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Stronger By Science publishes articles on topics like lifting technique (squatbench, and deadlift), body composition and hypertrophyprogrammingnutritionprehab and rehab, and cardio.

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Greg deadlifts 500 in early February,

What I Learned to Deadlift 500 Pounds

This is installment 2 in a (currently) 8-part series.  The first was “What I learned to squat 500 pounds.”  I’m planning on doing one installment for each 100-pound increment for squat and deadlift starting at 500, and each 50-pound increment on bench starting at 350.  Just as a refresher from the first installment: “There are three types of strong people. 1. Lucky ones 2. Injured ones 3. Smart ones Unless you’re simply a freak, getting

How to Implement Paused Squats

Before we get into this post on paused squats, I want to let you know about our giant How to Squat guide. It covers everything you need to know about every aspect of the squat – from biomechanics to correcting weaknesses to technique. Click here to open it in a new tab so you can check it out after you’ve finished reading this article.  It was brought to my attention that although I’ve written about the benefits of paused

Getting stronger: the evolution

What’s the difference between a beginning or intermediate lifter, and a more advanced lifter?  This seems to be a question on the minds of most people who’ve put in a little time under the bar.  They feel themselves straining with a 3-4 plate squat or a 4-5 plate deadlift, but then watch someone the same size squat 700+ or pull 800+.  It feels like, in spite of how far they’ve come, there’s an insurmountable gulf

The guide to straps

Of the many topics bantered around in the strength world, one of the most common is strap usage.  The reason I think it keeps coming up is that some people are so dogmatically opposed to strap usage, other people end up with the idea that they’re less of a man (or woman) if they ever use straps for anything.  With that in mind, here are my thoughts on when it’s a good idea to use

Some thoughts on overhead pressing

I’ve gotten several questions about the overhead press since posting my video about my favorite accessory lifts.  As a recap, I basically said I rarely do overhead work.  This has some people up in arms because in the past 3-4 years the importance of the press has been preached from a variety of sources, effectively to the point that its necessity for improving one’s bench is taken as gospel truth.  Luckily, I ignored those recommendations,

‘Strong’ is Determined by the Size of Your Pond

A friend of mine at the gym at school got sponsored not too long ago.  He does physique stuff (hasn’t actually competed, but is still jacked enough to pick up a sponsorship.  Pretty legit), so we come to a discussion with totally different paradigms.  He has helped me a lot with “feeling” muscles that don’t seem to want to fire properly, and I help him with approaching strength-based programming.  It’s a surprisingly productive relationship for

Thoughts on breaking plateaus

I got this question a couple days ago on fitocracy:  “Any tips or advice on bench press technique? Or plateaus, some of your experiences on busting through the damn things? That would be helpful.” As far as bench press technique goes, this is the best video I know of.  Unfortunately, the language is very NSFW, so if you’re easily offended, turn the volume off and just watch what he does. Plateaus, unfortunately, can’t be dealt

Gaining ground: a simple method to ensure long-term progress

The most successful method of long-term strength gains I’ve come across:  gaining ground. Here’s how it works:  You get a plate&quarter weight that you absolutely own (i.e. 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, etc.).  That’s your weight.  It’s not your PR.  It’s a weight you can hit every time you enter the gym, regardless of circumstances.  As you get stronger, you claim the next increment.  Then the next.  Then the next.  It’s sort of like a

What I learned to squat 500

Before we get into this post, I want to let you know about our giant How to Squat guide. It covers everything you need to know about every aspect of the squat – from biomechanics to correcting weaknesses to technique. Click here to open it in a new tab so you can check it out after you’ve finished reading this article.  There are three types of strong people. 1. Lucky ones 2. Injured ones 3. Smart ones Unless you’re

Meet Report: 100% Raw NC State Championships

This was the first meet that I actually made a real effort at peaking for.  It’s not that it’s the biggest that I’ve done, it’s more just that I never trusted myself to perform if I didn’t handle heavy weights right up to the meet.  I took my last heavy pull 2 week out, and my last heavy squat 10 days out.  I got 625 on both of them.  I took my last heavy bench

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