I’ve got a busy and exciting weekend coming up. First off I’m gonna head to the gym shortly after pressing “publish” on this post, go deadlift my face off, and follow-suit with my weekly visit to my favorite pizza place here in Boston – Upper Crust.
Later on I’ll head to the airport to pick my boy Dean Somerset. We’re both teaching the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint to a sold out crowd at AMP Fitness this weekend. It’ll be bitter-sweet because after 20+ times teaching it across the world (LA, Seattle, London, Prague, Oslo, Minneapolis, Vancouver), it’s likely our last “planned” presentation of the course.
We’ll be sad to turn the page, but we’re excited to drum up a new curriculum.1
Of, if you prefer the Cliff Notes version: if you’re a 35+ (man or woman) and looking to follow a 4-month program that’s designed to get you strong, maybe get you a better bicep peak, not kill you, and take into account you’re not 25 anymore (and written be two competent coaches) it may be right up your alley.
2) BarBend.com Interview: Training Over 40 and Deadlifts
I was asked by the peeps over at BarBend.com to talk about training over 40 (catching a theme here?) and you know anytime I start talking about lifting things the conversation will gravitate towards deadlifts.
But we also talked about women and chin-up training too.
Admittedly it’s a liiiiiiiitle bit negative for my tastes in some parts, but as a gym owner myself I was shaking my head in agreement a lot as I was reading this.
Full Disclosure: The title of today’s post implies I’m going to be discussing strength training. Jokes on you….I’m actually going to share my top 10 Instagram pics of my cat.
KIDDING…the topic du jour is strength training.
I’m just not going too deep down the rabbit hole.
For that and if you really want to get into the nitty-gritty particulars of strength training and the mechanisms at play go check out Vladmir Zatsiorsky’s Science and Practice of Strength Training.
There you can learn everything as it relates to the scientific facts, including but not limited to motor unit recruitment, rate coding, delated transmutation, and a multitude of other words and phrases that’ll undoubtedly get people strong and make you sound smart.
Admittedly, what follows isn’t all that scientific. However it is rooted in 15+ years of coaching experience working alongside thousands of athletes/clients. I believe these “tenets” work.
Besides, I have big biceps so I obviously know what I’m talking about.
When it comes to the topic of strength training the internet likes to argue about optimal sets, reps, loading, periodization, low vs. high bar position, exercises to use, in what order, and anything and everything that may fall between the lines.
Pantless preacher curls for the win?
And, to be honest, many people can make a case for why they do this (compound lifts only) and why do that (one AMRAP set per muscle group with machines) and it’s likely they’re seeing results and increases in strength.
Who am I to judge?
That being said here are some additional, dare I say what should be commonsense thoughts for your consideration.
1) Make It a Priority
You’re busy, I’m busy, everyone’s busy.
Those people who get stronger are those who show up.
Nothing so succinctly gets this point across than a quote I came across from Greg Robins:
“Every time someone asks me about a client, or friend, etc. who has made a lot of progress…”How did they get that strong?”…..”What did they do to get there?”…Consistency, is always the first thing out of my mouth. They were consistent.“
I find far too many trainees become paralyzed by too much analysis; too much pontificating and too little action.
Shut up, show up.
Do that, consistently…worry less about the particulars, and good things are bound to happen.
2) Boring Is What Works
I Tweeted this the other day and it seemed to resonate with people:
The training programs that tend to work best are often relentlessly monotonous. People rarely need as much “variety” as they think.
I’m a bit biased and old-school and feel the best strength programs have their base in compound, barbell exercises.
Or the “Big 3” in bro-speak.
Squat
Bench Press
Deadlift
We could also toss in barbell rows, chin-ups/pull-ups, RDLs, GoodMornings, overhead presses, etc.
However, prioritize the Big 3 and focus on doing more work over time with those and you won’t be weak.4
People rarely need variety, they need to not have a 185 lb deadlift.
3) Technique/Positions Matter
I recently hit my first 600 lb deadlift. A month away from my 41st birthday, thank you very much.
I had someone ask me what is the difference between someone trying to improve from 500-600 lbs compared to 400-500 (or even 200-300 lbs)?
Easy…technique.
When someone is strong enough to pull 3x+ bodyweight it’s a safe bet their technique is on point.
When someone reaches the echelon of 700, 800, 900+ lbs…their technique has to be meticulous and razor sharp. By that point, however, more often that not, technique is pretty much on auto-pilot.
It’s like second nature and just happens.
