Barbell Initiate

How to complete Barbell Initiate

The squat, bench, and deadlift are the foundation almost every strength program is built on, and bad form on them stalls progress and wrecks backs and shoulders. This is about grooving safe, repeatable technique with a loaded barbell, not chasing a number yet. Get these patterns right early and every future lift gets easier.

1. Learn each lift with an empty barbell first, drilling the groove before adding plates
2. Squat: bar on upper back, brace your core, sit between your hips to at least parallel
3. Bench: shoulder blades pinned, slight arch, lower to mid-chest and drive your feet
4. Deadlift: bar over mid-foot, flat back, push the floor away rather than yanking up
5. Film a set from the side and compare against a coaching cue checklist for each lift

Tips

• Always set safety pins on the squat and bench so a missed rep can't pin you
• One session with a coach fixes more than weeks of guessing from videos
• Add weight only once the movement looks identical rep to rep

What counts as done

You can perform a controlled set of all three lifts with a loaded bar and clean, consistent form on video.