The Six Most Important Lifts of Your Life

This is Coach writing to his lifters prior to a meet; any meet for that matter. 

 

Lifters,

Soon, you will be facing the 6 most important lifts of your life.  These could be the last lifts you ever do or they could be the first of many competition and training lifts or they could mark a new stage in your lifting career.  No matter, the 6 lifts you do in the upcoming meet will be the 6 most important lifts of your life. 

You need to have a good approach to these lifts.  No "...try..." or "...maybe..." or other shrugging it off.  You need to be confident in your training up to now, confident in your fitness up to now, confident in "tight, close, finish, feet flat", and in your ability to hit lifts.  You are taking a trip to Parts Unknown.  Lift weights you may have never even lifted before.  Lift weights overhead that you couldn't roll across the floor a few months ago.  The goal of a meet is to put more weight up overhead than you have ever done before and, because you may not get another chance at these 6 lifts, you put everything into them.  Spend time convincing yourself that you can do these lifts. 

That doesn't mean to run out there on to the platform like a maniac and do something crazy or whatever just because.  That means you go out there ready to give the weight a good ride.  Physically and mentally you are ready. As your coach, I can only guide you to the edge of the platform, wish you good luck, and then the show is all yours.  You will feel victory and failure.  Perhaps even in the same lift.  Physically, your openers and your goal weights for the meet are all achievable or I would not have given them to you.  

Channel Chemerkin who called for more weight loaded on to a barbell in a weightlifting competition than has ever been requested before or since.  Then go for it.  He was not thinking failure or "let me give it a try" as he chalked up.  He approached the bar and went for it with all he had.  Every lifter facing the 6 most important lifts of his or her life has to have the same approach; no compromise.

In case you forgot:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuiBO9FnFjY  Running up to the stage!

Today is the last training day for some of you.  The heavyweights have Thursday as their last training day.  Rest physically and prepare mentally for these, the 6 most important lifts of your life.  Depending upon what kind of a performance you uncork at the meet, all lifters should be considered to be in good positions to finish on the podium.Good luck to our lifters!

See you on the platform,
Coach

Personal Records and Hunger

Personal records, PRs, or personal bests, PBs, (we go with the former) are something that everyone chases.  Weightlifter, powerlifter, runner, etc. are all interested in performing better.  Managed properly, personal records and PR attempts reveal both short term and long term progress.  Great information on training comes from them.  Managed improperly, they are an exercise in abject stupidity.

Larry Lifter shows up for training and his coach tells him that the plan, or program, calls for PR attempts in each lift.  Coach tells Larry that he has been working hard for 6 weeks and that this planned set of PR attempts will give them both good feedback.  From the day's training session, they will get some good data. Larry gets ready to put forth maximum effort.  He has been training in the 2 and 3 rep ranges as well as the occasional excursion down to a single.  All weights have been at or above 80% or previous tested maximums.  Without going into excruciating detail, training has been  building toward these attempts.

Larry gets ready, warms up, and chases new PR in snatch and CJ.  He hits a new PR in snatch, about 3-4% more than his previous, and coach tells him to do it again, but this time, "Do it more perfectly."  So far, a good day.  Larry is hungry for more in the snatch after hitting a more perfect second snatch.

Larry then goes after CJ where the C has always been his problem.  He goes after a PR that is the 5% above his previous best, his timing is off, and he misses.  He tries it again, the lift is ugly, and coach tells him to start squatting.  Larry protests and asks if he can go one more time or put more weight on because, "...I know I can get it, coach."

"Squat."

Larry and his coach both get important info from this session as well as having an injury free lifter who is hungry for more PR.  Not a bad day and a good example of properly managing PR attempts.

Now, the other side of the story.

