Uplift Strength

Uplift Strength I educate people on how to effectively strength train for their health and fitness goals. Health and fitness advice for "non-fitness" people.

07/28/2026

One of the reasons I like the trap bar deadlift so much is because it solves several problems that beginners commonly run into when learning to strength train.

First, the design of the bar allows you to stand inside the load instead of behind it. This keeps the weight closer to your center of mass, which generally makes the lift feel more balanced and allows you to produce force more efficiently. Less energy is spent fighting the position, and more can go toward actually lifting the weight.

I also like starting many people with the high handles. Elevating the handles reduces the range of motion, making it easier to find a strong starting position without requiring exceptional hip, ankle, or hamstring mobility. That doesn’t make it “easier” in a bad way—it makes it more accessible. As your strength, coordination, and mobility improve, you can always increase the range of motion by using the low handles.

Another benefit is that the trap bar deadlift reinforces what I think of as an athletic position: hips back, knees bent, chest tall, and a braced trunk. This is a position you’ll find yourself in during countless real-world tasks, whether you’re lifting a box off the floor, moving furniture, carrying heavy bags, or helping someone up.

Finally, it’s an incredibly efficient exercise. In a single lift you’re training your quads, glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, core, upper back, and grip while also practicing how to coordinate all of those muscles together to produce force. That’s one of the reasons compound lifts are such a valuable use of your training time.

No exercise is mandatory, but if your goal is to build a foundation of general strength that will serve you for years to come, the trap bar deadlift is one of the best places to start.

07/24/2026

225 is a big milestone, and it also gives us some useful information about where we can go next.

As weights get heavier, small differences in timing, coordination, and technique become more noticeable. In this case, I think there are a few things we can experiment with: staying a little more patient off the chest, getting more comfortable maintaining his position at the bottom, and introducing leg drive.

So over the next several weeks, we’ll add some paused benching and start working on leg drive.

But I don’t want to make the mistake of turning every technical observation into a technical problem that needs a special exercise.

Sometimes the answer is also just: get stronger.

We’ll continue training his chest, triceps, and shoulders and building the muscles responsible for producing force in the bench press. The paused benching and leg drive will simply be layered on top of that general strength work to help him express that strength more efficiently.

That’s one of the reasons I like occasionally testing heavier weights.

You get to celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but you also get information about what you might work on next.

225 is in the books. Now we keep building.

07/24/2026

One of the most interesting things about recovering from an injury is that loading isn’t just about getting stronger.

Loading is information.

After an injury, your body begins repairing the damaged area. New collagen is laid down, and over time that tissue goes through a remodeling process where it is continually broken down, rebuilt, and reorganized.

Mechanical loading is part of what helps guide that process.

That’s something I’ve been thinking about while working through my own hamstring injury.

The deadlifts, walking, and other movements you see me doing aren’t necessarily about pushing myself or seeing how much my hamstring can tolerate.

I’m simply giving the tissue exposure to force.

A little tension. A little movement. A little information about the demands I eventually want it to handle again.

And as my capacity improves, I can gradually increase those demands.

Injury can make us apprehensive about loading an area again. But eventually, returning to activity requires giving the body opportunities to adapt to those forces.

You don’t need to jump straight back into heavy training.

Start where you can.

Then give your body a reason to adapt.

‼️This is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

07/23/2026

Exercises aren’t the goal—they’re tools.

It’s easy to become emotionally attached to lifts like the back squat because they’re considered staples of strength training. But if a client feels awkward, uncomfortable, or simply isn’t interested in mastering that particular skill, it’s worth asking a better question:

What adaptation am I actually trying to create?

If the goal is stronger legs, there are plenty of ways to get there. If the goal is improving coordination, there are plenty of ways to challenge coordination. Those qualities don’t all have to come from the same exercise.

This doesn’t mean the back squat is a bad exercise. It’s an excellent exercise—for the right person and the right objective. But good programming isn’t about forcing everyone into the same movement. It’s about matching the exercise to the individual in front of you.

The best coaches don’t ask, “What’s the best exercise?”

They ask, “What’s the best exercise for this person, right now, to accomplish the outcome we’re after?”

When you start thinking that way, training becomes more flexible, more individualized, and often much more enjoyable. And when people enjoy training and feel successful doing it, they’re far more likely to keep showing up—and consistency is what produces results.

07/21/2026

I wish more beginners knew this:

The gym can feel intimidating because it isn’t a natural environment. Barbells, cable machines, and squat racks aren’t things anyone grows up instinctively understanding. They’re tools that people created to help us stay strong in a world that no longer demands much physical work from us.

So if you’ve ever walked into a gym and thought, “Everyone else knows what they’re doing except me,” you’re not alone—and you’re not behind.

Strength training is a learned skill, just like driving a car, cooking, or playing an instrument. No one is born knowing where to put their feet in a squat or how to adjust a cable machine.

The goal isn’t to know everything on day one. The goal is to learn one thing at a time, build confidence, and get a little stronger each week.

If I can help make strength training feel a little less confusing and a little more approachable, then I’m doing my job.

