Every human should be able to do one pull-up. If you can’t, you’re either too fat, weak, or both. Pull-up ability is largely a function of strength to bodyweight ratio. This explains why some men can deadlift 700+ pounds while…
Blog Archives
SSPT Deadlift Training
The squat is the king of all exercises but the deadlift is the purest test of total-body strength. The deadlift primarily focuses on the musculature of the back, hips, and legs while recruiting just about as many muscles as any…
Upholding the Standard – Part 2
Own your performance and take responsibility for your actions. That was the mandate issued in Upholding the Standard in March 2012 and while the more things change, the more they stay the same. I measure individual powerlifting performances by the…
Requisites for Success
Success in athletics is easily quantifiable in a myriad of ways including PRs, scores, and winning. Success is neither an accident nor a coincidence. Achieving success is a process and the direct result of a set course of action. It…
Upholding the Standard – Part 1
There’s a definite line representing winning and losing. Accordingly, one’s performance is either above the line (winning performance) or below the line (losing performance). As Coach Tomlin advocates for the standard, he characterizes performances as being above or below that…
A Gym Rat’s Guide to the One-Rep Max
Show me a person who doesn’t want to be strong and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t get off the couch very often. The ability to move heavy objects and perform physically demanding tasks is just plain cool. When you’re…
Tagged with: bench, deadlift, going for max, how much cha bench, max, squat
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Training Specificity for Powerlifters
Navigating the tortuous road to athletic achievement requires a comprehensive roadmap. Motivated trainees are constantly searching for the latest protocol that will transport their performance to the next level. They will scour the Internet for the most recent training methodology.…
Tagged with: bench, deadlift, special training, squat, training, Training Specificity
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
A Powerlifter’s Guide to Attempt Selection
Selecting appropriate attempts, at powerlifting competitions, is a lost art. Too often, lifters fail to reap the rewards of a long training cycle because they select poor attempts. “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” – Henry Russell Sanders, UCLA…
Periodization and the Annual Training Plan – Part One
Serious and quantifiable improvement, in any quest, necessitates specific goals and objectives with imposed deadlines. If you merely want to get stronger this year, then visit your local gym and start working out. But, if you wanted to squat 500…
Tagged with: bench, deadlift, plan, powerlifting, programs, squat, training plans
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Discipline and Regret
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error…
The Pull-up
If the squat is the king of all exercises, then the pull-up should be acknowledged with the same royalty. Simply stated, the pull-up is the squat for the upper body. The squat is the unrivaled king of all strength training…
Rage Against the Machines
Gaining strength requires hard work and takes time. Novices can make strength gains and hit personal bests in every workout. More experienced trainees cannot make similar gains. Just because training with machines may save time, do not be the fool…
A Powerlifter’s Guide to Making Weight
The reality of competing in powerlifting is,that at some point in time, we all have to make weight. Making weight can make or break your lifting performance. For optimal performance a lifter should be at the very top of their…
Tagged with: beginner, bench, deadlift, making weight, squat, weight class
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Posted in Matt Gary Articles
Powerlifting Toward Wellness
Current statistics report approximately 70% of all deaths in the United States are caused by cardiovascular disease and cancer. A sustained wellness program of compound exercises, combined with appropriate eating habits, can help prevent death from these causes. Exercise selection…
Top 10 Mistakes Novice Lifters Make
Novice lifters make numerous mistakes that impair their overall performance. Fortunately most, if not all, of these mistakes are both avoidable and reparable. My wife and I are both active members of USA Powerlifting as competitors, coaches, and national referees.…
USA Powerlifting MARYLAND 