Everyone makes multiple form errors while lifting, some less obvious than others. Read on to understand why good coaches focus on fixing only one issue at a time.
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Articles & Videos Author
by Shaun Pang, SSC
by Shaun Pang, SSC
How to Choose a Gym for Barbell Strength Training
Recently, gyms have been popping up like mushrooms, so what makes one better than the other? Here’s how you can identify if a gym’s equipment is good enough for barbell strength training.
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The Pareto Principle in Strength Training
Why do we train for strength with barbells, and why only a few lifts? Understand how being strategic gives you incredible leverage that yields the biggest returns.
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Program for Where You Are, Not Where You Want to Be
If your progress has started to show signs that it’s going to stall, it’s time to change your programming. Read on for what you should or should not do for post-novice programming.
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Never Too Old to Lift – 76-Year-Old Powerlifter Proves Sceptics Wrong
Masters lifters Ling Lee Yong (age 76) and Michelle Yee (age 59) share their experience with strength training and competing in the recent Hygieia Masters Powerlifting Meet with The Straits Times.
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Muscle Soreness: What Is It, and Why It’s NOT a Sign of Progress
Sometimes you’ll feel sore after training, and sometimes you won’t. What causes muscle soreness, and is it a good or bad thing?
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Lifting With Power – Why You Should Lift Explosively
Most lifters subconsciously push just enough to lift the bar. Just as much as you need to finish the rep, right? Wrong. Here’s why you need to build the habit of lifting explosively, pushing as hard and fast as you can on every rep.
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Should You Compete? Why You Should Sign Up for a Powerlifting Meet
One of the best things you can do for your own training is to sign up for a meet. This article addresses the fears behind why most lifters don’t want to sign up, and explains the benefits if they actually do compete.
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Leg Length Discrepancy – What Is It, and How to Fix It
With as many as 70% of the population having legs that aren’t of equal length, do you know if you have a leg length discrepancy? Does it actually matter? How should you adapt your training? Here’s how to find out if you have a leg length discrepancy and what to do about it.
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How to Fix Your Hip Movement in the Press 2.0
Why do we include a hip movement in the overhead press? How should we perform it?
Read on to understand the importance of the hip movement, the 5 most common problems that occur, and how you can solve them.
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Speed of Descent in the Squat – How to Get a “Bounce” at the Bottom of Your Squat
How fast should you descent when you squat? How do you stand back up from the bottom of a squat?
Here’s why you shouldn’t descent too quickly and how to get a “bounce” at the bottom of your squat
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Where to Look While Squatting
Does it matter where you’re looking at when squatting? Yes, it does. The direction of your eye gaze definitely impacts your squat efficiency.
Read on to understand how gaze affects form, and how to break bad habits of looking in the wrong place.
Why (And How) To Video Your Lifts
If your phone has a camera and you aren’t using it to record your training sessions, you’re missing out. Filming your lifts can be an invaluable tool for improving your training. Here’s why and how to video yourself.
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How to Secure Your Deadlift Grip
Is your grip slipping on the deadlift? Usually, your grip is the first thing to go when the weight of your deadlift goes up. In this article, we discuss the various deadlift grips, their advantages and disadvantages, and when you should use them.
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Is Training Before Taking a Break a Waste of Effort? 3 Reasons Why It’s Better to Train
Should you train just before going on holiday? Or just stop now and restart when you get back? We address your concerns about losing gains, and how to minimise detraining and make the best use of planned breaks.
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Stop Yanking Your Deadlift off the Floor
Yanking your deadlift off the floor usually results in undesirable “slack”. Read on to understand what slack is, how to set up properly for the deadlift, and how to identify and avoid slack before you pull your deadlift off the floor.
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How Long Should I Take Between Reps?
It seems reasonable to pause and catch your breath just before the final rep. But this common mistake makes the set harder than it needs to be. In this article, we explain why this is so, and how you can beat it.
