If your warm-up is the appetizer, and your strength-based workout is the main course, then a post-workout stretching routine is the dessert (sorry for making you think about Creme brulee).
In this guide, we’ll cover it all (click to get to those sections):
Now, if you’re stretching as part of a strength training routine, you might be interested in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.
We don’t just focus on weight loss, but helping people level up their entire lives. That includes nutrition, mobility, goal setting, and even overcoming fears and becoming an actual superhero.
Okay, let’s get bendy like Gumby!
Beginner Full Body Stretching Routine Video
The Beginner Full Body Stretching Routine:
Reach above and fully extend your body.
Keep legs straight, bend forward and stretch for 10 seconds.
Stretch towards the left for 10 seconds, and then the right for 10 seconds.
With legs together bend forwards for 10 seconds.
Squat down and hug your knees to your chest.
Roll onto your back in the same position.
Kneel and lean back with arms extended and rock forwards stretching the lower back (repeat 3-5 times).
Sit with the bottoms of your feet together, lean forward and stretch (repeat 2 or 3 times).
You can do this routine both AFTER your strength training routine, and also on your off days. Do your best to stick with this routine regularly to get maximum benefits like increased mobility and flexibility!
Advanced Stretching Routine
This advanced stretching routine is a mix of yoga, stretching, tai-chi, pilates, and awesome.[1]
Although I move quickly through the movements to keep the video short, don’t confuse my movements with bouncing. Stretch as far as you can, hold it for a few seconds without bouncing, and then repeat the process
Is Yoga Good for a post-workout stretch?
Yoga is awesome.
It can help improve flexibility, strength, and mindfulness.
Plus, if you’re looking for a stretching routine to cool down with after your training, yoga almost seems built for it. Oftentimes a yoga routine will end in corpse pose, the perfect posture after a hard training session.
Here is a FULL yoga routine you can do anywhere. It’s a great routine to follow on your non-training days:
Instead, you should be doing a dynamic warm-up before you strength train (jump jacking, leg swings, arm circles) instead.
Coach Staci covers such a warm-up in this video:
As this study shows, “a dynamic warm-up” can also help reduce soreness after a workout.
Okay, back to stretching.
Stretching AFTER a workout CAN be helpful, but not for the reasons you’d expect!
Stretching hasn’t been proven to reduce soreness or improve one’s recovery time, but stretching CAN help improve flexibility.
This is super helpful if you have the flexibility and mobility of this robot:
So stretching after a workout allows you to work on flexibility and mobility without needing to worry about losing your strength (if you had stretched before your workout)!
And with improved flexibility comes improved performance in almost all areas of life (yup, even THAT).
Also, as you get older, your flexibility and mobility start to go…making you FEEL older.
If you can stay flexible, you’re more likely to stay happy and healthy for far longer.
Staying flexible keeps you active, and staying active keeps you young.
If you are interested in improving your mobility, make sure you check out these two guides:
How to Touch Your Toes– which will walk you through 4 stretches to help you reach those little piggy wiggies.
What’s that? You want even more stretching recommendations?
Depending on how you’re feeling, where you’re sore, and so on – you can throw in some additional movements:
#1) The Ballet Stretch
#2) The Full Body Stretch:
#3) The Back Stretch:
No matter what training you’re doing, whether it’s with bodyweights, actual weights, or running, always make sure you take some time post-workout for some stretching exercises: you’ll be improving your flexibility which gets more important every day you get older!
Before I dip out, if you want Nerd Fitness to help you along with your fitness journey, here are three ways we can help:
#1) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on your experience level, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program!
For example, let’s say you have an old injury and couldn’t perform one of our streteches. A Nerd Fitness Coach can work with you to create a customized routine for your exact situation.
Personally, I’ve been working with the same online coach since 2015 and it’s changed my life. You can learn more by clicking on the box below:
#2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!
Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Plus, you can take part in flexibility challenges alongside a group of nerds who are all trying to better themselves!
Try your free trial right here:
#3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.
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Alright, your turn:
Do you have any favorite post-exercise stretches?
Any difficult areas you try and troubleshoot after your training?
What do you do to help with post-workout recovery?
Let us know in the comments!
-Steve
PS: With all this talk on post-workout stretching, did you remember to warm up before your workout? I got you!
Disclaimer: We’re going to be discussing some issues that may be difficult for some going through a tough time. If you (or someone you know) aren’t coping so well, PLEASE see the links at the bottom of this article with some resources from all around the world. Obviously, we recommend discussing this information with your health professional – none of this is a diagnosis, but rather a starting point for discussion.
BUT, armed with the right weapons, we can ward off the winter monster, or even keep it in full hibernation.
From here, mental health wizard and resident NF Family Rebel Correspondent, Dan Schmidt, will take it away:
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Aside from being a really clever acronym, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that, spoiler alert, has a seasonal pattern.
It’s also known as:
Winter depression
Winter blues
Seasonal depression.
In a nutshell, SAD makes people with ‘normal’ mental health experience depressive symptoms at a specific time each year – most often winter.
SAD can be a cruel, powerful, and damaging arctic foe.
But armed with the right weapons, we can ward off the winter monster, or even keep it in full hibernation.
How Do I Know if I have SAD?
Most of us feel a little glum in winter…it’s natural to feel a little down.
Cold mornings, less time outside, and often it’s not as easy to get out and do our favorite things:
So for a lot of us, winter just sucks a little.
We’ve known something was up since the 6th century, but SAD remained a mythical creature until the 1980s in the West when it became officially recognized as a mood disorder. While we’re still not 100% sure of how it works; it’s pretty clear to see that SAD especially thrives in the cooler, darker climates.
For example, studies show[1] SAD’s prevalence in the U.S. ranges from around 1% in Florida to 9% in Alaska. Looking around the world, in Oslo, Norway, around 14% of the population will be impacted by SAD,[2] while us lucky buggers Down Under are barely impacted at all, with estimates that only around 1 in 300 Aussies (0.33%)[3] will experience SAD during the “winter.”
Yes, SAD can occur for some people during summer and other seasons, but this is particularly rare compared to winter prevalence.
Common SAD symptoms include:
low mood for most of the day.
loss of interest in your usual activities.
drowsiness and low energy (lethargy).
fatigue, irritability, and severe mood swings.
Irregular sleep patterns (too much and/or too little)
eating more than usual, especially craving sugar and carbohydrates, leading to weight gain.
loss of interest in things you normally enjoy doing.
intrusive or disturbing thoughts.
Depression is not just a fancy word for feeling “bummed out”, and SAD is just as serious as any other depression and needs to be dealt with promptly and effectively. (See the end of the article for a list of mental health services links.)
“But how do I know the difference between general winter glumness, or if I’m being mauled by the SAD beast like Leo in the Revenant?”
Ask yourself these questions:
“Do you feel like you can’t get yourself out of this rut?”
“Have you lost an interest in things that you usually enjoy?”
“Have you felt this way for more than two weeks?”
If so, then it could be time to have a chat with a professional and perhaps seek treatment. Once again, SAD is just as real and can be just as devastating as Major Depressive Disorder; the only difference is the yearly regular onset.
This bitter beast can take over someone’s entire wellbeing, and left untreated, the consequences can be devastating.
So let’s learn how we can slay the SAD, or even better, keep it in hibernation this year, so we nerds can continue to conquer all year round.
What is the best treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder? (Slaying the SAD Beast)
As with any injury or illness boss battle, you need to use the right medicine weapon to save the day. And there are many weapons you can equip yourself with to slay SAD.
Here is how to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder:
#1) GET SOME LIGHT:
Light helps the body produce serotonin (hormone that affects mood) and reduces the production of melatonin (hormone that makes you sleepy).[4]
Starting with natural light is best, even though it’s not always easy.If the sun happens to be peeking out from the clouds, try and get outside for a nice walk. Even on cold or cloudy days, outdoor light can help, particularly in the morning. Just make sure you bundle up properly. The Norwegians have a saying “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing!”
Also, making your work and home environments as light and airy as possible and sitting near windows can help too.
If you feel you’re just simply not able to get enough natural light, ‘Light Therapy’is generally one of the first weapons picked up to slay SAD.[5] It can start alleviating symptoms in just a few days. It’s incredibly simple, and sitting under bright fluorescent globes or in front of a therapy lamp (again, particularly in the morning) has shown to be effective against SAD[6] (Anecdotal, but I once met a young woman who started to feel better just by increasing the wattage of her bedroom lightglobes).
Be forewarned that Light Therapy is not appropriate for everyone, including people with bipolar disorder – talk to a professional if this is a route you want to take.
#2) EXERCISE AND DIET
Surprise, surprise, our old friends come to the rescue once again. It’s clear[7] that exercise is key in keeping the blues at bay, so rug up and take a long walk, and be sure to work out when possible.
Exercise and other types of physical activity help relieve stress and anxiety, both of which can increase SAD symptoms.
If you’re really keen to take on winter, try the Winter Is Coming Workout, and start building that summer body early. For those who don’t like the freezing weather, that’s cool (get it?), you can always do Steve’s 20-minute hotel room workout (pro tip: you don’t actually need to be staying in a hotel room to do the workout… that was $250 I’ll never get back).
As for nutrition – while there is no well-established link between healthy nutritional practices and a reduction in SAD symptoms. BUT, studies HAVE shown links between healthy eating – like the Mediterranean diet – and a decrease in general depression.[8]
So anything we can do to eat healthy this time of year may certainly help.
Plus, Steve has already highlighted that if you’re going to eat unhealthy foods during winter, let’s at least be smart about it and negate the impact the holidays have on our waistlines. Try your best to provide a counterbalance to those comfort foods, and keep your diet as close as you can to what it is the rest of the year.
