You’re Making This Part of Your Deadlift Way Too Hard

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

The deadlift should be as efficient as possible. In Part 2 of this deadlift series, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers two common errors that make one specific part of the deadlift harder than it needs to be and waste valuable effort.

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.

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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?

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Testify Today - October 12, 2026

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video You’re Making Your Deadlift Harder Than It Needs to Be (click the title to watch):

Benjamin Porter
Are you recommending to reset after each rep?

Phil
If the bar is set down over the middle of the foot, then the process is:

- Shins (bend the knee slightly to bring the shins into contact with the bar)

- Chest (squeeze the chest up to set the back flat and rigid)

- Pull (drag the bar up the shins)

So, in the sense of not letting go of the bar, no, the deadlift is not reset each time.

In the sense of these not being “touch and go“ reps, there is an aspect of resetting the start position each time.

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ARTICLES & VIDEOS

You’re Making Your Deadlift Harder Than It Needs to Be
The deadlift is simple, but lifters sometimes find ways to make it much harder than it needs to be. In the first video of this deadlift series, Phil covers two common mistakes that can make your deadlift unnecessarily difficult. Click here to watch.

 

Part 2: Your Squat Called. It Wants You to Stop Doing This.
In part 2 of this series, Phil helps you identify and quickly fix a common squat error. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: How to Front Squat: Improve Your Front Rack Position by Doing This!
If your front squat rack position is terrible, and your cleans and front squats are causing you pain and discomfort, try this. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: Lifting Shoes: What and Why
What features should you be looking for in a lifting shoe, why do these features help your lifting, and what shoes should you avoid? Click here to read.

“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!

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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.

Push Pull Pandemonium

  • October 16, 2026

  • Join us for a Friday evening filled with benching, deadlifting, and general revelry!

  • Sign up by September 25 to get a meet shirt and avoid the late registration rate!

  • Registration ends October 15.

  • Click here to register or for more information.

Kansas City, MO: Starting Strength Squat & Deadlift Camp

  • November 14, 2026

  • 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.

Testify Christmas Classic

  • December 12, 2026

  • The Christmas Classic 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
“Prowler Base”
1. Load up a manageable weight.
2. Sprint 40m at 85% intensity.
3. Rest until breathing and heart rate slow down. (45 sec – 2 min)
4. Repeat 5-15 times.

Courtesy of “Death by Prowler” (on Starting Strength).

Compare to 2026.09.07.

Option 2
Bike/row:
12 min TT

Score = distance

Compare to 2026.07.20.

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

Compare to 2026.06.22.

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 2026.06.22.

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.

Part 2: Your Squat Called. It Wants You to Stop Doing This.

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Are you making this squat error? Let’s fix it fast.

In Part 1 of this series, we covered a common mistake lifters make with their stance. Today, we’re talking about your eyes.

Stop using a ridiculous – or nonexistent – focal point.

If you’re looking up (Figure 1) or if you’re not even sure where you’ve been looking when you squat, I’m talking to you.

figure 1: don’t be like this fool.

Your focal point matters. Having a fixed focal point reinforces your balance (rather important with a heavy barbell on your back), and if chosen wisely, your focal point reinforces your technique as well.

With this in mind, find a spot on the floor roughly 4-6 feet in front of you and stare at it. Burn a hole in the ground with your eyes.

Find that focal point after you finalize your stance, stare at it during your first rep, between reps, and during every rep thereafter. After you rack the bar, then you can look elsewhere.

Until then, that’s where you look.

Figure 2: This . . . is much better.

That focal point (Figure 2) helps your balance, it helps you establish the correct back angle on the descent, and it helps you maintain the correct back angle on the ascent.

Additional tip: you might not actually be sure where you look when you squat, and if that’s the case, pay attention the next time you train. Also, record yourself from a front-oblique angle every once in a while. It’s not usually the best angle for spotting errors, but you might think that you have a solid, constant focal point only to find out that your gaze has been wandering when squatting. A video or two from the front will point this error out in a hurry.

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?

book a free intro

How to Front Squat: Improve Your Front Rack Position by Doing This!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

If your front squat rack position is terrible, and your cleans and front squats are causing you pain and discomfort, try this.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 08/14/23)

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?

book a free intro

Lifting Shoes: What and Why

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/31/21)

What are lifting shoes, and why should you use them? We’re going to cover the 3 features of a lifting shoe, why lifting shoes are beneficial, and we’ll also touch on what not to buy.

Feature #1: Sole
The first and most important feature of a lifting shoe is its rigid, non-compressible sole. This helps with force transfer, which is rather important when lifting heavy weights.

If you're going to squat, press, or clean-and-jerk in running shoes, you’ll find that doing so is similar to trying to do those while standing on a pillow - comfy on the feet, of course, but also rather silly. We would like to have a very rigid surface on which to lift so that we have efficient force transfer between us and the floor. A lifting shoe provides this. A regular shoe does not. 

Feature #2: Metatarsal Strap(s)
The second feature of a lifting shoe is either one or two metatarsal straps. These straps provide lateral support as well as arch support, and the presence of both types of support provide yet another reason why a regular shoe is not as good of an option as an actual lifting shoe.

To a certain extent, the metatarsal strap(s) will also prevent the foot from sliding forward, which is a nice feature to have when performing something like a split jerk.

Feature #3: Heel
The third feature you’ll notice on a lifting shoe is the slightly raised heel. Typically, a heel height somewhere between ½ inch and ¾ inch will work nicely. Some Olympic lifters may prefer a slightly taller heel, but this range serves most people quite well. The heel gets a little more quad involvement in the lift and also makes depth in the squat easier to achieve.

These 3 features will give you an idea of what to look for when you’re shopping for lifting shoes. A number of manufacturers make quality lifting shoes - Nike, Do-Win, Inov-8, and Adidas are just a few of the more well-known brands. Below are some of the shoe recommendations and links we usually send to new members as a starting point for shopping:

If you’re going to lift, wear lifting shoes. Runners wear running shoes, basketball players wear basketball shoes, and lifters wear lifting shoes. Once you’ve trained in lifting shoes, trying to lift in regular shoes (tennis shoes, running shoes, etc.) will feel like lifting while standing on a pillow.

Finally, a note on lifting in Chuck Taylors. Just . . . don’t. Chucks are the lifting shoe for people who started to think about lifting shoes but never completed the thought. They don’t have a rigid sole, they don’t provide any arch or lateral support, and they don’t have an elevated heel, so they fail all of the criteria listed above. For those who prefer to lift in a non-heeled shoe, there are options out there that provide a far more rigid sole, and for those who want to deadlift in an extremely low-profile (i.e., close to the ground) shoe, there are options out there that are far more low-profile.

Can you lift in Chucks? Of course you can. If LeBron James wore running shoes, he could still play basketball, and he would certainly still beat me in a game of 1-on-1 . . . but he chooses to play in basketball shoes. I recommend that you choose to lift in lifting shoes.

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:

  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

  • Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

  • 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.

(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?

book a free intro

You’re Making Your Deadlift Harder Than It Needs to Be

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

The deadlift is simple, but lifters sometimes find ways to make it much harder than it needs to be. In the first video of this deadlift series, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers two common mistakes that can make your deadlift unnecessarily difficult.

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?

book a free intro