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Barbell Strength Training Is Seen as Dangerous and Risky. But Is It Really?
to the layperson, barbell strength training is perceived as dangerous and puts one at high risk of injury.
In this article, we discuss if that’s really the case.
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The Difference Between Barbell Strength Training and Powerlifting
They both use heavy barbells. So powerlifting and barbell strength training are the same thing, right? Well, not really. In this article, we explain how they’re different and why it matters.
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How to Find Your Press Grip
Is your overhead press stuck? Has progress stalled? Somehow can’t press more? Before you delve into a press training program, first start with how you’re pressing. To make sure that you’re pressing as efficiently as possible, pay attention to what happens even before you start to press – that is, how you set your grip.
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Happy 5th Anniversary, Hygieia! Our Annual Review and Plans for ‘22
It seems like it was only yesterday that Hygieia opened its doors… and we’re now celebrating our 5th anniversary! A very big thank you to everyone for your ongoing support. Our growth has been totally organic and we couldn’t have come this far without you.
How have we changed? I’d like to share what we’ve been up to, and where we’re going.
Barbell Plate Maths – What Plates Should You Load on the Bar to Get to the Weight You Need?
How do you decide which plates to put on the bar, to get to the weight that you need? Most people take that weight, deduct the weight of the bar and divide the remainder by 2. If you’ve been doing that, stop right now and read this article.
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Strength Training for Osteoporosis – How Stressing Your Bones Actually Makes Them Stronger
“How can someone with osteoporosis lift heavy weights without getting compression fractures?”
“Lifting weights is too extreme! If you’re older, shouldn’t you be doing something gentler like swimming or walking?”
In this article, we address why lifting weights, when carefully supervised, is actually ideal for treating osteoporosis.
Overthinking the Small Things? First, Get Your Priorities Right.
When’s the best time of the day to train? When’s the best time to have a protein shake? Does it even matter?
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Gym for Older Adults With Coach Marvin
Coach Marvin was in the SEA News Today Morning Show! Check out their conversation about the benefits when older adults strength train.
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She’s 66 and a Powerlifting Record Holder
Singapore’s national newspaper, The Straits Times, interviews Patricia about osteoporosis, her training and breaking national powerlifting records.
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Can You Be Too Strong? When Is Strength Too Much of a Good Thing?
For the longest time, we’ve been going on about the virtues of strength training. So aiming for strength is great. It’s true that the stronger you are, the better. But is there such a thing as being too strong? Can one actually be too strong?
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So You Wanna Be Jacked? Maybe You Should Get Strong First
You want to get jacked. What’s the difference between bodybuilding programs and strength training? And why should you choose one over the other? Bodybuilding and strength training are intertwined. Read on to find out why you must first get strong to gain muscle.
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Iron Plates vs Bumper Plates: Why Does Iron Feel Heavier Even With the Same Weight?
You’ve always used bumper plates. But one day, all the bumper plates in the gym are taken. No biggie – weight is weight, right? So you use iron plates instead. But as the weight gets closer to your working weight, you notice that it feels harder than usual.
Does it make a difference which plates you use? Turns out it does and here’s why.
Sandy’s New Chapter of Life
Sandy was experiencing pain in her left knee due to arthritis, which greatly impacted her quality of life. She couldn’t run, climb up stairs or walk her dog. Every step she took was excruciating. Sandy decided to do something about it started training. As she got stronger, her knee pain decreased. Now, Sandy can run up and down stairs and walk her dog without experiencing knee pain.
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Testosterone: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly by Dr Sanjay Doshi
It’s an anabolic steroid and helps build muscles, right? So why shouldn’t everyone start taking it? What can go wrong? Learn and understand what testosterone really is and what it does. The ugly side of testosterone can be quite unpleasant – find out why from Dr Sanjay Doshi it’s important to treat low testosterone correctly.