#3) GET SOME VITAMIN D
When exposure to sunlight is low, your body makes less Vitamin D.[9] According to this study,[10] Vitamin D deficiency affects nearly HALF of the world population. It is important for overall health. Our friends over at Examine say that if your diet is decent and there’s only one supplement you’re taking, it should probably be Vitamin D during these upcoming months.
The research is a little mixed when it comes to Vitamin D’s effectiveness in battling SAD,[11] but some studies[12] do show an improvement to everyone’s depression scale scores (those with or without SAD). Overall, if you aren’t getting enough sunlight in the winter, consider picking up some Vitamin D!
Recommendations differ for the amount of Vitamin D needed – or if you even need it – so further blood work and a talk with your doctor is a good choice here.
Meditation has been shown to help alleviate symptoms of depression.[13] Now, you don’t have to shed all your worldly possessions and go live in the mountains:
But if you’re suffering from the winter blues, a simple mindfulness practice may help. Even just a few minutes a day can go a long way.
If you want, Nerd Fitness Journey, has a meditation adventure to help you build up the habit.
It’s free to try, right here:
#5) EMBRACE THE SEASON
Going back to foreign sayings – there’s a Danish concept of “hygge.”
While there’s no direct English translation, it essentially means coziness and comfort
Things like:
Wrapping yourself up in a blanket.
Enjoying a good book.
Or sitting by a warm fire.
So instead of lamenting the change of seasons – EMBRACE these other experiences that we get to enjoy.
#6) THERAPY
Talk Therapy (Psychotherapy) and cognitive behavioral therapy sound scary but really aren’t.
Psychotherapy focuses on helping you to build skills to deal with the stresses in your life, along with identifying and changing negative thinking patterns. Therapies such as these assist with relearning some of the patterns and thoughts in your life that aren’t doing you any good.
It can feel daunting and really weird ‘opening up’ to a stranger at first. But having a coach to talk through your negative thoughts and feelings, someone who can teach you to manage those better, is generally quite effective. Most people will notice an improvement in as little as two weeks. Really, the “weird” stigma is usually the biggest barrier to even doing the thing in the first place!
Finally, some people with SAD benefit from antidepressant treatment, especially if symptoms are severe. We’re not here to offer any medical advice, so please see your doctor if you think medication may assist you.
Moving forward with SAD (This too shall pass)
It’s normal to have some days when you feel down, and the holiday season can be especially hard for some.
When short days and miserable weather are piled on top of this, it’s easy to see why ‘winter blues’ is so common. But if you feel down for days at a time and you can’t get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, please speak to someone and see your doctor. This is especially important if your sleep patterns and appetite have changed, you feel a sense of hopelessness, you have intrusive thoughts, or you turn to alcohol/substances for comfort or relaxation.
Above all, take care of yourself this winter:
Be sure to get enough rest, and take the time to relax.
Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or health professional if you feel you’re having a tough time.
And if someone reaches out to you, remember: We are Rebels, we fight conventional wisdom and smash stigmas. Never leave a fellow nerd behind.
If you feel the bitter, arctic beast starting to rise from its summer slumber, remember that you are not alone, and there are ways to slay the frosty fiend. You are strong enough to beat this, and the entire Rebellion has your back.
Want a little more from us?
If you want to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness, we have three great ways for you to do so:
#1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the button below for more details:
#2) If you want an exact roadmap for getting fit, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Plus, we have Missions specifically designed to help you stay active, no matter what the weather is like outside.
Try your free trial right here:
#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
Alright, that does it for me. Rebels, take care of yourself and each other.
Do you have your own secret weapon to slay the SAD? We’d love to hear from all you Rebels about how you keep your mind healthy during winter; the more ideas we all have, the better! Let us know in the comments!
– Dan
PS – If you, or someone you know, would like further support, here are some excellent links and services that will get you started in the right direction:
Do you find your grip a limiting factor in the gym (I see you chin-ups and deadlifts)?
Or in everyday life (looking at you, pickle jars)?
If so, don’t worry! We’ve got a handle on this (pun 100% intended).
As the lead trainer of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, I’m going to outline a number of helpful, handy (sigh) stretches and exercises to help eliminate pain and build you some powerful, useful hands and a strong grip.
Now, it goes without saying that the hands and forearms are anatomically complicated areas.
I am also not your mother, or your doctor. If anything in the article below causes pain, or your pain is not alleviated by these stretches – call in the pros!
See a physical therapist or sports massage practitioner.
Why Grip Strength And WRist Mobility Is So Important: Basic Holds.
We use our hands for EVERYTHING.
Whether it’s everyday tasks like carrying groceries, opening jars, and lifting suitcases, or gym-related activities like chin-ups, rows, and deadlifts.
Of course, you probably also type at your computer for hours – with resulting aches and pains at the end of the workday.
Guess what?
Stretching out the hands and building up a strong grip can help in all of those areas.
A strong grip has even been correlated to lower mortality rates – and you can also imagine the usefulness of a stronger grip for aging individuals if they happen to slip.
Our point is that it’s always better to have a stronger grip!
This is a favorite area of expertise for me. I’ve worked my grip for years and years, and recently won a local grip competition:
In fact, I’m currently typing this one-handed while squeezing coal into diamonds with my other hand.
Not really, but I promise my grip strength is above average.
SO WHERE TO START?
The hands are complex, and training them can seem just as complicated.
We’ll simplify matters a bit and you can categorize the grip exercises into the following general types:
#1) CRUSH
This is what you probably think of when you think of a “strong grip”. This is the whole hand closing in around something. A strong handshake. None of that dead-fish handshake stuff!
#2) PINCH
Think of making an alligator mouth with your hands, and chomping down. In this grip, there tends to be a lot more work/stress on the thumb. This is important to work, as the thumb is a vital part of a strong grip!
#3) SUPPORT
This is similar to crush, but rather than the ability to close, this type of grip tests the ability to hold.
#4) EXTENSION
Every action has an opposite reaction, right? This type of grip work is all about strengthening the opposing muscles. We were built to grab and hold onto things, so these muscles will not be as strong.
Wrist movement and wrist stability is the focus here. In order to be able to transfer energy from the body through the hands (for opening those pickle jars) we need to make sure every link in the chain is strong.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
When putting together a grip routine of your own, it’s a good idea to cycle through these different types of grips over the course of the week, in order to work different muscles and different angles.
If you have to pick just a few, I’d put my money on stretches, crushing, and extension to get your hands strong and keep them healthy!
Before we go further, I want to mention that if you’re improving your grip as part of a strength training practice, you’ve come to the right place! We have a free guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, that will walk you through every aspect of building muscle and growing stronger. Want in?
Grab it for free when you join the Rebellion (that’s us!) below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
How to Improve Your Grip Strength and Mobility Quickly.
Here are the best exercises you can do to strengthen your grip quickly:
Dumbbell head grab: Put a dumbbell on its end and pick it up by the head. Could anything replicate a pickle jar more? Be careful with this exercise if the dumbbell is too big, as the thumb can easily be strained if it’s stretched too far. Hold for time (~30 seconds) or go for heavier weight.
Farmer’s walks: Grab a pair of heavy dumbbells (heavy for you) and walk around! Don’t have space to walk? Just stand there! 30 seconds minimum!
Plate curls: A wrist strengthener that works the biceps too! Anything past 25 lbs becomes insanely hard. ~10 repetitions. Watch the face!!
Plate pinches: If you’ve got a pair of smooth metal plates, you can sandwich them together with the smooth side out. You can also use thick bumper plates. Pick them up with one or two hands and hold for time (~30 seconds) or go for heavier weight. World class grip athletes can pick up a pair of 45 lb plates with one hand!
Barbell finger rolls: How to work the crushing grip without grippers. You can use an empty bar or load up some weight. Get the bar to your fingertips, then squeeze and crush! ~10 repetitions.
Towel chin-ups: Regular chin-ups too easy? Throw a pair of gym towels over the bar and challenge that grip. A great exercise to prepare for rope climbing!
Next, let’s talk about some stretches and exercises to perform at the gym.
#1) STRETCHES AT THE GYM
The only addition I have to your stretching routine that can be done at the gym is banded wrist stretches. The addition of the band can help open up your wrist joint a bit more. The band should be pulling in the opposite direction of the stretch (fingers face one way, band pulls the other way).
10-15 repetitions.
#2) EXERCISES AT THE GYM
While we recommend picking up some grippers as specialized grip equipment, there are TONS of options to work the grip at the gym with existing equipment! This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but should give you plenty of ideas.
The one warning I give for any of these exercises is WATCH YOUR TOES. The grip can give out fast and unexpectedly, so we don’t want to crush any little piggies!
This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it’ll get you started!
Other Easy-Grip Exercises to Integrate:
Bar hang: Simply hanging from the bar or gymnastic rings will build up your grip strength! If you can’t hang freely, put your feet on the ground for an assist. Couldn’t be simpler! Work up to one minute or more!
Wrist curls/Reverse wrist curls: What many may think of when they think of “grip strength” exercises. Not bad for some wrist strength. ~10 repetitions. Pictured – Left: Wrist curls, Right: Reverse wrist curls.
Barbell levering: We’re getting into crazy town with this one. An unbelievable wrist exercise that is not for the beginner. Grab the bar with one hand, off-center, and lift it to parallel. You can lift to the front and the back. I would also recommend using a 15 lb/5 kg bar, or one of those lighter “bodypump” bars for this. The leverage is crazy! This can also be done at a faster pace with PVC pipe.
Things can get really crazy when you start combining exercises…Plate pinch farmer’s walks with bumper plates, anyone?
…and speaking of NF Coaching, if you’re worried that your grip strength is holding back your training, we can help!
Our certified coaches can do an assessment, design a program to increase your grip and overall strength, and provide support and accountability. It’s kind of like having a coach in your pocket (not literally – via an app).
