classic rubber horse stall mat is extremely useful. It's also a pain to move . . . or is it? Phil shows how to easily move a stall mat with just one person and without any special tools. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Stop Using Your Hands to Catch Your Cleans!
If your wrists and elbows despise you when you clean, you need to stop using your hands to rack your cleans. We cover why and how the shoulders catch the clean - not the hands. Click here to read.

TESTIFY BALL CAPS ARE AVAILABLE!

Represent your favorite gym and keep the sun out of your eyes in style with this cap.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

Reminder: Testify members! Don't forget - the annual Testify Christmas Party is on Saturday, December 14, and it will begin immediately following the end of the Barbell Blizzard. We'll be running this year's party in an appetizer/potluck fashion, so bring an appetizer to pass around and something to drink, wear something outlandishly Christmasy, and let the festivities begin!

We're guessing a start time of around 5:00 p.m., but if you're not participating in the Barbell Blizzard, your best bet is probably to show up earlier than that, cheer on your fellow lifters at the Barbell Blizzard, and then we'll segue right into the party (tableware provided by Testify).

Below is the information for the upcoming Barbell Blizzard, and you can always find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.

Barbell Blizzard! A Winter Wonderland of Weights

  • December 14, 2024

  • Barbell Blizzard is a team strength meet wherein the contested lifts will be the squat, press, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors will form teams of 2-4 lifters/team and perform all 4 lifts; 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 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 2024.10.07.

Option 2
Bike/row:
12 min TT

Score = distance

Compare to 2024.09.16.

Option 3
5-10 rounds of:
30 sec ME tire flips
30 sec rest

Compare to 2024.08.19.

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 2024.08.19.

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