What's the Difference: Snatch vs Hang Snatch vs Power Snatch | FAST & EASY

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Snatch, hang snatch, power snatch, hang power snatch . . . all in less than 3 minutes! What are the differences between these lifts, and how can we easily remember each one?

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 08/12/23)

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How to Squat Heavy ALONE! | How to Fail a Squat Safely

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 01/12/24)

When lifting weights, it's generally a good idea to not end up dead or - for that matter - even injured. With this in mind, let's quickly cover how to avoid getting yourself trapped under a heavy squat that you just failed.

Figure 1: For so many reasons, this is stupid. don’t spot like this.

Spotters are fantastic (when possible)
Ideally, when training, you don't want to fail a rep. You try to avoid it whenever possible, but sometimes these things happen, and in the squat, the best solution is to have spotters that you trust. Specifically, get two spotters, i.e., one on each side.

Forget the whole “spotter-behind-you” thing (Figure 1). It’s stupid, the back spotter is in a terribly mechanically disadvantaged position, and it’s a good way to get both you and your spotter injured. It can, however, make for viral “YouTube-fail” videos.

The video included in this article covers how to spot the squat as well as how to squat alone, so I’d recommend watching that.

The great thing about having spotters is this: the moment you start to fail, i.e, the moment you start to go back down, the spotters immediately take the bar. You don’t have to go all the way down to the pins.

figure 2: This is much better.

If you start to fail a rep, you only descend an inch or two, and your spotters step in and support the bar (Figure 2). At this point, you and your spotters - because you stay under the bar and never abandon your spotters - lift the barbell up and put it back in the rack.

What if you train alone?
Spotters are indeed great; however, if you often train alone (and I understand that as I usually do also), you need to be able to set the safeties (AKA “pins” or “crash bars”) correctly. Whether you’re using pin/pipe safeties, spotter arms, or even strap safeties, the concept and process are both quite simple:

Set the pins low enough that they don’t cause a problem but high enough that they save you from a problem.

The process is as follows:

Figure 3: Parker helps check for adequate clearance.

Step 1: Make sure the pins are low enough
As you’re warming up with the empty bar, look to the side at the bottom of the rep (don’t do this on a regular basis, but doing this a few times with the empty bar is fine). Make sure that, when you’re at the correct depth, you’ve still got a couple inches of clearance between the bar and the pins (Figure 3). You want a couple of inches (and not just a tiny sliver of space) because you need to be able to accidentally go a bit too deep on your squat and not immediately run into the safeties. Going an inch too deep on a squat happens every now and then, and running into the safeties makes the ascent much harder, so give yourself a little room.

figure 4: Parker helps me perform a practice fail.

Step 2: Practice failing a rep
Next, either with the empty bar or with a very light weight on the bar, do a “practice fail” (Figure 4). To do this, perform a couple of normal reps, and then on the third or perhaps fourth rep, go down, start coming back up an inch or two, pretend it’s too heavy, then simply relax your upper back, squat back down, and set the bar on the pins.

At this point, you’ll perform the COS (Crawl of Shame), and crawl out - either forward or backward - from underneath the barbell.

Don’t envision this - actually practice it. You need to know you are still safe in the even of a missed rep.

WARNING: STUPIDITY
I do NOT recommend ever dumping the bar backward off your back and onto the floor. I don’t recommend it with a high bar squat, and I certainly do not recommend it with the squat we teach, which is commonly referred to as a low bar squat. It’s a silly practice, requires a decent amount of nimbleness - which you may or may not possess when grinding out a challenging, exhausting rep - and lastly, it encourages you to quit on a rep that you very well might have been able to get if you had spotters or safeties that you trusted.

You’re welcome to dump it off your back if you like - it’s your life - but be forewarned that it’s stupid. At the very least, don’t do it in my gym.

Wrapping it up
Back to sanity . . . be sure to practice a failed rep, and then adjust the safeties accordingly if they are too low. Again, the safeties need to be low enough that they don't cause a problem but high enough that they save you from a problem.

Don't wait until it gets heavy to find out whether you've set them correctly.

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

-Phil

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

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You’re Ignoring the Most Useful Piece of Equipment in the Gym

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

There’s one incredibly useful piece of equipment that most lifters completely overlook. In this video, Starting Strength Coach Phi Meggers explains why it matters, the two biggest reasons to use it, and five simple tips for getting the most out of it.

