BARBELL MINI COURSE
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT
- Full review of all the equipment: rack, barbell, plates, lock collars, safety bar, bench
- What is a 1RM chart
- How do we use a 1RM chart to calculate a 5RM lift
- Why we are teaching you a 5RM lift (hint: it involves bone density)
- How to use Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Reps in Reserve (RIR) for additional, personalized lifting parameters
[BONUS: HERE'S THE BARBELL EQUIPMENT GUIDE AND A 1RM CHART TO DOWNLOAD AND USE]
THE BACK SQUAT
BACK SQUAT BUILD UP
- How to set up your equipment to perform the exercise correctly and safely
- How to select the right height for your J hooks to perform the back squat
- What the safety bar is for and how to select the right placement for it
- How to warm up to get to your 5RM (based on the 1RM chart)
- How many reps to perform during your warm up rounds
- How the warm up allows you to dial in your technique and prepare your nervous system to lift heavy
- How to use RPE to determine your repetitions
- How lifting heavy requires full recovery between sets, which might be longer than you are used to
- Why it always helps to have a cheerleader!
BACK SQUAT TUTORIAL
- How to set up the barbell to perform a back squat
- Where to place your hands and feet based on your personal anatomy
- What to avoid during the back squat (how it differs from a deadlift)
- Why wobbly knees is nothing to worry about
- The importance of allowing your feet to pronate
- Alternative options:
- sit to stand using a box/bench/chair
- squat to box
- How to use your breathing to support the efforting phase
- How to bail out with and without safety bar
- How a hip hinge squat position with the barbell overloads your low back, shoulders and neck
THE BENCH PRESS
BENCH PRESS BUILD UP
- How to set up and build up for a 5RM set
- Where to place the bench, J hooks, and safety bar (if you have one) for the bench press
- The importance of working at 7 RPE and staying away from failure
- Why you might choose to put blocks under your feet
- How to use the 1RM chart to figure out your 5RM
- How your warm up sets are different than your general warm up
- Using the warm up sets to dial in your form and prepare your nervous system
- Making adjustments to what the chart suggests based on how your warm up lifts feel
BENCH PRESS TUTORIAL
- How to set up your body position for your bench press, including support for your feet if needed
- How to choose the height of the safety bars if you have them
- The pathway that the bar will take
- How to use your exhale on the efforting
- How to spot someone if you don't have safety bars
- Alternative body positions for comfort or to change how much your upper body is working
- A more advanced press technique that recruits your back muscles
THE DEADLIFT
DEADLIFT BUILD UP
- How to choose the right weight for your first warm up set to get to your 5RM
- How to load your barbell from the floor
- How to select the right number of repetitions during your warm ups
- What "dialed in" should feel like
- What the optimal speed should look and feel like for your 5RM
- How to maintain an RPE of 7, and what changes to make if you're above or below that amount
DEADLIFT TUTORIAL
- How to use a dowel to learn the set up and grip for the deadlift
- Optimal positioning for hips, knees and shoulders
- "Breaking the bar" to set your shoulder blades on your back
- How maintaining the same spinal position is more important than "correcting" the position
- Why pulling the bar back towards your shins avoids overloading your lower back and uses the much larger hip muscles instead
- Common lifting errors: hips before shoulders, not keeping shoulder blades packed on your upper back
- Using your exhale to lift, or using a bracing technique when the lifts get heavier
- Keeping your weight distributed through the center of the foot
- Grip strength limitations and how to choose an alternating grip position to add torque and stability
- How to position your bar with no weights using some yoga blocks