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How Long Should I Rest Between Sets? Take the Time for Proper Recovery and Faster Progress
Do you regularly fail sets that aren’t too heavy? You’re probably not resting enough. To complete all the sets in a workout, you need to fully recover between sets. What’s the optimal amount of rest time between sets? Here’s how to find your sweet spot.
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Why and How to Keep a Training Log – Serious Lifters Track Their Data for Better Progress
Training logs are a must-do for tracking your workout data. If you come to us with a training problem, having a training log can be extremely helpful. Because your log records your training history, an experienced coach can have a better idea of what’s going on from your workout data to help diagnose the problem. Here’s why and how you should keep one.
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Getting Back to the Gym – How to Start Training After a Long Break
Right now, strength gyms in Singapore are being forced to close from 8th May until 13th June. No prizes for guessing why. So if you don’t lift barbells for a few weeks, what’s going to happen? Will you lose all your gains? Will you be a weak puddle of mush when you finally get back under the barbell? Here’s how to get back to strength training after a break.
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How to Warm Up for Barbell Lifts – Improve Your Performance With the Optimal Warm-up Routine
Most of us have a clear training routine. You know that you’ll walk into the gym, change into lifting clothes, put on lifting gear and head to the rack. You know that you’ll start your training with squats, and you know the exact numbers for your working weight, sets and reps.
But what about your warm-up weights? And how many sets or reps? Actually, how much warm-ups do you even need to do?
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Your Complete Guide to Lifting Belts
If you’ve been lifting for a while, you know that weightlifting shoes are essential. What about weightlifting belts?
We usually hear a range of reactions from lifters, from “Nah, I’ll wait till I’m able to lift X kg before I start using a belt!” to “I see guys who wear a belt for their entire gym session, so do I need one too?”
Belts are important if you’re serious about lifting. Here’s a guide to why you might need one, and what to look out for.
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How to Get Strong and Ripped Training Once a Week and Eating(Mostly) What You Want
Tired of spending hours upon hours in the gym training hard? Frustrated that you can’t reward yourself with a nice meal after a gruelling training session for fear of getting fat? Here’s how you can get strong and ripped training once a week and eating (mostly) what you want.
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An Interview With Shaun: The History of Hygieia
Happy 4th anniversary to Hygieia Strength & Conditioning! This month marks the 4th year since Hygieia opened its doors. Usually, we’d commemorate every anniversary with a BBQ outside the gym to thank everyone for their support, but COVID restrictions have prevented it this year. Instead, to mark the occasion, Patricia, one of our clients, interviews our founder Shaun about the history of Hygieia.
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Why You Need Weightlifting Shoes and How to Buy Them
In barbell training, shoes matter. Here’s everything you need to know about weightlifting shoes, the essential gear for barbell training. We’ll tell you why you need a pair of weightlifting shoes, what to look out for, and how to buy them.
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Why Some Lifters Pass Out After Deadlifts, and How to Avoid It
You’ve probably seen those viral videos: a lifter pulls a heavy deadlift and everything looks awesome. He puts the bar back down on the floor, stands back up, looks around like he’s confused, then suddenly, boom! He’s passed out flat on the floor. Read on to understand why some lifters pass out after deadlifts, and how to avoid it.
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How to Rehab Muscle Strains or Tears – Rehab, Not Rest, Will Speed up Recovery
If you’ve strained or torn a muscle, most doctors will tell you to take some painkillers and rest the affected area. But extended rest and waiting for the injured muscle to heal on its own means that its recovery will be slowed down and the muscle fibres don’t heal back properly. Find out what you should do to speed up your recovery and lower the chances of injuring the muscle again.
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3 Tips to Speed Up Your Workout – How to Save Time in the Gym While Still Making Gains
It seems like there’s never enough time in our busy lives. Do you rush to the gym, then rush to complete your lifts while your mind is constantly thinking about how little time you have left before you’ve got to go back to work or to pick your kids? Within the time you have, how can you be more efficient while still maximising your strength gains? Here are 3 things that you can do to speed up your workout and still continue to make gains.
