a little zip

One of my favorite ways to help someone better understand a movement—especially a deadlift, squat, or push-up—is to add a little bit of speed.

Newer lifters are often juggling multiple cues, trying not to mess up their form. This can lead to overthinking or being overly cautious. And when you overanalyze a movement, it changes how you perform it—usually not for the better.

In these cases, I try to get the person to move a little faster. The goal is to smooth out the lift. More often than not, the result is a more confident, fluid movement.

Moving too slow can make stuff feel harder, we’ll use tempo to progress a movement, for example, by making you slow way down. Newbies tend to do this too much, which increases the intensity of the movement—even though they're just trying to think through it.

Speed activates more muscle. When you try to move quickly, your body recruits more muscle fibers to help. More muscle engagement means more force—and that means more strength.

I'm not saying you should recklessly rush through your lifts, but the next time you're in the gym, try putting a little zip into your squats, deadlifts, bench presses, or push-ups. You might be surprised at how much stronger and more connected you feel.

—Justin Miner