The FWYS Principle: If You Don't Change This, Your Press Will ALWAYS Suffer

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 12/24/21)

A common problem with new lifters and the press is achieving the correct start position for each rep - specifically, achieving the correct start position for every rep after your first rep.

After all, the correct start position for the first rep should be accomplished by correctly gripping and unracking the bar in the first place (watch the included video that covers this), but today, we're specifically talking about getting the correct start position for the rest of your set (e.g., your 2nd rep all the way to the end of the set).

Figure 1

The key is to finish the press where you start the press, so make sure that you start with elbows slightly in front of the bar, squeezing the bar tightly and with relatively straight wrists (technically, they will be slightly in extension) as you see in Figure 1. Then, after locking out the rep overhead, simply remind yourself to lower it back to this exact same position.

Figure 2: Don’t be like this fool.

Specifically, we do not want to lower the bar back to the position you see in Figure 2, where the lifter has his elbows behind the bar and wrists in severe extension. It’s a weaker position - it’s tough to support a heavy weight in this position, and now you’ve got to spend time and energy getting back to the correct start position.

Even worse, if you don’t spend that time and energy getting back to the correct position, it’s harder to press the bar overhead from this weak position. This poor position often contributes to a forward bar path on the next rep, which can easily be the difference between a successful rep and a missed rep at challenging weights.

Figure 3

Again, the key is to finish where you start (FWYS).

If you still find that lowering the bar consistently to the correct start position is difficult, try this mental picture (Figure 3) - imagine that you are standing very close to a wall with the bar locked out overhead. While lowering the bar, picture yourself dragging your elbows down the wall while keeping your fists (and therefore the bar) away from the wall.

Remember to aim for your nose with the bar on the way down as well as on the way up. This “elbows-dragging-down-the-wall” image is a slightly exaggerated picture of what we actually want to happen (watch the included video to see this in action), but a number of our members have found this very useful.

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.)

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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?

If You Only Watch One Squat Video, Make It This

Want a better squat? Start here. These seven squat tips cover the details that can make your squats stronger, more consistent, and easier to execute – including two tips that may not be what you expect.

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.)

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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?

Testify Courant - September 21, 2026

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A post shared by Testify Strength & Cond. | Gym in Omaha, NE (@testifystrengthconditioning)

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video When Deadlifting Heavy, Don't Stand Up & Try This Instead (click the title to watch):

Eldr
A question. What is the protocol for lowering? Just drop the bar? Lower under tension?

Phil
Don't drop the bar, but you can and should lower the bar faster than you picked it up. Hips back, "bow to the floor," and set the bar down relatively quickly right over the midfoot.

You might find this video of ours useful: https://youtu.be/bo1A2Y8wpq8

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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.

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ARTICLES & VIDEOS

The BEST Barbell Collar Most Lifters Overlook (And It's Been Around for Decades)
Which barbell collar is actually the best? Phil breaks down four common types, what each one does well, where each falls short, and which collar he'd choose. Click here to watch.

7 Signs You're Using Your Lifting Equipment WRONG - Stop Making These Mistakes With Your Lifting Gear | Part 3
Are you making some mistakes with your weight lifting gear? You might be, and you probably don't even know it. In Part 3 of this series, we cover 7 more errors (and how to fix them) that lifters make with their equipment. Click here to read.

Blast from the Past: 2 Fatal Deadlift Mistakes: 1 Solution (Simple and Fast)
Are these two errors destroying your deadlift? Find out and fix them in under 2 minutes. Click here to watch.

Blast from the Past: STOP Making This Deadlift Mistake With Your Legs!
Are you accidentally "kicking the bar" away with your shins when deadlifting? Let’s identify and fix this problem quickly. Click here to read.

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“GET STRONGER - LIVE BETTER” SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE!

Why do you train? Because getting stronger makes everything else easier. Get stronger. Live better. “Testify” to this message and represent your favorite gym with this shirt in several color options.

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

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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.

Minneapolis, MN: Starting Strength Squat & Deadlift Camp

• October 3, 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.

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.

