by Jonathon Sullivan MD, PhD, SSC, PBC "I was told there would be no math." I know this terrific guy, who’s a radiation oncologist. Think about that: this guy is part doctor, part physicist. That is one accomplished human being. Smart. A guy like that can do just about anything. Except, apparently, load a barbell correctly without difficulty. Upon his regularly failed attempts to do so, he would look at me sheepishly and say, “I was told there would be no math.” I relate thi

by Jonathon Sullivan MD, PhD, SSC, PBC All other things being equal, it is the rep that arrives at the sticking point with the greatest speed on the bar that is most likely to succeed. It is for you, the athlete, to make that happen. Recently, we discussed the stretch reflex, how it's not a dominant part of how we think about the bench, and how it is a big part of how we think about the press. We don't "bounce" the bench off the bottom in our system of training. But we're def