Looking to hit another squat PR? Looking to increase your vertical jump for walking on at your local university? The dead squat is a GREAT lift for increasing performance in any regard! Whether its improving strength performance, explosive performance, or training to be HARDER TO KILL…the dead squat will elevate your game to being a deadly competitor in any arena!

WARNING - I am not a bodybuilder, but I know how to train for size. So, shall we dance?

About six months ago I had a client ask me “hey, is there anyway we can speed up the workouts? I feel I am in the gym for 2-3 hours at a time”. Now for some of us, that doesn’t seem to be the worst case scenario, but once you are married and have kids to be responsible for, it seems almost every minute of every day is accounted for. He was concerned his workouts were taking too long, so I took his workout, broke it down and simply asked him one question…

Dear Future Self,

THANK YOU so much for what you have done! After successfully implementing the protocol provided by that one newsletter in “Harvesting Strength”, my bench press has gone up TREMENDOUSLY and now I feel I can finally win the heart of my college crush. This day couldn’t get any better!

First of all, I totally understand this fictitious approach is far from the truth, but there is no hurt in having a little fun! But regardless of the narrative and the witty approach to recruit your attention, we all know that the bench press is a huge lift for not just a man…not just a woman…but for a lifter PERIOD.

If you had to choose squat, bench or deadlift as the king of lifts, which would you choose? Now, let me sway your answer by proclaiming that the deadlift is a movement that requires you to move a motionless bar such as stated by Newton’s First Law:

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by a force.

And because of that, I want to say that of all the major traditional lifts, deadlift is king of all. Now with that being said, if the deadlift is the king of lifts, it might be pivotal for any lifter to master it as it is physiologically relevant in not just strength sports but also traditional sports as well. Whether you’re a sprinter pushing of the blocks or a strongman competing in the deadlift ladder, knowing how to master the deadlift translates into so many things. Even if your wife decides to dump you on the side of the road because of a lustful affair, you need to know how to deadlift in order to pick up and carry every box of clothes out of the house for the big move…

During spring semester of my senior year, I interned at the University of North Texas and worked with the track and field team through the strength and conditioning department. I was not allowed to lead workouts, I was not allowed to do much else except clean machines, wipe down platforms and correct the form of athletes. Now, when you read my previous statement, it sounds nice they would allow me to correct form and work with athletes to that capacity, but even when I felt I was giving good feedback, I was then corrected for giving the athlete “corrected” feedback. I was not instructed on how to identify any mistakes made by the athlete

What would you rank the king of all lifts?

I’ve heard many...but I am sure we can all agree that one of the most dominant lifts amongst society would be the bench press. What better way to exert your alpha dominance amongst your frat brothers than to load 45’s on the bar and press those bodacious pecs towards glory. I mean, you go to the gym and the busiest location is the bench press, am I right? I am sure there are many that would argue this point, but like I said…it’s hard to ignore the impact the bench press has had on the world of strength. But besides the admiration we have towards this movement, we also admire those who have had an impact on the history of bench press by conquering this lift with tremendous gains. We see many 300lbs bench pressers…

During my last semester at UT Arlington, I had to fulfill an internship of my choosing. I went on a few interviews and found my way to interning at the University of North Texas as a volunteer Strength Coach. During this semester, I would wake up three times a week at 330am, pull up to the parking lot at 430am and set up the weight room in order start lifting our cross country athletes at 5am. I would repeat this process with the staff until noon working all the track and distance athletes.

I think one of the more cringe worthy things I have noticed is that when someone tries to steal the squat rack only to do bicep curls. ARE YOU SERIOUS! Taking up a fine piece of equipment to engorge your biceps to only satisfy your peers for a short window of time? The pump doesn't last forever! But besides this crisis, the next thing that is frustrating to listen to is the loosely defined concept of having a fatigued CNS....central nervous system. Here is the deal, there are many scientific facts that support this concept, but also support a shorter duration of recovery desired to be able to commence with maximized strength and ability. The central nervous system is the heart of movement. You of course need to have a compatible system of levers and muscles to execute movement, but if the CNS is impeded due to fatigue or disease (example-multiple sclerosis), movement might not work in your favor, or it might not work at all!

A few months ago, I was talking with a client about his workout and how well he performed. He had sent footage of his lifts and as always, I was extremely impressed with his ability. Ever since day one, this athlete showed growth in what he was already good at: everything. He not only had great conditioning and could withstand a fair amount of cardiovascular torment, but he also had the ability to lift some thick heavy weight. To understand, this individual weighs around 200 pounds and is six foot tall, portraying an athletic build that would intimidate any school yard bully. Although his weight was on the leaner side, during our programming he was inching his way to a 500 pound deadlift, catching a snatch of 255 pounds and a split jerk of 315 pounds