I think why some people have a hard time, especially intermediate lifters who do have experience (and are kinda-sorta strong, but are trapped in “I’ve had the same PR for three years and I can’t seem to get over the hump purgatory”), is that they’re in poor positions.
More specifically they’re in poor positions and are unable to express their true strength.
A lot of people can “muscle” up a 300 lb, maybe even a 400 lb deadlift. They may shit out every single one of their vertebrae, but hey…they lock it out.
500 lbs? Meh, rarely.
600+ lbs? Hells to the no.
I’m a huge fan of using sub-maximal work (65-85% of 1-rep max) and keeping people accountable with their technique. Building volume with sub-maximal work ensures good positions (I.e., canister/pillar position, stacked joints) and also ensures technique will be solid.
The more “good” reps I can nudge out of people, the more likely is is they’ll start blasting through PR plateaus soon enough.
4) Utilize EDM Sets
Pigging back on the point above, another tactic I like to use is the concept of EDM (Estimated Daily Max) sets.
This takes into account how someone feels on any given day.
Some days weights fly up.
Other days, not so much.
Nothing is worse than showing up at the gym, having an epic workout planned, only to feel like a bag of dicks and everything feels heavy.
Well, explosive diarrhea sucks. But feeling like a bag of dicks is not to far behind.
As much of a fan as I am of percentage based training, something I’ve been utilizing more and more (especially with my older lifters) are EDM sets.5
Here’s an example:
Lets use the bench press.
I’ll have someone ramp up to his or her’s 3 EDM (3-rep Estimated Daily Max).
This won’t be a true rep-max remember, but a weight that’s challenging that day for 3-reps.
Ramp up sets are as follows:
95×8
135×5
185×3
205×3
225×3
250×3 <— 3 RM for the day.
I’ll then have them take the same weight (250 lbs) for some additional singles (3-5×1) to get a little more volume in.
Alternatively you can have someone work up to a 5-EDM and follow that with 2-3 additional sets of triples.
In both scenarios you ensure all reps are fast and that technique will be spotless. What’s more, you’re less likely to run someone into the ground and they’re more likely to recover and bounce back faster.
They still get some heavy(ish) work done, but with quality staying paramount.
5) Go To Bed
Go the fuck to bed, people.
You’ll only get as strong as how well you allow yourself to recover.
For the past year myself and Bryan Krahn (you know, the meathead writer guy with the bulldogs and the second best hair in the fitness industry6 have been meshing together ideas to curate what we believe to be the “ultimate” training program to finally service what we consider to be the most neglected demographic out there:
Basically guys like us.
Men (and women) over 40…who are experienced lifters, yet are now a bit beat up. (The days of chasing PR’s are now taken with a big grain of salt and a fat dose of ibuprofen).
NOTE: I know full well we’ll be getting a bunch of men and women writing something to the effect of “Hey Tony & Bryan, I’m 38 can I still participate?” To which I say, “Hell no. See you in two years punk.”
Just kidding. Of course you can!
Really, our goal is to target men/women who are 35+ years old. It’s just there was no witty acronym that coincided with the number 35.
YOU are a man (or woman) who still cares about getting or being strong, however you also have other goals:
You wanna have good symmetry (big arms, pecs, maybe a badonkadonk), bring up lagging body parts, and/or otherwise look good naked.
You wanna move well and not roll out of bed feeling like a broken down tin man.
You wanna gain back or maintain some semblance of athleticism. Not Bo Jackson Tecmo Bowl levels of athleticism, but it would be nice to be able to sprint 30 yards without pulling a hamstring.
More importantly, you want training to be both productive and fun.
But above all, you’re really busy…not just with work, but with family (or maybe you’re not busy, in which case I hate you), and you want to see the fruits of your labor.
FYI: Both Bryan and I are newly minted dads as of 2017, so we know how easy it is for training to take a back seat when “life” gets in the way.
However, we didn’t let life (or age) prevent us from still making progress and gains in the gym.
Here’s me hitting my first 600 lb deadlift a few weeks ago a month away from turning 41:
Many training schedules nowadays aren’t realistic and are hard to stay committed to due to time requirements. We recognize that for many Strong MOFo’s training needs to be efficient….45 minutes to an hour, max.
Get in, get out, get jacked.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Bryan and I think we have a solution, and we’re ready to transition to the next stage and elicit some help.
And that’s where you come in.
Beta Testing Strong MOFo
We would never send a client a training program unless we first used it ourselves to work out the kinks.
