One of the most common questions I get asked by clients is, “Should I use a lifting belt?” Lifting belts are often misunderstood. Do they protect your lower back? Do they make your abs stronger? Or weaker? The answer is, of course, it depends. And it depends completely on if you use the belt correctly. …
Technique Tuesday: How to Use a Lifting Belt to Brace Your Core Read More »
“It’s digging time again You’re nurturing the weakest trend” – Pantera, The Great Southern Trendkill Indisputably one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time, Pantera weathered the storm through dozens of music trends. Glam rock, grunge and hip hop couldn’t sway the Texas titans from recording some of history’s most influential metal albums. Even their …
The Trend is Dead: 8 Fitness Trends that Didn’t Pan Out, Part 1 Read More »
I hate math. The first “C” I ever got in school was in calculus my sophomore year of high school. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but math was just never my thing. I still hate math, but I’ve learned to add in 45-pound increments pretty well. And despite my constant need for a calculator to do …
3 Reasons to Use Percentage-Based Training Programs Read More »
This week’s Technique Tuesday is about an often-misunderstood accessory exercise: the floor press. Many people are quick to trash the effectiveness of the floor press because it reduces the range of motion. It eliminates the bottom portion of the bench press, which is where most people struggle. However, the floor press still does a handful …
Technique Tuesday: Build Your Bench with the Floor Press Read More »
Have you ever been so in the zone that you felt unstoppable? Or so flustered that you couldn’t perform the simplest of tasks, no matter how hard you tried? We’ve all been on either end of this performance spectrum. We relish the former and cringe at the latter. It often feels like we have no …
I’m a day tardy with this week’s Technique Tuesday but I promise it’s worth the wait. We’ve broken down all three main powerlifts, so now it’s time to explore different accessory exercises to drive your strength to new levels. This week, we’ll talk about Pendlay rows and how they can improve your deadlift by increasing upper back …
Technique Tuesday: Pendlay Rows to Improve Your Deadlift Read More »
By now, you all know that I love the bench press. In my opinion, it’s the most technical of the three powerlifts and requires excruciating attention to detail if you want to get really good at it. That said, my latest article on T-Nation shows you how to get a bigger bench press by mastering your …
Squat depth (and therefore squat technique) can be a polarizing topic, which was made incredibly clear based on the response to my guest post for Tony Gentilcore on Monday. Every single day, I help powerlifters get stronger and improve their technique. A huge point of focus is improving torso and hip position during the squat. This …
3 Exercises to Help You Squat Deeper without a Single Mobility Drill Read More »
This week’s Technique Tuesday wraps up the deadlift, specifically how to find the right deadlift hip position. I’ve struggled with this in the past and when it clicks, it makes a huge difference in how much weight you can pull. Start with your hips too high and you’ll rely mostly on your lower back and …
Technique Tuesday – Finding the Right Deadlift Hip Position Read More »
<<CLICK HERE to read full article>> Want to get fast? So does everybody else. But unless you’re genetically gifted with a sprinter’s body and muscle fiber arrangement, you’d better get in the weight room if you want to maximize your speed. In this article for Stack.com, I talked to two of my most trusted colleagues …
Stack.com – Weightlifting for Sprinters: Why You Need to Get Strong Read More »
