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What Mastering Your Bodyweight Can Teach You About Lifting Iron

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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 …

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What Chocolate Chip Cookies and Guinness Beer Can Teach You About Barbell Basics

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On the flight home from teaching a StrongFirst Lifter certification (SFL), I was thinking about the programming section and some of our discussions. One of the questions that always gets asked is: “What about assistance exercises?” My answer is simple—until you have spent at least a year working on the movements that we taught at …

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Reload vs Plan Strong—What is the Difference?

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By Fabio Zonin, Master SFG and Pavel Tsatsouline Earlier this year, we launched “Reload: Your Barbell Strength Blueprint,” a concise e-book featuring individually-tailored, nearly-foolproof strength programming. Some of our readers asked the question that became the title of this article. Here is our answer. Let us start by clearly stating which training philosophy each represents: Reload—American powerlifting cycling …

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Two Swing Cues to Unlock your Power, Posture, and Athleticism

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There is a big difference between swinging a kettlebell around and executing a powerful kettlebell swing. The first is common with kettlebell beginners who often start by mimicking what they think they are supposed to do. But learning where and how to focus their efforts, and what that power feels like, well, it leads to …

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The Key to Efficient Strength—Give and Take

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Regardless of their sport, high-level athletes have an astonishing ‘gift’ of making the most complex moves look easy. How? With years of practice. Learning how to balance and coordinate internal forces to deliver, or access, the power, strength, agility, and quickness they need at the exact right moment for ultimate performance. And that comes from …

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My Journey to the Beast: Pressing a 48kg Kettlebell

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How do you go from pressing 28kg to 48kg? At under 80kg bodyweight? With a technique-solidifying, base-building, high-volume press plan followed by a strategic peaking effort. But to develop a successful strength program, you need to understand programming fundamentals and your individual training parameters. Here’s how Myren Fu, StrongFirst Certified Team Leader and StrongFirst Elite, …

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Research Breakdown: Why Does Exercise Make us Healthier?

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Why does exercise make us healthier? One of the most important linkages may be due to improving our mitochondrial functioning. Healthier mitochondria may be the route to living better, healthier lives, while also being better in our sport or work. This article is the first in a series breaking down current research and how you …

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