Plus, our coaching app lets you record and send a video of your movement directly to your coach, so you can take comfort knowing you’re training correctly:
How To Improve Grip Strength and Mobility At The Office.
Alright, you’re ready to jump into grip strength training!
I’ve outlined a number of stretches and exercises for you to do, no matter where you are and what equipment you have. Skim over and see what you can add to your daily mix or gym training!
#1) STRETCHES AT YOUR DESK
You might be reading this while sitting at your computer right now.
We put a LOT of stress on our hands and wrists over the course of a day, so take the time to take care of these hard workers!
Below is a quick and dirty stretch routine, just three moves. This is good for a warm-up or just for overall hand health. We spend a lot of the day at our computer with our elbows bent and our hands in a pronated position (palms turned down), therefore stretches with our elbows extended and hands supinated (palms turned up) is a good idea.
Fingers back, palms on desk: You can stretch straight backwards, or rock gently left to right. 10-15 repetitions.
Finger back, palms lifted off desk: You can lift the palms and get a bit more stretch through the fingers and first knuckle. Again, stretch straight backwards, or rock gently left to right. 10-15 repetitions.
Fists together, back of hands on desk: Make two fists, with the thumbs on the outside of your fingers. Bend your elbows and put the knuckles together like two cogs in a machine. Bend your elbows and put the back of your hands fully on the desk. Keep your fists together (this will be tough) and fists tightly closed (this will also be tough) as you bend and flex your elbows. 10-15 repetitions.
Give it a shot, I bet your hands feel noticeably different (and better) afterward.
If you have additional time, the first two stretches can also be done with your fingers forward!
You can also stretch the thumbs out on the desk. Moving into and out of the stretch shown below. You may be surprised how good this feels if you’ve never done it before. Again, 10-15 repetitions.
A final stretch, if you have the time between updating Excel and checking Facebook for the 100th time (I kid, I kid), is stretching your wrists in the direction of your thumb.
If you think about how your hands are often oriented on your keyboard, you’ll see that they are often bend toward your pinky.
So let’s stretch them in the opposite way! Make like you’re about to karate chop someone with one hand. With the other hand, grab the chopping hand and pull it sideways in the direction of your thumb.
Going gently into and out of this stretch for 10-15 repetitions. It may not feel as intense as the previous stretches, but it will still help.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list of hand and wrist stretches, but it should give you plenty to work with!
#2) EXERCISES AT YOUR DESK
Do you know there’s already an excellent piece of grip strengthening equipment present in many offices? What is that?
The rubber band!
Snag one off that rubber band ball in your desk and do these simple rubber band extensions:
If one band gets too easy, put two or more on! This is a super easy exercise to do while you’re on a phone call or that conference call (that you’re not paying attention to anyway) that gets the blood moving through the hands and helps balance out your vice-grip like hands.
Another grip exercise that can easily be done at your desk is closing grippers. Now, this does require an investment (~$20/gripper), but you’ll find that these grippers last FOREVER (I still use some grippers that are over a decade and half old!)
Consider the following when making your gripper purchase:
If you are just starting out with your grip, I would look at the Guide and/or the Sport (60lb and 80lb respectively).
If you have a bit of strength, the Sport and/or the Trainer is the way to go (80lb and 100lb).
If you can close the Guide, you’ve got a pretty solid grip. If you can close the Sport, you have way above average grip strength, in my experience.
A fun bonus with these grippers at your desk is that EVERYONE who sees them will try and pick them up and close them. Great way to start a conversation with your coworkers!
You may be thinking, “eh, I’ve already got a gripper I bought from the store”. I’ll tell you that the strength in that gripper is probably minuscule compared to Ironmind’s. Time to upgrade!
You may also be thinking, “eh, I’ve got a tennis ball/stress ball that I can keep by my desk and crush”. Both of those might be better than nothing, but not by much. The grippers will allow a smoother movement and quantifiable progress. Did I mention they’re just $20 a pop?
“Jim, I can’t wait. I want to work my grip NOW.” Ok, ok, grab the biggest, heaviest book in the office you have. Grab it in that pinch grip position (fingers on one side, thumb on the other). This may be easy, if so, then “walk the book” in your hand by moving your fingers up and down the spine while you hold it in mid-air. Do this for several trips. Tough!
How to Improve your Grip Strength and Wrist Mobility At Home.
If you work out at home, there are still a few things you can do.
Bar hang: A home chin-up bar is one of the most useful pieces of equipment to have. Just like the gym version, you can put your feet on the ground to assist. Work up to one minute!
Grocery bag farmer’s walks: What’s better than taking only one trip to bring your groceries inside? Absolutely nothing. You can use those tough, reusable bags and load them up with anything. Stand in place or walk around the neighborhood.
Sledgehammer/Barbell/heavy bar levering: As with the barbell levering at the gym, this is a tough exercise and should be approached slowly. Grab closer to the sledgehammer head to make it easy, farther to make it tough.
Get Started With Rings And Handstands, Level Up Your Grip!
No (wo)man is an island, and no exercise exists in complete isolation. These grip exercises are a blast, but we hope you can also use them to help strengthen a deadlift, or work toward your first chin-up.
There are also various bodyweight exercises that will help strengthen your upper body AND build your grip strength at the same time.
#1) THE FALSE GRIP HANG
For example, here is a video from our rings course in Nerd Fitness Prime on doing a false-grip hang – and then doing scapular retractions. This is a killer grip strength exercise:
The false grip is an incredibly challenging grip variation that one must learn to build up to a muscle-up (a pull-up that transitions into a dip). Just like before, you can put your feet on the ground to assist this exercise.
#2) CROW POSE
Here’s a video of an exercise that builds up grip and wrist strength, pulled from Nerd Fitness Prime (which contains a course on doing handstands):
A staple of yoga classes everywhere, though we’ll be focusing on it for a different reason than a yogi might. We’re using this exercise as a foundational exercise to build up into the handstand. You won’t believe how much grip strength is involved in the crow pose until you are digging your fingers into the ground!
A Strong Grip Is Always Helpful!
It’s been said “There’s never been a strong man (or woman) with weak hands.”
We’d have to agree wholeheartedly. There is never going to be a point in life where you say “Boy, my grip was too strong!”.
You might have some questions about how to mix these exercises in with your normal routine, or how you can use these things to improve your lifts safely and without injury. Or maybe all of the above just overwhelmed the heck out of you and you’re trying to make sense of it all.
If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
I’m the lead trainer of the 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program, where we help busy, normal people like yourself build muscle, lose weight, and level up their lives!.
You can learn more about our coaching program by clicking on the image below and scheduling a call with us to see if we’re a good fit!
You have a pair of incredibly useful tools at arm’s length, might as well make the most of them!
We hope you now have a handle on things (have to bring it back full circle). Go out and get a grip!
Leave any questions you have on grip strength or wrist mobility below in the comments.
-Jim
PS: What should you do after you improve your grip and wrist strength? Get started on doing muscle-ups and downward dogs, which you can learn all from our new app!
Some of our favorite wellness gifts we’re asking for this year or things we own and love to help inspire your own wish lists or help you buy for the health and wellness lover in your life.
Check out our top 15 gift ideas below and let us know in the comments what’s on your wishlist this year!
Although Brent loves to run – and even knocked out a couple of 5ks during the last six months – he also started a strength training practice.
“My coach advised we mix in some strength training as part of my 5k training. The goal was to build some muscle and also prevent injury during my runs.
The big surprise was just how quickly this helped me lose weight. My belt size shrunk fast because of all the workouts.”
Takeaway: Strength training can go a long way towards transforming our bodies.
Obviously, it’ll help us grow strong. But it might also help us slim down.
That’s because building and maintaining muscle takes a lot of calories.
As Brent learned, the side effect of strength training might be a lower body fat percentage (as we explain in our Guide to Body Recomposition).
#3) Brent Leveled Up His Nutrition
“I never thought too much about what to eat – I just ate whatever was in front of me.
But since I wanted to lose some weight, my coach took me through a little Nutrition 101.
Now, I think about:
Where is my protein coming from?
Where is my fiber coming from?
Is this enough energy for my needs?
I don’t follow any sort of diet. But these simple lessons from my coach changed the way I eat, without too much effort.”
Takeaway: If we’re trying to lose weight, nutrition will be a big part of the puzzle.
However – as Brent learned – we don’t necessarily need to follow any sort of “diet.”
Just some good healthy habits might be enough:
Eating lean protein at every meal.
Eating fruits and veggies throughout the day.
Matching our energy intake to our energy needs.
This might be the trick if “going on a diet” hasn’t quite worked out yet. For more on our philosophy here, check out The Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Eating.
4) Brent Created Accountability
“To be honest, I think accountability to a coach and my financial investment helped me form habits more than anything.
Just knowing that someone would check in on me – and that I was paying for it – made me push through on days when I didn’t want to.
Now, I work out and train without too much thought. They’ve just become normal parts of my life.
Having accountability at first really helped me get here.”
Takeaway: Having someone check in on us can be critical when we’re starting a new habit.
Sure, a coach might be a great way to go about it.
Accountability was missing during Brent’s previous attempts to get in shape.
It really can be the difference-maker.
How Will You Close Out 2021?
I’m super proud of Brent and what he’s accomplished the last year.
However, if you personally didn’t meet your fitness goals in 2021, don’t beat yourself up over it.
Getting in shape is tough stuff and the ongoing pandemic didn’t make it any easier.
But, as we close out this year, it can be important to ask: how will I handle my goals next year?
What can I do for the remainder of this year, to help me build momentum?
If you think one of our coaches might be able to help you prepare for 2022, we’re here for you.
