Ryan Holder

💪🏻 Strength coach for 30+ yr/olds 🔥 Gut shrinking expert 🧠 Not your average mindset guru ⚽️ Youth S&C coach: @mini.athletes 📍Haverhill ⤵️ info ℹ️

10K followers on instagram

Content insights

Expert Overview

Ryan Holder is a fitness educator who specializes in practical strength training techniques and injury prevention strategies. He teaches evidence-based approaches to common gym exercises, focusing on proper form, equipment usage, and supplementation strategies that enhance both physical and cognitive performance. His teaching style is direct and no-nonsense, often using blunt humor and straightfor…

Core Philosophy

Ryan operates from a fundamentally practical approach to fitness education, believing that proper technique and clear instruction are the foundations of safe, effective training. His philosophy centers on precision over complexity — he breaks down essential movements like bench pressing into specific, actionable steps that prioritize injury prevention above all else. Rather than overwhelming peopl…

Key Principles

1. Proper setup and positioning are critical for injury prevention and performance, especially achieving maximum tightness in your upper back during compound movements. 2. Master the fundamentals first. Basic techniques like lifting strap usage should be learned correctly from the start to avoid developing bad habits. 3. The direction of movement matters in every detail. Whether wrapping straps …

Key Ideas & Frameworks

**Upper Back Tightness Protocol** • Draw shoulder blades together and down while internally rotating elbows • Use the cue of "trying to bend the barbell" to achieve maximum tightness • Creates a compact, stable shoulder position for safe and efficient bench pressing • Reduces likelihood of shoulder injury during the movement **Strap Winding Direction System** • Always position the dangly bit of l…

Actionable Advice

- Draw your shoulder blades together and down while internally rotating your elbows before bench pressing - Use the cue of "trying to bend the barbell" to achieve proper upper back tightness during bench press - Loop lifting straps by putting the strap through the hole, then your wrist through the loop with the dangly bit pointing toward your fingers - For overhand grip exercises, wrap lifting str…

Checklists & Cheat Sheets

✅ Safe Bench Press Setup Checklist • Unrack the barbell and get as tight as possible in upper back • Draw shoulder blades together and down • Internally rotate your elbows • Use "bend the barbell" cue to maintain tension • Feel compact with shoulders in stable position • Maintain this position throughout the lift 🏋️ Lifting Straps Usage Guide • Loop strap through the hole, put wrist through loop…

Key Takeaways

1. Proper bench press setup requires drawing shoulder blades together and down while internally rotating elbows to create a tight, stable position that reduces injury risk. 2. The "bend the barbell" cue helps lifters achieve the compact upper back position necessary for safe and efficient bench pressing. 3. When using lifting straps, the key principle is always winding the strap into your hand r…