Free Powerlifting Off Season Training Template-There’s and Off Season?
A long time ago I was talking to my stunt double Spud about training. I asked him what his thoughts were on off season training. He said in a way that only Spud can “There’s an off season you sumbitch?” I pissed my pants laughing most likely drank some whiskey with him after. If […]
Fix Your Bench-Lower Body Cues-SMASH Your Hips
Over the years through my own training, getting coached on the bench by some of the best in the world and in training zillions of people over the past few decades in seminars, in person and at our Training Days, I have found that the lower body is the part where we see the biggest disconnect on force generation in
TeamTPS Meet Report-2016 RPS New England Revolution
As usual, Gene and Amy ran an outstanding meet. RPS meets are fun and efficient. They ran over 200 lifters in double sessions on Saturday and Sunday and everything went smooth like clockwork.
Thanks to my friend Brain Shaw for hosting the meet again too.
OK, on to the meat and potatoes of what happened.
We had the following TeamTPS lifters perform as
Fix Your Squat: Tips on Getting Your Hands Right
Starting with your hands and wrists in a bad position sets you up to deliver less force, have less ability to control your body throughout the lift, increases your tendency to dump forward with heavy weight at the top and decreases the lats ability to contract maximally and do what they are supposed to do.
Drag It, Stretch It, Shorten It, Meet It, Smash It-5 Tips for a Bigger B...
I am going to give you the tips that we give you our lifters, our new clients and anyone who wants to bench. I like to make it simple and I think this will help you to understand how to bench a lot better.
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift-BIG AIR Part Duex
Last week I wrote about how to SMASH more weight and get Strong(er) by using your ability to take in air and brace your abs. I also said I had more drills to assist you.
Guess what?
Here is another one.
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift-BIG AIR
There is no classy way to describe lifting the pelvic floor so here goes:
We all know what it feels like to have to go potty really bad right?
We all should know how to hold it as well so we don’t have accidents.
That is lifting the pelvic floor.
What? You blew out your ACL? Wait, this is how not to do it. + Arnold Up...
Did I mention that I went out to eat with JL Holdsworth and a few friends the night before and he pulled to old “Z and Todd” routine on me?
Arnold Classic Updates and 5 Tips to a Bigger Bench Press
5 Tips to a Bigger Bench Press
Everyone loves the bench press and there are 1000 articles on how to do it. Many of us learn better by seeing things, so I had Russ Smith whip up a video on Bench Press tips.
Hopefully seeing these cues will help you transfer them to your bench better than reading.
New Bench Press Exercise + Arnold Updates
I think this may have some value beyond being a warmup drill. If you do it correctly, you are driving your lower body as hard as you can, you are pushing your belly up to meet the bar and you are driving the hips as hard as you can off the chest.
This is all a lot easier to do with
Outside the Realm: No, It’s Not Game of Thrones
At TPS and many other places, the primary client that we service is the LBN seeker. Virtually all clients that come in for Personal Training have the same goals.
Squat and Bench Quick Fix -Eliminate Hip Pain
When the hips are jacked up we have trouble getting depth in the squat, getting hip drive in the bench and pain.
Pain is never good. It’s your body telling you something is wrong.
Squat and Bench Quick Fix-Get Rid of Elbow Pain
How many of you get pain in your elbows when you squat or bench, or on other exercises?
Probably a lot.
Many times we can’t figure out why the problem won’t go away after countless strokes on a foam roller or a barbell or by using lacrosse balls.
The answer is easy; the neck bone is connected to the foot bone dummy.
Murph's Top 10 Exercises With The Biggest Carry Over
These training movements provide benefits helpful to every kind of lifter, athlete, or strength enthusiast. No matter what you're trying to accomplish, they can help.
Part 2: Top 5 Exercises That Carry Over to Everything-OR Exercises to Ma...
After some thought I felt I needed to revisit this. Yes, I still believe that ones I listed before are the Top 5, this is part 2 and maybe we should re-name it to the Top 10.
Anyway, here are the exercises in no particular order.
Deadlift Quick Fix
When we start in a bad position or we fire in the wrong order, we generally see the lower back become a mover as opposed to a stabilizer in the deadlift.
3 Ideas on Making Assistance Work Less Boring and Stupid
Pick a number:
I love this, especially with body weight and bands.
Pick a number for an exercise like Average Band Pushdowns. Let’s say it’s 100 total reps.
Do as many reps as you can without hitting complete failure, write the number down, then continue until you have hit the total reps. Let’s say you did 35 reps the 1st set, you have
New Years’ Resolutions
I love singles.
I feel they have a place in training especially if you don’t abuse them and do a max single all the time.
They allow you to really focus on form and speed.
Tension Makes the Weights Go Round
When we lift it is critically important to create tension in the body in order to:
Avoid injury
Activate the nervous system
Activate more muscle fiber
Move the weight fast
Smash big weights
Make your head turn purple
Get
Meet Updates and Merry Christmas
It's gonna be quick this week.