With Nerd Fitness Coaching, you’ll gain:
Confidence on exactly what to do. No guesswork needed, you’ll simply log into our coaching app and follow the plan laid out for you.
A program tailored to your needs. We won’t just say “do this workout” or “eat broccoli.” You can get that for free on the internet. We’ll find out what works best for you as an individual. Plus, if it’s not working for whatever reason, NBD. We’ll absorb that information like a non-judgmental scientist would, and together we’ll create a new path forward.
A partner to help you make your goals. Many people can set goals and hit them by themselves. But some of us can’t (I personally needed a coach to hit my fitness goals too). If you’ve been struggling by yourself, know that it’s okay to seek help from an expert who knows the way.
Interested?
You can schedule a call to see if we’re right for each other right here:
Even if you decide not to join our coaching program, do one thing:
Think about how you can build accountability. Even if it’s just to yourself, with a daily journal.
But being asked “Am I doing what I said I would do?” can be incredibly powerful.
You have to look not much farther than our friend Brent for proof.
It’s time to make your pelvic floor a priority. No matter your age or stage of life, maintaining a healthy pelvic floor can be challenging, but it’s essential.
It’s no secret that pelvic floor issues can be embarrassing – like annoying urinary leaks when you sneeze, run, or jump or discomforts in the bathroom and the bedroom. It’s a key component of your core that frequently gets missed with traditional ab exercises.
The good news is Pilates makes it simple to strengthen your pelvic floor.
Try this NEW workout today (takes less than 10 minutes) and know that you are making progress each time you roll out your mat and press play!
A quick note: we have compiled ALL of our strength training content into a comprehensive guide that will remove all the confusion and answer all the questions you have about weight training! Grab our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, when you sign up in the box below!
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
What Is the Dip Exercise? What Muscles Does the Dip Train?
The dip is a compound, bodyweight exercise.
You grab two parallel bars, hoist yourself up, and then lower your entire body by bending your elbows.
When you hear “compound exercise,” it’s referring to multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at the same time.
The dip exercise trains your:
Chest
Shoulders
Tricep
Back
Abs
You may be thinking, “abs?”
Yep! You need to stabilize your body as you raise and lower yourself.
Which is one of the reasons bodyweight dips are so great!
Some would even argue that dips are the best chest exercise out there, even better than the bench press.
There’s some logic to it.
When you think about it, the bench itself offers a lot of support during the bench press. So do your legs.
With the dip exercise, your upper body is supporting your entire body. Thus a fuller workout.
Instead of isolating your chest for 5 exercises, your shoulders for 5 exercises, and triceps for 5 exercises, just do dips!
How to Do a Proper Dip Exercise
First of all, make sure you can do a dip.
Don’t hop up there and then lower yourself unless you’re fairly confident you can get through at least one of these things. We can’t have you tearing any muscles or falling on somebody, because that would suck.
Grab the parallel bars (or rings), and hoist yourself up. At this point look straight ahead, and contract your stomach muscles (just like when you do squats and deadlifts). If you’re keeping your abs tight for all of these exercises, you’ll never have to do a crunch again and you’ll still have washboard abs.
Bend your knees if you like (so your feet are behind you), for stability purposes, but keep your head up and look straight ahead.
Keeping your elbows at your side, lower yourself until your triceps are parallel to the floor. A lot of folks will recommend you go past parallel, but I think this puts too much strain on your shoulders at a weird angle and can cause injury/discomfort. I only go down to parallel and haven’t had any issues, so I’d recommend the same.
Once you hit parallel, explode back up until JUST before you’re able to lock your elbows. By not locking your elbows, you keep the tension in your muscles and don’t jack up your joints. w00t.
Now do another one. And then another!
Those are dips.
Keep your elbows as tight as possible, engage your abs, and hold your body in balance as you go up and down.
Are you doing it right?
Check your form by recording a video of yourself and matching it against the videos and gifs here. If it looks close then you’re doing great!
Want to have an expert review your form? Our coaches can do just that in our spiffy app!
What If I Can’t Perform a Dip? (Progression Plan)
If you don’t quite have the strength to do a full bodyweight dip, follow our progression plan below.
You’ll be doing the complete dip movement before you know it!
Level 1 Dip Progression: Knee Push-Ups
If you’re just starting to develop your push muscles, our first stop will be knee push-ups. We’ll build your strength up so you can start doing…
Push-ups will help you develop chest muscles for doing proper dips. Only after you can do 20 proper push-ups should you consider trying to do a dip.
Level 3 Dip Progression: Assisted Dips
It’s now time to do some dips! With a little bit of assistance…
We’ll use a resistance band to help support your weight while you grow stronger. You can progress with weaker and weaker resistance bands until you feel comfortable trying a proper bodyweight dip.
Here’s why: an assisted dip machine stabilizes your body during the movement, which means your own muscles don’t need to do any of that stabilization work! We’d rather you stick with resistance bands than mess with this contraption, as it still makes your muscles work together throughout the movement.
Sure, if you don’t have bands and can ONLY do dips with the machine pictured above, it’s not the end of the world! Just make sure you are also doing other movements as well that DO recruit those stabilizer muscles (push-ups, presses, and so on).
ALSO, if you find yourself getting stuck on “assisted dips,” you’re not alone. Lots of folks find it difficult to move beyond the support of the band.
We work hand-in-hand with people like you to master bodyweight training in our Online Coaching Program. If you don’t know how to add dips into your workouts, or you just want somebody to give you the exact workout to follow every day, we got you!
Tips and Tricks for Performing the Dip Exercise
Here are some extra tips on getting better at dips:
#1) Get your setup correct at the start.
When people experience pain with their dips, it’s probably one of two things:
When your arms go too far back, they can close off the shoulder and start to cause pain.
If you allow your shoulders to round forward during the movement, it can again close off the area and create discomfort.
Coach Jim shows you how to avoid these two issues in the video “How to Do Pain-Free Dips,” which you can check out right here:
#2) Don’t swing – this goes for practically every exercise. If you start swinging your body as you go up and down, you take the emphasis off the muscles you’re actually trying to work.
Save swinging for the playground:
#3) Don’t flare out your elbows if you can avoid it – the more “out” your elbows are, the more emphasis on your chest. Elbows tight = emphasis on shoulders and triceps.
Nicholas Elorreaga does a good job showing the difference here:
#4) Don’t do half reps – again, this could be another universal rule. Challenge your muscles by bringing your tricepsparallel to the ground, then make sure you extend arms to almost “elbows locked” at the top:
#5) Don’t go too fast – you want to be slow and in control during your dip. When you go too quickly, proper form is often sacrificed. Make sure you train safely by going slowly…this isn’t a race!
If you’re training at your home gym, you can absolutely do bodyweight dips.
Here are two variations to try:
#1) Bodyweight Dips Between Two Chairs or Bar Stools:
This is all going to be about the chairs or barstools you can find.
The important thing here is the stability of your furniture – don’t pick anything that’s wobbly. However, if you have a couple tall and sturdy chairs or bar stools, you can set them up on either side of you to perform your bodyweight dips.
If they’re too high for you and you can’t quite get your feet on the ground for assisted dips, no problem. Just stand on a few books or a short stool to help you gain support.
#2) Bodyweight Dips Off a Countertop:
Another great option is to perform dips on the corner of two sturdy countertops. As long as you can place your hands to the side so they can face forward, and you have plenty of room to maneuver between them, then you’re solid.
One thing you should be careful with is bench dips, which could be done off of a couch:
The trouble with this comes from your arms being behind you.
As we covered in the “How to Do Pain-Free Dips” video above, this position is a common problem area for causing pain in bodyweight dips. If it hurts when trying the bench dip, stick to the other two home variations above.
When Should You Do Dips in Your Workout? (Getting Started)
Now that you know how to do dips, let’s discuss when to do them.
Unless you’ve been strength training for years and know what you’re doing, we recommend that you pick a full-body routine that you can do 2-3 times a week.
Do your full-body workout and then go play some Nintendo.
Need some help getting started?
I have three great options to help you with your dip and strength training journey:
#1) If you want step-by-step guidance, a custom strength training program that levels up as you get stronger, and a coach to keep you accountable, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:
2) If you want an exact blueprint for crushing dips, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Try your free trial right here:
3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll help you start incorporating dips into your training:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
That should get you going on mastering the bodyweight dip.
Alright, now I want to hear from you:
Do you head to the gym to crush dips?
Are you currently progressing through assisted dips?
Any tips or tricks we missed?
Let us know in the comments!
For the Rebellion,
-Steve
PS: Want to learn more? Read the rest of our Strength Training 101 series:
I’m now a regular powerlifting competitor and a Senior Coach for the NF coaching program, where I help people like you hit their strength training goals.
I’ve written this guide on Deadlifts because it’s the exercise that will change your life too.
So why is the deadlift so great?
Well, when you deadlift you use every single muscle in your body:
Your arms, forearms, and hands hold onto the barbell and make sure the bar stays in the right position and stays stable throughout the lift.
Your shoulders and traps hold the weight and hold it stable.
Your back and core help keep your entire body tight and stable to help keep your spine secure.
Your posterior chain[1] and legs to act as a lever and lift the weight.
Whenever anyone asks me where I got my shoulders/abs/etc, I answer the same: deadlifts.
Why do a million crunches when I can just do deadlifts instead?
On top of that, the deadlift is a basic human movement. Other than the squat, there might not be another movement that is more “functional.”
From the grocery store, to moving a piece of furniture, to picking your child up off the floor – you are deadlifting.
As you build solid form deadlifting in the gym, your form for picking things up in real life will also improve.
This means you’ll be less likely to injure yourself now and later down the line (not only because you are stronger, but because your body knows how to properly handle the weight).
