My gym background is steeped in heavy strength training. After a few months of stumbling around the weight room, I was exposed to powerlifting and fell in love with the sport. For years, I chased personal records in “the big three” lifts – the back squat, bench press, and deadlift. I loved heavy barbell training and was singularly focused on getting strong. I encouraged my partner to get involved and we trained for our first meet together. In short, I became an unapologetic meathead.

When I started working with clients, I wrote programs and coached through this powerlifting lens. I wanted everyone else to get strong and lift heavy weights. Even more so, I wanted them to feel the same way about this style of training as I did.

However, I quickly learned powerlifting wasn’t a good fit for everyone. Some people couldn’t master the form on “the big three” lifts no matter what we tried. Others didn’t seem as excited about heavy squatting, benching, and deadlifting as they did about other gym activities.

After thousands of hours working with many different types of clients, my training philosophy has grown and evolved. There are many ideas I felt strongly about in the past that I’ve partially or completely changed my mind about now. These days, although I’m still always learning, I take a more nuanced and open-minded approach.

This article is the first in a two-part series about things I’ve changed my mind about since I started my training career. In this first part, I take a look at my training style and philosophy. Next week, I will examine how I’ve changed my approach to nutrition.

Everyone should work toward barbell back squatting, benching, and deadlifting.

It’s easy to understand why I loved the back squat, bench press, and deadlift as a competitive powerlifter. I personally saw the most gains from these exercises and (thankfully) didn’t have any injuries or restrictions which prevented me from performing them safely.

These days, it’s rare I meet with a new client who is totally free from pain or injures. Many clients aren’t moving well when they come to me due to many hours of sitting each day and bad habits in their current exercise routine (sometimes even from forcing themselves to complete barbell lifts).

The reality is not everyone is cut out to train with a barbell. Barbells lock us into a single path, which doesn’t work for all bodies. It requires a great deal of mobility to safely perform the standard barbell lifts. People with cranky shoulders may not be able to comfortably hold a barbell on their backs to squat or complete a full bench press; people with bad backs and poor hip mobility will likely struggle to deadlift a loaded barbell from the floor.

I help my clients find exercises and implements that fit with their individual bodies. We then work to master those choices so we can eventually load them up with heavier weights. For example, one of my clients has a history of severe back problems. We will likely never be able to do any squatting with a bar, but have had success doing heavy squats loaded in the goblet and double front rack positions. I’ve had many clients complain that barbell benching bothers their shoulders, but they don’t experience any discomfort benching with dumbbells and a neutral grip.

I still think the barbell is a fantastic tool and one of the best, most efficient ways to move tons of weight. You just may need to use it more sparingly. Maybe you can bench with a barbell but need to use a trap bar to deadlift and kettlebells to squat. Maybe you can’t do any of “the big three” with a barbell, but you can perform heavy barbell hip thrusts, glute bridges, single-leg exercises, or Romanian deadlifts.

Takeaway: Get creative and find alternative ways to load the major movement patterns that feel more comfortable. You don’t need to use a barbell to build a strong and resilient body.

Isolation training is a waste of time.

I used to think people who performed curls, lateral raises, and the like were silly. Why would you waste your precious time with these exercises when squatting, pressing, rowing, and deadlifting gave you a much better training effect? Once again, I was viewing training though my meathead lens. I failed to understand people had goals in the weight room beyond getting strong, and that only training compound movements wasn’t necessarily the best way to achieve those goals.

I changed my tune on this topic when my own personal goals changed. I’ve previously written about my experience working with a trainer to build a leaner, more muscular physique. One of the lessons I mentioned in this post was that I didn’t see the changes I wanted in my arms and shoulders until I started training them more regularly. In the past, I had done a few cursory sets of arms and shoulders when the mood struck me. When I worked with my coach Bryan, I trained arms and shoulders multiple times per week. This big increase in volume allowed me to finally see noticeable, lasting changes.

Some lucky people can build awesome-looking arms, shoulders, legs, and butts from heavy compound training alone. Most of us, however, will need to add in extra work at some point if we want to see those muscles grow.

These days, I program some isolation training for a majority of my clients. I’m working with normal people and not pro athletes, and almost everyone who comes to me wants to look better and feel more confident in their skin. Most of our training time focuses on bigger, compound movements, but I add in curls, pressdowns, calf raises, shoulder raises, and similar exercises.

Takeaway: If your goal is to look jacked/ripped/toned/etc., you’ll likely need to do some isolation exercises. As long as these don’t make up the majority of your training time, you’ll get good results.

Machines are bad.