Similarly, we’d never even consider putting together a product of this nature out for sale unless we had dozens of real-life beta testers following it to the letter and offering their feedback (and especially their criticisms):
What did they like? Dislike?
What phases worked best for them?
Which felt too long? Too short?
Which days made them feel invigorated, excited to train, or otherwise prefer to jump into a live volcano?
All of this feedback is gold and can help turn a decent program/product into a high-selling industry changer.
One that will help people get stronger, move better, feel less shitty, and more confident.
Which is why we’re making this baller offer:
We’re looking for highly committed, experienced lifters to follow our Strong MOFo program for four months.
The Deets
The program will be hosted by Tony’s CORE Online app, which in an online service he provides via his website. This offers a few benefits:
This will allow you to follow the program on your phone (but relax, you’ll also have the option to print it out too, you geezer).
You’ll have immediate access to video tutorials and explanations of all exercises.
You’ll also have access to a community forum to converse with other beta testers as well as to ask questions to Bryan and Tony.
Selfishly, it’s more convenient for us to go this route rather than deal with a plethora of Excel spreadsheets and emails. This way, there’s a “home-base” for everything.
Cost: We’re offering this beta program at a price of $249. This will cover four months of programming (and is less than what Bryan and I charge for one month of distance coaching).
Start Date: The start date is Monday, December 18th. We’re announcing this now for a few reasons:
This will allow for enough time to wrap up any current program you’re plugging through.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we know that entire week is usually a wash for most people.
You have ample time to get acquainted with the software/system.
Because we said so.
End Date = four months later.
Requirements
You have to be a minimum of 35 years old.
You have to have experience lifting weights. If you’re unable to deadlift, then, um, this may not be the program for you.
You have to have access to a well-equipped commercial or home gym. The last thing we want to be doing is tweaking someone’s program who only has access to dumbbells up to 40 lbs, a treadmill, and a rubber ducky.
You have to be relatively injury-free. Aches and pains are one thing. A frozen shoulder or six-months post back surgery is another
We’re so excited for this and can’t wait to have you on board.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of frequent contributor, Dr. Nicholas Licameli. He covers a topic that’s sometimes controversial:
Neck position when lifting heavy things.
Some people play close attention to it (as they should), while others play it off as “no big deal” and point towards really strong people who seemingly have never had any issues with their neck(s).
“See! They do it.”
Yeah, well, you’re not them. And most other people aren’t either.7
Plan On Lifting or Squatting Something Heavy? Check Your Neck
One of the most common issues I see in the deadlift and squat (and plank, push-up, bent over row, etc.) even in experienced lifters, is forgetting to “set” the head and neck.
Feet gripping floor with 3 points of contact? Check.
Shoulders and scapulae tucked down and back, squeezing the armpits? Check.
Neck straight and chin tucked?…
The hip hinge is the foundation to all movements that involve bending over or squatting. A proper hip hinge starts at the hips (naturally) with your spine in a neutral position.
But “spine in neutral position” does not just refer to the lower back. It includes the often-neglected cervical spine, too.
Too often I see the head and neck extended in an otherwise perfect hip hinge (see image below). I lie awake at night wondering why we lose so many good men out there (playing for the Yankees?8) to poor mechanics and why this mistake is so common…here’s what I came up with.
The extended position of the cervical spine can be very dangerous.
It is akin to having a hard arch in the lower back (the facet joints and neural tissues become compressed) except that the joints, muscles, nerves, and other structures of the neck are smaller and more delicate.
Add the maximal contraction of pretty much every muscle, as seen when performing a deadlift or squat, and it is clear to see why this can be dangerous.
So why do so many of us assume this faulty position?
Part of the reason is because our heads always want to be looking upright. Our brains subconsciously want to position our heads so that we are looking at the horizon.
We all know that the end goal is to stand up straight. We feel as if “looking where we’re going,” will help us get there. In order to maintain proper cervical positioning, we have to fight our subconscious, which is never easy.
[Another reason could be that we want to catch ourselves in that perfect lighting for that perfect selfie…]
But I think a big reason why extending the head and neck is so common is because it creates a shortened lever arm, which improves the biomechanical efficiency of the lift.
Let me explain.
When you bend forward in a proper hip hinge, the hip becomes a fulcrum. As a result, a lever is formed from the hip to the top of the head. The longer the lever arm, the harder the load is to move.
Think of the difference between picking up a dumbbell out to the side of your body (as in a lateral raise) versus tucked into your side (as in a shrug).
