After releasing the guide to Powerlifting Shoes, I’ve been flooded with questions about one pair of shoes in particular: The SABO Deadlift Shoe. In this article, I’ll cover exactly what to expect when you order from Max Barbell, how to “convert” the European sizing to American sizing, the specifications of the shoe that make it… Read More »
Lifters needlessly leave more pounds on the platform due to poor choices in footwear than any other easily correctable variable. Each and every lift has a different set of requirements for what constitutes optimal footwear. The best squat shoes, bench shoes, and deadlift shoes are different for every lift. For the quicker but less informative… Read More »
In powerlifting, there is one number that is paramount above all others: The Total. One of the most important, and yet forgotten, aspects of technique selection for each movement is not only how it will affect that lift, but how it will affect your total. For example, many people claim that benching with a big… Read More »
For those who don’t know, Lyle McDonald is one of the original online nutrition gurus. The guy was there arguing the science from day one on UseNet. Lyle has authored multiple nutrition books including the incredibly popular Ketogenic Diet. He is also the author of www.bodyrecomposition.com which is quite literally one of the best nutritional resources… Read More »
Traditional powerlifting programming is flawed. Luckily, Mike Tuchscherer’s Reactive Training Systems offers a solution. Generally speaking, traditional powerlifting programs call for prescribed sets, reps, and weights. Often times, several months’ worth of training is written in advance. Assuming the conditions are the same as when the program was written, and the lifter progresses at a predictable… Read More »
Knee Sleeves were created to provide the knee joint with moderate compression in order to keep them warm and “safe”. Knee sleeves are generally made out of neoprene. Regardless of your goals as a lifter, I highly recommend knee sleeves if you have the cash available. If you size them appropriately, they add nothing to your… Read More »
At first glance, for a beginner, selecting the correct powerlifting belt can seem like an overwhelming task. Should the material be leather or velcro? Do you go with single-prong, double-prong, or lever? Do you go with a 10mm thick belt, a 13mm belt, or something else? Should it be 3” wide, 4” wide, or should it… Read More »
I participate in several powerlifting forums and one of the ever-controversial topics that has come up quite a bit lately is high bar vs. low bar squats. Opinions range from “anything can work, just gotta find what works for you, brah” (the powerlifting broscientist) to “low bar is universally better for every single application, ever”… Read More »
Wrist wraps are a useful piece of equipment to own. While they aren’t going to add gobs of pounds to your total, they can make a useful difference on each and every lift. They’re allowed by most federations’ rules, so you may as well take advantage of them. In terms of what you’re looking for in… Read More »
Before we get started, I’d like to say that I drew heavily from the concepts I learned in Starting Strength to create this material. While Starting Strengthis not a book about powerlifting, it contains more than 300 pages of biomechanical analysis directly relevant to the powerlifts. If you grasp this knowledge, you will begin to… Read More »
I’ve mentioned this at the beginning of every article in this series and I’ll continue to do so here: I drew heavily from Starting Strength to create this material. If you enjoy biomechanical analysis, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Starting Strength. There is literally no other book in existence that… Read More »
I have to make it abundantly clear that many of the biomechanical principles and physics applications in this article are derived from Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength. If you enjoy discussions on leverage and optimizing technique, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the book. Of the three powerlifts, the conventional version of the… Read More »
If you weren’t aware by now, a lot of the concepts in this Powerlifting Technique series were distilled directly from Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength. While I’ll do my best to convey these complex topics in stream-lined article form, if you find yourself wanting more, note that Starting Strength contains 300+ pages of this type of… Read More »
Mark Rippetoe just released the third edition of Practical Programming for Strength Training. As a Starting Strength advocate, and a certified Starting Strength coach, frankly, buying and reading this book was a no brainer. If you just want to know my overall recommendations, skip ahead to the bottom. Admittedly, this is a very long review, if… Read More »