My DMs are always open if you’re ready to get started.

07/20/2026

One of the biggest shifts beginners can make is realizing that strength training and hypertrophy training are not the same thing.

Yes, both involve lifting weights.
Yes, both build muscle and strength.

But they often ask your body to solve different problems.

Strength training is about producing as much force as possible. The question becomes:

“What’s the most efficient way to move this load?”

Your body is free to coordinate multiple muscles and joints to accomplish the task as effectively as possible.

Hypertrophy training changes the question.

Instead of asking, “How do I move the weight?” you’re asking:

“How do I make this specific muscle contribute as much as possible?”

That’s why bodybuilding techniques often place a muscle at a mechanical disadvantage, reduce momentum, or limit assistance from other muscles. The goal isn’t simply moving the weight—it’s increasing the work done by the muscle you’re trying to grow.

This is why there isn’t one universally “correct” technique for every exercise.

Technique should always reflect the adaptation you’re trying to create.

The better question isn’t:

“Am I doing this exercise correctly?”

It’s:

“Am I performing this exercise in a way that matches my goal?”

When you understand that distinction, your exercise selection, technique, and programming all start to make a lot more sense.

07/08/2026

Most people think technique exists to make an exercise “look right.”

I don’t.

I think technique exists to make an exercise produce the adaptation you’re after.

Every exercise is a tool with a purpose. If you’re trying to build bigger shoulders, your technique should direct the majority of the stress to the shoulders. If you’re trying to improve balance, your technique should create the stability challenge you’re looking for. If you’re trying to build strength, your technique should help you express force efficiently.

This is why I describe technique as a modifier.

Technique modifies where the load goes, which tissues experience the greatest demand, how much stability is required, and ultimately what your body adapts to.

When you begin cheating reps, you’re not necessarily doing something “wrong.” You’ve simply changed the problem your body is solving.

Sometimes that’s intentional. Experienced lifters may use cheat reps to extend a set or overload a specific portion of a movement. But if your goal was to isolate a muscle or practice a particular movement pattern, cheating changes the stimulus—and therefore changes the adaptation.

That’s why every exercise should start with a simple question:

What adaptation am I trying to create?

Once you know the answer, your technique becomes much easier to define. It isn’t about looking perfect. It’s about making the exercise do the job you want it to do.

07/07/2026

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is assuming progress always means adding more weight.

Early on, your greatest adaptation isn’t muscular—it’s neurological.

Every repetition gives your nervous system another opportunity to improve intramuscular coordination, or how effectively a muscle recruits and coordinates its own motor units to produce force. At the same time, your body is improving intermuscular coordination—how multiple muscles learn to work together to create a smooth, efficient movement.

This is why the same weight often feels easier after a few weeks, even before you’ve built much new muscle. Your body is becoming better organized.

When you increase the load, you’re asking your nervous system to solve a new movement problem. The coordination demands change, even if the exercise stays the same.

That’s why beginners are usually better served by adding reps before adding weight. More quality repetitions mean more opportunities to refine the movement, improve coordination, and build a stable foundation.

Strength isn’t just about producing more force—it’s about learning to produce force more efficiently.

Master the movement first. The heavier weights will come.

07/03/2026

One of my favorite drills with clients—especially older adults—is simple:

“How many different ways can you get up from the floor?”

At first, most people only have one or two solutions. But as they get stronger, more coordinated, and more mobile, their movement options expand.

That’s the real lesson.

Every exercise is a movement problem your body is trying to solve. There isn’t always one “correct” answer—there are often many effective solutions.

A squat, a push-up, or even getting off the floor can all be performed in different ways. Technique isn’t about finding the one perfect movement. It’s about choosing the movement solution that best matches the goal you’re trying to accomplish.

The more movement options you have, the more adaptable and capable you become.

So the next time you’re training, don’t just ask, “Am I doing this right?”

Ask, “What problem am I trying to solve, and is this the best way to solve it?”

That shift in perspective can change the way you think about exercise forever.

07/03/2026

One of the hardest skills for beginners to develop isn’t learning exercises—it’s learning what enough effort actually feels like.

That’s why I teach beginners to look for 2 out of these 3 signs:

✅ Rep speed slows down
As your muscles fatigue, they produce force more slowly. If you’re trying to move the weight quickly but it naturally slows down, you’re likely approaching a productive training stimulus.

✅ Your breathing changes
As effort increases, your body demands more oxygen. Heavier breathing is a sign that the exercise is becoming more physically demanding.

✅ Your facial expression changes
Trying hard usually looks like trying hard. Your facial expression is often a good reflection of your perceived effort.

Why 2 out of 3 instead of all three?

Because effort looks different from person to person and exercise to exercise. Some people naturally grind slow reps, some exercises don’t slow down much before failure, and some people simply don’t show much on their face.

No single cue is perfect, but when at least two of these signs are present, you can be much more confident you’re training hard enough to create an adaptation.

Over time, these cues become less important because you’ll develop a much better internal sense of what productive effort feels like.

Happy training. 💪

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