And this goes further than just picking up objects – how you move while shoveling snow, doing yard work, and doing other basic everyday life tasks will all dramatically improve from deadlifting.
Don’t be that guy/gal with back problems from lifting that random object!
Oh, and by the way, the effectiveness of the deadlift isn’t limited to an age or gender – even grandma thinks they’re cool.
The deadlift is awesome – perhaps the purest measure of strength: either you can pick the weight off of the ground, or you can’t.
What Is Proper Deadlift Form? How to Deadlift Safely
When doing a deadlift you’ll be lifting a dead weight off the ground (hence the name, duh).
The deadlift can actually be taught in one sentence:
“Bend your knees and bend over with a flat back to pick up a loaded barbell off the ground.”
Of course, this sentence doesn’t do the awesomeness of this exercise justice.
Here’s how to do a conventional barbell deadlift:
Step up to and under a barbell with your feet angled slightly outward, at hip-width apart.
Bend over and grip the barbell with both hands at shoulder width.
Bend your knees until the bar almost touches your shins.
With a neutral spine, flex your butt and brace your stomach.
Pick the bar up off the ground (It helps to think “press DOWN into the floor with your feet through your heels”).
Continue pressing down with your legs until the barbell passes your knees, then thrust your hips forward until you are standing up.
Reverse your movement until the bar returns to its starting place on the ground.
High five yourself for you doing a deadlift.
(Don’t worry I’ll get more in-depth below.)
Oh, what’s that?
You want even MORE detail on each of those steps!? Sure.
PHASE ONE: The Deadlift Setup.
*NOTE: Always warm up properly, and start with just the bar, even for deadlifts!
Load the bar and secure the plates with collars. If you are just starting out with the movement, begin with 5-10 lb plates, using boxes or blocks to elevate the bar to about where it would be with 45 lb plates attached (if your gym has training plates that are this size, even better!). You may also be able to use your gym’s power rack for this.
Step up to the bar as if you are about to JUMP. Naturally, your feet should end up about hip width (8-12 inches) apart, and your feet slightly angled outwards (5-10 degrees).
Look down – the bar should be over the middle of your feet. If you’re wearing laced shoes, the bar would be approximately over the tied part of your shoelaces.
PHASE TWO: Preparing to lift the bar!
Here are the next steps to take before lifting the bar off the ground (I’ll petition Websters to add the word “deadliftoff” to the dictionary):
Without moving the bar, or your hips, bend over and grab the bar. Your legs should still be straight at this point. Your grip width will be slightly outside of your legs, but not so close they touch. For now, a simple double overhand grip (both palms facing behind you) will work. We will discuss options in grip in more detail later!
Now that you’re holding onto the bar (but not moving it), move your hips down. While you do this, your shins will come forward until they touch the bar Stop moving your hips down when your shins touch the bar.
Press your chest out and flex your pecs like you’re King Kong getting ready to bang on your chest for intimidation. As you do this, your back should flatten, and your spine should go into a neutral spine position.
This is the final starting position of the deadlift: everything is tight and in position and you’re ready to pull.
To Recap we DON’T want your back to round or hyperextend.
If you’re just starting out, getting into a neutral spine might feel like you’ve gone too far (hyperextended), so don’t be afraid to ask a friend for help or to record yourself so you can see what you’re doing.
PHASE THREE: Deadlifting with proper form (THE DEADLIFTOFF!)
If your setup looks and feels good, you’re ready to lift.
Here is the Conventional Deadlift, as demonstrated by me (Staci) and Jim from the NF Coaching Program:
Here are those steps in written form.
Inhale and fill up space deep in your stomach (like a deep belly breath), and while keeping your entire back, butt, and core tight with your chest puffed out, drive down through your heels and the bar should lift off the ground:
All of your weight should be on your heels and midfoot. You should be able to wiggle your toes the entire time (though that is not a part of deadlifting!). Imagine you are pushing the earth world away from the bar with your heels rather than pulling the bar up.
During the movement, your entire body should move upwards at the same speed. This means that your butt should not rise faster than your chest, or vice versa. You may have heard of the term “stripper deadlift” – this is when your butt rises first before your chest.
Your arms should stay straight the entire time. They are just there to hold onto the bar – they are not bending or pulling at all. Your legs and core are doing all the work!
The bar should stay in contact with your body the entire time – you will literally be dragging it up your thighs. This is why you see many powerlifters with chalk or baby powder covering their legs (and why they typically wear socks that cover their shins, to prevent cuts and scrapes). Do not let it come forward. If you were to draw a line that follows the bar’s path from the floor to lockout, it should be a straight, vertical line.
As you are pulling, you should be squeezing your glutes like you’re pinching a penny between your…well, you know. Once the bar passes your knees, think of getting your hips under the bar by squeezing your glutes. So while you’re pulling with your arms, you’re pushing through the floor with your feet, pushing your butt under the bar.
At the top of the movement, you should be standing tall and proud with your chest open, like if you were King Kong getting ready to pound his chest.
At the top, do not hyperextend and lean back. You want to keep your spine neutral and everything tight.
I realize that’s a lot to take in, and that’s okay! You’ve read this far and I’m proud of you.
Many people are so afraid of the deadlift and avoid it at all costs because they’re afraid of splitting themselves in half or getting injured in another way.
That’s why we not only created this awesome guide on deadlifts, but also a way to review technique and proper movement so you have the confidence you’re doing it correctly.
If you want an expert to check your deadlift form and help build a workout program specific to your goals, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. Our coaching app lets you record and send a video of your movement directly to your coach who will provide specific feedback:
Setting the Bar Down (Should I drop the bar on a Deadlift?)
Okay! You got the weight off the ground and finished the movement. But now what!?
Your body should descend all at the same time, just as it ascended during the deadlift, only in reverse!
Unlock your hips and slowly move your hips backward until the bar lowers past your knees, then bend your knees and slowly lower the bar to set it down (make sure you unlock them at the same time.
Don’t unlock your knees first, as it will cause a lot of awkward movement, and possibly your lower back to round).
I REPEAT: DO NOT DO THIS:
Don’t lose tightness until you let go of the bar.
This is extremely important – a large amount of deadlift injuries come from people getting super excited about making a lift, losing tightness, and then putting the bar down wrong.
You want this to be a quick movement – lowering the deadlift slow will take a lot out of you and leave you sore for days.
Should you drop the bar during the deadlift?
The eccentric part of the deadlift (lowering it) is actually riskier than the concentric (picking it up) part of the deadlift.
Many coaches will advocate dropping your deadlift (especially with advanced athletes where they can’t afford to sacrifice performance later in the week).
In our opinion, especially if you’re training in a commercial gym, I would recommend putting the bar down (especially if you want to compete in powerlifting competitions – the lift does not count if you drop it).
So, practice putting the bar down properly. It’s just as important as practicing picking it up.
By the way, we have a massive Strength 101 Guide that you can download free when you join the Rebellion (our free community).
Get the guide when you sign up in the box below!
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
Proper Deadlift Grip, Straps, and other Equipment
Grip strength is a huge part of the deadlift. If you can’t hold on to the bar, you can’t lift it!
There are two main grips when it comes to the deadlift.
#1) Double overhand grip. Your palms are both facing towards your body. This is the safest grip, and the best grip for beginners to start with.
#2) Mixed Grip: One hand grabs the bar with an overhand grip, and another hand grabs the bar with an underhand grip.
The mixed grip has many disadvantages:
It places uneven stress on your shoulders
It can aggravate problems in the biceps on the side in which your palm is facing outwards
It’s easier for your lift to be uneven as you’re literally gripping the bar it with uneven hands.
So why do a mixed grip?
You can physically lift more.The bar wants to roll out of your hands, so by using a mixed grip you are more likely to not have your grip fail you on a heavy lift.
As you start to lift more than your grip can handle, you can consider doing a mixed grip for your heaviest lifts, but be sure to use the double-overhand throughout your warm-up sets. Consider doing grip strength work as well.
#3) Hook grip: This grip is where you put your thumbs under your fingers.
This type of grip is preferable to the mixed grip due to the fact that it doesn’t introduce any imbalances. However, it does have one major disadvantage:
It hurts like hell!
From personal experience, you get used to it and your thumbs can manage, but prepare for pain when you learn to do the hook grip!
No matter what grip you use, you’re probably going to want to invest in some chalk! It’s absolutely optional and initially won’t be incredibly useful.
However, after you start to put some weight on the bar, chalk will be enormously helpful for hanging on to the bar (I use this kind of lifting chalk). I certainly find this to be a better, smarter, and safer option than either straps or gloves.
Speaking of which…
Here are some common questions on deadlift equipment:
#1) “Should I use straps while doing deadlifts?”
Ehhh, probably not. Straps can help you lift more than your hands can hold with an overhand grip, but relying on straps could cause your grip strength to be undeveloped down the road.
Short answer: consider using straps strategically when doing high volume deadlifts, but don’t rely on regularly them for max lifts: improve your grip strength.
Instead, chalk, stronger grip strength, and a hook grip for max lifts is your friend!
#2) “Should I wear gloves while doing a deadlift, Staci?”
Nope.
Gloves actually create space between your hands and the bar, and it reduces your grip security, increases the diameter of the bar, and makes the bar harder to hold on to.
This means the gloves are doing the exact OPPOSITE of what you think they’re doing.
I don’t recommend using gloves unless you have an injury like a ripped callus.
Speaking of ripped calluses, or if you’re worried about getting rough hands from deadlifting – make sure to take care of your hands and they are less likely to happen!
#3) “Do I need to use a lifting belt?”
When starting out, you don’t have to worry about using a belt.
However, as you get to really heavy weights, it may be something to look into.
Belts need to be worn correctly in order to be effective.
Note: While you may be able to lift more using a mixed grip and a belt, they’re definitely not necessary to lift heavy.