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The Barbell, The Teacher (Part 4) – Ignoring Distraction to Achieve your Goals
Previously, we saw that acquiring Patience, Hard Work and Practice will improve your training as well as various aspects of your life.
Now in Part 4, we get to the final lesson of Focus, which, when taken together with the other three, can transform who you are when applied.
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The Barbell, The Teacher (Part 3) – Committing to Consistency and Excellence
While barbells are the best way to get strong, the improved physical capabilities isn’t the only benefit.
In Part 1 and Part 2, we saw how Patience and Hard Work can positively influence your life, by encouraging you to forgo short term gratification for long term benefit, and training up your ability to stick with doing hard things.
Now in Part 3, we’ll look at the lesson of Practice and how it helps you get better in just about anything you want to do.
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The Barbell, The Teacher (Part 2) – Becoming a Better Version of Yourself
The apparently simple process of barbell training will teach you life lessons that are useful both inside and outside the gym.
In Part 1 of this article series, we learned the lesson of Patience — how you should use it to train consistently and get strong slowly, instead of looking for unrealistic shortcuts.
Now in Part 2, we’ll look at the lesson of Hard Work, and how it helps you become a better version of yourself.
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The Barbell, The Teacher (Part 1) – Lessons with the Power to Change your Life
The barbell – it’s simply a piece of machined steel, a useful tool to get you strong when used correctly. But if you immerse yourself and commit to training, you will find that it does more than just get you physically strong.
The barbell and the process of training teaches you many lessons, and develops uncommon character traits that will positively affect your life outside the gym.
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Stop Wasting Your Time in the Gym
If you’ve been training at a commercial gym for a while, pause, take a look around and observe the regulars. You’ll realise that most of them are performing or look exactly the same as they did a few months (or even years) ago.
Now, take a moment and review your own training. Have you been making steady progress or have you been going around in circles?
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Going to the Gym to Lose Weight? Why Training Only for Appearances Is a Bad Idea.
Exercising to lose weight? Instead, improve your strength to improve your health. Check out other great reasons for going to the gym and bigger goals to train for.
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Why Do Old People Fall Down (And What You Can Do About It)
According to the Health Promotion Board, about one-third of elderly Singaporeans aged 60 and above have fallen at least once. We’ll discuss why strength is important in maintaining balance and why “balance training” doesn’t work.
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Andrew, the Triathlete With Lower Back Pain
Do you have lower back pain that’s getting in the way of you enjoying your time in the saddle?
If you’re an avid cyclist, this might sound familiar to you. You’re enjoying the ride, feeling the wind in your face and clocking in the miles. About 30 minutes in, you start to feel a little dull ache in your lower back. As you keep going, that little ache gradually gets more pronounced.
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Embracing the Discomfort of Training
Training isn’t meant to be comfortable – it never was, never is and never will be. If you’re serious about your training and want to make progress, you must shed the mindset of ‘working within your comfort zone’ and start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
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Is Your Back Causing You to Lose Money and Time?
If you’re above the age of 30, it’s certain that you have experienced or are currently experiencing lower back pain.
Martin had to travel extensively as part of running a successful patent law firm and spent at least 30 hours a month on planes. Back then, he flew business class not because he wanted to but because he had to – flying economy would cause him to suffer from excruciating pain for the next few days.
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Gyms: Are They Necessary?
In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of gyms when it comes to training, not exercising, and how your mindset and outlook inevitably impact your view of gym culture…
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Physically Independent or Wheelchair Bound – The Choice Is Yours
Strength is an essential component of life and a determining factor of how you spend your golden years – being physically independent and doing the things you love or bring wheelchair-bound.
This simple test that you can do at home will tell you the state of your physical strength.
