Focusing on lifting the weight delivers poor results—the same way focusing on the arm does not make a good punch. For maximum lower body strength or power, you must direct your attention to your feet and drive them through the ground. Emulate Soviet weightlifting legend Yuri Vlasov who said that his feet “burned” from the pressure he applied through them during his pulls and squats.
StrongFirst teaches this advanced technique at all of our instructor certifications, kettlebell, barbell, and bodyweight. It has martial arts origins and is called the “static stomp.”
Do the drill barefoot or in minimalist shoes.
Deadlift a heavy kettlebell or two or a light barbell.
Hold the top position while breathing shallowly—“behind the shield”—and occasionally power breathing.
Visualize that your feet are pressing harder and harder into the deck.
Grip the ground with your toes and consciously add tension to different muscles with the following cues:
- Quads—“pull up the kneecaps”
- Glutes—“crush a walnut”
- Abs—“brace for a punch”
- Lats—“push your arms down and back, as if swimming” and “break the bar or the kettlebell handle”
At the same time, keep your traps and neck relaxed. “Grow tall” through the crown of your head.
Ignore the weight in your hands and focus on your feet and on tension.
5-10sec later park the iron, shake off the tension with “fast and loose” drills, and stomp the ground a few times with the entire surface of each foot.
Then go straight to your chosen lower body lift or exercise with a medium weight. Reproduce the “static stomp” feeling and behold the power.
You have sampled one of the many state-of-the-art skills of strength taught at StrongFirst instructor certifications, kettlebell, barbell, and bodyweight.
