Plans for Building Powerful Pushups

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article, Strength in Numbers, about my journey towards a set of 100 pushups. I used ’grease the groove’ (GTG) sets regularly throughout my day to achieve a high daily volume. With Pavel’s advice, I added cycles of explosive pushups using Strong Endurance™ principles. I became a sort […]

Getting to the Bottom of a Great Pistol Squat: 3 Tips to Improve Yours

The pistol squat is one of the hallowed movements among fitness lovers—especially bodyweight aficionados. While they’re not for everyone, if they’re in your repertoire you want them to be as clean as possible. A great pistol is smooth like a hot spoon through ice cream and effortless like this is how I always pick up […]

How to Increase your Pullups by 50 Percent (at Least)

Want to increase your pullup reps? How about improve your pullup technique? We have a program that delivers and, provided you follow its principles, is virtually foolproof. But it isn’t for the faint-hearted. Having a solid understanding of those principles will help, as will lessons learned in the field by top TSC competitor, Alex Tanskey.  […]

Stability for Greater Strength Gains

When is the last time you actually tested your stability? It might be time to re-assess. It only takes a moment, and if you happen to discover a deficiency there, some simple corrections will significantly improve your overall strength.

A 6-Week Program to Master the OA/OAOL Push-up

Mastery of the one-arm (OA) or one-arm one-leg push-up (OAOL) push-up is a process that will teach you many things about your body while providing surprising strength gains that carry over to many other skills.

Pullup Power: From No Reps to Getting Over the Bar with 36kg

Ah, the trusty pullup. Once a staple of every child’s PE class, it has fallen by the wayside as physical education in schools has declined. So even though pullups are still one of the best exercises you can do, for many people they’re nothing more than a distant memory of being yelled at by a […]

What Mastering Your Bodyweight Can Teach You About Lifting Iron

A common path for our students pursuing the StrongFirst Elite designation is to start with the kettlebell instructor certifications before earning the bodyweight and barbell credentials. All four—SFG, SFG II, SFB, and SFL—earn you Elite status. But the path isn’t written in stone. Our principles transcend modalities so you can get stronger whichever way you […]

Four Mobility Drills to Fix your Performance Killing Feet

We often blame our feet last for performance problems or tension leaks. But as our main connection to the ground, they are the foundation to all movement and the vessels through which we generate power and express our strength. Neglecting them is not an option. Learn four drills by  Master StrongFirst Instructor Karen Smith to […]

The Single-leg Deadlift: The Most Underutilized and Powerful Skill

Adding the SLDL into your training will improve your balance and help you hit personal records in your pistol, get-up, and barbell deadlift, while having carryover to many other skills.

Placement of the Free Hand in the One-arm Push-up

Understanding the principles behind each possible position for the free hand in the one-arm push-up can help accelerate the learning process by steering you and your students toward the most effective choice.