Author: Steve Freides
Steve Freides, StrongFirst Senior Emeritus Instructor and Director of Community Engagement for StrongFirst, Inc., is a professional musician who discovered strength training in 1997 by reading Pavel's "Power to the People!" while recovering from a herniated lumbar disc that left him bed-ridden for two months and walking with a limp for the next year.
Holder of a doctoral degree in music, Steve is a former college professor and synagogue choir director, and a current church organist and private music teacher. He also instructs individuals and small groups in StrongFirst methods and practices in his basement gym. Steve recently set a national powerlifting deadlift record of 170 kg (375 lb) in the United States Powerlifting Association, Raw Division, male 65-69 year old age bracket, and 67.5 kg (148lb) weight class, which you may watch on StrongFirst’s Instagram here.
Steve administers StrongFirst’s online community at the StrongFirst Forum and invites you to join him there.
Fabio Zonin, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor, and I independently discovered and practiced the same movement: a standing forward kettlebell press with a static hold. When I described it to Fabio and sent him a video, Fabio said, “Hey, I do that, too!” and subsequently Fabio invited me to discuss the new kettlebell exercise on an edition […]
Adding one-hand swings to your Kettlebell Simple & Sinister training can be daunting for some people. Here's a simple method for achieving that goal.
Serious strength is best built on a solid foundation of fundamental compound lifts, such as deadlifts, squats, and pressing. To ensure safety and maximize the benefits, that strength needs to be accessible across the movement’s full range of motion. Since not everyone starts off with perfect mobility, here’s a simple strategy to make you stronger […]
Strength kept me out of a wheelchair. In my early forties, I blew in my spine. After a year-plus-long rehabilitation, I started becoming strong—by deadlifting.
