Posts categorized in:

Powerlifting

What’s the Difference Between a Squat and a Deadlift?

It may sound silly to us as coaches, but a lot of the clients and athletes I’ve worked with over the years are confused about the difference between a squat and a deadlift. And here’s the thing – if the people you’re coaching don’t understand the difference between the two, chances are they aren’t going […]

Continue Reading

12 Bench Press Alternatives for Strong, Healthy, and Pain-Free Shoulders

The barbell bench press is one of the most rewarding lifts we can do in the gym. Whether it’s building muscle, getting stronger, or improving our athletic performance, the bench press can check all of those boxes. But you know what’s not cool? When every time you bench press your shoulders hurt! So if you’re […]

Continue Reading

The Road to 600

The Road to 600

This is a guest post by Nick Rossencutter The 600 pound deadlift.  It is a milestone that I chased and wanted  for quite a long time. Flash back to early 2009, my final year of college.  I had just competed about 5 times in 8 months and was determined to pull a 600lb deadlift. I […]

Continue Reading

Deadlift

deadlift

Regardless of whether your goal is to get bigger, get stronger, or to simply shed some body fat, learning how to deadlift properly can help you achieve your goal faster. Unfortunately, a lot of people have no clue how to deadlift properly, and as such, end up getting injured. In this article, you’ll learn how […]

Continue Reading

Interview with Matt Gary

Matt, thanks for taking the time to be with us here today. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? Thanks for having me, Mike.  I’m really honored to be here.  I have always admired your approach to performance enhancement and specifically your attention to detail.  I really appreciate the opportunity to […]

Continue Reading

Setting up for a Big Deadlift

Everyone loves a big deadlift. Powerlifters even have a saying – “The meet doesn’t start ’til the bar hits the floor.” Like most lifts, though, many people miss their deadlifts before they even begin to pull the weight. A dialed in and tight set-up will not only reduce the likelihood of injury, but I guarantee […]

Continue Reading

Setting Up for a Big Bench Press

Every Monday around 5 pm, gyms across America are inundated with the following question: “Yo bro – how much ya bench?” It’s a sad fact, but it’s true. And at least if all the bros are benching, we can have the squat rack or the deadlift platform! All jokes aside, I know that people love […]

Continue Reading

Setting Up for a Big Squat

If you read enough blog posts and articles, everyone wants to talk about technique on the big lifts. And who am I to complain? I covered all of that in-depth in my Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift blog posts over the years. But you know what? I’d argue that 90+% of all lifts are missed […]

Continue Reading

Deadlift Q&A

I get tons of e-mails from RTS readers on a daily basis, so it’s fun to put the blog on cruise control sometimes and just answer a bunch of questions. I’ve obviously written a ton about the deadlift before; look no further than my massive Deadlift blog post, or my post on Round Back Deadlifts. […]

Continue Reading

Stop Missing Lifts!

Spring 2001 Ball State University Powerlifting Practice One of my favorite guys on the powerlifting team is having a rough go at it. He’s in what he calls a “squatting slump” and he’s bound and determined to work his way out of it. We’re less than 1 month out from Collegiate Nationals; now is not […]

Continue Reading

5 Keys to Successful Strength Training

Staying true to my theme from Monday’s post, today I want to talk about the long-term development of young athletes. Last night for part of my continuing education time, I was brushing up on som materials by the Russian powerlifting coach Boris Sheiko. If you don’t know anything about Sheiko – Google the man. He’s […]

Continue Reading

Floor Press

The floor press has been used by powerlifters for 20 years to build Herculean strength in the upper body. And if your goal is to bench press ridiculous weights, the floor press can be used as a supplementary lift to your bench to all new levels. In this article, we’re going to cover every facet […]

Continue Reading

3 Reasons I Returned to Powerlifting

A few weeks back, I wrote an article for T-Nation titled 7 Reasons Everyone Should Doing a Powerlifting Meet. It got great reviews, and almost all of the commentary and feedback was awesome. And hopefully I inspired a few people to do a meet in the process. However, one guys’ comments stood out – essentially, […]

Continue Reading

4 Reasons EVERYONE Should Squat with Chains

Not only is squatting with chains one of the coolest things you can do in the gym, but it can be one of the most effective as well. I was originally turned onto the concept by powerlifting legend Louie Simmons. Louie was using chain squats to improve the lifting speed of his powerlifters, and as […]

Continue Reading

The Powerlifting Mindset

When I was competing seriously in powerlifting (2000-2005), I first noticed what I now call the powerlifting mindset. Regardless of whether you compete in the sport of powerlifting or not, this post applies to you. I guarantee it. And trust me, it’s not about snorting ammonia, screaming at the top of your lungs or greasing […]

Continue Reading