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There's a version of training that tries to outrun recovery. And there's a version that respects it. The second version is the one that compounds. This week we're covering tempo, technique under fatigue, and a few things worth knowing if your body has some mileage on it.
Technique
Bench press tempo: the variable most lifters ignore
Most lifters track weight and sets. Almost nobody tracks how long the bar takes to move. But tempo directly influences muscle tension, control at the sticking point, and how much structural stress you're absorbing per rep. A controlled 3-second eccentric does different things than dropping the bar to your chest. We broke down what the research says and how to actually apply it.
Deadlift
When the conventional pull stops working for you
Conventional deadlifting is a great lift. It's also a lift that demands a specific combination of hip mobility, torso length, and hamstring flexibility to execute cleanly. Some people have it. Others are forcing a position that doesn't suit their structure. The trap bar deadlift, Romanian deadlift, and a few other variations exist precisely for that situation. They still load the posterior chain. They just do it without the same positional demands.
For the long-term lifter
Strength training at 60+: the case for not backing off
The research on resistance training for older athletes is pretty consistent. Muscle loss accelerates in your 60s and 70s if you let it. The solution is the same one it's always been: load the muscles, recover, repeat. What changes is the margin for error. Recovery takes longer. Joints need more warmup time. And some variations that feel fine at 35 start to feel like bad ideas at 65.
A few adjustments worth making: knee sleeves matter more as joint lubrication decreases. Back-friendly glute work becomes useful when you need to maintain posterior chain strength without axial loading. And gyms that accommodate senior lifters do exist.
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Breathing & bracing
The deadlift breath most people get wrong
Intra-abdominal pressure is the structural support that keeps your spine neutral under a loaded pull. If you're not breathing and bracing correctly before you break the floor, you're pulling with less stability than you think. This is a technique point that matters at any weight. It matters more as the weight climbs.
Quick read
Squat depth: what it actually requires
Hip depth is a mobility question before it's a strength question. A lot of lifters try to force depth through willpower. The actual fix is usually hip mobility and ankle dorsiflexion. Nine practical tips, no jargon stack.
Coaching note. If you're over 60 and training for strength, the biggest mistake you can make is treating age as a reason to switch to exclusively light, high-rep work. The research supports heavier loading for maintaining muscle mass and bone density. Adjust the variation if you need to. Hold the intensity.
Coach Lucero shares his thoughts on back angles.
One of our coaches also launched a Discord. The goal is to give you more access, more support, and more opportunities to improve as a lifter.