Barbell Barbell resources from SF instructors

[Benjamin Renaud]

Hello everyone, I was wondering what your favorite resources were for barbell instructions from SF instructors.

My go to channel for kettlebells has been Louka's harstyle kettlebell pro. I was wondering if there was something similar in the SF world but with more barbell content.

I know there are tons of great resources out there but was mainly looking for ones from SF instructors.

Thank you all and happy new year!

 

[silveraw]

Dr. Michael Hartle https://www.youtube.com/@dr.michaelhartle9714

That is pretty much the only "SF forward" channel I've come across. There is an unfortunate lack of barbell and strength sports in the SF youtube space. At least what I've come across. Its pretty much Louka holding down the SF space on Youtube.

But there are a ton of great Non SF channels out there. (by SF I mean do they have a logo prominently displayed)

Squatrx is some guy that talks about squats a bunch: https://www.youtube.com/@squatrx

Dan John posts his podcast on youtube. So not really a "Youtube channel" but more of "Podcast with Video". https://www.youtube.com/@DanJohnStrengthCoach

Alan Thrall is highly accessible and puts out great content. https://www.youtube.com/@AlanThrall

Bromley has been cranking out quality content for a while now. https://www.youtube.com/@AlexanderBromley

And of course the RP guys have a wide ranging channel from diet to bodybuilding to powerlifting. https://www.youtube.com/@RenaissancePeriodization

Edited the awful formatting

 

[Conor]

A few things come to mind when it comes to barbell and Strongfirst.

Firstly I’m a huge fan of @Fabio Zonin when it comes to Barbell programming, so he’ll feature heavily here. The Reload book by Pavel and Fabio is fantastic but a pretty high volume of work so only appropriate if you’re intermediate to advanced.

Secondly are the various Built Strong programs available at Strongandfit.com, all of which have a variety of barbell options and some basic instructions on the lifts, also targeted more to intermediate lifters but can work well for beginners if you have a coach to help on form.

There is also the Strongfirst barbell fundamentals course which has some great cues for 6 primary lifts if you want some more basic instructions on form but less in the programming. Better for a beginner.

Finally, for a really specific deep dive into one lift there’s the Knock ‘Em Dead Deadlift course which has great instruction into the lift and 2 killer programs.

 

[Luis T. Gonzalez]

My go to is Bromley. He speaks very highly of Pavel’s work. Unfortunately much of the resources have gone more to kettlebells. But the good thing is you can learn a lot from any powerlifting/strongman source. Fabio Zonin’s book reload is awesome. There isn’t technique taught so it’s assumed you know how to perform all the exercises.

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

Thanks @silveraw , @Conor and @Luis T. Gonzalez for the replies.

I'm mostly looking for instructional videos, something along the lines of the SF barbell fundamentals. I've only ever done barbell deadlifts and my 14 year old daughter is going to the gym for phys ed classes at her high school and I wanted to pass on some basic barbell knowledge to her. I showed her quite a few things with regards to training in the past year, mostly bodyweight and KB DLs and goblet squats. I just thought I might as well learn and teach her a bit about the barbell since they mostly have machines and a few barbells at her school gym and she showed interest in doing something other than machine style bodybuilding.

I already have PTTP and Deadlift Dynamite books but felt like some videos might be more accessible for my daughter than training books.

There's no need for any programming knowledge at this point beyond PTTP or basic 3 to 5 as this is all about learning the lifts.

I'll look up the channels you guys suggested for some basic instructional videos and will most likely find what I need to get us started.

EDIT: I think Bromley and Thrall will do nicely for my needs.

I will most likely pay Louka a visit as he's my local SF instructor when I feel like we've done our homework a bit and are ready for some in person lessons.

Cheers!

 

[John K]

Thanks @silveraw , @Conor and @Luis T. Gonzalez for the replies.