Louis Lifter comes to his gym, ready to go.  Perhaps he has a coach, perhaps he does not have one.  No matter, he has been training hard, doing many sets of many reps of a wide variety of exercises.  From pulls to dead lifts to rows to push ups to you name it, if you need 50 reps done in under 2 minutes, Louis is the guy.  So, he decides that today's session calls for a maximum lift in clean.  He has not trained for even a few days let alone weeks in anything close to 80% or above, has not trained a one rep max in months, yet decides that today is a good day for a max attempt.  Why not?  Lots of others are in the gym today going after max attempts and he should, too, he thinks.  He thinks, "I want to show everyone how strong I am."  Ego has crept in and that usually means that Rational Thought, like Elvis, has left the building. 

He warms up, gets ready, slaps weight on, and starts heading toward PR territory.  He hits a PR by 5 kilos and is quite pleased.  The goal of today's session was to PR and he accomplished it.  In theory, he should stop and go about his other business.  Remember Ego?  Ego tells Louis to add 5 kilos which he does.

He misses and misses badly.  No matter to Louis as he just revs up the testosterone, damns technical form, and rips the weight from the ground to his shoulders.  He still misses.  He adds another 5 kilos.  Unfortunately, he repeats the above testosterone increasing sequence and, with the room yelling at him a la a High School football weight room, he makes the lift.  "Crap, I am on a roll, " he thinks, "that is a 15 kilo PR.  I am going up."

He is tired, thinking all sorts of meaningless thoughts ("I hate this music." "Why is he here?", etc).  He goes for his next attempt.  It is slow from the ground, he can barely move, barely expresses any power, and his elbow whip is renamed to "elbow lackadaisical".  He tries to move under the bar, but he is so slow.  One woman onlooker is able to get her hair French braided during the time Louis is moving under the bar.  Then, he goes for the rack and BOOM!  his wrist explodes.

Ligaments, tendons, bones go every which way and Louis writhes in agony.  During his recovery period away from the gym, Louis can muse about his training and how he will recover from this, most likely career ending, injury.  He got no quality feedback from his PR attempts.

Meanwhile, Larry adjusts his program, boosts his training weights, and launches himself into a new 6 or 8 week program.  At the end of it, he will again attempt some PR after patiently working up to them.  He gathered data for training, is hungry for more PR, and is uninjured so he can continue on that path.  A perfect example of a well managed training day targeting PR attempts.

Contrast this with Louis who mismanaged his PR attempts as well as the training leading up to them and now has weeks or months of time off due to injury.  His case is an example of wasted opportunity and a lesson in stupidity.  Don't be Louis. 

Ego, Goldfish, and Weightlifting

It happens all the time.  An e-mail or a phone call which goes something like this:  "I am interested in learning how to be better at the Olympic lifts.  Can you help?"  Some of these potential trainees are powerlifters, life long weight trainers, former athletes, Crossfit enthusiasts, etc you name it.  The point is:  a new lifter coming into the gym.

The trainee enters the room.  He may be strong, fast, athletic, and experienced in the weight room.  He is used to it and is ready to show off.  After all, it is a new crowd and he wants to leave a good impression.

He may have to work through flexibility issues which are always humbling.  He may have to start off with the pipe, the broomstick, or just an empty bar.  All of these are blows to the ego.  To combat this, the trainee tries to impose his will on the bar during the process.  Of course, this does not go well.  Ego is at stake and the lifter must let this room full of strangers know how good he is. 

Many times, even after just one visit to the gym the ego is so fragile that the trainee never comes back.  Maybe he lifts a few  more times, but he just fades away. 

A potential weightlifter coming into the gym must surrender his ego.  It must be checked at the door as he arrives and begins to warm up. 

When you bring home a goldfish from the pet store, it comes in a little bag.  You take goldfish and bag of water and place it in the aquarium.  Slowly, the water in the bag and the aquarium reach the same temperature and you release the fish.  A new lifter must do the same thing when he enters a gym to start his weightlifting career.

A lifter must be lowered gently into the gym.  There is a vibe to the gym which must be understood.  There is a language in the gym, a rhythm to the lifts, and how the other lifters conduct themselves.  A new lifter has to slowly get accustomed to these things.  Of course lifters are not goldfish and each lifter will become acclimated as his own rate.  But suddenly the bag opens and the new lifter is no longer the new lifter.  He is like the goldfish now swimming around the aquarium with the rest of the fish.