When I first started lifting, I had no idea what I was doing. A lot of the exercises I performed used machines because I was certain I could perform those correctly. Eventually, when I discovered free weights and powerlifting, my thoughts on machines swung to the totally opposite side. I hated machines and thought they were always a bad choice for everyone.

As with much of my approach to training, I now take a more middle-of-the-road approach. I believe machines can play a role in a well-rounded program for many people.

There are a few situations when someone may benefit from using a machine over a free-weight exercise. If someone is new to exercise and just making their way into the weight room, machines can be a good way to learn about the various muscles and use a challenging load without huge demands on their balance or posture. If new clients have a hard time getting up and down from a floor or bench, machines provide greater exercise variety.

People whose primary goal is to build muscle will likely use machines in their training. Machines can provide unique training angles or allow you to overload certain muscles more than you could with free weights. Machines also allow more advanced trainees to safely and easily use intensity techniques like drop sets, partial reps, and forced reps.

Finally, lots of my clients travel for work and frequently find themselves training in hotel gyms. Many times machines are the only weights available in these settings.

Takeaway: I still recommend everyone engage in plenty of free-weight training focused on the major movement patterns. But don’t be afraid to incorporate weight machines into your training when appropriate.

Always Be Open

Depending on your background, some of you may believe the same training dogmas I once did. Perhaps you have a few different ones of your own. I encourage you to think deeply about these ideas and question your assumptions. You will likely become a better coach to yourself in the process.

Check back next week to learn how I’ve changed my mind about the way I eat and the way I help clients manage their nutrition.

If you like what you’ve read and want to receive more exclusive tips, tools, and strategies to help you make fitness a part of your busy life, please subscribe to my newsletter here.

 

Every gym bro and broette knows Mondays are “International Chest Day.”

It’s super common to roll up to the gym for your Monday workout and see every bench press station occupied. For some people, this is one of the only workouts they do consistently. I’d venture to say the barbell bench press is the most beloved and popular exercise in many gyms across America.

Unfortunately, the barbell bench press is also one of the most frequently butchered exercises at the gym. I’m always impressed when I see a strong, stable, and well-executed bench press at a commercial gym. Most people use poor form, too much weight, and receive too much assistance from spotters.

Poor bench press technique combined with too much weight is a recipe for pain, injuries, and frustration. If you want to avoid these setbacks, or you simply want to fine-tune your bench press to see better results, keep reading for my solutions to the 6 most common bench press mistakes.

Mistake #1: Forcing yourself to use a barbell when it’s the wrong fit for your body

Not everyone is cut out to use a barbell on every exercise. Although barbells help you lift more weight than any other tool in the gym, they also lock your body into one position. If your limb lengths and leverages don’t line up perfectly with the barbell, using it can be awkward, uncomfortable, and put you at risk for injury.

If you have a history of shoulder or elbow pain, the standard barbell bench press may not be the best choice for you. Instead, you should use alternative variations to build horizontal pressing strength. I love the floor press and board press to train restricted range of motion chest presses for those with cranky shoulders. Dumbbell pressing is also a great option. Because you hold a weight in each hand, dumbbells allow for freer movement of your arms. You can twist your hands into different positions at different portions of the lift, which often alleviates shoulder pain. Dumbbells are also self-limiting, making it much less likely you will load up more weight than you can manage.

Mistake #2: Haphazard set-up

Anytime you’re attempting a heavy lift, it’s crucial to set up your body in the most stable position possible. I often see people lie on the bench, unrack the bar, and start pressing without any regard for what’s going on with the rest of their bodies. If this sounds like you, you’re leaving tons of strength on the table and setting yourself up for injury.

You should set up the same way no matter how much weight is on the bar. If you’re lazy with your setup during your warm up sets, you’ll struggle to maintain a tight and stable position when the load is heavy. Ultimately, your setup should become so well ingrained you don’t have to think about it.

Bench press setup starts with the feet. Although it seems counterintuitive, the legs are very important when pressing (more on this below). Create tension in the legs and hips by pulling your feet as far back as you can. Some people keep their whole foot on the ground, others lift up their heel and press into the balls of their feet. Unless you’re entering a competition with specific rules about foot placement, do what feels most secure to you.

Next, be sure to pack your shoulders. Unlike most other upper body exercises, bench pressing requires you to lock your shoulder blades in place throughout the movement. This keeps your shoulder joint safe and allows you to recruit the bigger muscles of your upper body – the pecs and lats. To pack your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades together toward your spine. You should feel like you have a tight shelf of muscle supporting your upper back on the bench. This will also create a small arch in your lower back, which is totally normal.

