10 things every lifter should be able to do...or should they?

A couple of weeks ago I came across an article from a website that I frequently go to as a resource for my own training. I stumbled across an article on that site titled "10 Things Every Lifter Should Be Able To Do". Make sure you at least give it a once-over for some context before you read the rest of this blog post.

I was intrigued. I'm always interested to hear and read about the "standards" or "benchmarks" that people come up with and why they think everyone should strive towards meeting them. 

Why am I intrigued by these? 

Well, because they typically have no reference point to them other than someone's opinion or they've just been passed on for years. More times than not, there is no hard evidence or research to support what these people are touting as "standards".

I wanted to share my thoughts on this article and thought there was no better way to do it than go through and briefly touch on each of these things that you, as a lifter, should be able to do according to the article's author.

So, here we go!

1. Bench Press Your Own Bodyweight
This is a pretty common lifting standard that I've heard many places, but I don't agree at all. Sure, it's a cool thing to be able to say, but it doesn't really amount to anything. Also, the bench press doesn't amount to much in terms of sports performance or functionality in day-to-day life. So, no, you don't need to be able to bench your own bodyweight.

2. Deadlift Double Your Bodyweight
Another one that I have commonly heard. I really think people like these 1x and 2x bodyweight rules because they just sound sexy. I mean, "I can deadlift twice my bodyweight" does sound pretty legit, but its not nearly as impressive for a 100lb lifter  who can deadlift 200lbs to say as it is for a 250lb lifter who can  deadlift 500lbs to say. Again, no, you don't need to be able to deadlift twice your bodyweight.

3. Hold A 2-Minute Plank
This was a new one for me, but it makes a lot of sense! Your ability to brace your core and create whole body tension while still being able to breathe is essential for lifters. It also comes in handy when its time to move some furniture or carry in that heavy gift you bought for grandma for Christmas. I like it so, go ahead, give this one a try and  see how you measure up!

4. Sleep With Only One Pillow
Yes! This one is huge and getting to be more and more of an issue with the increased time we spend looking down at our phones and sitting staring at screens with terrible posture. Pillows are meant to support our head and neck while we sleep, not to proper our head up into the same terrible posture its been in all day anyway. If you're someone who sleeps with multiple pillows or a very firm pillow under your head I would encourage you to try to cut down on the number or the firmness of pillows. Your head, neck, upper back, and shoulders will thank you!

5 . Sit On The Floor Without Using Your Hands, Knees, Or Shins
I agree, kind of. In the article he references research on how being able to get off the floor in this way is tied with life expectancy. While this is very true and needing to be able to get up off the floor is very important especially as you age I don't think you need to do it without your knees or shins. In the original study they were looking more at flexibility in their testing and essentially wanted people to be able to cross one foot over the other then sit down Indian-Style and then reverse the process to stand back up. This is fine, but I don't think it really matters how you do it as long as you can get it done without the assistance of an external object. So, go ahead, try it. Can you get up off the floor without using your hands to push/pull on something else?

6. Balance On 1 Foot For 10 Seconds
This is a good one, but needs to be more of a challenge. Standing on and balancing on one foot is something we all should be able to do easily considering half of the time we spend walking or running is spent on one foot. However, thanks to our more sedentary lifestyle, many people have lost the ability to support themselves on one foot and this leads to many injuries, compensations, and aches and pains. I don't think 10 seconds is an adequate standard here though, and believe you should shoot for more like 30 seconds. Go ahead, try it. I bet it will be harder than you think!

7. Hang For 30 seconds, Pull-Up
This was another new one for me and one I thought was interesting. Unless you're the main character in an action flick, the chances that you will ever be dangling from a cliff or the side of a building and then need to pull yourself back up are slim to none. So no, I don't think you need to be able to do this. 

8. Long Jump Your Height
Sounds odd, but what he is referring to here is the standing broad jump which is a test commonly used in athletics and even the NFL Combine to test athletes ability to generate force while simultaneously demonstrating their horizontal power. Staying powerful and explosive as you age is something that will keep you feeling young and resilient. Being able to broad jump your height is a decent rule of thumb for the average person so give it a shot and see how you measure up.

9. 30 Second Bodyweight Squat and Hold
I like this one...a lot! The objective here is to squat down, hold the bottom position for 30 seconds, then stand back up. It shows whether or not you can squat down, but also if you can do so in a position that you can maintain for 30 seconds. Maintaining a squat position if you don't have a decent body mechanics/positioning can be very challenging. Standing back up should be the easy part of this one. Give it a try, because it might more challenging than you think!

10. Farmer's Walk Your Bodyweight
Yep, another good one right here! Upper body strength, lower body strength, grip strength, core stability, walking under load, there are so many great things this challenges. This will also point out some areas you may need to work on pretty quickly. The author doesn't specify a distance, but I think 50 feet is a fair goal to shoot for. So go ahead and try it! Can you do a 50 foot farmer's walk while carrying your bodyweight?

At the end of the day, I think the biggest question is, do these "standards" even matter? They give people something to strive towards, which is good, but its similar to standardized testing in schools, if you're always practicing for the test you're probably missing out on other key aspects that will make you your best.