I'm mostly looking for instructional videos, something along the lines of the SF barbell fundamentals. I've only ever done barbell deadlifts and my 14 year old daughter is going to the gym for phys ed classes at her high school and I wanted to pass on some basic barbell knowledge to her. I showed her quite a few things with regards to training in the past year, mostly bodyweight and KB DLs and goblet squats. I just thought I might as well learn and teach her a bit about the barbell since they mostly have machines and a few barbells at her school gym and she showed interest in doing something other than machine style bodybuilding.

I already have PTTP and Deadlift Dynamite books but felt like some videos might be more accessible for my daughter than training books.

There's no need for any programming knowledge at this point beyond PTTP or basic 3 to 5 as this is all about learning the lifts.

I'll look up the channels you guys suggested for some basic instructional videos and will most likely find what I need to get us started.

EDIT: I think Bromley and Thrall will do nicely for my needs.

I will most likely pay Louka a visit as he's my local SF instructor when I feel like we've done our homework a bit and are ready for some in person lessons.

Cheers!

I don't honestly know/follow anyone who's like "the SF barbell guy" that puts out decent amount of content. I'd love to learn of a few.

If you're looking for free instructional content, Barbell Logic has some GREAT videos on the lifts. They put out a TON of free content that is pretty good (older stuff was better IMO) as a "lead generator" - their idea is if they give you a lot of great info you'll be more likely to buy coaching. Anyways, they're not SF but I think they have a solid approach.

Here's their beginning barbells landing page. It introduces their recommended beginner program (basically a Starting Strength program), but also great "how to" videos squat, bench, deadlift, and press.

Beginning Barbells

These barbell exercises are the basis of every barbell-based strength program. Learn to do them correctly with videos and descriptions.

barbell-logic.com

 

[Luis T. Gonzalez]

Thanks @silveraw , @Conor and @Luis T. Gonzalez for the replies.

I'm mostly looking for instructional videos, something along the lines of the SF barbell fundamentals. I've only ever done barbell deadlifts and my 14 year old daughter is going to the gym for phys ed classes at her high school and I wanted to pass on some basic barbell knowledge to her. I showed her quite a few things with regards to training in the past year, mostly bodyweight and KB DLs and goblet squats. I just thought I might as well learn and teach her a bit about the barbell since they mostly have machines and a few barbells at her school gym and she showed interest in doing something other than machine style bodybuilding.

I already have PTTP and Deadlift Dynamite books but felt like some videos might be more accessible for my daughter than training books.

There's no need for any programming knowledge at this point beyond PTTP or basic 3 to 5 as this is all about learning the lifts.

I'll look up the channels you guys suggested for some basic instructional videos and will most likely find what I need to get us started.

EDIT: I think Bromley and Thrall will do nicely for my needs.

I will most likely pay Louka a visit as he's my local SF instructor when I feel like we've done our homework a bit and are ready for some in person lessons.

Cheers!

I did purchase the barbell basics instructional before because I feel like when you listen to different people you can always pick up some pointers you may not get from individual coaching and other videos. I think the barbell basics video on strong first is about $99 with solid content. But as far as you tube I don’t know of any free videos for barbell. Honestly for the price, a one on one session with a powerlifting/strongman coach is usually like $60 for a couple hour session and will give you way more information. That one on one coaching is way more valuable than anything. And she would most likely be able to walk in and see another girl who is strong and fit which will likely have more of an impact than what you could give her from a video. It’s always more impressive to have that in person experience….

 

[Mark Limbaga]

I'd put the in person lessons first as that will speed up the learning curve..

I consider myself lucky as the gym where I used to sublease a former apprentice of mine was a semi competitive powerlifter so any questions on the barbell I had I got to ask him immediately

 

[Bauer]

Hello everyone, I was wondering what your favorite resources were for barbell instructions from SF instructors.

My go to channel for kettlebells has been Louka's harstyle kettlebell pro. I was wondering if there was something similar in the SF world but with more barbell content.

I know there are tons of great resources out there but was mainly looking for ones from SF instructors.

Thank you all and happy new year!

Interesting observation.