Finally, be strategic when taking the bar from the rack. If you push the bar out of the rack, you risk losing the tightness in your upper back and shoulders. Instead, think about pulling the bar out of the rack. Bring the bar out over your chest and pause for a moment before initiating the movement.

Mistake #3: Hands and elbows in the wrong position

Keeping your joints stacked on top of eachother helps you manage loads safely. In the bench press, this means placing your hands on the bar so that your elbows track directly beneath the bar and you can maintain a vertical forearm.

Unless you are specifically using different variations like the close-grip bench press, your strongest pressing position occurs with your hands placed directly above your elbows.

Another helpful cue to keep your joints stacked is to think about breaking the bar in half throughout the press. This prevents your elbows from flaring out to the sides and can help you keep your back engaged and your shoulders packed.

Mistake #4: Not using your legs

Barbell lifts are full body lifts. The bench press is no exception. If you aren’t taking advantage of leg drive as you press, you won’t be able to move as much weight.

Leg drive starts with properly setting your feet as discussed above. Next, think about driving your feet into the floor throughout each rep. This is especially helpful coming out of the bottom of the press. Just make sure you don’t use so much leg drive that your butt comes off the bench.

Mistake #5: Using incomplete range of motion

A true barbell bench press is lowered all the way to your chest, paused, and then pressed back up until you’ve locked out your elbows. This is not, however,  what I typically see people doing. Instead, people either fail to lower the bar all the way to their chest, they bounce the weight off their chest, or they re-rack the bar before they’ve fully locked their elbows. Unless you’re specifically training shortened range of motion (as with a board press or spoto press), always use as full of a range of motion as you can.  

The main reason people use incomplete range of motion is because they try to press more weight than they can manage. If you think you’ll miss the lift if you lower it all the way to your chest, check your ego and remove some weight.

Alternatively, if you are unable to use a full range of motion, it may indicate that the barbell isn’t a good fit for you. If lowering the bar to your chest isn’t possible or causes pain, consider switching to limited range of motion presses (such as board presses). I’ve had a few clients with injuries that prevent them from fully extending their elbows; barbell benching would be a poor fit for these clients.

Mistake #6: Uncontrolled bar path

The final mistake I frequently see with the barbell bench press is an uncontrolled bar path. This can take several forms:

• People lower the bar to their chest too quickly.
• The bar wobbles around throughout the rep.
• People press back toward their eyes too soon, lengthening the distance of the press.

As the weight gets heavier, it becomes more and more important to control the bar path. Even a slight wobble can throw you off enough to miss the lift.

To initiate the press, actively pull the bar down to your chest like in an inverted row. This helps you lower the bar in a straight line and recruits supporting muscles in your back and shoulders. After a brief pause in the bottom position, drive the bar straight up from your chest. There may be a slight J-shaped curve as you press the bar back toward your eyes, but keep this minimal. The less curve, the less distance you have to press the bar. Always aim to explode off your chest as powerfully as you can.

Smarter, Safer, Stronger

The barbell bench press is one of the most popular exercises at the gym. However, it’s crucial to use good form in order to stay safe and make better gains.

The six most common bench press mistakes are:

1. Using the barbell even when it’s a bad fit for your body. If traditional barbell benching is uncomfortable or causes pain, experiment with dumbbell presses, floor presses, and board presses.
2. Not paying attention to your setup. If you want a strong and stable press, create tension in your entire body before you unrack the bar.
3. Incorrect placement of hands and elbows. Position your hands where they will stay directly above your elbows. Think about breaking the bar in half as you press.
4. Ignoring leg drive. Always drive hard into your feet as you press to take full advantage of your legs.
5. Incomplete range of motion. A good bench press is lowered all the way to the chest, paused, and then pressed back to elbow lockout. If you can’t do this, use less weight or choose another exercise.
6. Uncontrolled bar path. A wobbly bar path adds distance to the press and makes it more likely you’ll miss the lift. Pull the bar to your chest and press it straight up.

If you like to bench, chances are good you also like to squat and deadlift. Do you want to get better at these lifts? Download your free copy of my ebook Squat and Deadlift School below.

I share my favorite form tips, troubleshoot common problems, and provide progressions to help you work toward (or supplement) barbell training.

I’m confident both novice and experienced lifters can use the book and accompanying videos to take their training to the next level.

I work with many clients who train exclusively at home. One of these clients – who hadn’t exercised regularly in years – made fairly steady initial progress using only his bodyweight.

Eventually, however, he hit a plateau and became frustrated. His progress slowed and he was getting bored with the limited exercises he could do.

Since joining a gym wasn’t an option for this client, I suggested he upgrade his home workout set-up with a set of bands and PowerBlocks.

