Powerlifting

Are your glutes activated? Are you hinging? Is it hard to reach depth? Falling forward? Answers to these questions may reveal that the stance you're favoring is doing nothing for your squat.

This was the good advice my mentor and powerlifting legend Ernie Frantz gave to me some 20 years ago when I had come back from a quad tear.

I'm not gonna subject you to a bunch of "back in my day" bull crap. Assuming you're at least somewhat interested in gear, and instead of playing the middle as I've always done, I'm gonna give you the truth.

I wish I could give you exactly the stance you need, but you'll have to dial that in for yourself. Here are some tricks to begin this process.

When it comes to my training, I don't just show up and happen to be able to perform. No one does that. I prepare for each mile marker target ahead of time. I eat enough. I sleep enough. I hydrate. The night before, the morning of; I run my mental game.

I increased my competition bench with more than 40 pounds in one month when I did it the first time. I can’t promise you will make the same progress, but I think you will get close!

These ideas are all things that have helped me as my lifting age has advanced and nagging injuries have come creeping in. Don't settle for tweaks and breaks. Instead, make these changes today to avoid being banged up.

There are countless reasons for the disorganization in the warm-up room, and hopefully, some of this information will help those new or newer to the competition scene to survive in the warm-up area and benefit from it.

Assuming you have the basics like a straight bar, rack, bench, box, boards, bands, and chains—you have plenty to rub out a successful and safe max effort session. Go team solo!

Listen as you may, but I strongly urge you to not max out once you return to the gym. I know, you wanna see exactly how strong you are and impress your friends, but resist. Here's why.

Jimmy hit his first 600-pound bench press at the age of 18. Whether you train geared or raw, he has the info you need to harness to improve your bench press.

As the lockdown has lifted, at least in Ohio, I'm slowly transitioning back into the gym. Interestingly, a lot of what I did during lockdown remains.