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THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
Sled Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid” – rest as needed. The distance for each round is 80 m indoors (a down-back on the 40m course) or 200 ft outdoors (2 down-backs on the 50 ft course). Rest as needed.

For example, Bob does the following (4 tiers):
Round 1: Empty sled
Round 2: 25#
Round 3: 50#
Round 4: 75#
Round 5: 50#
Round 6: 25#
Round 7: Empty sled

Compare to 2026.08.17.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.

Compare to 2026.06.29.

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 2026.06.01.

Option 4
10 x 50 ft yoke carry
Each carry is 25 feet down and 25 feet back and is for time. Rest 1 minute between carries.

Compare to 2026.06.01.

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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.

7 Signs You're Using Your Lifting Equipment WRONG - Stop Making These Mistakes With Your Lifting Gear | Part 3

You might be making some mistakes with your equipment, and if so, you probably don’t know it.

Welcome back to the third and final installment of this series. We covered 7 common mistakes in Part 1, another 7 mistakes in Part 2, and not surprisingly, we’re covering 7 more errors today.

Error #15: Straps in Front
A common mistake for lifters who are new to using straps is that of placing the strap in front of the barbell when setting up (Figure 1).

figure 1: this fool mistakenly put his strap in front of the bar.

Used correctly, the combination of your hand and the strap acts much like an alternate grip on the deadlift. In the alternate grip, the pronated hand and supinated hand work with each other to keep the bar from rolling and slipping out of your grip. Each hand can only permit the bar to roll in the direction opposite of that allowed by the other hand, so no rolling occurs.

Your hand and the strap perform the same function, but only if you remember that your hand goes in front of the bar while the strap goes on the other side of the bar, i.e., behind the bar. Check out the short video above to learn how to use straps correctly.

Error #16: Knee Sleeve Thickness
Both 5 mm thick and 7 mm thick knee sleeves provide warmth and compression for your knees, and your knees will thank you for it.

However, once you’ve used 7 mm sleeves, you won’t ever go back to 5 mm sleeves, so do yourself a favor and simply buy 7 mm sleeves to start with.

Here are a few solid options, and you can learn more about knee sleeves by watching the included video below:

• Rehband knee sleeves: https://amzn.to/3QsBub3

• Stoic knee sleeves: https://amzn.to/40ec0RX

• Iron Bull knee sleeves: https://amzn.to/3RnUPs6

Error #17: Safeties Too High
Safeties, pins, crash bars, spotter arms (if you’re using a squat stand) – whatever you want to call them, don’t set them too high.

For squat and bench press, your safeties need to be set low enough that they don’t disrupt the execution of your lift. For the squat, this means you probably want to set the safeties a couple of inches below the bottom position of your squat (i.e., below the bar’s position at the bottom of your squat). If you set them just barely below your bottom position – say, a quarter-inch lower than your bottom position – then the moment you go a touch too deep on your squat, you hit the safeties, and this is very disruptive to your lift. Setting them a couple of inches lower than your bottom position makes this much less likely to happen.

For the bench, when you’re correctly driving with your legs and supporting your arch, this means your safeties are low enough that they allow you to consistently touch the barbell to your chest. It also means they are low enough that if you lower the bar in a slightly uneven fashion (e.g., the right side of the bar is a bit lower than the left side), you don’t instantly hit the safeties.

Error #18: Not Knowing Your Rings
There are two sets of rings (AKA score marks or knurl marks) for barbells - powerlifting rings and weightlifting rings. They are extraordinarily useful for determining grip width, but if you don’t know which set you’ve been using, you can create a grip problem for yourself if you ever train (or compete) on a different bar.

Powerlifting rings are 81 cm (roughly 32 in) apart from one another, while weightlifting rings are 91 cm (roughly 36 in) apart from one another. Some bars have both sets of rings (so it’s easy to figure out which set is which) while many bars have only one set.

Figure out which set you’ve been using (use a tape measure if necessary), and then if you ever train on a different bar, you’ll know whether or not you need to adjust your grip relative to the rings.

