Two common hurdles for beginners starting their strength journey are the fear of “doing it wrong” and/or getting hurt. While injury rates are ridiculously low in the weight room, the concern is still valid and one that our coaches take very seriously.
Often, folks come to us with an expectation that they are going to need a lot of additional stretching to perform the exercises correctly. I’m not opposed to adding stretching to an athlete’s routine, it feels great after all. That being said, the way we work with folks that actually present with range of motion deficits is a bit “sneakier” than traditional static stretching or just “going to yoga on the weekends”.
Mechanical Analysis
At Brentwood Barbell, we believe in meeting you where you are right now, not where you want to be or where you were in college (I know you benched 225 for reps). When we start a new athlete, they will go through our Barbell Intro Program. During this time, we are learning about how they move and where they need to START their training. We will be looking at the 4 primary strength exercises:
Squat
Bench Press
Deadlift
Press
These exercises will serve as the “backbone” of all training programs during an athlete’s time with us so it’s important we start by developing a health relationship with these lifts. Our analysis for the athlete’s movement is directly taken from Starting Strength, Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition. Using this level of mechanical analysis allows us to reverse engineer the athlete’s development if they aren’t quite able to get into quality positions on day one. It’s worth noting that we are able to get most folks into the standard exercise positions most of the time.
But… what if you’re one of those guys or gals that isn’t able to squat very well? Or you’re unable to keep your back straight pulling from the floor? Or, perhaps your physical therapist told you that you shouldn’t be lifting overhead?
The Power of the Power Rack
In our gym, we have 14 R3 Rogue Power Racks (no we’re not sponsored). This means every athlete gets their own rack to work at their own pace. The Power Rack isn’t just for safety; it is also a useful precision tool for building your range of motion. Yes, we can set safety pins during heavy squats and presses but we can also use them to create a controlled environment that allows you to train at the edge of your current ability without the risk of “bottoming out” or losing form. Over the past 10 years, we have used this progression method too many times to count. We’ve used it with all four of the primary lifts mentioned above. Variations include:
Pin Squats (at or above parallel)
Pin Bench Press (at chest of 2” off chest)
Pin Press (at chin, nose, and eye level)
Pin Pull (at mid shin level)
If you’re not sure what any of that means, you’re probably not running an actual strength program. You’re likely executing a “fitness” program. Fitness programs are fine, they help you get fit, but they rarely help you get strong. Strength programs are built around exercises that are limited by… well, strength. These are multi-joint, compound exercises that allow for maximal loading. Heavy weights are necessary to drive the strength adaptation we’re looking for. Conversely, fitness programs often rely heavily on exercises that are convenient or easy to learn and often not limited by force production (strength). For example, a bosu curl isn’t limited by curl strength, it’s limited by balance. Stuff like that.
Pro tip: a good program will get you fit and strong.
Methodical Progression Using Pins
Rather than forcing a range of motion your body isn’t ready for, we use the pins to set a “floor” for your lift. Here is how we slowly increase ROM:
Set Your Baseline: We place the pins at a height where you can maintain perfect form and tension (e.g., a “partial squat” or a “floor press” in the rack).
Establish Consistency: You train at this height until the movement feels natural and your strength improves at that specific depth.
The “One-Hole” Drop: Once you’ve mastered a height, we move the pins down exactly one hole. This increases your range of motion by just an inch, a change so small your body can easily adapt to it.
Repeat: Over weeks or months, these small “one-hole” adjustments lead to a full-depth squat or a chest-to-bar press.
Small, Regular Wins
This “Start Simple” approach follows Pareto’s Principle: 20% of the right actions produce 80% of your results. By focusing on these high-yield, small adjustments, we mitigate:
Anxiety: you know exactly where the “bottom” is.
Injury Risk: you aren’t forcing your joints into positions they can’t support yet.
Ego Lifting: the pins reduce momentum or bouncing.
Training vs. Exercise
We often talk about the differences between training and exercise and the range of motion protocol above is a perfect example. By establishing a baseline against an ideal model, we can accurately assess what the athlete needs and get to work. The benefits include, but aren’t limited to, not having to wait until you are “flexible enough” to start lifting. Instead, we can use the tools in the gym along with intelligent programming to build the range of motion you want, one pin adjustment at a time.
Want help putting together a training plan that’s right for you? Book a Meeting with one of our coaches and let’s chat.
