Understanding Supplemental Exercises: The Deadlift
In our series, “Overcoming Lousy Leverages,” Eric Cressey and I covered all three power lifts and discussed how smart training can lead to bigger totals. In this series, we will discuss the biomechanics behind each lift as well as several strategies to destroy any sticking points you may have. We will examine:
Fun in the Weight Room
Keeping your athletes motivated is one of the hardest things to do as a strength coach.
What Happens When Westside Doesn't Work
I received this article and immediately realized that Alan’s plight mirrors many other lifters.
Cycling for the Big Meet
Getting ready for a big meet is stressful. There are a lot of things to consider, especially when using equipment. I am not going to write out all of my workouts, but I am going to give you a few points that I have learned over the last 20 years, and hopefully you can avoid some of my mistakes. Then again we are a bunch of hard headed powerlifters so who knows. This is based on a 16 week program.
Deadlifting with Chains
Almost a year ago, Matt Bash and I put our collective heads together and were thinking of different ways to approach our weak point in the deadlift; the lockout.
The Right Piece for the Right Puzzle: Training High School Athletes with the Conjugate Method
“There are a hundred ways to skin a cat, I am only good at one of them”, is something my grandfather used to say to me all the time.
Intermediate Madness
As I traverse the bumpy road that leads to elite level lifting, I’ve pondered what things can hasten the journey. Most trainees can rapidly progress from being a beginner to an intermediate level lifter, but many often plateau and never move out of the intermediate phase. This article is designed for the intermediate level lifter, to help them kick-start their process and get back on the road to elite lifting!
Frequent Pulling for Faster Progress: 12 Weeks to a Bigger Deadlift
The deadlift is the bastard child of powerlifting; it doesn’t get much love. Maybe it’s the fact that the deadlift is less impacted by equipment than are the squat and bench press, so it may require less practice.
Choosing and Training Your Openers
We get a lot of questions regarding how to choose openers for powerlifting meets and there are a lot of ways to look at this. Since most veteran powerlifters have their own way of doing things and will probably never read this article, we are not going to address them. What I am going to do is address the lifter that is entering the first powerlifting meet.
And You Thought You had it Tough
“Well, I stand up next to a mountain I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” –Jimi
Bigger and Better Benching
A lot of my tips are just repeats from everyone else but I think they get overlooked while everyone is looking for the next gear craze or shortcut. Some are gear related and some are raw work.
The Triumvirate
The number 3 is held in reverence by many people. Of course, the title of this article is in reference to the Roman Empire and where would we be without them?
The Circa-Maximal Squat Phase
The circa max phase is a three week squat phase designed to peak you for your contest.
Causal Friday
How things have changed. Five years ago, all you ever read were articles on how to use your gear, how to use your bench shirt, squat suit, knee wraps, etc. Now people want articles on how to train without gear. Very strange.
PR Rx: Todd Brock’s Bench Routine
I have been training with Todd Brock for over 12 years now. I first met Todd during my 2 hour road trips to Westside Barbell.
Top 3 Dynamic Squat and Dynamic Bench Cycles
In the spirit of the 4th of July, we are going to focus on explosive (re: dynamic) training. So listed below are the top 3 cycles for the squat and bench.
Going Heavy
For those that don’t know how I train or how I think – it all comes down to one thing; Going Heavy.
Step-Up, Set-Up, and Bench
If you look at any of the biggest benchers out there, raw or equipped, two things that they all have in common (besides freakish strength) are solid bases from which to bench and great leg drive.
Accessory vs. Supplemental
We get asked all the time what the difference between an accessory lift and a supplemental lift. After doing some research, I came up with the following ideas. I got these from “A System of Multi-Year Training in Weightlifting” by A.S. Medvedyev. To make things easier here are some basic definitions;
Matt Rhodes' Westside Template
Matt is one of the least physically gifted lifters that I have ever seen.
Starting Over By Mike Miller (as told to Dave Tate)
I was watching our new bench video with Bill Crawford this weekend and I asked him what he thought. He said, “The video is great but your benching technique is horrible.”
Your Program Sucks!
We have happened upon a new age of strength and conditioning. I have seen this coming for sometime now but tried to dismiss it as a fad.
Interview with Chuck Vogelpohl
Dave and I wanted to do an interview with Chuck Vogelpohl for awhile and for several reasons.