B.I.G Fitness & Performance

Fixing a Weakness - Missing a Deadlift from the Floor

The deadlift is arguably the most technical lift of the big 3. A lot of people miss out on the benefits of this excellent exercise because they are scared of injuring themselves or they aren’t confident of performing the movement correctly. It is an exercise that takes time and patience to master.

Today lets go over 3 reasons why you would fail the lift by not being able to get the weight off of the floor, i.e the start of the lift.

1. The most obvious one is that you just aren’t strong enough I’m afraid and the weight is to heavy. It’s ok, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Try switching to deficit deadlifts (1-2 inch) for a cycle and then try the weight again and see how you get on.

2. You aren’t pushing the floor away and using your legs when you initiate the pull. A lot of people pull using just their lower back (snap city bi*ch) because they either set up incorrectly or haven’t learned the movement properly. To fix this I recommend incorporating paused deadlifts, pausing just off the floor. Or 1 and a half rep deadlifts (not sure of their actual name). To do these start your deadlift, pause half way up, stop, lower the weight back to the floor, stop, then do a full rep. This gives you 2 attempts per rep to really focus on driving with your legs and pushing the floor away.

3. Not bracing hard enough and achieving full body tension. Bracing whilst deadlfiting is how you stay safe when going heavy. Most injuries could be avoided if people learned how to brace better. Focus on breathing into your belly and not your chest, and holding the breath in. Flex your lats, lock your back in nice and tight, and then pull. It’s that simple.

Give these fixes a go and let me know how you get on.

Tips – Bench Press

Want to lift more weight in the bench press, or have you hit a plateau?

As today is International Bench Day, I thought I would share with you some of my tips which will help you increase your bench press numbers.

Today’s tip is very simple yet often overlooked. If you want a bigger bench, bench more!!! It’s that simple.

I am by no means the best bencher in the world but I saw considerable improvement once I increased my frequency from once to twice a week. I saw even bigger improvements when I ran smolov jnr which had me benching four times a week.

The bench press isn’t as taxing on your CNS as the squat or deadlift so your body can handle doing it more than once a week. I see lots of people in the gym doing multiple sets of flat bench, then incline, then maybe some dumbbell work. This is great if you want to build muscle, but not so good if your goal is to get stronger.

I find that splitting a bench day into 2, and using one day for heavy low reps and another for light high reps works much better.

Give it a try and see how you get on. Don’t be afraid to change up the variations (remember law of accommodation) or mix it up between barbell and dumbbell exercises.

Remember, the people who last the longest in this game train smarter not always harder.

Squat Variation - Box Squat

The box squat is a great way to build explosive power and is an ideal variation on the normal back squat because of the carry over it has to help develop strength coming out of the hole.

This is because it breaks up the stretch reflex by separating the eccentric & concentric phase of a squat. That is why people you see bouncing off of the box or bench are actually doing the movement wrong and missing out on all of the benefits. The same goes for people who don’t stay tight or under control and slam themselves onto the box instead of gently lowering themselves onto it.

The box squat is also great for teaching beginners how to gauge depth, and is recommended for people with knee issues as it places less stress on the knee joint then a normal squat.

I perform box squats using a wide stance. This is to emphasize targeting my hamstrings, glutes & hips. I lower myself by pushing my knees out to the side and hips back, making sure to remain tight throughout the descent & not drop myself onto the box.

Once I reach the box I sit back & release my hips. The aim is for my shins to be as straight as possible, and my knees to finish over or behind my ankles.

After a slight pause I then drive my feet out to the side and back into the bar to initiate my ascent up from the box, making sure I stand up straight and not rock myself forward, using the momentum to help me get back up.

With my knees behind my ankles I find the movement to stand back up is almost like doing a leg curl.

To add variations to the box squat you can change the box height, stance width, or add bands and/or chains.

If you want more help in learning or improving your box squat feel free to tag me in, or send me a video of yourself performing a box squat.

‘Run with the lame, develop a limp.’ Louie Simmons

Having someone to train with has many benefits. You have someone to keep you motivated, someone to help push you, someone to bounce ideas off or learn from, help correct or improve form, or most importantly someone to spot you when you need it.

