Written by: Kevin Cann Coming back from USAPL nationals and one of the biggest complaints I hear from lifters in the back is how long the pauses are on the bench press. Sheiko analyzed this in Russia where pause length on the bench press would vary between .75 seconds to 2.5 seconds. That is a big difference and can the upper end of that can seem like an eternity when nerves are running a bit high. I Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann We have all heard that we should move the weights with intent, but what does this mean and why do we want to do this? Powerlifting is a sport where we lift the most weight for a single repetition in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. We need to develop the qualities necessary to do this at our highest levels. When we are lifting, we want to apply maximal force to the submaximal Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann The Russian System is a long-term athletic development plan that grow with the athlete as they mature throughout their training career. It starts from the ages of 6-9 where each child will do activities such as gymnastics. At this stage the sport specific work makes up less than 5% of all total work. As the athlete matures through the years the general physical preparedness (GPP) exercises are reduced and sport specific practice is Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann This marks my 7-year anniversary of coaching powerlifting. Around this time in 2015 I took a job at a local gym with a strong reputation and culture for strongman and powerlifting. I had no idea how to really get people strong until I started working here. I also never realized how much detail goes into the big 3 lifts. I would meet Boris Sheiko, the legendary Russian coach a few months later and began Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann I used to say that Westside sucks too. Well, maybe not that Westside sucks, but that it wasn’t for raw powerlifters. I would use the argument that the strength curve of a raw lift was different than that in equipment. You know, because of course the squat is easier in the bottom of an equipped squat. It took the perma bruises on my thighs and my yearly tan from popped blood vessels in my face Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann I started to become aware of powerlifting in 2014 as I took a job at a gym with a strong powerlifting culture. I was not interested at the time in the sport as I was still doing my own things. I knew what Westside Barbell was and had read a lot of Louie’s stuff from my many years of working with high school and college athletes. This is how big his reach was Read More
Written by; Kevin Cann I want to discuss bar placement on the squat in this quick article because it is not as simple as it may seem in an Instagram post. The idea of putting the bar lower on our backs is to give the hips greater leverage and it also decreases the thoracic extensors moment arm making it easier on those back muscles. However, lifters seem to take this to the extreme. They will place the Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann I have been seeing a lot of posts on social media that highlight the idea that you do not need bands or chains to get strong. They will point to many people that do not use them that have elite totals in powerlifting as proof. They will also argue that bands and chains are not for raw lifters, but instead only appropriate for equipped lifters. When Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell began competing Read More
In this video, I go over whether meet day handling is worth it for powerlifting competitions. This topic is based on a discussion we’ve had on The King of the Lifts podcast but I wanted to expand on it in a video as it depends on the lifter and situation. The lower the level of the meet is, the less competition there is in your division, and the more of a beginner competitor you’re, then Read More
Written by: Kevin Cann About a month ago I decided to switch up my training a bit. I was getting burnt-out coaching. I do not think people realize how difficult this can be sometimes. You shoulder the burdens of an entire team. This can weigh heavily on you at times. My training had been going poorly for quite some time up to this point and I knew I needed to make some adjustments to get some momentum back and Read More