When lifting out to the side, the shoulder joint is the fulcrum, the lever arm is the arm, and the load is in the hand at the end of the lever.
Lifting with your arm straight out to the side produces a longer lever arm than lifting close to the body, which makes the load more difficult to lift. This is the same reason why many coaches cue lifters to keep the load as close to your shins as possible during a deadlift. The further the load is from the fulcrum (your hip), the harder it is to lift.
It means that extending the head and neck during a deadlift may be the body’s subconscious attempt to improve the biomechanical efficiency of the lift. It essentially shortens the lever arm by about a “head’s length.” (see images below).
Shortened lever arm by about a “head’s length
To ensure proper positioning, tuck the chin and align the neck with the rest of your spine before lifting the load (see image below).
So next time you deadlift, yes, make sure your hip hinge is on point (and you get that perfect lighting for that selfie), but don’t forget about your vitally important and often neglected head and neck.
Resist the urge to look up!
Your discs, joints, muscles, and nerves will thank you.
Video Explanation
About the Author
Every single thing he does, Nick believes in giving himself to others in an attempt to make the world a happier, healthier, and more loving place. He wants to give people the power to change their lives. Bodybuilding and physical therapy serve as ways to carry out that cause. His knowledge of sport and exercise biomechanics, movement quality, and the practical application of research combined with personal experience in bodybuilding and nutrition allows him to help people in truly unique ways. Love. Passion. Respect. Humility. Never an expert. Always a student. Love your journey.
I’m excited to be presenting alongside some other prominent coaches at this year’s Mid-Atlantic NSCA Conference in Philadelphia, PA this coming December.
Building a successful online training business can be daunting. There’s a lot of noise out there and it can be hard to separate yourself from the masses.
My good friend, Jon Goodman, has produced the most complete and thorough resource on the topic. If you’re looking for help on the what’s and why’s and how’s on the particulars of building a online business, one with integrity and that will help give you some financial freedom, look no further.
This course is only offered twice per year and the early bird opt in (which saves you $200) ends tonight. What’s more, since they’re always adding and updating information, next year the course will be $500 more expensive. So this is your last chance to save a boat load of cash.
When I made the decision to leave Cressey Sports Performance a few years ago it scared the shit out of me. I used that fear to help motivate me not to fail.
It worked. I think.
In this article Jill does a much better job of articulating how to handle tough situations.
It’s not lost on me I have a Y chromosome and that discussing pregnancy and how to train during and after it can be a bit, well, peculiar. I mean, it’s something my body will never experience, so how can I discuss the topic without coming across as some mansplaining a-hole?
Simple.
50% of the human population is female. Surprise!, roughly 50% of my clientele are female. And, as it happens, I have worked with several women through their pregnancies (and after) and have always felt it important to understand and respect the nuances that manifest during this delicate time in a woman’s life – both pre and postpartum.
While I very much operate under the umbrella that every pregnancy is different regardless of one’s previous fitness level and experience and that how someone feels during any exercise or workout should dictate the path taken – progressions, regressions, loading, volume, etc – I also feel there’s a strong stigma that women shouldn’t train during and after pregnancy.
Come on.
The body is preparing for something a helluva lot more traumatizing than a set of squats or deadlifts. It’ll be okay.
What’s more, as my colleague and women’s health expert, Dr. Sarah Duvall, often says with regards to postpartum considerations: “women need to lift shit to fix shit.”
And it’s on that note I’m gonna take my little Y chromosome and STFU. I’m elated to introduce to you another woman whom I feel is generating a ton of useful information on the topic of training during and post pregnancy: Terrell Baldock.
With all the random misinformation out there it’s tough to know how you should workout – or heck, whether you should even workout at all – during and after pregnancy.
Here’s the good news: The short answer is yes.
You should continue to exercise during and after pregnancy.
You can keep being the best version of yourself. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
But exercise during and after pregnancy needs to be done the right way.
Lindsey’s Story
My client Lindsey was a competitive volleyball player who wanted to get right back into hard training and competition after her daughter was born.
Then, reality set in.
Lindsey noticed when she was working at a high level of intensity, she’d pee a little.
Still, she pushed through.
That continued until she became pregnant with her second baby.
When she went through the same experience, Lindsey knew she needed to see her doctor.
Bad News: She had a grade-two bladder prolapse. She was told: “Lindsey, you can’t play volleyball anymore.”
Lindsey was crushed.