I have to get out of the office, get home, get changed and get to a Christmas party and rink some of the Whiskey I got as gifts.
I'd like to start off with an excerpt from an email I sent to my list about Christmas, so here goes:
Back to Normal-Finally
You may recall that I am a person who likes routine and order, I’ve written about it before. I am not a huge fan of chaos, unless I have a few whiskeys in me than all bets are off.
Just ask Spud, Selkow or even the dashingly handsome Casey Williams.
Gym Updates
Words cannot express how grateful I am for all of the help.
This shows me that my team and I have created something great here.
I doubt a big box gym would have their members help like this.
Quick Update
I wish I had time to post a full log entry for you all this week but I am busier than a one armed paper hanger.
Old Ladies and Elite Totals + TPS Moving News
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of handling my good friend, co-worker, Business Manager and training partner, Jane Stabile at the RPS Gate City Gauntlet in Nashua New Hampshire.
Listen to Your Body, It’s Smarter Than You
Your body is an incredibly smart and efficient machine. It tells you things all the time, things you need to know. You just need to smart enough to hear it.
Quick Fix: The Bench Press Handoff + Happy Veterans Day to all the Vet...
I’d like to give you a quick fix that I feel will help you right now. I didn’t have time to shoot pictures so I’ll be as descriptive as I can.
The handoff is a spot where you can waste a lot of energy or save a lot of energy and it can make or break a 2nd or 3rd attempt.
Quick Fix: The Squat-Walking It Out
Walking out the squat is one of the things I see done wrong more often than almost anything else.
It drives me crazy because it is the least technical thing about the lift and mistakes here WILL cost you pounds on the platform and can increase the risk of injury.
The Value of Repetition Work and Intern Interviews
Lots of people like to bash bodybuilders as not being strong, but I know some really strong ones. Bodybuilders do tons of rep work with tons of weight. If you calculated the tonnage of their training it would look like a Sheiko program.
RPS Powerlifting Meet Updates and Moving News
So I’ve spent the entire day going back and forth between the new building and the current one, sitting in staff meetings, and trying to get a bench session in. It all started this morning at 9:00 am when I went to the new space. I’ve been pretty jacked up because it seems like there is never anything going on
The Meet is This Week and; Murph Does Crossfit?
You see the event goes like this: flip a 600 pound tire 75 feet, flip an 800 pound tire 75 feet, then flip a 1000 pound tire 75 feet and then STACK them on top of each other. Once that task is done the need to run back and carry Atlas Stones 75 feet until all implements are across the
Brain Dump: Thoughts on equipment, technique, focus and the value of hav...
I came up with the topic of today’s entry during this morning’s bench session. We have a slew of lifter’s wrapping up their prep for next weekend’s big RPS meet that TPS hosts. My regular crew of Russ, Phil, Sabra, Jane, Kevin and Brennan were joined by one of our lifters Nicky, who usually trains by himself.
Training Updates, a Cry for Help and FREE Met Con Circuits You Can Use NOW
So this week was a test week of sorts. I worked up to doubles on the squat and bench. On Monday I hit a fairly easy 425 that moved very fast and decided to shut it down there. My hip was virtually pain free and I was happy with that number.
Powerlifting: Choosing Openers
Let me begin the real point of this article by pointing out a few things. Most of which have been written about ad nauseum.
No one cares what you open at but you.
Your opener is a lift to get you in the meet.
Your opener should/could be considered your last
The Press, Why It's Awesome and How to Do It
Oh and on October 17th and 18th we are hosting the TPS/RPS Power Challenge at the Everett Rec Center. We have over 200 lifters registered over two days. We are raising money for the Everett Pop Warner Football program too. We need an army of spotters and loaders to help us out. Getting volunteers is not a problem for our
TPS News and My Top 5 Exercises That Carry Over to Everything
I am now going to lay down my Top 5 Exercises That Carry Over to Everything.
These are exercises that build strength that carries over to just about anything you are doing and can be worked into any training program regardless of goals. They help powerlifters, strongmen, Crossfitters, people who are interested in getting more fit and jacked and athletes of
How to Not Kill Yourself In the Gym
Murph is the founder and owner of Total Performance Sports. He is a multiple award-winning trainer and serves on the Advisory Board for Men’s Fitness magazine and Muscle and Fitness magazine. Murph has over twenty years in the industry and trains numerous championship-winning amateur and professional athletes.
Top 5 Stupidest Exercises Ever
I love giving articles names like this, must be from writing for the fitness magazines for so long. It gets your attention and makes you want to read it to see if you are doing stupid exercises.
Let me begin by saying a stupid exercise is better than sitting on the couch, maybe. In reality, all exercises have some benefit but
Top Secret Deadlift Assistance Exercise + TPS Updates
So now that we have that over with, let’s talk about the Top Secret Deadlift Assistance Exercise.
I call these Koklayev Deadlifts because I learned them from Mischa Koklyaev when he was here for the Russian Strength Seminar with Boris Sheiko.
