Correctives ProgrammingNow that you’ve gone over corrective exercises [1][2] for your deadlift form… it’s time to discuss how to go about programming them in a manner that will provide lasting changes.Daily PracticeOf whatever corrective exercises you found useful and/or enlightening… Pick 1-3 of them to focus on. And practice each one for 5-10 minutes, everyday. There are many […]
Continue readingRecall that proper deadlift form essentially has you ask yourself three questions:Can I form a neutral spine?Can I take my neutral spine with me, as I bend over and reach down?Can I take my neutral spine with me, as I stand up and pull back? Why a neutral spine? Because the curvatures of a neutral spine allow for […]
Continue readingRecall that proper deadlift form essentially has you ask yourself three questions:Can I form a neutral spine?Can I take my neutral spine with me, as I bend over and reach down?Can I take my neutral spine with me, as I stand up and pull back? Why a neutral spine? Because the curvatures of a neutral spine […]
Continue readingTHE CASE FOR “DEADLIFT CORRECTIVES”The deadlift is a skill, that you eventually need to practice if you want to get better at it. This applies to any skill. However, it’s often the case that practicing the skill, alone, is not enough to improve the skill. Sometimes, taking a break from practicing the skill (to work on […]
Continue readingTHE CASE FOR “PROPER DEADLIFT FORM”The premise of this article series is that although everyone’s “optimal” deadlift form will APPEAR different (due to fixed variables such as limb lengths, muscle attachment points, etc., as well as other variables such as intent [deadlifting for competition vs. injury prevention])… There is still a “standard” deadlift form (respectful of […]
Continue readingWelcome to the “Deadlift: Proper Form” series! Maybe you’ve just started lifting weights. Maybe you’re a trainer who wants to learn the nitty gritty details about the deadlift. Whatever the case, welcome! In this article, I’m going to focus on “abdominal bracing” and its importance in proper deadlift form. I’m going to explain:What abdominal bracing isHow I […]
Continue readingWelcome to the “Deadlift: Proper Form” series! Maybe you’ve just started lifting weights. Maybe you’re a trainer who wants to learn the nitty gritty about the deadlift. Whatever the case, welcome! In this article, I’m going to focus on the “hip hinge” and its importance in proper deadlift form. I’m going to explain:What the hip hinge isHow […]
Continue readingWelcome to the “Deadlift: Proper Form” series! Maybe you’ve just started lifting weights. Maybe you’re a trainer who wants to learn the nitty gritty about the deadlift. Whatever the case, welcome! In this article, I’m going to focus on “shoulder packing” and its importance in proper deadlift form. I’m going to explain:What shoulder packing isHow I break […]
Continue readingPeople often think that because I lift heavy weights and don’t have any current injuries that I’ve never been injured. But that’s not true. Let me tell you about how I hurt my back deadlifting. It was June 2015. I’d been powerlifting training for about a year, and in that time I had managed to […]
Continue readingWhat is pain? Pain is a signal from your body that you need to change something that you are doing. If you touch your hand to a hot stove, and you feel pain, is your solution to sever the nerves that transmit the pain signal? I would hope not. Movement based pain is no different. […]
Continue readingThings will never go 100% as expected because nothing is ever 100% in our control. The true value of a journey is found in its imperfections. Each experience is a lesson, if you can allow yourself to see them that way. Success and failure can be based on arbitrary standards. But learning… and growing… those […]
Continue readingIt is best to learn like a child. Experiencing without judgment or expectation. When a child learns to stand, does he talk himself down for failing the first time? The second time? The thousandth time? Or does he simply try again? Automatically interpreting each failure as more feedback? As another opportunity to grow? As simply […]
Continue readingI aim to avoid overcoaching. I believe it is more effective to break down a movement that the client finds too complex into more digestible parts, rather than spam the client with a dozen different instructions that they wouldn’t be able to internalize anyhow. It’s important for the client to be able to not only […]
Continue readingor·tho·rex·i·a || an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy For a period of time at the very beginning of my fitness journey (circa 2011), I had an eating disorder. I had orthorexia. It started when I began being more conscious of what I ate in order to improve my health, but, as a compulsive perfectionist, I […]
Continue readingI gave a lecture today about the concept of “principles over methods.” Principles should drive your understanding and execution in everything. For example, there are many different diets that people have used to lose weight. One person may have gone vegetarian and proclaim, “cutting out meat is all you need to lose weight!”. Another person may […]
Continue readingFor example, I love the process of perfecting powerlifting technique/programming and nerding out about it. Every workout, I’m treating my body as a science experiment and pondering, “according to my current knowledge, if I lift (X) today, then hypothetically I will be able to lift (Y) in the future.” Or I may be treating […]
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