This is when Lindsey and I started working together. My role as a coach is to show women like Lindsey exactly how her prenatal fitness and postnatal fitness programming could affect her body both during and after pregnancy.
Unfortunately, women are cleared for exercise at the six-week checkup with little to no information regarding rehab, their core, or pelvic floor.
As you can imagine, women like Lindsey feel betrayed by their body. It’s as if they have an entirely new body to “figure out” as they begin their new lives as mothers.
I want to help you avoid common problems such as pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, and even other issues such as diastasis recti that haven’t healed postpartum.
Training Before Pregnancy
With up to 50% of the female population experiencing pelvic floor dysfunctions like incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, the combination of pregnancy and childbirth along with high level exercise are leaving women vulnerable.
Even more shocking?
Most women who train hard during pregnancy never have symptoms until they’ve had their baby.
Training During Pregnancy
Generally speaking, you can continue to train the way you did before you were pregnant in your first trimester.
But adaptations need to be made in the second and third.
A common misconception that you’ve probably heard is that you can continue to do what you’ve always done during your pregnancy because your body is well conditioned.
Big mistake.
First trimester
Pregnancy brings on structural change that impacts your fitness performance and how you move naturally, which begins in the second trimester.
In the first trimester, the core and pelvic floor isn’t a big concern but this is a time where rapid change is happening physiologically. Energy is low and nausea may be a factor.
Women also tend to experience breast tenderness which may make exercise feel impossible.
If the symptoms are intense, exercise may be sporadic at best.
Second Trimester
In the second trimester, symptoms usually subside or disappear completely, and because of this, women are ready to return to their regular program. This is also where the body starts to visibly change and the Transverses Abdominis becomes inhibited (Hodges et al 2003).
Alignment changes begin to put more pressure on the core on pelvic floor. This is generally when the pelvis anteriorly tilts, the ribs shift and move behind the pelvis.
If this isn’t taken care of and training is continued, the glutes become inactive and the low back, adductors, abductors, and hip flexors take over.
Many women will begin to experience pelvic discomfort and/or pain like pelvic girdle pain, SI pain, and lower back pain which occurs in 45% of pregnant women and 25% of postpartum women (Wu et al 2004).
Third Trimester
In the third trimester, 100% of pregnant women will experience diastasis recti which is classified as the “unnatural separation of the abdominal wall” (Mota et al 2014).
DR is a completely natural part of the pregnancy process, but it can be exacerbated by the nature of the training as well as alignment in addition to the growing baby.
The pelvic floor is vulnerable, especially in the third trimester because of the physical and physiological changes. The pelvic floor isn’t designed to carry the load of a 200 pound back squat and meet the demands of pregnancy. This is where women experience issues postpartum.
Combine that with stretched and a weakened core and the impact of vaginal delivery (Sleep et al 1984), this can lead to pelvic floor complications like incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse if a woman returns to her fitness program before taking the steps to recover, rehab, and recondition first.
Training Post Pregnancy
The body doesn’t completely heal in six weeks postpartum.
It has taken nine months to adapt to the changes that occur during pregnancy. It takes at least that much time for the body to completely heal.
And that’s with rehab.
In fact, if Diastasis Recti hasn’t completely healed within the first 8-weeks postpartum, research shows that it won’t heal on itss own (Coldron et al 2008).
Whether you’re a lifter, runner, or enjoy taking classes at your local gym, you can still partake in your favourite activity. But you will need to cut back during your pregnancy.
Retraining following birth to optimize your performance long term.
New moms are often eager to return to high impact fitness, boot camps, or athletics before their bodies are ready.
Most skip the rehab and retraining process.
This leaves some of these women with less than desirable results like peeing their pants, pelvic organ prolapse (where the pelvic organs descend through the vagina), back/hip discomforts or pain, and lagging performance when working at a high intensity.
As your pregnancy progresses, you’ll find that you’ll need to make modifications to your lifts. In this video, I will show you how to modify your deadlifts using a barbell and kettlebells.
And there’s a lot more information in my Barbell Training For Pregnancy: Your 3 Step Guide For Maximizing Performance During and After Pregnancy.
It features simple and actionable steps to maximize your core and pelvic floor function, improve performance, and most importantly, avoid the complications that can arise from postnatal exercising.
Terrell Baldock is a Prenatal and Postnatal Exercise Specialist in London, Ontario, Canada. She specializes in working with women with core and pelvic floor dysfunctions, and prepares them for the demands of pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery. Check out her award-winning website Mom’s Fitness Boutique.