Within a few weeks, he felt stronger and was noticing renewed changes in his body. He loved being able to push himself more and enjoyed the new exercises he could now perform.

Making a small investment in home exercise equipment put the spark back in my client’s training and helped him get out of a rut.

For most people who train at home, there comes a time when bodyweight exercises are no longer challenging and/or interesting. If you find yourself getting bored with your at-home workouts or dissatisfied with your progress, it may be time to upgrade your home gym.

The good news is you can do this at fairly low cost with minimal equipment. Continue reading to learn my top 6 equipment recommendations for at-home trainees.

Bands

Bands are the first piece of equipment I recommend for all my at-home clients. They’re cheap, lightweight, and easy to store and transport. With a bit of creativity, you can train every muscle in your body using bands.

You can purchase different types of bands including small and large circular bands as well as longer straight bands with handles. Some band sets come with a door mount mount and a strap to attach the band to your ankle so you can target your hips and glutes.

I recommend purchasing a set of bands of varying resistance levels. You will need different thicknesses to effectively train different muscles and movements, especially if bands are the only piece of equipment you have.

The one downside to bands is that by themselves, they may not be sufficiently challenging for stronger trainees. Some movements are also more awkward to load with bands than other types of resistance.

Sliders

Sliders are placed beneath your hands or feet to add resistance to lunges, pushups, leg curls, and core exercises. Although you can order sliders designed for fitness, cheap furniture sliders purchased from a hardware store are just as effective. You may need to buy different kinds of sliders depending on the flooring in your home.

Ross Enamait introduced me to the incredible possibilities of slider training. Watch these videos for ideas on what you can do with sliders. (Note – Ross is also a great guy to check out if you’re interested in building more DIY home gym equipment.)

Door chin-up rig

If you want to get better at chin ups, you have to spend lots of time practicing. Purchasing a door chin-up rig helps you bump up your chin-up volume.

Door rigs can be a single bar or have multiple grip options. Most can be easily removed and stored when not in use. Some rigs can also be used for pushups, modified dips, and other exercises when placed on the floor.

A word of caution – before you buy a door rig, make sure your door frames can support it. Some doorways are too wide or don’t have stable frames. I learned this the hard way when I came crashing down out of an old door frame that couldn’t handle the strain of a chin-up rig. Learn from my mistake and always be careful when hanging or mounting equipment in your apartment or house.

Suspension trainer

A suspension trainer is another effective, minimalist option to train your entire body. TRX is the most well known brand, but there are other, cheaper options which work just as well.

To use a suspension trainer at home, you need a way to mount it on a door, wall, or ceiling. Again, be careful and make sure you can do this safely before investing in the equipment.

Powerblocks

If you really want to level up your home gym setup, you need to invest in weights. Powerblocks are a great option for people used to training with dumbbells or barbells. These adjustable dumbbells allow you to change the weight by adding or removing small plates. You can purchase weights with the potential to be as heavy as 125lbs. Powerblocks take up very little space and essentially replace an entire rack of dumbbells with only two weights.

Powerblocks are the most expensive recommendation on my list, and I wouldn’t recommend purchasing them unless you’re serious about training at home. However, you do get a great value with this purchase. Powerblocks are made well and will certainly last a long time.  

Kettlebells

My final recommendation for your minimal at-home gym is kettlebells. Kettlebells are weights with the load placed beneath the grip, as opposed to on the side like with dumbbells. Kettlebell training has become popular in the last few years thanks to the rise of crossfit and “functional” fitness. You can train every muscle in your body weight a kettlebell and perform certain ballistic and power movements with you can’t do with other types of weights.

The biggest advantage to kettlebells is that you can get away with purchasing just one. This makes kettlebells more cost-effective than other times of weights. I have one 16kg kettlebell at my apartment and I can use it to train every muscle in my body.

However, some people may find your one kettlebell is too heavy for certain movements and too light for others. In that case, I do recommend grabbing a few kettlebells in different sizes so you can have more effective and appropriate training.

Kettlebell training can be more complex than other styles of lifting. You should seek out a qualified coach or take a class to learn the basics. If this is impossible, StrongFirst and Dragon Door are two great places to do some research or seek out instructional materials.

If you’re looking to improve your at-home workouts, purchasing a few small pieces of equipment can be a game changer.

Start with small equipment like bands and sliders.

If you can, hook up a TRX or door chin-up rig.

Finally, if you’re serious about getting stronger or building muscle, invest in some weights that make sense for your setup such as Powerblocks or kettlebells.

Like my client found, this may be exactly the change you need to see renewed progress and start loving your workouts again.

If you’re interested in putting together a fun and effective at-home training program, please apply for my online training program here.