It will also be a big help if you are struggling to get back into the swing of things since the lockdown and closure of gyms. I know I was for a short period.

That being said, I am looking for individuals interested in Powerlifting or who want to get stronger, to come and train with me and Alexandra Pop. Like at the world famous Westside Barbell gym, I want to create a lifting group where we all help and push each other to get stronger together.

It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie or have been lifting for a while, a guy or girl, or fat or thin. All I am looking for is like minded individuals with an interest in getting stronger and the heart to push themselves and work hard every time they step into the gym.

We follow the conjugate method way of training, and train 4 times a week, split between 2 heavy days (lower & upper) & 2 speed days (lower & upper). We train at OV gym and usually in the evening after work.

If you are interested or want to find out more then send me a message. Let’s get these gains together.

1 Rep Max Test – Bench Press

*Warning poverty bench alert*

Bench has always been my weakest lift, but up until recently it had been going well. Shown is 100kgs, 105kgs, and me failing at 107.5kgs.

From looking back at the vids I can see that I am struggling with the lockout. This tells me that I need to work on my triceps more. So that’s something I will be addressing in the new year.

I find that for my bench to increase I need to hit it with a lot of volume and at least twice a week. This is something I need to adjust in my program. Training using the conjugate method is still new to me so a lot of my programming is done by trial and error. Don’t be afraid to change things if you aren’t seeing the results you wanted.

Alexandra managed 60kgs which was her previous 1rm, and then went up to 65kgs. She tried 70kgs but it was a little too much. She will definitely hit that in the new year though. I also need to find this girl a powerlfting competition to enter as I think she would do really well.

**If you are interested in starting a powerlifting program, want to know more about training using the conjugate method, or want to train with us contact me.**

1 Rep Max Test – Deadlift

I was hoping to get at least 200kgs but it wasn’t meant to be. Shown is 190kgs and then me failing at 200kgs. I actually tried it 3 times but couldn’t get it. Disappointment is an understatement as my deadlifts had been feeling really good lately, but we move on and look to progress step by step. As disappointed as I am the bigger picture is, 190kgs is still a good weight and there are loads of people who dream of one day being able to lift that weight, so I should still be happy.

Looking at the positives I think my form has improved, although I still need to work on my starting position, especially sitting back more, and starting slightly more upright. I am using too much of my back to lift the weight and not really engaging my hamstrings and using my legs.

Alexandra again hit a pr. Her previous was 120. Shown is 110kgs, 120kgs, 130kgs (with a comparison of 115kgs from Jan) & 135kgs. 15kgs over her previous max. A great achievement. I’m aware that her hips shoot up first when she starts her pull, so this is something we will work on in the new year, but I am still proud of the work she has put in, and you can see how much her form has improved since we first started training together.

1 Rep Max Test - Squat

This week is all about testing our 1rep maxes to see if we have improved throughout the year and to help us make any changes to weaknesses we need to work on in the new year.

First up are squats. Alexandra’s previous 1rep max was 120kgs, and mine was 155kgs.

We both managed to better this. Alexandra worked up to 130kgs, and I managed 160kgs. Tbh we were both a little disappointed as we were hoping to go a little heavier.

The good thing is, firstly I think you can see that our form and depth has improved, and secondly it gives us things to work on and targets for the new year. A pr is still a pr at the end of the day so we should celebrate any victories no matter how small they might be.

Shown are my sets at 150kgs (with a comparison of 155kgs from the summer), 160kgs, and me failing . I will say that when picking a spotter pick someone who knows what they are doing and doesn’t look and come across even more nervous then you.

Alexandra’s shown sets are 110kgs, 120kgs, 130kgs, and a fail .

I am happy that we both failed a weight because it helps us get over that fear of failing with a heavy weight on our back. I think everyone needs to experience failing a squat at least once so they know not to panic.

I will say that I am happier with my form, although it still needs some improvement, I am looking forward to more improvements and hopefully heavier weights in 2020.