It’s been a while since I have submitted anything to elitefts™. Work has kept me pretty busy as of late (with promoting my eBook), so I hope Steve doesn’t kill me for that. Yet, that’s not what I want to talk about. Instead, I want to talk about something that I think a lot of lifters and athletes forget to do when executing a deadlift, squat, or bench press...

They forget to ‘grind’ into the floor and bar.

This technique is so simple to do, but perhaps that’s why it’s not done—it’s easy to forget.

Let’s look at my personal favorite: the deadlift. When most people approach the deadlift, they usually receive the following cues: “Keep the bar close to your body,” “Keep your shoulders behind the bar,” and “Push your belly into your belt.” Of course, these are just a few cues, and there are certainly plenty more. However, what you don’t often hear is, “grind your feet into the ground” and/or “grind your hands into the bar.” I’m sure this is something a respected lifter like Louie just does and doesn’t think about; it’s just second nature to him. But to a new lifter or athlete who doesn’t understand its importance, this has to be drilled into their heads. I’m sure everyone here is familiar with the term irradiation, but in case you are not, here is what www.merriam-webster.com has to say about it:

"Irradiation is the radiation of a physiologically active agent from a point of origin within the body; especially : the spread of a nervous impulse beyond the usual conduction path."

You're probably asking yourself, “what the hell does that have to do with lifting?” Well, it simply means that you are taking all of that nervous energy between the bar, yourself, and the ground, and you are creating a direct current of energy to pull the bar up from the ground. So, by “grinding” the feet and the hands into the bar, you complete the circuit, so to speak. It is worth noting that this is hellacious on your hands, and if you don’t like the feeling of cold steel tearing up your hands, this technique may not be for you. However, if you want to have a strong(er) deadlift, bench, or squat, then give this a try. I have included a video of how to do it using Fat Gripz (I only got three reps in, so don’t judge me. Those things are beasts). As always, let me know what you think in the comments section.