Here’s a video of Anthony Mychal deadlifting 550 lbs at the powerlifting competition at Camp Nerd Fitness – double overhand with no belt:
#4) “What kind of shoes should I wear to deadlift?”
GREAT question. I don’t care what kind of shoes they are, as long as they are flat.
You really have four options for deadlifting shoes:
FLAT SHOES:Chucks work great. I personally prefer to deadlift in either socks or zero drop minimalist shoes. Do NOT wear clunky athletic shoes with thick heels or shoes with those pockets of air bubbles in the heels.
DEADLIFTING SHOES: Getting a bit fancy here, but if you are competing or just want shoes you can deadlift in, consider deadlifting shoes.
GO BAREFOOT: If you don’t want to invest in new shoes, deadlift barefoot. Just don’t go walking around the gym in socks – you might get kicked out or have a weight roll across your feet!
SLIPPERS: No, not fuzzy Snoopy ones. Look into deadlift slippers – they’re just fancy socks approved for competition.
Still here, eh? Amazing!
We want to be part of a community that helps you reach your goals. Whether you want to deadlift for the first time, or you’re trying to hit the 1,000 club, our Nerdy Coaches want to help.
Let us take care of everything so all you have to worry about is following the instructions and picking up the weight!
7 Common Faults and Mistakes while Deadlifting
DON’T DO THESE THINGS:
#1) Rounded Back – not keeping your spine in neutral the entire time. Letting your lower back round at all is a huge no no. [2]
#2) Looking up (with your neck) – Along with keeping a neutral spine, hyper extending your neck to look up is also something we want to stay away from.
#3) Hyperextending at the end of the movement – The spine should still be in neutral even at the top. Hyper extending at the top is actually not something we actually strive for or need to do.
#4) Treating the deadlift like a squat with the bar in your hands. You are not starting in a squat position and standing up – it is a different movement.
#5) Letting the bar come forward – The bar needs to stay over your midline and be dragged up your body the entire lift – any movement forward of your midline should be avoided.
#6) Butt rises faster than your chest (also known as the “stripper deadlift”) – your chest should lead the movement, and your entire body should move upward at the same pace.
#7) Bending your arms – your arms should stay straight. Don’t bend your elbows to try to get the bar up faster.
NOT SURE YOUR FORM IS RIGHT? I hear you – Personally, I deadlifted with bad form for years and I didn’t even realize it.
It wasn’t until I enlisted the help of an online coach who checked my form via video and helped me with the right “mental cues” to get me to start deadlifting correctly.
If you want somebody to check your form – AND build the workout for you – consider our 1-on-1 online coaching program with form check:
What Are the Different Types of Deadlifts?
So far we’ve addressed the conventional/traditional barbell deadlift.
There are MANY different variations of deadlifts, and you can use whichever one floats your boat (if you have a boat to float, that is).
Here are 8 different deadlift variations:
1)Conventional Deadlift – Your hands are just outside your feet, standing at about hip-width apart. Our article has been highlighting this form of deadlift.
2)Sumo Deadlift – Your hands are inside your feet with a wider stance.
3) Hex or Trap Bar Bar Deadlifts – Use a specialty bar made just for deadlifting which changes the biomechanics.
4) Snatch Grip Deadlift – Your hands will use a wide grip like in the Snatch.
5) Romanian Deadlift: Think of this as the top half of a conventional deadlift (imagine you’re a “drinking bird” bending over at the waist).
6) Deficit Deadlift: This movement increases the range of motion of your deadlift, since your feet are elevated compared to the bar.
7) Rack Pulls: Conversely, this decreases your range of motion with the deadlift, since the bar is raised higher.
8) Dumbbell Deadlift Variations: For either accessory work, or if you don’t have access to a barbell and weights.
This guide covered primarily the conventional deadlift, because it’s a great variation for beginners and an exercise you can do every week for the rest of your life.
Once you get comfy with it though, move onto others. Need more tips for strength training moves?
Oh and don’t forget to grab our Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Deadlift
#1) “What do I do if I can’t get into the proper starting position?”
While you are getting the mobility to get into the correct starting position, you can put the bar on blocks to raise it up a few inches to help you get in the right position.
Each workout, start with the bar a little lower, until it is just on the floor.
Each week, your goal should be to lift SLIGHTLY more than last week.
That’s it. By going SLOWLY, you’re giving all of your muscles, joints, tendons, your grip, and your central nervous system a chance to level up together.
So start small. Lift more each week.
#3) “Should I do ‘touch and go’ or ‘dead stop’ if I’m doing a set of multiple reps?”
A dead stop means letting the weight settle completely on the ground before doing the next rep, while “touch and go” reps means you’re essentially bouncing the weight at the bottom of the movement and going RIGHT into the next rep.
Touch and go reps are thus easier:
The stretch reflex where your body quickly rubber bands in the other direction.
Locomotion: the bar is already in motion, so it’s simply easier to lift something that is already moving than it is to lift something that is completely stopped.
Bounce: If you are at a gym that has rubber bumper plates, these plates actually will bounce a little when they hit the floor – helping you lift the weight.
HOWEVER, while “touch and go” reps are easier, they are also more dangerous. It’s easier to mess up your form if you aren’t resetting every rep and easier to get fatigued.
It is also in the eccentric (lowering) part of the “touch and go” deadlifts that most people get hurt. This is one of the most technically demanding, important lifts out there and should be treated with respect.
For that reason, resetting between every rep is preferred for general strength programs. This allows you to reset, get your form right, and get your breathing right on every rep.
Yes, If you are doing a CrossFit WOD, you might be doing touch and go for time. Awesome. You do you, boo.
#4) “Okay, I get it. Deadlifts are great! How often should I deadlift?”
I love your enthusiasm and I would never ask you to curb it, but there are some things we need to take into consideration when adding deadlifts into our program.
Heavy deadlifts are extremely taxing on the central nervous system.
This means your body needs more time to recover. In fact, it’s so taxing that some coaches recommend taking the deadlift out completely for their more advanced, sport specific athletes.
Most good strength programs only deadlift once a week – and it’s lighter volume than with your squats.
Both Starting Strength and StrongLifts only include ONE set of 5 deadlifts. Meanwhile, they program 5 sets of 5 for squats.
In our Coaching Program, we add deadlifts into each person’s workout on a case-by-case basis.
Generally, it’s once per week, and we’d love to help build a program for you that has you deadlifting 400+ pounds in no time!*
*Okay it’ll definitely take longer than “no time,” but it might happen sooner than you think!
Get Out There and Deadlift: Next Steps
I am so excited for you to start deadlifting, because it’s the ultimate physical AND mental exercise.
For people looking for the next step, we’ve built 3 options that might float your boat:
You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.
2) If you want a snazzy app to teach you exactly how to start crushing deadlifts (using things you might have around the house), check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Try your free trial right here:
3) Download our free Strength 101 Guide, which you can get when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
this is a fancy term for your…”posterior” muscles – your glutes and hamstrings
(Note: there are some powerlifters that purposefully round their upper back to decrease range of motion, but this is a sport specific move, still a fault, and something you should not consider as a beginner.)
Before we jump in, if you’re looking for a way to train anywhere (like with push-ups), you may be interested in the new app we built!
Nerd Fitness Journey will guide you through a workout routine that can be done anywhere, all while creating your very own superhero!
You can give it a free test drive right here:
How to Set up for a Proper Push-up (Staging)
When it comes to push-ups, your form is crucial. Each push-up needs to be done with proper form so that your total reps measured from workout to workout are on equal footing.
If you did 20 push-ups two days ago, and then today you did 25 push-ups by only going down halfway, sticking your ass up in the air, etc., it’s absolutely impossible to tell if you got any stronger.
Here’s how to get into proper push-up position:
1) On the ground, set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Draw a straight line from your chest/nipple down to the floor – it should be directly over your thumbnail.
Depending on your strength and experience, your hands should be angled in a way that feels comfortable to you. For me, my hands are set up so that my middle finger points straight up and away from me.
2) To alleviate wrist pain (if you have poor wrist flexibility) do your push-ups holding onto push-up handles (so your wrists aren’t as compromised), or a bar:
If you’re hardcore, you can do them on your knuckles (as long as you’re on a semi-soft surface like grass or carpet or broken glass. Wait, scratch that last one).
3) Your feet should be set up in a way that feels right and comfortable and in balance. For some, that might be shoulder-width apart.
For others, it might be with your feet touching. Generally speaking, the wider apart your feet, the more stable you’ll be for your push-ups.
4) Think of your body as one giant straight line – from the top of your head down through your heels. Your butt shouldn’t be sticking way up in the air or sagging. You’re essentially holding a plank throughout the entire movement.
5) If you have a problem getting the proper form with your body, try this: clench your butt, and then tighten your abs as if you’re bracing to get punched.
Your core will be engaged, and your body should be in that straight line. If you’ve been doing push-ups incorrectly, this might be a big change for you.
Record a video of yourself to make sure you’re doing it correctly.
6) Your head should be looking slightly ahead of you, not straight down.
I read somewhere that said “if you’re doing them right, your chin should be the first part of your head to touch the floor, not your nose.”
Looking up helps you keep your body in line, but feel free to look down if that helps you concentrate more.
7) At the top of your push-up, your arms should be straight and supporting your weight. You’re now ready to do a push-up.
8) I want to draw special attention to that first step with hand position: nearly EVERYBODY does push-ups with their arms out far too wide and their shoulders flared. This is bad news bears.
If I was looking down at you from above, your arms and body should form an ARROW, not a T.
WARNING: If you have been doing push-ups with your arms flared, doing them with proper form will be significantly more difficult!
How to Do a Proper Push-Up (Correct Push-Up Form with Video).