I like Jason and Lauren Pak, who used to be SF certified. They've built their own brand and their channels are more geared towards the general population now (incl. some follow along dumbbell workouts), but I still follow them because they deliver high quality content.

Jason has a lot of shorter technique tips on instagram, less often also on youtube, I think.

Jason Pak & Lauren Pak on Instagram: "How to “fix” a rounded back during deadlifts! I used to always tell my personal training clients “chest up” whenever they would round their backs over during deadlifts. But it never addressed the problem. They

13K likes, 72 comments - jasonandlaurenpak on October 25, 2023: "How to “fix” a rounded back during deadlifts! I used to always tell my personal training clients “chest up” whenever they would ...".

www.instagram.com

I think if you went back something like 2-4 years in their insta channel, you would find more barbell content.

Maybe @Anna C has some recommendations?

Edit: @Benjamin Renaud: How are things going with your training and your joints? In the old forum design I remember often reading your log and following your rehab/prehab journey, mostly with bodyweight stuff.

 

[DocMike]

Best advice to do join in and go to an SF BB instructor course. The course is very well laid out and the manual is well done.

 

[Anna C]

Maybe @Anna C has some recommendations?

Unfortunately I do not. StrongFirst is woefully unrepresented in barbell training as far as free resources or instructors putting out consistently representative content. Maybe we can entice @Catherine Buck Le to focus on barbell videos this year. Among all the great kettlebell and bodyweight videos, Cat and Chau do have one good one on the barbell deadlift.

StrongFirst barbell training is very basic -- which is GREAT -- I believe in keeping it simple so people can and will do it! But that quickly leads to a lack of depth to explore more nuances of barbell strength training. There certainly exists a depth of knowledge beyond this -- Master SFGs Doc Hartle, Jason Marshall, Fabio Zonin, Brett Jones, Jeremy Layport, and of course Pavel, and others who are at other levels of leadership or certified instructors -- but is somewhat based on individual experience and a lifetime of learning from many sources. So I think we quickly get out of depth in teaching "StrongFirst methods" specifically, when we go beyond the basics.

My own barbell journey went something like this: After a few years of kettlelbell training and pretty much just deadlifting with the barbell, I went to the StrongFirst barbell course, trained on my own for a few months, then did SFL (article). The following year, wanting to go deeper, I was looking for more resources and was referred to Starting Strength, which at the time (early 2018) included the Barbell Logic folks who are now separate, as well as Barbell Medicine who are also now removed (Alan Thrall went with them). Finding a ton of great resources among those groups, I did the SS Novice Linear Progression and more intermediate training and attended several of their courses and events. These days I am more into barbell weightlifting which led me to totally different sources like Catalyst Athletics and Squat University. I still follow Barbell Medicine because I love their health emphasis and evidence-based approach but have mostly unfollowed the rest.

Best advice to do join in and go to an SF BB instructor course. The course is very well laid out and the manual is well done.

There is also the Strongfirst barbell fundamentals course

Agree! These are great resources (though not free).

I like Jason and Lauren Pak, who used to be SF certified. They've built their own brand and their channels are more geared towards the general population now (incl. some follow along dumbbell workouts), but I still follow them because they deliver high quality content.

+1, but definitely more general population.

 

[Conor]

EDIT: I think Bromley and Thrall will do nicely for my needs.

I really like Alan Thrall’s videos for the quality of the content, though there’s a lot of personality to them which may not translate well for your daughter. I’ll also have to check out Bromley given the multiple times he was suggested here.

 

[Don Fairbanks]

Thanks @silveraw , @Conor and @Luis T. Gonzalez for the replies.

I'm mostly looking for instructional videos, something along the lines of the SF barbell fundamentals. I've only ever done barbell deadlifts and my 14 year old daughter is going to the gym for phys ed classes at her high school and I wanted to pass on some basic barbell knowledge to her. I showed her quite a few things with regards to training in the past year, mostly bodyweight and KB DLs and goblet squats. I just thought I might as well learn and teach her a bit about the barbell since they mostly have machines and a few barbells at her school gym and she showed interest in doing something other than machine style bodybuilding.