A new lifter must be patient and let this warming up just happen as it cannot be forced.  A new lifter would have to allow himself to become one with  the gym, the coaches, the other lifters, and the lifts themselves.  Once a trainee becomes the goldfish that has been released from the pet store bag, it becomes a mere matter of   "Reward?  More weight!"

Meet Week: physical and mental preparation

Training is on going as the meet approaches, but there are always details to be worked; especially if a lifter is chasing a PR or two or three.

At practice, coach says, "The bar is loaded.  Let's see how you do with a load of nearly 100% of your current CJ PR" 
Lifter says, "I can't do it.  I didn't sleep well, I am tired, I just cannot get under heavy weights..."
Coach, "Can't?  Or choose not to?"

Lifting is physical and mental training.  the mind and attitude must be in as good a state of fitness as the physical form is.  Assuming physical training has gone well and the lifter can front squat 115, squat 135, and power clean 80, he should be able to hit around 100 in his CJ.  So, in physical theory, the lifter should be able to make the lift in question  In actual practice, his mental state will determine his performance.

Lifter, "I can clean and jerk 100, but I choose not to do so because it is a monumental task and I guess I have not made it very important to me." 

Coach goes on to explain in very logical terms why the lifter can indeed do the lift.  No amount of this type of explanation will convince the lifter to really commit to going after the lift.  For some reason, the lifter is sabotaging himself. 

This is why the mind plays such a key role in the approach to a meet (Or even a training session).  A lifter must be focused on this lift and only this lift.  He or she must eliminate external distractions and create some type of attention boundary.  This attention boundary could be the platform:  once the lifter sets foot on the platform, there is only him and the barbell. 

He must focus on intensifying and sustaining this focus for the entire time within the attention boundary.  A story has been told to me about an Olympic Games wrestler whose shuttle taking him from the Olympic Village to the competition venue was late.  All he could think about and focus on was that his warm up routine was now messed up and what would he do?  He had no ability to focus on the task at hand (his upcoming match) and as such was eliminated in the first round versus being in contention for a medal.

Sustaining focus under adverse conditions is key. 

A lifter must be determined and committed to making the goal lifts.  If there is not that level of commitment, then all is lost; you may as well give up.  Finally, every lifter needs to be selfish on meet day.  Every lifter is there at the competition to achieve his or her own goals.  Implicit in this goal directed behavior is the ability to economize one's energy.  Arriving 5 hours in advance to a venue so you can hang around, text, update what-have-you, and cheer others on seems like a team oriented behavior-- it is-- but it subtracts from your finite energy pool so that 6 high quality, focused, determined, committed attempts can be made. 

The week (and weeks) leading up to a meet whether a local meet or a national one are for honing the mind and the body so that new areas of personal growth and reward can be achieved.  make sure not to waste all the time and effort; arrive at the meet focused, on task, determined, and ready to get to your own uncharted personal territory.

Good luck to all lifters competing at the Bluegrass Barbell Classic on May 18!

Anger, Fear, and Confidence with the barbell

You are on your way to the gym to lift.  It's a moderate to heavy session and you are fuming.  First, the boss read you the Riot Act and you had barely sat down to start the day.  Then the lunch with your spouse or friend went sideways over some forgettable issue.  And now there is an old man in a hat driving a Buick at random down the road slowing you down as you head to the gym.

Bottom line:  you are in a foul mood and plan to rage against the bar tonight.  After all, it is going to be somewhat heavy with many reps above 80%.  This raging against the bar will only make matters worse as you tense up and most likely lack any degree of focus.  So, your lifting is going to be terrible.  The bar can rage back and rage back better.  You cannot do the technical tasks required during a heavy snatch or CJ if you are angry. 

