Posts categorized in:

Lifting Technique

Q&A: Back Soreness After Deadlifts

Q: I get lower back soreness after I deadlift, especially with lower reps and heavier weight. I’m pretty sure my form is good but I also want to make sure I’m not injuring my back. Thanks for your help! A: This is a great question and one that I literally get weekly, so I figured […]

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Bench Press

bench press

Let’s be honest: Almost all of us like to bench. It’s pretty much burned into our DNA, from the first time we walk into a weight room and start moving the iron. For me, personally, the bench press has always been the lift that has given me the most trouble. I can do a lot […]

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The Bell Curve of Lifting Arousal

A few weeks back, there was a pretty epic training session at IFAST. Our “Meathead Training Hour” (as I’ve come to call it) is always the most intense training time at our gym, but there was just something in the air that that took this workout to the next level. Along the way, I was […]

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Improving Your Glute-Ham Raise

Glute-ham raises are one of my favorite exercises. Whether your goal is to run fast, lift heavy stuff, or simply to keep your hammies healthy, glute-hams can help you achieve that goal. Unfortunately, the glute-ham raise is often performed incorrectly. The video above should help depict proper performance, and how to get more out of […]

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Coaching Neutral Neck

Last week, we discussed why neutral spine is important – not only for keeping injuries at bay, but for improving your performance as well. Far too often, people assume that neutral spine means ONLY the thoracic and lumbar spine, and totally forget about the cervical spine, or neck region.

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Technique Work-ups

Last week, we talked about the concept of clean volume. The premise here is simple – the goal of our training should be to get as many quality lifts in as possible, especially on our first (or primary) lift. Technique is often a limiting factor, and performance can vary greatly from day-to-day. This leads us […]

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The Kettlebell Armbar

Since I know everyone loves kettlebell stuff, I figured this would be a great time to talk about kettlebell arm bars. Arm bars are an exercise that very few people seem to know about and/or perform. Kettlebell arm bars are fantastic for a few reasons:

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Bodybuilding Back for Healthy Shoulders

A common theme I see in the gym is when people mindlessly blow through their upper back work. Whether it’s rows, chins, or even something as simple as a face pull, people don’t put in the focus necessary to really develop the muscles surrounding their shoulder blades. At best, you’re leaving some upper back development […]

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The Clean Volume Concept

One of the things I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is a concept I refer to as “clean volume.” No we’re not talking about power or hang cleans – I’m talking about the quality of the volume that you’re accumulating in the gym. Let me explain a bit further.

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Mastering Tripod Foot

One of the hottest topics in the training world today is barefoot training. Is barefoot training magical, like a Pegasus or Unicorn? Can you really just kick your shoes off and your lower extremity injuries heal themselves?

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REAL Turkish Get-ups

I had this amazing post all set-up for you guys today. But now? Well, it’s just not the same. In case you missed it last week, Bob Harper (the trainer from the Biggest Loser) threw up a video on YouTube about how to perform the Turkish Get-up “correctly.” The problem? His form was laughable.  I […]

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Blocked 90-90 Split-Squats

Sorry I’ve been out of the loop for the past week. At midnight last Wednesday night, my wife went into labor and later than evening we celebrated the birth of our baby girl, Kendall Ann Robertson! Needless to say it’s been a crazy couple of days, but hopefully we’ll get back in the swing of […]

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Effective Birddog Performance

Birddogs are a fantastic exercise for not only improving core stability, but for rehabilitating the lower back as well. Unfortunately, a lot of people assume that just because an exercise appears simple that they can mindlessly crank out the reps. This video demonstrates proper performance of the birddog exercise, along with outlining common errors. Specific […]

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Are we Missing the Mark on Single-Leg Training?

Humor me for a minute while I bounce an idea off you. What if we’re doing single-leg training completely wrong? What if we’re totally missing the mark, and therefore, not getting the most out of our training? Over the past couple of years, the landscape of strength and conditioning/performance enhancement training has totally changed.  While […]

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Q&A Front Squat Issues

Q: I’ve got most of your products and look forward to getting the newest one coming out soon.  I have one question and hope you can help me. Front squats cause my lower back to ache and tighten up when performing.  I do the squat to stand drill and have a tough time getting my […]

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