Technical cues

Patsy167

I'm looking for the most bang-for-your-buck technical cues.

"A cue is just a short prompt or phrase that quickly reminds you of good exercise form."

I find these incredibly helpful, especially for compound exercises to get the mind-muscle connection started.

My favorite being "imagine there is a piece of golden string coming from the crown of your head pulling you up like a puppet". It gets everything in alignment and I'll use it for everything from regular walking, farmers walks, swimming, dips, pushups.

Another one I will use for the deadlift is to "pretend you are squashing oranges under your armpits". This helps to keep shoulders and scapula's locked and down. I think I picked that one up from Hanley several years ago on here.

Anyone care to share what works for them?

Alf Veedersane

"UP UP UP UP UP UP"

Patsy167

A few from around the internet that I like are:

To engage glutes while squatting, act like you're trying to crack a walnut between your asscheeks.
Chris Duffin's squat cues - Ribs down, inflate obliques, bend the bar (like a lat pulldown to activate lats), screw your feet into the floor, and sit back.

For pullups/lat pulldowns, act like you're brining your elbows into your back pockets.
Pulling with your pinky" from a pull-up bar simulates adducting your elbows to your side

For deadlifting, act like you're pushing the floor away from your through your heels.

caviardreams

Patsy167 wrote: »

My favorite being "imagine there is a piece of golden string coming from the crown of your head pulling you up like a puppet". It gets everything in alignment and I'll use it for everything from regular walking, farmers walks, swimming, dips, pushups.

Does the string really have to be golden?? :P:P (Sorry couldn't resist )

One from Eric Cressey (I think) and lots of people: Spread the floor with your feet, when doing DLs, RDLs, Squats lots of stuff tbh

Eric has lots of stuff on this actually: e.g. installment 14(!) https://ericcressey.com/3-coaching-cues-strength-and-conditioning-programs-14

Patsy167

caviardreams wrote: »

Does the string really have to be golden?? :P:P (Sorry couldn't resist )

One from Eric Cressey (I think) and lots of people: Spread the floor with your feet, when doing DLs, RDLs, Squats lots of stuff tbh

Eric has lots of stuff on this actually: e.g. installment 14(!) https://ericcressey.com/3-coaching-cues-strength-and-conditioning-programs-14

Haha, from a quick google it turns out the "golden string" cue comes from a posture correction method - https://artofposture.co.uk/string-on-top-of-the-head.html

Cill94

'Bend the bar' and 'push yourself away from the bar' work very well for many people's bench in my experience.

A favourite of Ed Coan's for the squat is 'open your taint'

Patsy167

Cill94 wrote: »

'Bend the bar' and 'push yourself away from the bar' work very well for many people's bench in my experience.

A favourite of Ed Coan's for the squat is 'open your taint'

I've heard "snapping the bar like a pencil" on the bench press to get the lats engaged worked well for others

j@utis

I've tried many for squats and settled at these two, very simple ones:
1) balance in the center of your feet (if you feel balance shifting around - your form is off, stop and reset)
2) and knees out.

Two simple ones for deadlift too:
1) chest up
2) and sit back.

For bench press I just dig my shoulder blades into the bench, for overhead press is "abs, abs, abs"!!!

the baby bull elephant

For deadlift pulling the slack out of the bar is one that's really simple but sets everything up to be in the right position for me. Also focusing on squeezing my ass when the bar is passed the knees massively helps my lockout.

For OHP squeezing my ass again is really helpful and helps stop me getting lightheaded. Focusing on getting my head 'through the window' really improves the last half of the lift.

silverharp

I cant remember which exercise I heard this in relation to, might even be sprinting but applies to several lifts I'd guess, imagine someone pulling a string up from your chest

A bench pressing one is "don't break the egg" imagine there is an egg on your sternum , the bar must only touch it without breaking it

Alf Veedersane

silverharp wrote: »

I cant remember which exercise I heard this in relation to, might even be sprinting but applies to several lifts I'd guess, imagine someone pulling a string up from your chest

A bench pressing one is "don't break the egg" imagine there is an egg on your sternum , the bar must only touch it without breaking it

I be breaking eggs then

silverharp

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I be breaking eggs then

the higher law is you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs

Alf Veedersane

silverharp wrote: »

the higher law is you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs

I don't necessarily disagree with it. But a lot of lifters let the bar sink a bit more...whatever works.

But I think what it's probably getting at is more about controlling the bar rather than how much pressure it exerts on your chest

silverharp

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I don't necessarily disagree with it. But a lot of lifters let the bar sink a bit more...whatever works.

But I think what it's probably getting at is more about controlling the bar rather than how much pressure it exerts on your chest

to avoid bouncing the bar was the reasoning

Alf Veedersane

silverharp wrote: »

to avoid bouncing the bar was the reasoning

Yeah, controlling it. If youre bouncing it, you have less control, typically

caviardreams

silverharp wrote: »

to avoid bouncing the bar was the reasoning

Or I guess dropping it on your chest! :D

silverharp

caviardreams wrote: »

Or I guess dropping it on your chest! :D

now that was funny! :pac:

Mellor

silverharp wrote: »

to avoid bouncing the bar was the reasoning

Bouncing is not good. So it’s a good cue control.
But may be some benefits for some to sinking under control

Patsy167

Mellor wrote: »

Bouncing is not good. So it’s a good cue control.
But may be some benefits for some to sinking under control

But if you are not bouncing the bar off your chest like a basketball for that free momentum, Does it even count as a rep?

Mellor

Patsy167 wrote: »

But if you are not bouncing the bar off your chest like a basketball for that free momentum, Does it even count as a rep?

Re-read what I actually said though.
Bouncing and control are mutually exclusive.

Dtp1979

Simply tightening your lats just before to pull the deadlift has helped me

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Simply tightening your lats just before to pull the deadlift has helped me

Burning the curtains would add 24.5kg

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Burning the curtains would add 24.5kg

I’d burn the house if I thought I’d get 24.5kg extra

Mr. CooL ICE

Deadlift: make your arms as long as possible. Previously, I squeezed my triceps which in turn, flexed my lats. Trying to make my arms long works better for me as it flexes the rest of the back muscles.


For all three lifts, the best bracing cue I've learned is the forced exhale. Previously, I'd breath in and tense my core. However, emptying my lungs as hard as possible creates tension in every muscle from the diaphragm right down to the pelvic floor. It was hard AF to get used to as it was incredibly counter intuitive to everything I had done before.

Alf Veedersane

Actually, the best 'cue' for the bench (for me) was to relax my mind. I used to treat the 'start' command like the starter's pistol in the 100m. Cue (pun intended) slippage of technique.

So, next comp, I heard the start command, took my time and a PR followed.

The calmer I am, the better it goes for me. I've always made an absolute balls of it when I have tried to fire myself up.