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Get Unstuck Transitioning From Novice to Intermediate
Progress stalling after your novice phase ended? Constantly getting stuck and not sure which post novice program will work for your situation? Coach Shaun talks about some strategies to move from your novice phase into intermediate.
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A Perfect Pulling Position on Every Rep
Get these 3 reminders checked off before you deadlift and you’ll be in the optimal pulling position on every rep.
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Who’s Stronger? Absolute Strength Versus Relative Strength
Who’s Stronger?
Lifter A, 50 kg bodyweight – Deadlifts 150 kg
Lifter B, 80 kg bodyweight – Deadlifts 200 kg
How Patricia Beat Osteoporosis With Barbell Strength Training
Patricia talks about her experience of being diagnosed with osteoporosis and beating it with barbell strength training and eventually being able to deadlift double her bodyweight.
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Planning for Your Future
Just like there are questionnaires and tests to gauge if you’re on the path to be financially ready for retirement, there are a multitude of simple tests to find out if you have sufficient strength for your golden years.
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How to Fix Your Hip Bounce in the Press 2.0
The hip bounce movement used in The Press 2.0 can be tricky for some lifters. Here’s a useful way to think about the movement.
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Squat Depth – How to Get It Just Right?
In the 19th century fairy tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, a little girl named Goldilocks tastes three different bowls of porridge and finds that the perfect bowl…
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Start Small, Be Consistent, Keep Going
Remember the New Year’s resolutions you made a few months back? You had big plans to overhaul your life starting the moment the clock struck 12 on the 1st of January 2020…
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Strength and Older Adults
Strength is something that everyone loses as they age – this is an irrefutable fact and occurs whether you like it or not. One does not appreciate the role that strength plays in their life until they find themselves in a situation whereby they lack the strength to perform simple activities of daily living. Getting a weak older adult stronger is like handing the keys to their independence back to them. But how does an older adult with aches/pains/injuries and no training experience get stronger safely using barbell training? Here’s a brief look at it’s done.
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Hygieia Strength & Conditioning’s 2019 Year End Review
First of all, we at Hygieia Strength & Conditioning would like to thank you, our clients. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you, thank you for your continued…
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Get Strong in the New Year
This new year, instead of the usual and popular New Year Resolutions of losing weight/fat or exercising more, have you considered getting stronger?
Read MoreThe Importance of Strength
Strength, the most important physical attribute. We talk about strength and its importance in our day to day lives.
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Strength Training and Sports Performance
Do a quick search for “sports specific training” or “sports performance training” online and you’ll find a plethora of websites marketing programs that…
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Strength Training and Older Adults
According to Singapore’s Department of Statistics, 13.7% of the resident population in 2018 are aged 65 years and over (Wong, 2018, pp.14). Thanks to advancements in…
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Losing Weight and Strength Training
Every once in a while, we get people walking into the gym and asking if strength training can help them if their goal is weight loss. Almost all of the time, they’re…
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Training and Travelling
You’ve finalised your flights, booked your hotel and ready to go on your well-deserved holiday. Here’s how to plan your training around your travelling schedule.
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The Gloves Don’t Work, They Just Make It Worse
If you’re new to lifting weights and deadlifts are part of your training (as it should be), you’ll probably notice calluses forming on your palm just below the junction…
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Patience in Strength Training
Over the past few years that I’ve been a strength coach, I’ve worked with with dozens of lifters and brought most of them through to the end of their Novice Linear Progression…
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Starting Strength Training After 60
Steven Miller talks about his experience starting strength training after 60.
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How to Start Squatting
If you’re able to squat to proper depth (hip crease below the top of your kneecap) with a barbell on your back, this article isn’t for you. If you’re able to do a bodyweight
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Bar Placement in the Squat
An increasing number of people are realising the benefits of strength training and as a result, more people than ever are getting under barbells and squatting…
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Beating Osteoporosis with Barbell Training
Patricia talks about her experience training at Hygieia Strength and Conditioning after being diagnosed with osteoporosis
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