Progressive overload is as old as Milo himself. If you don’t know the story of the mighty Greek, everyday he would carry a baby bull up to the top of mountain. There it would drink and eat, growing bigger ... Continue Reading
8 Mobility Exercises and Stretches to Improve Your Clean and Front Squat
As a coach and competitive weightlifter I often struggle with mobility (either the lack of or the constant battle to maintain it) and the effects of hard training. In my weightlifting club, many ... Continue Reading
6 Things Only People Who Train Legs Will Understand
Sit down, stand up, actually, whatever is most comfortable for your sore legs because we have a list of things that only those who train legs will understand. When you’re no stranger to the squat ... Continue Reading
Milo Steinborn Is One Reason We Squat The Way We Do Today
When you hear the word grit, who do you think about? Probably some Wild West cowboy, which might actually make sense in this scenario. We could make a pretty good case that the early days of ... Continue Reading
How Wave Loading Can Build Strength in Your Squat, Olympic Lifts, and More
As coaches and athletes, we are always looking for new systems to elicit greater muscular development, neuromuscular responses, and improve athletic performance. Wave loading is a technique seen in more ... Continue Reading
Structured Warm-Up Series: The Snatch
A quick and efficient warm-up routine is key to efficiently preparing for snatches in team and individual settings. As a weightlifter and coach, I have had to develop a warm-up routine that hits the ... Continue Reading
How to Train Strongman in a Commercial Gym
Strongman has certainly changed a lot since it first graced our TV screens in the 70s. Back when the sport was but a baby, the events were new, exciting, and unpredictable, designed to test both the ... Continue Reading
Why It’s Okay (and Sometimes Good!) to Do Bicep Curls
As competitive athletes, most of what we do in the gym should have a specific purpose. Squats, Olympic lifts, sprints, corrective and mobility training, and accessory work claim a large amount of our ... Continue Reading
5 Plyometric Exercises to Develop More Power
At the end of the 1950’s, Soviet coach and researcher Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky, also know as “The Father of Plyometrics,” devoted his research to the understanding of the science and profound effectiveness ... Continue Reading
4 Ways to Reduce Sitting at Work and Improve Your Lifts Today
Do you ever feel like your coach or trainer is harassing you while you perform squats? “Almost there!” “Get Lower!” “Chest up!” “A little lower!” “No rep!” If any (or all) of these sound ... Continue Reading
5 Drills to Improve Your Front Rack Position This Week
The front rack position is critical for successfully nailing cleans, heavy front squats, and even jerks. Despite our best efforts to cue this positioning, the front rack seems highly elusive to both ... Continue Reading
How to Design Better Warm-Ups for Yourself, Training Partners, and Clients
Strength and power athletes require high degrees of motor control, force output, and neuromuscular activity in order to elicit maximal performance in training and competition. The role of a warm-up in ... Continue Reading
The 5 Most Important Movements in Strongman Training
A few weeks ago I wrote and we gave away a periodized strongman program that was complex, detailed and comprehensive. It has the athlete training 5 days per week, with an optional events day on Saturday. ... Continue Reading
Thoracic, Shoulder, Elbow, and Wrist Mobility Checklist for the Overhead Squat
In part one of this two part mobility checklist series, we discussed the limitations that poor ankle, knee, and hip mobility can have on the overhead squat. In addition to lower body mobility, the mobility ... Continue Reading
Ankle, Knee, and Hip Mobility Checklist for the Overhead Squat
The snatch is one of the most complex movements in strength sports, requiring the highest degrees of neuromuscular patterning, power, strength and stability, and systemic mobility. The overhead squat ... Continue Reading
6 Reasons Why You May Be Collapsing In the Clean
Collapsing in the catch of the clean is a common issue with weightlifters and Crossfitters. In this article, we will discuss the potential technical faults and or strength limitations that may be ... Continue Reading
4 Exercises to Improve Overhead Performance in WODs
Overhead positioning is a primary aspect of many functional fitness workouts (WODs) and training programs. Whether it is pressing, jerking, HSPU, pull ups, and/or any other variation with a wall ... Continue Reading
5 Things Every New Weightlifter Should Do At Weightlifting Meets
Taking the platform at your first (or any meet for that matter) can be a very nerve racking experience. Preparation can set you apart from others, as you will be more apt to come ready, warm up ... Continue Reading
How Much Should You Clean In Relationship To Your Front Squat
Understanding the relationship between a lifter’s clean and how it correlates to their best front squat can help coaches and athletes better determine whether athletes have limitation in strength or more ... Continue Reading
Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP) Training for the Lower Body
The ability to develop lower-body power is no easy feat. We all have our natural abilities to develop power, but what do we do when we need more? When the sport or activity we partake in demands more to ... Continue Reading
Snatch Extensions Vs Snatch High Pulls
Snatch extensions (sometimes known as snatch pulls) and snatch high pulls are accessory pulling exercises for weightlifters. Both variations, although very similar, have distinct training outcomes and ... Continue Reading
7 Corrective Exercises to Strengthen Your Shoulders From Injury
Weightlifters, powerlifters, and functional fitness athletes are all at risk for injury. Weightlifters spend much of their training day in an overhead position performing snatches, jerks, and overhead ... Continue Reading
Should Weightlifters Do Static Stretching?
Sit and hold stretching is often overlooked in today's training environments. The rise of myofascial release (MR) using foam rollers and proprioceptive neuromuscular release (PNF) stretching have ... Continue Reading
Stop Ignoring Accessory Work
I recently heard Louie Simmons on the Barbell Life Podcast say that his lifters do 80% accessory work! That means for some of the strongest guys in the world, they spend roughly 20% of their training day ... Continue Reading