I’m incredibly fortunate to get to train high-level athletes every day. I can’t help but be insanely proud every time I watch a client play on TV or in person. It’s easy to get excited about pro athletes, but let’s not forget that non-athletes make up the majority of most fitness professionals’ client roster. And where working …
Last Saturday, I earned my first elite powerlifting total by totaling 1500 to win the 198 open amateur raw modern division (in knee sleeves) at the 2015 RPS Gate City Gauntlet in Nashua, New Hampshire. I went 9-for-9 and squatted 540, bench pressed 385 and deadlifted 575. All lifts were all-time PRs and the total …
Powerlifting Meet Recap: Elite Total at 2015 Gate City Gauntlet Read More »
I’ve struggled with the deadlift for years, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned that’s helped me and my clients improve our deadlifts, it’s this: the deadlift succeeds or fails during the setup. There are plenty of ways to set up for the deadlift, but I group them into two approaches: top down and bottoms …
Technique Tuesday – Deadlift Setup: Top Down vs. Bottoms Up Read More »
“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” -Yogi Berra Preparing athletes for the physical side of sports pays my bills, but for those athletes, it’s often the mental side of sports that makes the difference between success and failure. When it comes to fitness, your mental approach matters just as much as …
Are These 6 Mental Crutches Hurting Your Lifting Performance? Read More »
Today’s guest post is by my sister, Alex Bonvechio. It’s made me so proud to watch Alex embrace the sport of powerlifting to the point that training has gone from something she HAS to do to something she WANTS to do. She’s become truly engaged in the process of training and offers some wisdom for …
Powerlifting is a journey. That’s probably a bit too profound of a statement, but becoming a better lifter takes time. Lots and lots of time and practice. But when I’m coaching clients and athletes, we don’t always have the luxury of taking tons of time to break apart a lifter’s technique. Sometimes I need to …
Technique Tuesday – 2 Quick Drills to Dial in Your Squat Technique Read More »
I had a good talk with a friend of mine the other day on my drive home. My former training partner and roommate during grad school, we were both pretty darn strong, but couldn’t be more different. He was simple, I was complex. He liked repetition, I liked variety. He asked me straight up, “Do …
Head position is one of the most overlooked aspects of squat technique. Where you position your head and neck, and even where you look with your eyes, can have a dramatic impact on your squatting strength. Should you look up when you squat? Look down? Pack the neck? There’s more than one way to do …
Technique Tuesday – Head Position During the Squat Read More »
Since I started working at Cressey Sports Performance about a year ago, I’ve learned more than I ever could have imagined about the human shoulder, and there’s a lot more to learn. The knowledge I’ve gained has helped me better assess clients for shoulder dysfunction and write better exercise programs to improve and sustain shoulder …
MyFitnessPal: 5 Moves for Strong and Healthy Shoulders Read More »
I’m a few days late with this week’s Technique Tuesday but I promise it’s worth it! We’re gonna talk about squats for the next few weeks, and today’s topic answers a question I get frequently: Should I bounce out of the bottom of the squat? My answer is absolutely, but only if you can stay in …
Technique Tuesday (Thursday? Friday?) – How to Bounce Out of the Bottom of the Squat Read More »
