Exercise scientists hate me… or some 60 second ab nonsense here are three hints that have helped me to add instant kilos to a lift or to see greater return from my effort with very little outlay.
1 – Use the vibration plate in your gym to stretch and become more flexible.
Studies have showed that stretching with the vibration plate/machine shows an increased acute in flexibility (straight after) and chronically (overtime) here is one such study from 2006 that looked at the effect of stretching without the vibration plate vs stretching with the vibration plate in elite male gymnasts.
They found that the vibration stretching had a greater increase in flexibility especially in acute but also chronic use.
Use the toning machine to get the jump start on your mobility routine.
2 – Place your belt up high for deadlifts (and squats if your a taller lifter)
I got this one from a video posted by American powerlifter George Leeman posted on his youtube. The basic idea is the belt holds your thoracic spine in extension and acts as a support for your arch making it stronger, I have used it for both squat and deadlift using a softer belt and have definitely felt the difference in my lifts.
3 – Place the bar down slightly on your shoulders during squats if your not as flexible as a weightlifter.
This one helped me a shit load, I have typically struggled a ridiculous amount with staying upright in the squat a bit of mobility work and some bar placement has made this pretty much a thing of the past.
Lu is flexible enough to squat high bar and shift a lot of weight well.
Carl who is still very flexible uses a slightly lower bar placement to allow him to maintain his torso position with very heavy weights.
If your not a weightlifter and you back squat my money is that you will find the movement a lot more natural and stronger if you take that bar down your shoulders a little bit and keep arching your upper back!