Perhaps you allowed yourself to become angry over what the boss was telling you.  He called you out on some work you did or did not do.  At the time you did it, you knew it wasn't your best work and you barely did enough work required to get the job done.  You didn't feel very confident in your abilities as you had not spent the requisite amount of time to get to know either what the boss wanted or what the work really entailed.  Maybe you were afraid to ask him some questions and this being afraid of the boss angered you.

At lunch, your spouse brings up finances, always a touchy issue.  You are truly afraid that you are not saving enough for retirement.  You fear being a Walmart greeter on your 90th birthday.  The fear makes you angry.

Heading in to tonight's workout, you harbor the day's anger plus you know you have not really prepared well for the session.  Coach wanted some more squats out of you, but you told him you had to leave early then spent more time in the parking lot talking than if you had just squatted.  You are not confident your legs will respond properly.  

Then, since you know you can jerk whatever you clean, you skipped a few of the cleans, your weak point.   Not too confident that you are going to be able to clean that 87.5%.  You become afraid that you will miss lifts and the results, or lack thereof, that come with them.  That is where the anger based rage against the bar method is rooted.  Actually, it is rooted in your fears:  fear of job loss or change, fear of financial problems, fear of missing a lift. 

Fear when you are near a barbell will hinder your progress.  You get confident with many many lifts at the 80-85%  and the 85-90% levels.  To get to the PR of 102%, you have to be confident in your technique and confident in your strength.  Anger directed at just gripping and ripping will accomplish nothing.  Mental focus and directed energy to performing your heavy reps just like the warm up reps will vanquish your fear.

Afraid of getting under the bar in a clean?  Build up your front squat.  Don't become angry at yourself because you cannot stand up with the bar.  Get your front squat 10-15% better than your clean. 

Afraid of lowering your hips to get under the bar in the snatch?  Do exercises that force you to get under the bar:  snatch balance, hang snatches, block snatches, etc.  Don't become angry at your self for the fear of lowering the hips; practice meeting the bar and pulling you under the bar at all weights. 

Confidence through many, many perfect practice lifts gets built up via a cumulative effect.  Get that confidence by facing your fear and practicing to overcome it.  Physical preparation combined with mental preparation allow you to face your fear, remain calm, and to overcome it. 

Every lift counts from warm up to competition:  make sure that they do. 

Separation and Regret

A recent blog mentioned the opinion that approval is overrated.  The argument in the blog is that you must do something for you in spite of what you think others think or something to that effect.   In other words, what you think of me is none of my business.  Not a bad point, but does not hit the root cause of why more things don't get done.

Going back to the 2012 Olympics (seem so long ago?!), there was an interesting point brought up by the archery announcer during the team competition in the Olympic Games.  The U.S.  was competing against Italy.  Italy had just thrown a bad arrow down range.

Announcer says, after the U.S. shooter, who could have put some serious separation between his team and the Italians, does not hit the 10 spot, that human nature sometimes does not allow separation.  OR, the US shooter did not want to put his team too far ahead of the opponent.  Who wouldn't want separation?  Who would not want to crush the guy or team you are facing?

Perhaps there is all sorts of psychological battles taking place.  If the guy had nailed the 10 ring, that would have seemed like stepping on the Italian's neck.  But, he flubbed it a little.  He made it a lot closer than the match had to be.  For the rest of the Olympics, the announcers in all sports mentioned separation many times.

Did Alison Felix slow down a little bit during her gold medal run for the 200 meters?  No. Does a hockey player slow down when he has separation from his opponent on a breakaway?  Listen to a hockey game and hear how many times the announcers say, "...he's got separation..."

A lifter must do the same:  separate himself or herself.  From what?  From previous performances.  From the other lifters that seem to cluster around training and competition weights.  Once you have separation, the only goal is to keep moving and get more of it.  It is not easy.  Once you have overcome your personal limits and challenged yourself to do so, it is time to get uncomfortable. 

I have won competitions as well as been in first place with what would appear little chance of losing and I was able to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.  

