The barbell bench press has often been described as the “king” of upper body strength assessments. It is utilized to assess strength in powerlifting competitions via a 1-repetition maximum (1RM) ...
Triceps Tendinopathy: How to Fix Elbow Pain During the Bench Press
Dealing with elbow pain during the bench press can be an annoying injury. Fortunately, with optimal management, you can overcome it. Here’s exactly how to do that. What Does “Tendinopathy” ...
Optimize Your Overhead Press Grip
In order to optimize your overhead press grip, you want to make sure of two things: optimal grip width and proper hand placement. Grip Width The optimal grip width is ...
How to Overcome Shoulder Pain During the Bench Press
Shoulder pain during the bench press can be tricky to manage, especially if it's been going on for a while. If you feel like you’ve tried everything, from foam rolling ...
Do the Reverse Band Bench Press for Pain-Free Shoulders
Shoulder pain during the bench press is an all too common occurrence. While there could be many reasons as to why, one thing is for sure: There's usually a way ...
Do the Board Press for Banged Up Shoulders
The board press has been utilized by powerlifters to improve lockout strength; however, it also has a key role for those struggling with banged up shoulders Shoulder Pain During the ...
A Better Way to Do the Band Pull Apart
The band pull apart is one of the most effective accessory exercises for overall shoulder health and stability. However, even it can be overused. With the majority of barbell pressing ...
5 Tips To Eliminate Shoulder Pain During the Bench Press
The bench press represents a staple upper body pressing exercise used to increase strength, power, and hypertrophy. Increasing your bench press press is a highly sought after goal for both ...
Weightlifting Belts: How They Work and When to Wear One
If you walk into any gym with a penchant for resistance training, you’ll see some common lifting equipment. In this instance I’m not talking about barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells; although ...
Conventional vs. Sumo vs. Hex Bar Deadlift: What's the Difference?
Whether you’re a field-sport athlete or barbell athlete looking to improve your health/wellness, there are two key lower body movement patterns that you should be using to build endurance, strength, ...
Exploring Posture and Deadlifts Through a Psychological Lens
Today is a big day for Barbell Rehab, as we have our first guest article! This article was written by Dr. Ben Geierman, PT, DPT, CSCS, and I think he ...
You Don't Need to Toe Touch to Deadlift Safely
Recently, I became engaged in a discussion about utilizing the toe touch as a screen to safely perform the deadlift. The rationale goes like this: In order to safely perform ...
Stop Fearing Spinal Flexion
The hip hinge is one of the most beneficial movement patterns any lifter should master. It enables you to safely and efficiently lift heavy loads off of the ground. However, ...
Stop Squatting Your Deadlifts!
While the squat may be considered the "king" of all exercises by some, the deadlift sure isn't a walk in the park. There's just something so primitive about picking up ...
Back Soreness After Deadlifts...Is It Normal?
The deadlift is one of the most technical barbell lifts, and there are many factors that can contribute to soreness in your lower back the next day. If you are ...
Stop Blaming Scapular Dyskinesis for Shoulder Pain
“What do you guys do for wonky shoulder blades?” It’s a common question that comes up as we teach our Barbell Rehab Method Certification course around the country, and we ...
The Utilization of Rating of Perceived Tolerance (RPT) as a Guide for Training with Pain
At Barbell Rehab, we advocate using Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) to help guide loading decisions for athletes in the weight room. Originally developed by Gunnar Borg in the early ...
Strength Training with Persistent Pain
Persistent, or chronic pain has progressively increased in prevalence over the past decades, with recent studies reporting between 11-40% of US adults dealing with persistent symptoms (1). If you are ...
Revisiting the Corrective Exercise Conundrum
It’s been almost four years since Ben Cormack, Jason Silvernail, and Nick Tumminello published “The Corrective Exercise” trap in the National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. I was just beginning ...
Working Out with Pain | Find Your Entry Point Exercise
Working out with pain can be a daunting task. You may have questions like: Is it ok to train through pain? Or, if an exercise hurts, what should I do? ...
Stop Blaming Pain on Bad Form
When it comes to pain during barbell training, there are a lot of factors to consider. While fitness and healthcare professionals alike are often quick to jump to “bad form” ...
The Case for the Hip Thrust in Pre-Operative ACL Rehab
Today's guest post is brought to you by Michelle Carroll, an online coach and personal trainer from Dublin, Ireland. She has a BSc in Radiography and is currently completing her ...
Squatting After a Hip Replacement
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more than 450,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the United States. Whether you’re an avid barbell lifter who’s ...
How to Pass the CSCS Exam
Interested in learning how to pass the CSCS exam? Well you've come to the right place. In today's guest article, Matt Casturo, CSCS, and founder of The Movement System, is ...
Returning to the Gym After an Injury: 4 Common Programming Errors
So it happened. You tweaked your back in the gym and it felt absolutely terrible for a week. Now you’re starting to feel better and you’re ready to get back ...
Weightlifting Belts: How They Work and When to Wear One
If you walk into any gym with a penchant for resistance training, you’ll see some common lifting equipment. In this instance I’m not talking about barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells; although ...
The Hip Thrust for Injury Risk Reduction in Female Field Athletes
In my opinion, the hip thrust is one of the most underutilized weapons in the arsenal of training female athletes. With potential transferable benefits in performance, injury risk reduction, and ...
Heeled Weightlifting Shoes for Squats | Do You Need Them?
The squat is one of the most commonly trained exercises in both performance-based and rehabilitation-based training due to its status as a “weight-bearing, compound exercise that trains multiple muscle groups” ...
Squatting After a Hip Replacement
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more than 450,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the United States. Whether you’re an avid barbell lifter who’s ...
High Bar vs. Low Bar Squat...Which One is Better?
When it comes to the almighty back squat, you will usually hear about two variations: the high bar vs. low bar squat. Which one should you choose? Is one better ...
Elbow Pain During Squats: How to Fix "Squatter's Elbow"
Elbow pain during squats can be an annoying injury for many lifters. While it's rarely debilitating, it often lingers around for a while if not properly managed. Before we get ...
Hip Pain During Squats: The Ultimate Guide
Over the past few years, I’ve released numerous videos and social media posts about hip pain during squats. Why? Because it’s a problem I’ve personally dealt with (and overcame) and ...
How to Effectively Screen the Squat
How to Effectively Screen the Squat How do you know if your client is “safe” to squat? Whether you’re a physical therapist or a strength coach, it’s important to know ...
Hip Shift During Squats
Hip shift during squats is a very common occurrence for many barbell athletes. A hip shift occurs when your hips move laterally towards one side or the other at the ...
Top 5 Squat Mobility Drills
People frequently say they are not "mobile" enough to squat to depth. As a result, they stop squatting and begin haphazardly and inefficiently focusing on mobility work. Here's the truth. ...