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A Guide To Bench Pressing

Outside of powerlifting, the technical aspects of bench pressing seems to get less attention than the squat and deadlift. While the bench press can be quite nuanced, I think this exercise encourages slightly more reckless training behaviours – due to the reasons we discussed in part 1 of this bench pressing guide.

Me spotting a bench press

Bench pressing is possibly more accessible than the other big lifts. However, in my experience of teaching clients to bench press for powerlifting and more general goals, there are still many facets of bench pressing that are not common knowledge. I will attempt to cover as many of them as I can here.

As with all of the lifting guides I’ve made, they’re long posts. Be sure to bookmark it so you can come back to the specific questions when you need to.

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3 Tips to Enhance Your Kettlebell Workouts

Kettlebells are a well-established piece of fitness equipment these days. Kettlebell workouts can form a part of anything from a Crossfit session, to a group fitness class, to a strength and conditioning programme. You won’t have to look far to see people performing kettlebell swings, snatches, carries, and cleans in your local gym. However, the rapid acceptance of kettlebell training doesn’t guarantee that they’re being used optimally.

When I meet a new personal training client, these are the common responses I hear in relation to to kettlebell training:

By Ivan Pergasi on Unsplash
  • “I’ve heard they’re great, but I don’t want to use them wrongly.”
  • “I used them once, but I don’t think I did it right.”
  • “Kettlebell workouts look fun but I’m scared of hurting my back.”

If this sounds like you, don’t be put off. Kettlebells are very different to other conventional free weights, and this means you generally can’t just jump into a kettlebell workout without learning what makes this training equipment unique. Here are 3 tips to help you get on board with kettlebell workouts so you can do things like this:

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How I Increased My Squat Personal Best by 10kg in 3 months

I’d like to write about how I got a decent increase to my front squat personal best in the latter half of 2021. It feels a little self-indulgent, but I’m confident these tips will help you develop muscular strength and set some squat personal bests of your own.

Background

Prior to this, it had been a while since I had made progress in my front squat. That being said, I’ve been squatting (relatively) heavy for around 10 years now. Therefore, it’s safe to say this progress wasn’t a result of newbie gains – I can no longer get a new personal best just by looking at a bar!

The lessons I learned from this training block will probably be most applicable if you’re an intermediate or novice lifter. I didn’t do anything super-advanced, so these strength training tips should be useful no matter what your end goal.

Click here to see why I think it’s important to get strong at front squats, and squats in general. Click here for a guide to a lot of the strength training terminology I use in this blog.

In this next section I go into more detail about my own training in 2021. If you want to skip ahead to the main strength training tips, use this contents table.

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Your Guide to Strength Training Terms and Definitions

I’ve previously provided a guide to general gym terms; now it’s time to get a little more specific and talk about strength training terms in more detail. An online glossary may not be the most exciting thing you’ve ever read, but if you’re comfortable with weight training terms and definitions you’ll be better equipped to learn about other strength training topics. Let’s get started!

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How to Improve Training Consistency If Your Life is Inconsistent

I previously extolled the virtues of sticking to a programme for long enough to get every last drop of progress from it. Training consistency in general is a big talking point with trainers right now, and usually the intentions behind this are pure: trainers want you to know that striving for consistency in training is more important than pursuing gut-wrenching intensity in every session.

However, a rigidly consistent training programme may be a pipe dream for those of you with busy lives. No amount of consistency-worship is going to change your life commitments, and that doesn’t mean you’re lazy, lacking willpower, or unworthy of results. Here are my tips for making the best of your situation.

This guy doesn’t care about your 3-day body part training programme. Picture by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
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3 Tips for Changing Your Body Composition

Changing your body composition involves altering the amount of muscle and fat you have in your body. In modern society, favourable body composition changes are often described as an increase in muscle and a decrease in body fat. This allows you to accentuate the parts of your body that are conventionally appealing.

I’ve made it known in the past that I have misgivings about training with an excessive focus on body composition. I’ve written about fitness transformations and the effects of a negative body image on motivation. As a result, I mainly focus on strength training and gym habits on this blog.

However, I accept that there are many people who want to change their body composition regardless. I accept that I cannot simply tell people they’re wrong for wanting bigger arms or a smaller stomach.

If you’re going to do it, it’s important that you do it in the healthiest and most efficient way possible. Here are several things to consider before you embark on changing your body composition.

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What Is Functional Training, and Should You Be Doing It?

Functional training has been a very popular term for as long as I’ve been a trainer. It’s having a surge lately, thanks to some very popular coaches on social media claiming that they provide more “functional exercises”, or calling themselves “functional fitness trainers”.

Unfortunately, as with many terms in the fitness industry, the exact definition as it relates to your workouts is pretty broad. In order to get to the truth of things, I’m going to talk about three groups of trainers that existed when I started out as a PT…

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Quick Post: How to Pick a New Gym for the New Year

At the time of writing, we’re staring down the barrel at 2022. You might be thinking about getting into a new fitness routine, and a new gym membership might be a part of that.

It might seem prudent to pick the closest gym to your home or workplace, but there’s so much more to finding the gym that suits you best.

Here’s a list of what to look for in your new gym.

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Equipment

This one may seem obvious, but the equipment in your new gym will have a major influence on what workouts you can do. It is well worth thinking about your training plan before signing up to a new gym.

Tips

  • Gyms that are full of resistance machines and treadmills may seem like a safe place to start your training due to their ease of use. But keep your eye out for other challenges that you can progress towards as you gain confidence.
  • Free weights tend to attract a very passionate crowd. Make sure there are enough dumbbells and barbells available – especially if you’re planning on squatting at 6pm on a Monday. If your gym only has one squat rack, you will definitely be disappointed. If you can, have a trial of the gym at the time you’d usually expect to train, to see how busy it gets.
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How to Improve Your Front Squat Form

In part 1, I explained why I think the front squat is such a useful exercise. There’s just something impressive about the leg and back strength required to squat deep whilst refusing to be buried by the weight that’s resting on your chest. I also discussed the step-by-step approach to performing the front squat, and highlighted the importance of good front squat form.

I also mentioned that there are many aspects of the front squat that require your attention in order to master the exercise. There are many potential weak links that can limit the front squat, including the wrists, upper back, and general squat mobility issues. This guide will cover how to adequately prepare each aspect of front squat form for the best squat workout possible.

The cross-grip front squat may be less stable than the Olympic-style version.
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