Podcast Episode 03: Travis Jewett
StrongFirst Podcast Episode – 03 Summary: In this episode Craig and Scott interview Dr. Travis Jewett about what it means to move right and to be strong at the same time. Show Notes: 00:55 Dr. Travis...
View ArticlePodcast Episode #07: Derek Toshner
StrongFirst Podcast Episode #07 Summary: In this episode of the StrongFirst Podcast, Craig Marker talks with Senior StrongFirst Instructor, Derek Toshner about endurance and winning the Tactical...
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Make Every Rep Count: Preparing for the TSC
The next Tactical Strength Challenge is on October 27, 2018. Register before August 31, to get your free T-Shirt. In October of 2017, I competed for the first time in the Women’s Elite Division of...
View ArticleControlling Gravity for Better Squats, Deadlifts, and Presses
The very definition of a lift is moving load upwards against gravity; but what goes up must come down. If you’re only paying attention to one half of every squat, deadlift, and press, you’re missing...
View ArticleBox Clever—How to Unlock your Range of Motion
Serious strength is best built on a solid foundation of fundamental compound lifts, such as deadlifts, squats, and pressing. To ensure safety and maximize the benefits, that strength needs to be...
View ArticleDairy Cows and Burrito Bowls—How to Win the TSC
The StrongFirst Tactical Strength Challenge returns around the world on Saturday, October 26. The TSC is a personal challenge held twice a year, but the October instalment also sees men and women in...
View ArticleAvoid Common Deadlift, Pull-Up, and Snatch Mistakes to Own your TSC
Co-authored by Ryan Toshner The TSC is StrongFirst’s bi-annual strength challenge, where participants put their training pedal to the competition metal. Judged on performance while adhering to solid...
View ArticleHow to Win the TSC? With this Program
Co-authored by Ryan Toshner Participant registration is now open for this spring’s Tactical Strength Challenge on May 9. Register here. In our previous article, we laid out the most common snatch,...
View ArticleEnter the Barbell Deadlift
Why the Barbell? At some point every person who trains for strength should learn to use a barbell. When it comes to heavy lifting, the barbell reigns supreme. Two hands on a knurled bar with a balanced...
View ArticleStop Fearing Heavy Weights
Results are What Matter For decades I have heard about thousands of training related products that claimed to work magic for athletes, oftentimes supported by “abstracts” of research and clinical...
View ArticleKeeping A Resilient Back as We Age
Meeting Pavel for the first time about twenty years ago changed my life. It is a story that has been told in these pages before. I was impressed with this quiet gentleman who knew so much about...
View ArticleKettlebell Deadlift ➔ Barbell Deadlift
An Excerpt from Deadlift Dynamite If you know your way around the kettlebell, you have an unfair advantage when it comes to learning barbell skills. Start with a barbell half-deadlift because it is...
View ArticleThe Paradox Breathing Crunch for Stronger Abs and Bigger Lifts
An Excerpt from Deadlift Dynamite The paradox breathing technique, developed in the USSR by opera singer Alexandra Strelnikova for applications obviously unrelated to lifting, will teach you how to...
View ArticleHow to Deadlift a Barbell Every Day
“If something is important. Do it every day.”—Dan Gable. The most feared and revered barbell lift. The most neurologically taxing exercise. The “king of all lifts.” The list of ways to describe the...
View ArticleHow to Increase Power with “Grinds”
The good old days of bigger, faster, stronger are long gone. We know better now. Times have changed. The game of strength has new rules. It is not just about strength. It is about strength AND speed....
View ArticlePutting the Wind Beneath the Stones, Part II
Lifting the Dinnie Stones is a challenge for which strength enthusiasts from all over the world travel to Scotland. Donald Dinnie not only lifted but carried the “Steens” across the Potarch Bridge in...
View ArticleDeadlifts: Common Misconceptions and Practical Tips
I felt a pop and folded like a house of cards. Two years ago, I herniated a disc during my top deadlift set. I was training earlier than usual so my body was rather stiff. Despite a brief warm-up, I...
View ArticleSimple and Sinister—Help, I’m Stuck
“Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead.”—Bruce Lee Simple & Sinister embodies the quote above. Dedication to achieving Simple and continuing to Sinister has led students on...
View ArticleStrength Programming in the 2022-2023 Season for an Italian Professional...
Most of us know the important role strength training plays in sports. This also applies to soccer, where the quality of technical skills is fundamental. During the 2022-2023 season, with the help of...
View ArticleStrength in Numbers: Can You Really Get Strong in a Group Fitness Class?
Years ago, after a Plan Strong™ seminar, I had a chance to ask Pavel a question. Me: “What do you think the biggest issue is in the fitness industry?” Pavel: “I don’t have enough time to answer that...
View ArticleAchieving a Three Times Bodyweight Deadlift with Both Stances
“We grow old and the young look at us and never see that once we made a kingdom ring for love.”—Uhtred of Bebbanburg Turning fifty is a milestone in most people’s lives. A time to reflect on five...
View ArticleSimplifying Multi-lift Programming
It is impossible to train every desired skill to a high level at the same time, especially if you have a day job. Few competitive powerlifters can snatch or clean and jerk. Weightlifters aren’t...
View ArticleA Hybrid Step Cycle for Your Deadlift
The Problem You’ve always wanted to deadlift, but it takes too much out of you. It just doesn’t seem to “play nice” with the rest of your training. Or maybe you want to hit a bigger deadlift number for...
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