My sister is about to embark on a two-year stint living and working abroad. She knows she likely won’t have easy access to a gym and asked me what equipment I recommend to get the most bang for her buck while training at home. This was an easy question for me to answer.

If you are looking for a lightweight, portable piece of gym equipment you can use to train your entire body, look no further than the TRX.

The TRX is a suspension trainer which allows you to use your own bodyweight as resistance on a wide variety of exercises. You can train anywhere as long as you are able to hook up the TRX.

Keep reading for videos and instructions for my top-5 favorite TRX exercises. These can be combined to create a challenging full-body workout at your local gym or halfway around the world.

Inverted row

The TRX inverted row is one of my all-time favorite exercises. I use inverted rows with all of my clients who have access to a TRX. Inverted rows teach you to control your entire body and are easily scalable for different ability levels. They are also great for building strong backs, arms, and shoulders.

To set up for an inverted row grab the TRX handles and remove all tension in the straps. Your arms should be even with your sides with elbows forming a 90 degree angle. Maintain your plank position (straight line from ears to heels) and walk your feet forward until your body is at an angle.

Initiate the movement by lowering your whole body as one unit until your arms are fully extended. Complete the rep by pulling your body back to the starting position. Do not drive your elbows so far back that your shoulder dips forward. You should finish with your elbows at 90 degrees and your upper arms even with your sides. Don’t allow your hips to move or your shoulders to shrug up toward your ears at any point during the rep.

You can make inverted rows more challenging by using a steeper body angle (i.e., moving your feet farther forward). You can also elevate your feet on a box or add external resistance such as chains or a weighted vest.

Pushup

Performing pushups using a TRX is a great way to challenge your core and shoulder stability. Because of the unstable nature of the TRX,  be sure you have good control while doing a  pushup before attempting this variation.

Set up for TRX pushups by getting up on your toes in pushup position. Your feet will be on the floor and your arms will be fully extended beneath you with your hands on the TRX handles. The rest of your body should form a plank with a straight line from ears to heels. Position your hands at 2 and 10 o’clock.

As you lower yourself into the bottom of the pushup, your shoulder blades should move together toward your spine. Aim to keep your hands directly beneath your elbows and your shoulders down away from your ears. When you push yourself back up, reach your arms away from you. The shoulder blades should pull apart at the top. Be sure to maintain a solid plank position as you complete the entire rep. You should not excessively arch your back or stick your butt up to the ceiling.

Like the rows, pushups can be made more challenging by elevating your feet or adding external resistance.

Leg curl

TRX Leg curls are a great way to build strength in your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) and core.

Set up for leg curls by lying on your back with your heels in the TRX handles. Initiate the movement by squeezing your butt to raise your hips into a bridge position. Next, curl your heels back toward your body before returning to a legs straight position. If staying in the bridge for the entirety of the set is too challenging, rest on the ground in between reps.

Make these more challenging by a) bending your elbows and lifting your forearms off the ground so only your upper arm is on the ground or b) lifting your entire arm off the ground and reaching up.

Rear foot-elevated split squat

Rear foot-elevated split squats, also known as Bulgarian split squats, are one of the more challenging single-leg exercises. Performing this exercise with the TRX provides a big challenge to your balance and stability. I recommend getting comfortable doing these with your foot on a stationary surface like a bench or box before attempting the TRX version.

Start in the half kneeling position with the front leg at a 90 degree angle and the back foot in one of the TRX handles with the top of your foot facing the ground. Drive through the front heel until you are in the standing position. Lower yourself back toward the ground to complete the rep.

To protect your joints, the front knee must always stay in line with your toe. Drive through the heel of the front foot to increase activation of the glutes and hamstrings. If you struggle with balance, find a focal point in front of you to stare at throughout the entire set.

These can be rather difficult even with no modifications; however, stronger trainees can hold dumbbells or kettlebells for an extra challenge.

Core trio: Jackknife, mountain climber, pike

I couldn’t pick one favorite TRX core exercise so I’ve included three. Try performing all three in a circuit for an added challenge.

Each of these exercises begins in a pushup position plank with your feet secured in the TRX handles. It’s important to maintain this plank position during each exercise. During the jackknives and mountain climbers your body should remain stationary from hips to head. Your butt should never rise toward the ceiling.

Aim to prevent excess movement in your spine during the pikes. Movement should only come from the shoulders and hips.

Whether you are looking for some variety in your gym training or are searching for a way to have more effective workouts on the road, the TRX could be the answer. If you’re interested in learning more tips, tactics, and strategies for training on the road or with a busy schedule, please subscribe to my email newsletter here.