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

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

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  • Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

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

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Testify Gazette - September 28, 2026

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION

From our video If You Only Watch One Squat Video, Make It This (click the title to watch):

xyzct
Can anyone comment on the knees caving in during a couple of the lifts at the beginning of the video. Does that count as form breakdown, or is that a tolerable amount? Don't get me wrong - that gal's 3-plate squat at the beginning is freakin' awesome - more than I can squat! I just want to understand proper form better, and what allowable tolerances for deviation are.

Phil
Solid question, and I hope my response below will prove useful.

It would be better to keep the knees apart and in line with the toes, but those three squats you saw were 1-rep attempts during competitions, so at challenging, near-max or max weights, this is not uncommon, didn’t cause pain, and was acceptable.

xyzct
@TestifySC, ah, that makes total sense that there were moments of form breaking down, now that I know those are true competition 1RMs. Thank you for clarifying.

Phil
You're very welcome!

TESTIFY ONLINE COACHING

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Get Stronger. Live Better. Start Today.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS

If You Only Watch One Squat Video, Make It This
Want a better squat? Start here. These seven tips cover the details that can make your squat stronger, more consistent, and easier to execute – including two tips that may not be what you expect. Click here to watch.

 

4 ERRORS Beginners Make that Experienced Lifters NEVER Do | Part 3 - The Deadlift
Beginner lifters make these 4 mistakes in the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press. Phil explains and covers how to successfully fix them. Today's article covers the deadlift. Click here to read.

 

Blast from the Past: Get Your FIRST Chin-up or Pull-up | 6 Ways to Success!
Want to get your first chin-up or pull-up. We cover 6 ways to help you get it done. Click here to watch.

 

Blast from the Past: The FWYS Principle: If You Don't Change This, Your Press Will ALWAYS Suffer
A common problem in the press is achieving the correct start position for each rep - specifically for every rep AFTER your first rep. Let’s fix this. Click here to read.

“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.

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.

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 2026.08.24.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 800m

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = slowest time.

Compare to 2026.07.06.

Option 3
Outdoors:
10 rounds:
25 yd yoke carry
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
10 rounds:
30 yd yoke carry (15 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2026.06.08.

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

Women: 97# per handle (80# of plates)
Men: 137# per handle (120# of plates)
(Note: Each handle weighs 17#.)

Compare to 2026.06.08.

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.

4 ERRORS Beginners Make that Experienced Lifters NEVER Do | Part 3 - The Deadlift

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

In this multi-part series, we cover four mistakes that lifters often make when starting out. We covered the squat in Part 1, the press in Part 2, and today, we’re discussing the deadlift.

Let’s assume you’ve mastered the 5-step deadlift setup process (and if you haven’t, check out the video below). You move through the steps deliberately and efficiently – stance, grip, shins, chest, and pull.

Once the bar is locked out at the top of the pull, an extraordinarily common mistake lifters make is that of lowering the bar incorrectly and – as a result – inefficiently.

Your goal is to set the bar down back over the middle of the foot, i.e., the exact position you lifted it from in the first place. However, many lifters set it down well in front of this position (for reasons we’ll discuss in a moment), which means they have to make adjustments to get the bar back to the correct spot for the next rep. This wastes time, it wastes energy, and it often results in a bar that’s in the wrong spot for the next pull.

Lifters make this mistake because they allow their knees to get in the way of the bar on the descent (like the fool in Figure 1).

Figure 1: don’t be like this fool.

Don’t lower the bar by bending your knees. Lower the bar by bending over.

This is a bit of an overstatement as you do indeed allow your knees to unlock as you start to bend at the hips, and you allow them to bend a bit farther after the bar passes your knees, but the point remains – you lower the deadlift primarily by bending over.

If you try to lower the deadlift with your knees, the bar has to travel around your knees, which is inefficient, weaker, and far more uncomfortable on both your back and your knees.

With this in mind, the next time you lower a deadlift, cue yourself, “Butt back, bow to the floor, aim for the middle of the foot.”

Reach back with your hips as you start, point your chest at the floor, and look at the middle of your foot as you set the bar down. Making sure that you can see your midfoot will force you to keep your knees out of your line of sight and thus out of the barbell’s vertical path.

Watch the video below to see this solution to today’s deadlift error in action.

Once you set it down correctly over the midfoot, the mantra for the next rep becomes simply, “Shins, chest, pull,” and you’ll notice those are the last 3 steps from the 5-step setup.

Lowering the bar: Butt back, bow to the floor, aim for the midfoot.

Next rep: Shins, chest, pull.

Keep things simple, correct, and repeatable, and your deadlift will thank you for it.

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

Get Your FIRST Chin-up or Pull-up | 6 Ways to Success!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Want to get your first chin-up or pull-up. We cover 6 ways to help you get it done.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 08/07/23)

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