Error #19: Straps . . . Again
Don’t wrap your straps multiple times around the bar.

Wrapping the strap around the bar once provides everything you need for a secure grip. Wrapping it multiple times is a waste of time and energy, which is why the DIY straps we make at the gym for our members (see the video below) are made to a length that only goes around the bar once with a little length left over.

If you have extra strap length hanging down after wrapping around the bar once, it’s not a problem – just let it hang there.

Error #20: Safeties Too Low
As discussed in Error #17, setting the safeties too high is a mistake. However, setting the safeties too low is an even bigger mistake – they absolutely have to be set high enough to save you from trouble in the event of a failed rep.

If you set them too low in the squat, you might not be able to set the bar down onto the pins at the bottom of a failed rep. Worse, in the event of a failed rep on the bench press, you could find your throat or face trapped (and potentially crushed) if you’ve set the safeties too low.

The solution is simple – set your safeties and then test them out (with an empty bar or light weight) by performing a “failed rep,” i.e., practice by failing with the empty bar, set the bar on the pins, and make sure you can get out from under the bar while it rests on the pins.

Error #21: Slick Bench
Don’t bench on a slippery surface.

The bench itself might be slick, you might be sweaty, or you might be wearing a “tech shirt” (i.e., moisture-wicking) that is made from a slippery material. Regardless, you want to drive with your legs and keep your shoulders pinned back without any part of you moving out of position on the bench.

There are a couple of ways to solve this problem, and you can check out the short video below for a few options. Our most common recommendation is a small section of rug pad material – it’s cheap, it provides a very secure grip, and it easily fits in your gym bag as well.

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.)

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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?

2 Fatal Deadlift Mistakes: 1 Solution (Simple and Fast)

Are these two errors destroying your deadlift? Find out and fix them in under 2 minutes.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 08/05/23)

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.

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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?

STOP Making This Deadlift Mistake With Your Legs!

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 01/05/24)

Are you “kicking” the bar away from you with your shins when you deadlift? It’s killing your pulls, so knock it off. Let’s fix it real quick-like.

There are a number of reasons a deadlift can swing away from you, and we’re going to discuss one of them today: the error of accidentally pushing the bar away from you with your shins (i.e., “kicking” the bar with your shins) during the setup process. Two versions of this error are quite common, so let’s address them both, and this is explained and demonstrated in the included video as well.

Version #1: Bringing Your Shins to the Bar Too Aggressively
This error occurs during step 3 of the 5-step deadlift setup process. You can watch the included How to Start Lifting: Learn to Deadlift video for a more in-depth treatment of this setup process, but the quick version is as follows:

Step 1: Stance - narrow with shins 1” from the bar

Step 2: Bend at the hips to take your grip

Step 3: Bend your knees to touch your shins to the bar

Step 4: Squeeze your chest up to set your back

Step 5: Pull - drag the bar up your legs

If you bring your shins aggressively and quickly to the barbell during step 3, you may inadvertently kick the bar away from you (i.e., it will roll forward a bit).

To solve this problem, simply use the cue “shins to the bar softly” or “shins lightly to the bar.” The idea is to bend your knees just enough to bring your shins in contact with the bar - and no more than that. Next, squeeze your chest up (step 4), and then pull (step 5).

Version #2: Dropping Your Hips When You Set Your Back
This error occurs during step 4 of the setup process - the “squeeze your chest up to set your back” step. If you set your back aggressively (and by the way, good for you if you do!), you might accidentally drop your hips, which causes your shins to move further forward, which causes the bar to get pushed forward.

It’s worth noting that this can be fixed after the fact; you simply raise your hips back up a bit and roll the bar back to its original location, but we’ve now added more variables and steps to our setup process, and it’s better not to make this mistake in the first place. What to do?

When squeezing your chest up to set your back in rigid extension, use the cue “chest up AND hips up.” Of course, you’re not actually trying to raise your hips - you’re just using the “hips up” part of the cue to make sure the hips stay in place and don’t move downward. We use this cue quite regularly, and it has worked wonders for a number of lifters.

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?