But wait!  If I lift more weight, you say, you will have to lift more weight and your training sessions will become more intense.  If you lift more weight, you may qualify for a high level meet and all the pressure associated with that meet.  You fear the mental discipline required.  Will you lose my friends and buddies I have at my current level?  And, that's right, you are the first person in the history of mankind to feel that way.

That is where separation comes in:  you need to keep pushing to see what will happen.  How much separation will you need?  Just a little.  A lifter has to remain injury free and focused to continue making progress.  Perhaps that injury happened because the lifter did not want the separation as badly as he wanted to stay where he has always been.  It is really easy to stay put.  You won't live any longer, but it will sure feel like it!

Regret is insidious.  It is an incubator for excuses.  Inside your mind, you know you held back, backed off, quit a little bit, but to the outside world you lie.  "I am tired" "I have not had my usual 3 servings of BCAAs so that I could properly assimilate toxic by products from my sessions earlier in the week."  In reality, the door was open for separation and you closed the door from the wrong side and, now, regret doing so. 

Shame is staring you in the face and you say, "Well, I would have gotten that separation, but..."  I just puked blood into my mouth over that sentence.  How about instead, with the goal of getting better as a training and competing weightlifter firmly and clearly etched into your conscience, you put all of your energy into every repetition-- even warm up reps-- to get better so that you have no chance to regret anything.

You must make sure that you have done everything possible to make sure that repetition or competition lift is a regret free activity.   A coach who knows you:  your fears, your thought processes, your behaviors, etc is invaluable to keep you on track. 

Leave it all at the gym is a popular phrase.  It would appear at first glance that is a good idea.  It may even imply no regret.  What happens if that is not enough?  What happens if you have to pay attention to diet?  Work place stressors?  lack of sleep?  Financial woes? 

No matter, you need to ensure that you have done everything possible to make sure that training repetition or competition lift is a regret free activity.   Do not regret the activity that makes you better that pushes your limits, that gives you separation from you and your previous self.  Regret inactivity, regret doing nothing when you needed to have done something. 

Now, get out there and start moving toward you as a better, stronger, faster weightlifter!

Life and death of a coach: Part 2

Post Arnold.  nervous system goes to hell.  Coach tears his hair out looking for the answers, both good and bad.  Why did one do well?  Why did one do poorly?  what did I do in either case?  Was I a help, a hindrance, neutral?  Had I not been there, what would have happened?  Am I the wild card? 

Two week's worth of training, then a small meet.  Test day for those who did not lift at Arnold, but observed it.  Redemption day for others who lifted at Arnold.  How will it play out in small, unfamiliar confines? 

Two lifters first session.  Can I dial them each in so that today is a good day?  Crowded platforms, nerves, ugh.  The usual.  Female lifter has a nice warm up, seems positive.  Opener in the bag:  life.  Go up just a bit so that she can have momentum (is there really a momentum crystal?)  into the 2nd and 3rd lifts as well as CJ.  She misses her second attempt with a lazy arm.  The Grim Reaper is in the audience.  Instructions to fix the error are given. Ahh, they don't work as the third attempt is missed.  GR smiles. 
Fortunately, not for long.  After quickly moving on to CJ warm up, the snatch is forgotten.  Warm up becomes a near disaster as a planned for warm up weight proves to heavy to even pull.  Opener cannot be adjusted!  Oh, no.  No panic, calm, re-take a lighter weight, concentrate on technique.  Bang.  Opener, bang, second attempt, a tougher clean, a bit forward on jerk, perfect split.  Nice.  GR has now left.  Third attempt, a PR.  Clean is made, she knows she can jerk it.  Bang.  3 for 3 and a PR CJ. 