I’m excited to be presenting alongside some other prominent coaches at this year’s Mid-Atlantic NSCA Conference in Philadelphia, PA this coming December.
Hope to see you there.
2) Strength House Podcast – The One Where They Dissect My 600 lb Deadlift
I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my 600 lb deadlift that I hit a few weeks ago: How did I prepare? What did my programming look like? Did I destroy the back of my pants? You know, all the important stuff.
My coach, Greg Robins, and his partner in crime, Tony Bonvechio, go into great detail on my technique and programming in their latest episode of The Strength House.
There are few things I’m steadfast on:
1. No one has to back squat.
2. Bacon is delicious.
3. Attack of the Clones is the worst of the Star Wars movies. It just is.
Oh, and there’s one more thing: I think any trainer who is serious about pursuing online training should FIRST spend 2+ years training people in person.
There are so many variables and nuances one learns from coaching people in person that it’s pretty much impossible to appreciate them if you end up bull-charging into online coaching out of the gate.
That being said, in this day and age, online coaching is kinda-sorta a thing. Actually, it’s more than that. For many it’s a viable and extraordinary way to add an additional revenue stream to compliment your income, or in some cases to make into your livelihood.
My good friend, Jon Goodman, author of the world’s only textbook on online training, has a free 4-day course on building a successful online business. I checked it out and it’s awesome, but free registration ends on October 29. Grab it while you can, and you’ll learn…
* Lesson 1: How to properly offer support to online clientele (and why most online trainers do this really, REALLY badly).
* Lesson 2: How online trainers should approach assessments (and the key mindset shift you MUST make).
* Lesson 3: How to sell online training over the phone in 11 steps (without being SLEAZY).
* BONUS: You’ll also get a free copy of Jon’s ebook, “The 16 Lasting Laws of Online Training”
The LAST day to download this FREE 4-day course is October 29th. Don’t miss out.
This is one of the best resources I’ve ever come across on the topic of how to make pull-ups/chin-ups your bitch.
Meghan is a fantastic coach and I know of zero people who are more passionate about the topic than her.
She looooooooves pull-ups. And, honestly, there aren’t many people who can do what she can do. It’s pretty impressive.
If you’re looking to conquer your first pull-up (and then some), look no further. Last day to save $50 off the regular price is today (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).
When you see the name Elon Musk it’s a safe bet adjectives like “smart,” “intelligent,” and “revolutionary” come to mind. Jason Bourne? “Badass,” or maybe “guy I wouldn’t want to pick a fight with.”
Meghan Callaway?
Well, if you ask me, when I see the name Meghan Callaway I think “amazing coach and the World’s #1 ranked pull-up connoisseur.”
And, to speak truthfully, there aren’t many coaches I’d tip the hat to when it comes to pull-up mastery and programming than Meghan. She consistently impresses me with her content and knowledge on the topic, and as it happens she just released her latest resource, The Ultimate Pull-Up Program, today.
If you struggle with the pull-up and/or are looking for a little direction on how to become more proficient with them (not to mention learning a TON of awesome variations) than I can’t recommend this resource enough. It’s on sale this week at $50 off the regular price for this week only.
3 Unique Drills to Help You Conquer Your First Pullup
Performing your first pull-up is a unique experience.
In fact, when many people conquer their first pull-up and get their chin over the bar (of course without straining their neck to do so), they often experience far greater feelings of empowerment, accomplishment, and downright badassery than when they hit PR’s on max deadlifts, squats, and other heavy meat and potatoes exercises.
Meghan showing off.
Maybe I’m a little biased, but with pull-ups it is just different.
When it comes to tackling pull-ups, many people quit long before they’ve achieved their first rep. Others hit their first rep but are never able to string together multiple reps and become frustrated.
Let me tell you, it does not have to be this way.
In most cases, people fail to reach their pull-up goals not because they are weak, but because they are not training for the exercise the right way.
Many people possess enough upper body strength that they should be able to do pull-ups, but they often suffer from technical deficiencies. Other people know what to do but they do not possess the requisite levels of lumbo-pelvic stability or the ability to control the movement of their shoulder blades.
So essentially, instead of moving a stable object to and from the bar in a shorter and more efficient straight line, they are forced to move a heavy, floppy and limp body to and from the bar and in a longer and inefficient arc. Kind of like Erick here. Tony likes cats so I know he understands.
In this article I will provide some of my favorite exercises that address various areas that are holding many people back from performing their first pull-up ever, or from performing multiple reps and feeling like a total badass, or perhaps Wonder Woman.
