Programming Series: Volume Manipulation and Progression – CLICK HERE

In part 1 of a 2 part programming series, I’ll be diving in depth into the manipulation and progression of volume within powerlifting programming. Volume is an often discussed topic, but over the course of each week, each, block, and each year, how should we be managing our volume to maximize long term progress in the sport? In my latest YouTube video, I discuss how I approach programming within the context of volume, why I don’t manipulate or adjust volume much week to week or block to block, and instead how I use volume to create a consistent variable to better understand the drivers of progress within our training. I breakdown within my system how I structure rep schemes, deloads, and the general maximum daily volume to best suit an athlete. And have you ever wondered if you should add another squat day? Well I cover that too, with how I decide when to increase frequency and how I do so. And lastly I cover the way I typically build in volume increases over time to improve athlete work capacity and tolerable workload at a manageable and safe rate. Click the link above to watch!

The Definitive Guide To Leg Drive In The Bench Press – CLICK HERE

Leg drive in the bench press is one of the hardest things to master within powerlifting. I have been bench pressing for almost 11 years, with 5-6 of those years being dedicated to powerlifting. But only within the past 2 years have I really mastered the ability of leg drive to control and stabilize my bench press. Unlike the common misconception where you see people almost “push press” with their leg drive, what it should be is a constant tension we apply throughout the entirety of the movement to create tension and stability, while maximizing our position. In my latest YouTube video I dive into all aspects of leg drive, from the initial setup, optimal foot position, maintaining leg drive, cueing to increase ribcage elevation, how to keep you butt down, and options to individualize leg drive for your specific needs. This is an all encompassing video of everything you should need to know to master the technique of leg drive. To watch, click the link above!

Breathing/Bracing On The Bench Press For A Better Arch

A big misconception on bench press is that you breath and brace in the same manner as you do on the squat and deadlift. But especially with those trying to create a higher arch, trying to breath and brace in the same manner on bench press is going to be of detriment. Above you can see with Abbee’s (CLICK HERE, slo motion in the 2nd video) before and after, we implemented changes with her breathing and bracing patterns on bench. If we try to replicate the bracing patterns of our squat, what is going to happen is this “belly expansion” as you can see in the top video. This belly expansion raises her belly button to be the top point of Abbee’s arch, and in the process depresses her ribcage down. You might look at this and say she has a big arch, but that arch is in all the wrong places. We want the touch point of our bench press to be the highest point of our arch, which is usually the bottom of the chest/sternum, not our belly button. So to do this, I cued Abbee to be intentional as she inhaled to “expand her ribcage”. On the squat and deadlift that may create unwanted extension, but that is because those are different movements. On the bench press we are wanting that extension to elevate that ribcage to its highest position, as well as blowing up that ribcage to create a “barrel chest”. People frequently talk about how if you want a big bench, get a big barrel chest. And while in that reference they are alluding to the hypertrophy of the chest, we can create this same concept with our breathing. So while “chest breathing” is a big no-no on the squat and deadlift, it is the go to for our bench press. And as you can see on the bottom video of Abbee, as she breathes and braces that ribcage expands and elevates to cause that touch point to be the highest point of her arch.

So the one drawback to expanding the ribcage through breathing is the possible elevation of the shoulders. If you watched my video on bracing in the squat and deadlift, I gave a particular cue on how to prevent this elevation. On the bench press it is the same concept but just through a different means. With our leg drive, we should be creating a horizontal force that is sliding us back onto the bench to “roll up onto our traps”. This leg drive helps to create the initial ribcage elevation, which then is maximized ever further by inhaling to “expand the ribcage”. This leg drive and elevation naturally creates retraction and depression of the shoulders, and in sense traps them underneath us as we maintain that horizontal leg drive. So the key on bench press is that we must achieve this leg drive and elevation before breathing and bracing. Leg drive and ribcage elevation needs to proceed that inhalation so that this trapping of the shoulders prevents them from elevating as we breath and brace. When done correctly, we can still expand the ribcage and create this “barrel chest” while maintaining shoulder retraction and depression throughout.

Volume vs. Intensity for Novice/Intermediate/Advanced Lifters – CLICK HERE

As we progress in our training age, our programming must progress as well. While there are many variables that we can manipulate within our programs, volume and intensity remain the two staples for how we create the overload stimulus to produce strength. In my latest YouTube video, I dive into a theoretical discussion of my thought process in regards to the manipulation of volume and intensity, and specifically how that relates to the progression of novice to intermediate to advanced lifters. This is meant to be a general breakdown of how I relate the manipulation of these variables into the structuring of programs for lifters. As well as my anecdotal thoughts on what I see between the different spectrums of lifters around the country and what type of training they are responding to. If you can make it through my 24 minutes of rambling, hopefully you’ll come away with a better understanding of how to use these two variables to optimize your training based on your current training age and needs. Click the link above you watch!

Squat Cue: Let The “Chest Lean”

If you are an athlete I coach, there probably isn’t a cue you have heard more from me lately than let the “chest lean”. A very common error in many lifters is a disconnect between their chest/ribcage and the low back/pelvis. As can be seen above with Matt (CLICK HERE), his ribcage and pelvis act separate of each other. Much like the knees and hips struggle at times to act cohesively in their movement during the squat, the same happens with the ribcage and pelvis. While his hips and lower back wanted to hinge, his chest wanted to stay straight forward and upright. People often get stuck in this pattern due to a feeling of needing to stay upright, but in the end the result is the actually the opposite. Most of the time what happens is a compensation at the bottom once hip flexion has maxed out. The chest falls to match the lower back angle, then resulting in a chest fall pattern coming up. Matt is an anomaly in that he is able to fight against this pattern happening, but Matt is also a world class squatter who developed extreme strength in this position. But, this didn’t mean for Matt this was okay to let happen. The position on the left continually resulted in instability, with his right leg internally rotating and his hips shifting to the left at maximal weights.

So to fix this we first adjusted Matt’s bracing patterns, as I discussed in my squat setup video on YouTube (If you have not already watched that, I highly recommend doing so to make full sense of what I will discuss next). From there the two main cues for Matt were to drive the knees forward and let the “chest lean”. His previous pattern came from leading with his hips to create the hip hinge. But if we are properly braced, leading with “chest lean” will allow the torso and pelvis to act as one unit moving together. Unless you have the world’s shortest femurs, your torso isn’t staying upright, so there is not going to be a scenario where you can maintain position without that chest having to lean in some manner. I’ll get hesitancy from athletes with this at times as people feel like if they allow their chest to lean, their upper back is going to collapse forward. But what they come to find is their upper back actually feels more stable than ever when we are properly supporting that ribcage now from top to bottom. And notice Matt is a high bar squatter. Typically people have the misconception that on the high bar squat you should try to stay more upright, but watch any of the best high bar squatters in the world and you will see this “chest lean” pattern from the start. And with the low bar squat usually require more of a lean and hinge, “chest lean” is a required pattern in some manner within any squat variation. Lastly, notate the head position change for Matt. Typically the head and ribcage like to stay together, just like the lower back and pelvis tend to stay together. For Matt, we needed to slightly lower his head position to better help guide this “chest lean”. As I’ve said many times before, where the head goes the body follows. So if we want our chest to lean, the head is a large contributor in helping to guide the intended position.