Young lifter hits his opening attempt in snatch without a hitch.  Specific goals for the meet are well within reach. Let's go for the second.  It is not made. Just a little bit loose, an easy technical adjustment.  he wants a PR attempt, I want a solid snatch.  he comes back, tighter, faster, and makes it.  The CJ should be easy. 
Warm ups go nicely.  The last warm up has his feet flying and his arms punching.  he carries this to the platform and hits his opener.  Now, he can attempt a PR.  He racks it, struggles to stand, and just cannot muster up 100% to finish it off.  GR re-appears.  We can keep him at bay if I can convince the kid to put out just a few more moments of work...can he?  he racks it, stands up with less energy this time, and nails a PR jerk.  nice work. 

Life for coach:  2 PR so far. 

Male lifter going for his opener.  Warm ups were solid, speedy, nice.  Mind good.  Attitude, good.  Opener, missed.  Gaping wound.  He re-adjusts, gets tight, and makes the lift.  Bandage.  Third attempt, should be do-able turns out not to be do-able.  Wound re-opens.  CJ proves to be very nice.  Easy opener.  Mind good, no need to do anything besides offer encouragement.  Second CJ, a PR attempt, made.  Nice.  Let's go up to uncharted territory.  Good clean, no jerk.  No matter, PR CJ, PR total.  Life.

Male lifter kind of in a bad mental place needs encouragement and focus:  Can I give it to him?  Will he take it?  Whether he does or does not take it, will he be able to perform?  Warm ups go well, mind looks good though energy level could stand to be improved.    Snatch opener made, whew.  Life.  Was it me or was it him?  If the former what did I do to make it happen?  Life or death? 
Second snatch:  chased to the edge of the platform, still good.  Third snatch, a PR attempt, not made.  A bit of a negative, so...  CJ warm ups go well.  Opening attempt matches the Arnold so it should be easily made.  It is and we go up 7 kg to see what will happen.  He comes out, cleans it, racks it nicely, jerks it even better.  Plenty of juice, life, energy.  Third attempt is a pull and the look of desperation comes to his face.  "Why can I not do this weight anymore?"  he did get his redemption.

Grim Reaper in the house.  

next male lifter.  Beautiful warm ups.  Looking very good, strong, mind good.  Opening snatch is nailed easily.  Next two snatches are just upright rows.  Too much muscle, not enough of the right muscle at the right time.  Ugh, gotta control that and make sure the CJ are perfect in the warm up room.  opening attempt is racked, stands up, then something happens.  not sure what, but he forgot what he was doing it looked like.  Kind of a split push jerk or something.  Ugh, the lift was not that far off so it looked like increasing the weight was not out of the question.  Second attempt is the same.  Oh, my, the GR is right there, breathing in my ear. Will he bomb out?  What adjustment, since he is following himself, is required to dial him back in?  The mind is all over the place with craziness.  Pull him back in, get him to focus, and he should be OK.  Last attempt;  made.  Whew.  made easily, too which makes the first two misses unexplainable. 

Life. 

final lifter going for redemption and national Q-total.  Warm ups are unbelievable.  Focused, fast, furious, nice.  Little is said between us except hand signals.  All is good.  In the bottom position, he leans forward to push some dust away.  OH NO!  The bright light lack of focus again!  Doom!  Gloom!  Opener:  adjusted up, nailed.  LIFE!  Second attempt, nailed.  Third attempt, uncharted territory for him.  he makes this, the CJ becomes a walk in the park.  he goes out, calmly, focuses in, and NAILS IT!  PR!  LIIIFFFFFE!

CJ warm ups; he hits his opener in the back room.  Adjust that up, then.  He hits his opener, he gets a national Q-total.  The clean ain't the problem; the jerk could be.  NO!  A beautiful clean and jerk!  YAY!  Life!  Second attempt is a meet PR.  He cleans it nicely, his hand slips, he adjusts, he nails it!  More life.

The Grim Reaper is running away now.  PR snatch, PR CJ, PR total, nationals in July.  What could be better?  Oh, how about a 2x BW CJ attempt?  he cleans it, jerks it, and just misses getting it.  Still, LIFE!

So, someone asked me, "How did your little meet in Louisville go?"  I answer, "Same as the Arnold."

Life and death on the platform from the coach's eye.