In the 5-minute “Perfect Push-Up” video above, featuring yours truly and two of our coaches, we take you through EACH of the steps of a push-up, including some variations!
Here’s how to complete one perfect repetition of a proper push up:
With your arms straight, butt clenched, and abs braced, steadily lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle or less. Depending on your level of experience, age, and flexibility, 90 degrees might be the lowest you’re able to go. Personally, I like to go down until my chest (not my face), hits the floor. That way, I know I’m going the same distance each and every time.
Try not to let your elbows go flying way out with each repetition. Keep them relatively close to your body, and keep note of when they start to fly out when you get tired.
Once your chest (or nose/chin) touches the floor (or your arms go down to a 90-degree angle), pause slightly and then explode back up until you’re back in the same position.
Do as many as you can until you start to feel your form slip (even slightly); you are done for that set.
Here’s why you should focus on form over quantity:
10 good push-ups and 5 crappy ones are tough to quantify against eleven good push-ups.
If you can only do 10 of something, write down your results and aim for 11 next time.
Perfect form allows you to keep track of your improvements week over week.
Want to know where push-ups should fall into your workout routine? I have three options!
1) Try Nerd Fitness Journey!
Nerd Fitness Journey will guide you through a bodyweight workout routine that can be done anywhere (yep, even there). You can try it for free right here:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
Learn how to finally get your first pull-up
3) Make your own workout with push-ups by following our“Build Your Own Workout” guide! It’ll walk you through everything you need to build an exercise program for your goals in 10 steps.
How Do You Train to Do Push-Ups? (Where to Start If You Can’t Do a Push-Up.)
Don’t worry if you can’t do a push-up yet. As we lay out in the video above, we have a plan that will help you get there.
You need to start with an easier push movement, and work up to progressively more difficult types of moves that will eventually result in you doing true push-ups.
We’ll progress from Level 1 Push-ups to Level 4 Push-ups:
Wall Push-Ups: Level 1
Elevated Push-Ups: Level 2
Knee Push-ups: Level 3
Regular Push-ups: Level 4
LEVEL 1: HOW TO DO WALL PUSH-UPS
Stand in front of a wall. Clench your butt, brace your abs, and set your hands on the wall at slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Walk backwards with your feet until your arms are fully extended and supporting your weight (generally one decent sized step back with both feet will suffice). Keeping the rest of your body in a straight line, steadily lower yourself towards the wall until your nose almost touches the wall, and then explode back up to the starting position.
HOW TO TRAIN WALL PUSH-UPS:
Do 4 sets of wall push-ups with a 2-minute rest between sets, every other day. Keep track of how many repetitions you can do WITH PROPER FORM for each set in a notebook for easy comparison to previous workouts. Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions of wall push-ups, you can progress to knee push-ups.
LEVEL TWO: HOW TO DO ELEVATED PUSH-UPS
As we demonstrate in this video above from Nerd Fitness Prime, elevated push-ups are just what they sound like – your hands are on an elevated surface, whether it’s something as tall as a kitchen table or as low as a few blocks that are inches off the ground. This will depend on your level of strength and experience.
If you’ve just progressed from wall push-ups, pick something that is at a level that’s right for you – I generally find the back of a park bench or the side of a picnic table to be a perfect height for doing incline push-ups. Like so:
HOW TO TRAIN ELEVATED PUSH-UPS:
Do 4 sets of elevated push-ups with a 2-minute rest between sets, every other day. Again, keep track of all of your stats for how many proper form repetitions you can do in each set. Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions, it’s time to either move to regular push-ups, knee push-ups, or a lower height for your hands to be supported.
Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions, it’s time to either move to regular push-ups, knee push-ups, or a lower height for your hands to be supported.
To work on progression, try to doing your elevated push-ups on the stairs in your house. As you get stronger, you can move your hands to lower and lower steps until your hands are on the ground.
LEVEL THREE: HOW TO DO KNEE PUSH-UPS
Once you’re comfortable doing wall or elevated push-ups, proceed to knee push-ups. Your shoulder and hand placement will look just like a regular push-up (an “arrow”, not a “T”), but you’ll stabilize yourself on your knees instead of your feet. As demonstrated here:
HOW TO TRAIN KNEE PUSH-UPS
Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions on your knees, you can start thinking about doing regular push-ups.
To recap, if you can’t do a regular push-up, move from:
Wall Push-Ups: Level 1
Elevated Push-Ups: Level 2
Knee Push-Ups: Level 3
Regular Push-ups: Level 4
How do I know the above progression will work? Well, it’s the exact plan we use to help people crush push-ups in Nerd Fitness Journey!
You can see how we scale our bodyweight workouts right here:
What Are Other Types of Push-Ups? (Push-Up Variations)
Basic push-ups can get boring…
Fortunately, there are dozens upon dozens of variations to make things more difficult for you.
Once you’re cranking out perfect form push-ups like it’s your job,[1] try some of these advanced variations on for size.
Click on each for a video demonstration (these are some of the push-up variations pulled from NF Prime):
#1) One-legged Push-ups: introducing some variety and balance by removing one of your legs for less stabilization:
#2) Side-to-Side Push-Ups –Get into the classic push-up position and move your hands farther apart. Now, lower yourself down towards one arm only – you should feel like you’re supporting a lot of your weight.
To complete the rep, slide horizontally over to the other arm, and push-up. The farther apart your hands, the higher percentage of your bodyweight will be supported by that side of your chest/shoulder and arm (thus getting harder)!
#3) Decline Push-Ups – these work your shoulders and triceps more so than normal push-ups.
#4) Diamond Push-Ups – keep your arms tight at your side, rotate your hands outward, and keep your elbows tight as you lower your body. Works your triceps like crazy.
#5) Dive-Bomber Push-Ups – funky, difficult, but oh so fun. I’d explain it, but just watch the video
#6) Plyometric Push-Ups – these are brutal and will wear you out just after a few repetitions. Just don’t hurt yourself and smash your face during a failed attempt (not that I’ve ever done that. Shut up my face always looks like this)!
#7) Handstand Push-Ups – This goes without saying, but you should be able to do a proper handstand before attempting these!
Kick up against a wall, and without flailing your elbows way out to the side (which can wreak havoc on your shoulders and elbow joints), slowly lower yourself down until your head touches the ground softly.
Then raise yourself back up.
Rotate some of these advanced push-ups into your workout routine and you’ll be well on your way to a great strength training practice.
If you want more strength building tips, we also have a comprehensive guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, when you sign up for the Rebellion (that’s our community) below:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
How to get better at push-ups
So you’ve learned how to do a push-up, you can do a few of them, but you want to get better!
Here are some tips to help you along the way:
Get healthy! As you lose weight (which is 80% nutrition!), you will have to move less weight around than before, which will make your push-ups easier to manage. Have you had trouble losing weight in the past? Check out our article “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” to find out why.
Don’t cheat on the last few push-ups – when you’re tired, it’s easy to skip out on good form for your last few reps. As soon as you do one bad form push-up, you’re done. Finish up your four sets, write down your numbers, and try to beat those numbers next time.
When starting out don’t do push-ups two days in a row. You need to give your muscles time to rebuild and recover – take off at least 48 hours in between your push-up adventure. However, when push-ups became a warm-up exercise for you – you can do them every day if you want. If you’re advanced, you can consider a PLP program.
Get enough protein into your system after finishing up your workout – protein helps rebuild the muscles you just broke down doing push-ups, and it helps them rebuild those same muscles stronger than before. You can read our ultimate guide on protein for some tips on how to up your protein intake.
If you can do 4 sets of 20-25 perfect form push-ups no sweat, then it’s time to start looking into push-up variations to keep things interesting.
Build up your core with planks – this will help keep your core strong so that it’s not the weakest link in your proper form push-ups.
These 6 tips will be a great addition to your strength training plan. Keep at it and before you know it you’ll be doing one-arm push-ups like Batman.
What’s that? You don’t have a strength-building plan!!! Well then…
What’s Your Strength Building Plan?
It makes me sad when we get emails from people who struggle and try and work hard to get healthier, and to be better at push-ups, and just can’t seem to make any progress.
If that’s you, you’re not alone!
1) Consider working with an online coach (or in-person trainer).
Helping people learn push-ups and other bodyweight exercises is why we built our1-on-1 Online Coaching Program:We build programs for busy people to cut through the noise and just get results
2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!
Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Try your free trial right here:
3) Join our community! We have hundreds of thousands of people, and I send out two free emails every week to help them level up their lives. Join our free community today, and I’ll send you a dozen free ebooks, including TONS of workout plans you can do anytime, anywhere.
Join the community by signing up in the box below:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
Learn how to finally get your first pull-up
YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT:go home, set up a camera, and check your form on your push-ups.
I hope you’ll find that your form is as good as you expected, but it’s okay if it’s not, it’ll give you something to work on.
Go do some push-ups, and work on getting better with them every day.
You’ll be moving from Level 1 to Level 4 push-ups and beyond!
-Steve
PS: Not to brag, but I typed this entire article while doing 1-handed push-ups.
PPS: Okay no I didn’t. But it would have been cool if I did, right?
Rowing classes are everywhere. It’s easy to find professional and Olympic athletes hyping up the machine’s ability to provide a full-body workout.
All well and good…but how do you actually use the thing?
Well my friend, you’ve come to the right place to find out.
Many clients in our Online Coaching Program tell us they want to start rowing, but they don’t know how. Today, we’ll explain how we get them going with row machine workouts.
She also knows a thing or two about using a rowing machine, since she’s gotten several CrossFit certs (they love the rowing machine at CrossFit).
If you’re going to learn about using a rowing machine, she’s not a bad person to talk to.
But first, let’s back up here a bit…
What Are the Benefits of Using a Rowing Machine?