Without further ado, here are some of my go-to exercises for conquering the pull-up.
1) Scapula Pull-Ups
If you cannot hang from the bar or control the movement of your shoulder blades, you will not be able to perform a pull-up.
This exercise will help lead you to your first pull-up as it develops grip strength, scapular and shoulder controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
While this is a pull-up regression, it is a definite stepping stone towards doing your first pull-up. If you are performing this exercise correctly, the muscles in your mid and upper back, not your arms, should be doing the majority of the work.
Key Coaching Cues:
Grab onto the bar so your palms are facing away from you and are slightly greater than shoulder width apart.
Before you perform your first rep, make your body as stable as possible by bracing your core, tucking your ribs towards your hips (closing the space in your midsection), squeezing your glutes, straightening your knees/flexing your quads and hamstrings, and dorsiflexing your feet. This will stabilize your pelvis, spine, and legs, and will prevent your body from swinging.
In terms of the pull-up, without bending your elbows or initiating the movement with your arms, use the muscles in your shoulder blade area and draw your shoulder blades together and down (bring each shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards your opposite hip), and lift your body a few inches. Pause in the top position, really contract these muscles, and lower yourself to the starting position in a controlled manner. Fully extend, but do not hyperextend your elbows.
On the lowering portion of this movement, your shoulder blades will perform the reverse movements as they did on the way up.
Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or ribcage to flare. Keep your chin tucked and neck in a neutral position.
As for your breathing, exhale just after you have initiated the scapular movement and have drawn your shoulder blades together and down; inhale and “reset” as you are descending, or do a full reset when you are in the bottom position.
2) Pull-Up Regression: Eccentric Pull-Ups (from a bench)
Many people falsely assume that when they have accomplished the awesome task of “pulling” their body to the bar their job is done, and they allow their body to free-fall to the bottom position with reckless abandon.
This exercise will help you improve your pull-up technique (lowering component), and develops upper body strength, grip strength, scapular and shoulder controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
Owning the ability to lower your body with control and ease will make your transition into the next rep much more seamless, and will thus improve your ability to perform multiple reps.
Key Coaching Cues:
Grab onto the bar so your palms are facing away from you and are slightly greater than shoulder width apart.
Stand on a bench or box so your chin is already at (or close to) the height of the bar. Or if you are already able to, jump from the floor and pull yourself up the rest of the way by using the muscles in your mid and upper back and drawing your shoulder blades together and down (bring each shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards your opposite hip). Do not initiate the movement with your arms.
When your reach the top position, it is important that you stabilize your body as quickly as possible as this will prevent your body from swinging back and forth and will allow you to focus on the lowering portion of the exercise. You will achieve this full body stability by taking a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around your spine), bracing your core, tucking your ribs towards your hips, squeezing your glutes, straightening your knees/flexing your quads and hamstrings, and dorsiflexing your feet.
Repeat the breathing, bracing, and rib tuck that I described above; now perform the eccentric movement and slowly lower yourself down to the bottom position in 3-5 seconds. Use the muscles in your mid and upper back, anterior core, glutes, and legs to control the movement. Your shoulder blades should move in a controlled manner. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or ribcage to flare. Keep your chin tucked and neck in a neutral position.
Let me reiterate that this exercise is not for the arms. The muscles in your mid and upper back should be performing the vast majority of the work, and the muscles of your anterior core, glutes and legs will help keep your body in a stable position.
3) Dead Bugs With Double Kettlebell Resistance
A huge number of people fail to excel at the pull-up because they treat it like an upper body exercise when in fact it is a full body exercise that demands a lot of lumbo-pelvic stability.
This bang for your buck dead bug variation accomplishes just that, and helps you develop the necessary level of tension that is requisite to optimal pull-up performance. This exercise also develops scapular and shoulder controlled mobility.
Key Coaching Tips:
Lie on the floor. Grab onto two kettlebells or dumbbells, and extend your arms so they are in a vertical position, and so your hands are above your chest.
Lift up your legs so they are in a vertical position, straighten your knees, and point your feet toward you (dorsiflex). Keep your chin tucked and neck in a neutral position.
Before you go, take a deep breath in through your nose (360 degrees of air around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips. Now forcefully exhale through your teeth, contract your anterior core muscles as hard as you can (10), and slowly lower the kettlebells and one leg towards the floor and to a range where you can maintain proper form. Return to the starting position. Reset and repeat with the opposite leg.