I already have PTTP and Deadlift Dynamite books but felt like some videos might be more accessible for my daughter than training books.

There's no need for any programming knowledge at this point beyond PTTP or basic 3 to 5 as this is all about learning the lifts.

I'll look up the channels you guys suggested for some basic instructional videos and will most likely find what I need to get us started.

EDIT: I think Bromley and Thrall will do nicely for my needs.

I will most likely pay Louka a visit as he's my local SF instructor when I feel like we've done our homework a bit and are ready for some in person lessons.

Cheers!

Yep, Bromley, Thrall, Rippetoe, Dave Tate ( Elite FTS ) Catalyst Athletics, Garage Strength, Strength University, Zack Telander, Kabuki Strength, Brain Carroll.

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

I'd put the in person lessons first as that will speed up the learning curve..

Honestly for the price, a one on one session with a powerlifting/strongman coach is usually like $60 for a couple hour session and will give you way more information.

I was actually registered for a BB workshop with Louka a few years ago but the date was changed I wasn't able to attend and never got a chance to redo it due to a nagging tendinopathy issue that still affects me today.

I also feel like doing my homework before a one on one session is what helped me get the most out of my past sessions with Louka. Going into a session knowing how to do a TGU and swings set me up for fine tuning rather than trying to learn everything on the spot. I was thinking of using the same approach with the barbell.

Best advice to do join in and go to an SF BB instructor course. The course is very well laid out and the manual is well done.

I was thinking of attending the 101 BB workshop at some point in the future as I actually tried to attend a BB workshop with Louka in the past but the date was changed and I was never able to make it.

Here's their beginning barbells landing page. It introduces their recommended beginner program (basically a Starting Strength program), but also great "how to" videos squat, bench, deadlift, and press.

Beginning Barbells

These barbell exercises are the basis of every barbell-based strength program. Learn to do them correctly with videos and descriptions.

barbell-logic.com

I still follow Barbell Medicine because I love their health emphasis and evidence-based approach but have mostly unfollowed the rest.

Thanks you two, I'll look these up.

Interesting observation.

I like Jason and Lauren Pak, who used to be SF certified. They've built their own brand and their channels are more geared towards the general population now (incl. some follow along dumbbell workouts), but I still follow them because they deliver high quality content.

Jason has a lot of shorter technique tips on instagram, less often also on youtube, I think.

Jason Pak & Lauren Pak on Instagram: "How to “fix” a rounded back during deadlifts! I used to always tell my personal training clients “chest up” whenever they would round their backs over during deadlifts. But it never addressed the problem. They

13K likes, 72 comments - jasonandlaurenpak on October 25, 2023: "How to “fix” a rounded back during deadlifts! I used to always tell my personal training clients “chest up” whenever they would ...".

www.instagram.com

I think if you went back something like 2-4 years in their insta channel, you would find more barbell content.

Maybe @Anna C has some recommendations?

Edit: @Benjamin Renaud: How are things going with your training and your joints? In the old forum design I remember often reading your log and following your rehab/prehab journey, mostly with bodyweight stuff.

Thanks for the information. I met Lauren and Jason (as well as Denzel Allen) at my OS cert about 10 years ago, they were both great people. I'll definitely look up their material, as I consider myself more general population with regards to barbell training.

With regards to my training, I'm still dealing with my hamstring/adductor tendinopathy issue after almost 3 years. I've managed to stay somewhat healthy and try to stay active as much as I can. I haven't given up on getting back to 100% and I am trying different approaches to attain that goal.

This issue is one of the reasons I haven't gotten in person coaching for the barbell. I'm limited in the amount of work I can do before I get flareups and tendon pain. That being said I can still pass on some training knowledge to my 2 older children as they have shown an interest in training and getting stronger. This is the main reason I'm trying to find accessible content for now.

I'll drop by your log and see how you are doing with your training, thanks for asking about my training/wellbeing.