STOP Making This Deadlift Mistake With Your Legs!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are you accidentally "kicking the bar" away from you with your shins when deadlifting? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers helps you fix that problem in less than 3 minutes.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 11/07/22)

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  • 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.

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Bar Position and the Squat: The #1 MISTAKE You're Making

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/24/23)

Is the bar rolling up your back when you squat? Perhaps it’s sliding down your back instead? Either way, if the barbell is moving around when you squat, there’s a solid chance you’ve got it in the wrong spot in the first place. Nailing down the correct bar position on the back is a common problem for new lifters (and experienced ones), so let’s fix this problem fast.

A quick note: Everything in this article is much more easily seen and understood when demonstrated, so I’d strongly recommend watching the included videos.

We want the bar positioned just below the spine of the scapula - that bony ridge below your traps (check out Figure 1).

figure 1: THE TIP OF the spine of BECKY’S SCAPULA IS MARKED BY MY RIGHT THUMB. figure 2: my thumbs mark the bar’s position just below the spine of the scapula.

In this location, the bar sits below your traps and rests on the posterior deltoids. This is the lowest stable position the bar can take (see Figure 2). If it sits higher than this, it will tend to roll up your back, and if it sits lower than this, it will tend to slide down your back.

Figure 3: Becky demonstrates the correct bar position.

With as narrow of a grip as you can obtain and with your shoulders retracted, your delts will nicely bunch up and form a secure shelf for the bar (see Figure 3). This will permit you to reach back with your hips and lean over as you descend so that you’re in a strong position to drive your hips up out of the hole at the bottom of the squat.

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?

9 Brutal Truths About Lifting Weights That Seniors LEARN Too Late

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What are some crucial truths about lifting weights that older folks often learn too late? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

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.

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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 Morning News - March 31, 2025

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video Build a Lifting Platform in 3 Minutes! (click the title to watch):

Paulie LaMothe
Can you use this platform for olympic weightlifting?

Phil
Absolutely. An 8 x 8 platform is the most common size for a weightlifting training platform in the US, and we use these all the time for exactly that purpose.

Paulie LaMothe
@TestifySC Awesome. Thanks for the swift reply

Phil
You’re welcome!

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

How to Deadlift Correctly in 1 Minute (EASY to Learn)
Learn correct technique for the deadlift in 60 seconds. Phil covers how to deadlift safely, effectively, and efficiently. Click here to watch.

 

Scraping Your Shins in the Deadlift? It's Not the Bar - It's You.
“Are you getting bloody - or at least scraped - shins when you deadlift? This quick tip is for you.” Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: Bad Wrists = Weak Deadlift! | Correct Your Deadlift Technique
Your wrists are messing up your deadlift, and you probably don't even know it. In the 2nd video in our Saturday Shorts series on correcting the deadlift, Phil covers how to achieve the correct wrist positioning. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Fix Your Press - Part 7: Correct Your ABOMINABLE Knees
Are your terrible knees ruining your press? Phil quickly discusses and demonstrates how to solve this problem. Click here to read.

TESTIFY 3/4 SLEEVE SHIRTS ARE UP!

Baseball season is here, so represent your favorite team - well, gym - in style!

PLUS - you get four different options to choose from!

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

WHAT'S COMING UP

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 Strengthlifting Challenge

  • April 12, 2025

  • The annual Testify Strengthlifting Challenge 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.

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 2025.01.27.

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 2025.01.06.

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

Compare to 2024.12.09.

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 2024.12.09.

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.

Scraping Your Shins in the Deadlift? It's Not the Bar - It's You.

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are you getting bloody - or at least scraped - shins when you deadlift? This quick tip is for you.

If you’re carving up your shin bones when you pull, you’re not properly extending your knees when you start the pull. This means that (a) your knees don’t contribute to the elevation of the bar as they should and (b) your knees pose an obstacle to the bar’s path, which is why your shins currently hate you.

Here are two ways to cue and fix this problem.

Solution 1: “Push the floor away.”
At the start of the pull, don’t think about standing up. Of course, you finish in a standing position, but don’t try to get your back vertical right away. Instead, cue yourself to “push the floor away” from you by gradually straightening your knees.

The knees don’t finish straightening until lockout, but make no mistake, they need to start straightening right away. Other cues that emphasize this motion are “straighten the knees” and “pull your kneecaps backward.”

Solution 2: “Stay over the bar.”
With this cue, you remind yourself not to “stand up” too soon; in other words, you cue yourself to keep your back angle horizontal longer than you think you should as you start the pull.

This forces you to lift the barbell using knee extension instead of hip extension, which is what you’re trying to accomplish. To be clear, both knee extension and hip extension occur when you start the pull, but if you’re scraping your shins, you need less hip extension and more knee extension, so remind yourself to “stay over the bar” or “stay horizontal” when starting the pull.

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?

Bad Wrists = Weak Deadlift! | Correct Your Deadlift Technique

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Your wrists are messing up your deadlift, and you probably don't even know it. In the 2nd video in our Saturday Shorts series on correcting the deadlift, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers how to achieve the correct wrist positioning.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 11/05/22)

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?