They're Called Wrist Wraps-How to Wrap Your Wrists Properly for Big...
As many of you know I am a gear whore, not like Jo Jordan, but a gear whore nonetheless. I want to get the most out of my gear and I want you to as well so here is the problem:
They are called wrist wraps, not forearm wraps.
Floor Press Tips to Smash More Weight on the Bench Press
Everyone wants a bigger bench right?
Who doesn’t?
Communists that’s who.
Strongman, Strongman, Strongman
We are proud to host the 13th annual North American Strongman Mass. State Championships to benefit the Chelsea Soldier Home. We have been doing this for a long time and look forward to it all year.
Why don’t you wash your hands? + Training Journal Tips
I was in the men’s room a few minutes ago and as I was washing my hands I saw a guy come out of the poop stall and totally bypass the sink.
I know he wasn’t changing in there. He was making his business and did not wash his hands.
Really?
Did we learn nothing form the Dark Ages?
Does he no care about
Time for Something New + Deadlift Suit Tips AND a Sample Week of the New...
I am changing up the team’s training a little this cycle to see if it works better.
We normally follow a Squat, Bench and Deadlift program with squat assistance on Squat day and Bench assistance on Bench Day, and finally Deadlift assistance on Friday with a fourth day of pressing and upper body bodybuilding movements.
So far it has worked very well.
Since
Steven Segal was Hard to Kill, I Am Not
I get up at the same time every day, I go and eat breakfast with the same bunch of guys every day, I go to work and have a routine. I go home at the end of the day and repeat it all the next day.
It works for me so if you were trying to kill me I am an
Powerlifting Experience 2 Wrap Up and Some Thoughts Geared Lifting
I had the honor and pleasure to be invited to coach at the EliteFTS Powerlifting Experience 2 last week.
I have been to the compound to coach and speak many times and each time I am honored, awed, humbled and excited at the prospect of doing this.
What a Father's Day Weekend You Missed.
When we got in I figured since the boy always falls asleep during the headline acts second or third song, I better get some caffeine in him. I paid about $8.00 for a Diet Coke and $14.00 for a can of Bud.
I don’t know about you but if I am paying $14.00 for a can of Bud, I want four
OH NO! I did it again + Free Training Template
The session went really well, I was toast after and I started on my recovery work.
It’s pretty standard for me. Roll, stretch, dip, eat.
Top 5 Exercises You are Not Doing
Writing articles with catchy titles like “Why you suck” or “How to get jacked”, or “Top 5 Exercises You are Not Doing” is good because everyone wants to know why they suck, or how to get jacked right?
Well, the thing that is even better is that you may actually pick up a good exercise or tip in one of these
Top 5 Assistance/Accessory Exercises for the Deadlift
Back in the day I had a pretty good pull, 710 with just a belt. Now, not so much but I still love it. The Deadlift for me is the most mental and the most satisfying lift of the three contested lifts. It’s you, the bar and no stretch reflex. It takes speed, strength, ball and an assload of mental
Top 5 Assistance/Accessory Exercises for the Bench Press
I am dealing, as I said in the last article with primarily RAW lifters these days and I would list different exercises for geared lifters. I can also tell you that my opinions may change on this subject.
As a matter of fact, narrowing it down to only 5 is really tough, so I am sure once I post this I’ll
Top 5 Assistance/Accessory Exercises for the Squat
Let’s start off with a description of what the difference between assistance and accessory exercises are.
This is easily confused and may be semantics, but go with me here.
Assistance exercises for one of the main lifts are those that build the lift and add strength in 3 planes of movement. They are big, compound exercises.
FREE 12 Week Powerlifting Program
This could have easily been an EBook for sale, but in the spirit of Live, Learn and Pass on, I am giving it to you free.
In exchange for the FREE program I ask that you leave a comment and let me know what you think and what you would like me to write about to help you.
Internet Trolls
Let’s begin this log with me stating that like that girl you met on Tinder that says I never did this before, I really never do this.
What do you do when life kicks you in the jimmies?
Well, you can't beat a man who will never give up, so that makes me unbeatable.
Fixing Squat Problems-Female Quad Dominance
Have you ever seen someone squat and when they get to the bottom they slide off the heels and the knees cave in and all of the weight goes to the mid foot and toes? I call this the Quad Slide.
The value of high volume training explained
High volume training has its place as does backing off and lowering the volume. So why would you add high volume work into your training cycle?
Riddle me this: What do Sheiko, Koklyaev, Hatfield and Bryant have in co...
Next Saturday, April 18th, Dr. Squat-Fred Hatfield and Josh Bryant (of TeamEliteFTS) are coming to TPS to do a FREE to our members and friends seminar on getting brutally strong and fast.
RPS Meet Report for Team TPS
My team of lovely ladies in the TPS Method for Powerlifting competed this weekend in Connecticut at the RPS New England Revolution.
What do you do the week before the meet?
There are as many different approaches for what to do before a meet as there are coaches and I’ll tell you what our lifters do.