The rowing machine was originally invented for water rowers to train offseason.
You might hear the indoor rowing machine called an ergometer, or “erg” or “ergo.” They get this name since rowing machines often measure the energy produced from the workout in units of ergs.
They’ve grown in popularity, because of the many benefits offered by this one stationary machine.
For example, the rowing machine offers:
A Full-Body Workout. If we use proper rowing technique, we’ll hit every major muscle group in our body. Upper, lower, core, we’ll work it all. This is one of the main reasons they’ve become so popular.
Low-Impact. While a workout from a rowing machine can get intense, it’s considered to be little to no impact. That’s why it’s sometimes recommended to patients with osteoarthritis.[1]
Versatility. We can do a lot with an ergometer. We can train for duration and/or intensity. We even do a HIIT workout. Or we can combine it with bodyweight movements in a circuit. Plus, since some of them fold up, they’re perfect for those who need to train in small spaces.
Alright, let’s now go over some terminology so you know what’s what with the ergometer.
Rowing Machine 101: Terms to Know
When it comes to the rowing machine, there’s some vocabulary that would be worth discussing quickly.
First, let’s chat about the rower itself:
#1) Foot Plate – no matter the rower, there will be a place for you to strap your feet in.
You’ll want to set your feet so that the strap goes over the ball of your foot. This will allow you to have the most powerful stroke.
You should be able to lift your heel in this position.
#2) Handle – also called “the bar.” This replicates the handles of an oar.
Your hands should be approximately shoulder-width apart.
#3) Rail – the central beam of the rower, which allows the seat to roll forward and back.
#4) Display Monitor – while these will differ from model to model, the rower will normally have a screen to show some basic info:
Strokes per minute (Stroke Rate)
Split Time (more on this momentarily)
Duration of workout
Etc.
For the Concept2 model – the rower Coach Staci demonstrates above – you can hit any button and select “Just Row.”
This will be the easiest way to get going.
#5) The Damper – The lever on the side of the flywheel housing (or fan cage) that controls airflow.
The difference in Damper settings:
The higher the setting, the more air is allowed to flow. This requires more work to spin the flywheel.
The lower the setting, the less air is allowed to flow. This requires less work to spin the flywheel.
Think of this sort of like bicycle gears – it affects how the rowing feels but does not necessarily reflect the resistance:
A setting of one will feel fast and easier to pull, but you’ll need to move quickly to generate power.
That said, cranking the damper up to ten doesn’t mean a better workout either. It just means a tougher pull – like trying to move a rowboat.
We recommended you aim for a Damper setting between 3 and 5 (which is also where most competitive rowers have it).
Note: some indoor rowers use a water tank to create resistance, so any similar Damper setting controls the amount of water moving through the system. You can still use the same recommendations for damper numbers.
More on that here:
Next, let’s talk about some terminology for the sport of rowing itself.
Rowing has been around for centuries and a lot of the vocabulary has carried over to the indoor sport.
Rowing Terms to Know:
#1) Split
Split time refers to the time it takes to row 500 meters, also known as the “split per 500.” This will likely be shown prominently on your Display Monitor.
If the number goes down, it means you’re going faster! Woot.
#2) Strokes Per Minute (SPM)
This is also called Stroke Rating and it’s exactly what it sounds like: the number of strokes you take per minute.
A higher SPM doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going faster – you can also go faster by putting more power into each stroke.
#3) Paddle (or Rest)
Normally in the sport of rowing, you never stop completely. You just row or “paddle” a little bit easier.
However, if you need to stop completely in your workout, don’t stress it. It’s fine to even get off the rower from time to time…it’s not actually a boat.
You do you.
Next, we need to discuss the four parts of the rowing stroke, but we’ll jump to a new section for that.
The Four Parts of the Rowing Stroke
The rowing stroke is broken out into four parts:
The Catch
The Drive
The Finish
The Recovery
It’ll look like this:
Let’s cover each.
#1) The Catch
This is the start of the stroke:
Our knees are bent and our shins are roughly vertical.
Our body leans forward slightly to about a 1 o’clock position and our arms are straight.
Like so:
This puts us in the ideal position to generate power.
#2) The Drive
As the name would suggest, this is where we’ll be driving and generating power for the stroke.
The order in which we generate power is key:
It should go legs first
Then lean back with the body
Then pull with the arms
It’ll look like this:
They should blend smoothly right into each other, so a good reminder is:
Legs
Body
Arms
A great drill to practice the Drive:
Start with JUST the legs:
THEN the legs and a slight backward lean with the body:
FINALLY, the legs, body, and arm pull together:
This can be done with or without the rowing handle.
Common mistakes with the Drive:
A) Pulling hard with the arms first. We’ll see the elbows bend early. This greatly decreases the amount of power we can put into the stroke.
We want to keep the arms straight and wait until the handle passes the knees BEFORE we first bend the arms.
B) Letting the body pull forward while we’re driving with the legs.
Instead, we want to keep a strong and stable midsection so that we can go smoothly from the leg drive to the body lean.
#3) The Finish
This will be our position after the Drive:
Our legs are extended and our body is leaning back slightly.
The handle is about at our solar plexus.
Our shoulders are down and our wrists are straight.
It’ll look like this:
A great drill to practice the Finish: just work on the arm motion.
Keep the legs extended and lean back slightly. Then pull with just the arms.
Common mistakes with the Finish:
A) Shrug the shoulders up by the ears.
This is often accompanied by bent wrists and chicken wing arms.
Instead, we want the shoulders down and the elbows closer to the sides, with enough space between the arms and body for a grapefruit to fit.
B) Pulling the handle too high – to the neck or face.
We want the handle down at the solar plexus, not up orbiting in the solar system!
C) Leaning back too far – we’re not trying to perform the one-person luge here!
We only need to lean back slightly, at about an 11 o’clock position.
#4) The Recovery
This is how we return back to the starting position.
Just as we had a proper order for the Drive – legs, body, arms – we’ll have a proper order for the recovery by reversing it – arms, body, legs.
Straighten the arms, then lean the body forward slightly, and finally bend the legs to head back to the Catch.
Common mistakes with the Recovery: Bending the legs too early when recovering from the stroke. You’ll know you’re doing this when you have to lift the handle up and over the knees.
Instead, wait for the handle to PASS the knees before fully bending the legs.
There you have it, the four parts of the rowing stroke.
You’ll get better at this as you go, I promise.
Rowing is like golf: the relentless pursuit of the perfect stroke.
One way to check your form would be to record yourself doing a rowing stroke.
If it looks close to the gifs and videos found in this guide, you’re doing great!
Oh, and if you want an expert to review your form, you can do so in our snazzy Coaching app.
You can learn more here:
When to Add the Rowing Machine to Your Workout
A rowing machine can fit into our workout in all sorts of ways.
If you want to give the rowing machine a whirl, including it as part of your warm-up wouldn’t be a bad idea. Since it’s a full-body exercise, it’s a great way to prep our body for the workout ahead.
To warm up with the rower, aim for about 5-10 minutes at a steady pace.
Once you get the hang of the rower, you can look to incorporate it with some of these ideas:
#1) Interval Training
Interval training or HIIT is all about flipping between intensity.
Going hard one moment, then resting another.
So after your warm-up, you could row intensely for two minutes, rest or “paddle” for a minute or two, then back to intensity.
A fun way to do this is to build up the duration and then pull it back with a “Meter Pyramid.”
To Row a Meter Pyramid:
One minute of intensity, followed by one minute of paddle.
Two minutes of intensity, followed by two minutes of paddle.
Three minutes of intensity, followed by three minutes of paddle.
Four minutes of intensity, followed by four minutes of paddle.
Three minutes of intensity, followed by three minutes of paddle.
Two minutes of intensity, followed by two minutes of paddle.
One minute of intensity, followed by one minute of paddle.
If you start this off with a 5-minute warm-up, it’ll take about 37 minutes.
We could aim for 3-4 circuits here, but even 1-2 is a great start.
#3) Steady State
This is exactly what it sounds like: rowing at a constant pace.
After a warm-up, find a pace that you can stay with. Then stay with it.
A good frame of mind here would be about 50% of your effort, but don’t overthink this.
Put on a good podcast or your favorite playlist, find a Stroke Rate you can maintain for 10-30 minutes, and get rowing.
You can pretend you’re in a competition if it helps!
Also, mix and match! The important thing is that you’re doing some type of workout. Don’t fret if it doesn’t fit into the exact format you find here or on other websites.
Should a Beginner Use a Rowing Machine? (Next Steps)
There you have it, my friend.
You now have everything you need to get started rowing.
Don’t overstress if you’re not doing anything 100% right as you start.
Like anything, you’ll get better at it as you go.
Plus, it’s not like you’ll be ejected into the water from an indoor rower.
But, if down the road you do want to take it outside, there are all sorts of leagues and clubs you can join.
It could be a great way to get out and make friends!
Granted, you’ll need SOME type of body of water around you, but if you live next to a lake or large river, there’s likely a team out there that would love to meet you.
Practice indoors for a bit, then take 20 seconds of courage to put yourself out there.
What’s 20 seconds of courage?
We explain it all to you in this video:
Oh, and if you want to continue having Nerd Fitness propel your journey, here are three ways we can help:
#1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
If ever you come across a snazzy piece of equipment and what to learn how to use it, your very own coach can help you!
Plus, they can guide your nutrition and help you level up all areas of your life.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:
#2) If you want an exact roadmap for building a full-body workout, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app tells you exactly what days to exercise, what days to rest, and helps you track it all so you know if it’s working for you.
Interested?
Try your free trial right here:
#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, our Strength Training 101 eBook, and much more!
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The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
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I am so excited for you to start deadlifting, because it’s the ultimate physical AND mental exercise. 