Make sure you don’t allow your ribcage to flare or lower back to hyperextend.
Keep your legs relaxed so they do not dominate.
Make sure that your knee remains in a fixed position and that the movement occurs from your hip.
One key I like to look for is that if your shirt is wrinkled it likely means your ribs are in the right position. If your shirt suddenly becomes smooth, you have likely disengaged the muscles in your anterior core and have flared your ribcage. This defeats the purpose of the exercise.
Now that I have given you some extremely useful exercises that will help you accomplish your first pull-up ever, or several consecutive reps, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag and get started on achieving this amazing goal. Apologies for the cat references, but my cat is snoring while I’m trying to write this.
Whether you’re male, female, Klingon, whatever….getter better at pull-ups is never a bad option and will almost always carryover to other endeavors you pursue inside the weight room (and out).
Improved ability to squat and deadlift a metric shit-ton of weight? Check.
Improved body composition? Check.
Harder to kill as a whole, especially during the impending zombie apocalypse? Check.
This is undoubtedly one of the best resources on the topic I have ever come across. If you’re looking to up your pull-up game you’d be hard pressed to find a more thorough resource.
As coaches we can’t be everything to everyone. However, that doesn’t mean we should avoid making our coaching gaps less “gappy” altogether.
Throwing myself into the fire I’ll be the first to admit I’m garbage when it comes to coaching the Olympic lifts. In fact I wrote an entire article on why I don’t use them in any of my programming.
A few weeks ago I had a client ask me if I could coach him up on the ballistic KB movements: I.e., kettlebell cleans and snatches.
[Cue crickets chirping]
I was honest.
I told him I could probably finagle my way through it and demonstrate a competent clean and snatch, however I knew he’d benefit from keener eyes on the matter. So I set my client up with a few sessions with Coach Justice Williams, a local StrongFirst certified coach here in Boston.
To that end, I wanted to narrow my own coaching gap and asked Justice if he’d be willing to film a few videos with me breaking down the clean and snatch.
He enthusiastically agreed.
Today is video #1….breaking down the swing/hip snap. Because, first and foremost: if you don’t own the swing/hip snap, you will not own the clean or snatch.
In this short tutorial we go through his coaching tips as well as common mistakes people may make along the way.
1) We’re taking Julian apple picking for the first time in his life. Cue cute baby pictures on Instagram at some point later today.
2) We’re paying off the rest of Lisa’s student loans which means we’re both now 100% debt free. Holla.
This is actually something I may write about in the near future as I think debt and the burden it casts over a lot of fitness professionals is stifling. Maybe people would be interested in how we got ourselves out of debt? Yes, no, maybe so?
What Makes Muscle, Keeps Muscle– When fat loss is the goal, a lot of trainees make the same mistake over and over and over again: neglecting to include strength training
A few years ago I wrote and article on T-Nation titled Building a Superhuman Core. It’s one of my most popular articles and three years later it’s still getting some love. The guys over at Strength Students Podcasts did an entire episode discussing the concepts in the article. Quite the honor (and thanks fellas!)
3) Appearance on My Sugar Free Journey Podcast
Aarn Farmer invited me onto his popular podcast and you can listen in on the episode HERE.
I’m pretty sure this is a classic Mike Boyle article and that I’ve read it before, but a colleague of mine forwarded it to me yesterday with the note “this is awesome, have you read this?”
I “think” so. But I read it again anyways. Because, you know, it’s Mike Boyle.
In this FREE pdf, Jon Goodman breaks down some of the strategies he’s used through the years to dissuade people from distraction as well as how to adopt certain skills to keep you focused and to become a productivity machine.
It’s a five minute read and definitely worth your time.
As I’ve noted in the past, “textbook technique doesn’t exist.” SO STOP TRYING TO FORCE PEOPLE INTO POSITIONS THAT PROBABLY AREN’T A GOOD FIT FOR THEM ANYWAYS.
Also…….MA, THE MEATLOAF. WE WANT IT.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
Female client came in with 300 lb DL. Tested it again after 8 weeks and she hit 330 yesterday w/o going over 250 entire time. Awesome.
the world a happier, healthier, and more loving place. He wants to give people the power to change their lives. Bodybuilding and physical therapy serve as ways to carry out that cause. His knowledge of sport and exercise biomechanics, movement quality, and the practical application of research combined with personal experience in bodybuilding and nutrition allows him to help people in truly unique ways. Love. Passion. Respect. Humility. Never an expert. Always a student. Love your journey.
