Blog

Written by Kelsey Kuehn PT, DPT, CSCS You killed your workout, but did you kill your recovery? There’s nothing better than that feeling after you dominate some heavy lifts in training. With the next training day coming up quickly, how can you optimize recovery to prepare your body to do...

Written by Coach Ben of Big Benchas Adequate foot placement and the ability to create leg drive in the bench press is something I see plaguing lifters with difficulty. It is one of the hardest technical aspects involving the bench press. Even when you have leg drive down, you run...

Written by Brittany Kohnke The king of all exercises: the squat.  What seems so easy for some can truly be a royal pain in the ass for others.  Perfecting your squat technique takes an understanding of biomechanics and consistent refinement and practice.  Working with a variety of athletes and being...

Written By Nick Benerakis Jen Thompson is not only considered one of the greatest female benchers but one of the greatest benchers of our time period, male or female. Her resume speaks for itself, with multiple IPF world records, and multiple championships. She has a competition best of 319.7 lbs...

Written by Precilla Navarro #kidswhopowerlift is now a thing! How cool is that?! But how do you know when your kid is ready to start powerlifting? Here are a few things to keep in mind.   Age vs. Attention Span Will your child pay attention? Are they trainable? There are children...

  Written by: Brittany Kohnke Powerlifting: a sport in which participants compete to lift the heaviest amount of weight in what’s known as the big three: squat, bench and deadlift Bodybuilding: a sport in which participants compete to attain the perfect amount of symmetry and definition in their physiques Powerbuilding: being...

The first time I picked up a barbell was in 2014. My first meet was in 2016. Since that first meet I’ve competed in a few more, I’ve handled tons of athletes and I became a USPA State judge. I love meets! I love the chalk in the air, the...

Written by Dr. Rachel Horton Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Powerlifting Who has ever peed while powerlifting? Raise them hands. I’m not ashamed to say it has happened to me and I would say it’s a pretty common thing for women in lifting sports. And thankfully I don’t think it’s something...

Written by Gage Reid Here are 3 quick tips for improving your squat! More Volume/Variety in Rep Ranges Although this isn’t an accessory movement in itself, the concept of increasing the amount of training volume you do throughout the course of a given week, month and year is a crucial...

A mini-review of the effects of taking oral contraceptives (both combined and progesterone-only) on athletic performance in women. Written by Helena Humphries I have recently seen a few posts on social media and on various other blogs which claim that taking oral contraceptives reduced strength, primarily through reduction of available...

Written by Gage Reid of Nova Strength Systems I’ve caught some heat in the past for saying, “There’s no such thing as a weak lockout in the Sumo Deadlift, only a poor starting position” and I will die by that statement because I wholeheartedly believe it to be true. In...

Written by Robert King Tonight one of my students was going for a heavy lift and she missed it.  In training and on the platform, I do my best to not have my athletes miss lifts or reps. However, every lift we miss is an opportunity to learn. You learn more from the lifts...

By Gage Reid of Nova Strength Training Systems Fatigue management is one of the most important aspects of a well throughout out program because, without it, you’ll lack the ability to move the prescribed weights from session to session, as well as create the adaptive response required to get stronger....

  Written by: Lindsay McGuire, MS, CSCS, PT, DPT Many powerlifters and athletes, in general, have one side or limb that is stronger and more stable than the other. In powerlifting, many of us have this blatantly pointed out during the bench press. One common biomechanical error that occurs during...

Written by Chelsea Nkwodimmah Listening to that one song before a top set. Putting your left wrist wrap on before your right. Wearing that lucky pair of deadlift socks for meet day. It’s no doubt that hours of hard training go into being an amazing athlete. But for a special...

Written by Gage Reid of Nova Strenght Training Systems I’ve worked with countless athletes, coaches, as well as various other members of the strength community and one of the most common misconceptions is that when an athlete has poor technique or movement patterns, you must ALWAYS “Deload to 135 and...

Written by Helena Humphries So today I thought I'd write about my experience of programming my training. First of all, I would say that planning down and tracking your training is vital. Even if you come off your program, or can only do lower weights due to injury - keep...