*Do your lifts look better than this 4 year old???

Development of a weightlifter is very similar to the development of any athlete. In my opinion it should be systematic and subjective based on the athletes skill level and coordination.With that said, most who are interested in Olympic-style weightlifting come to it a bit older and with a general understanding of the classical lifts.

What’s Popular

Currently, the popular trend in Olympic-style weightlifting training is to lift maximally followed by drop-down sets to work on positioning.  I’ve found this approach to be effective with some of my own weightlifters, namely for those qualified and experienced enough to handle the demand.  I get it.  I see the draw.  Who wouldn’t want to lift heavy and go all out?  It’s not really glorious to focus on technique, is it?  It’s not like you’re going to get all amped up to go lift light weights, like a spartan?

But in my opinion, those who haven’t developed enough familiarity and coordination with the classical lifts should not be lifting maximally (technical or absolute).

YouTube

http://youtu.be/FJtrtS7MHYk

I believe too many people get distracted by the big lifts seen on YouTube and by the uneducated advice found on online forums.  They conveniently forget the hours and years that advanced lifters have spent training beforehand to sustain such high intensity and volume.  Additionally, they ignore the fact that many of these advanced weightlifters ‘survived’ through weightlifting camps/schools and are considered to be the ‘cream of the crop’ in their countries.  Unfortunately, most of us are not the elite of the physical gene pool.

System of a Multi-Year Training in Weightlifting- A.S. Medvedev

At this point you may be thinking that I’m full of crap and “what do I know?”  So let’s take a look at a proven systematic method by Alexey Medvedev.

“All novices, regardless of ability, should go through a multi-sided and comparatively prolonged initial training” Medvedev

The System Categories

Sport Mastery: 3 years

Objective: “Correct execution of the snatch and clean & jerk and the strengthening of technique to the point of a precise habit” (1)

High Sport Mastery: 4 years

Objective: “special preparatory exercises receive the fundamental emphasis of training Considerable emphasis is placed on the development of specific, speed-strength qualities. Technical mastery is improved or is maintained at a high level. The GPP volume of loading compromises of 16-17%” (1)

Training for the USSR National Team

“Athlete needs to withstand significant physical and psychological loading, and to be able to achieve internal level results under extreme (competition) conditions. The strenuousness of training reaches the highest level.” (1)

Medvedev Overview on classification research.

“Based on the ‘Requirements of the All-Soviet Classification Research’, of highly qualified athletes showed, that (at that time) our Olympians required an average of 3-4 years of training to achieve the MS (Mastery of Sport) norms. They were placed on the national team after an average of 7 years (from 5-10 years) of regular training. “ (1)

Conclusion

Based on Medvedyev, it takes at least 3 years of training for “Sport Mastery,” at which time the focus is spent on CORRECT execution of the classical lifts and “strengthening of technique to the point of a precise habit.”  (1)

While Medyedyev’s system concerns itself with developing elite weightlifters, most weightlifting clubs today are comprised of novice and intermediate lifters.  Nevertheless, his system reveals how vital it is to focus on correct positioning.  For this reason, I don’t allow my weightlifters to lift heavier loads until (1) they possess a strong understanding of the bar path (feel), (2) they have exhibited control with their existing weight load, and (3) correct positioning has become habitual for them.  Once the weightlifter has a strong foundation, he can then withstand higher intensities and volume in the correct position and increase the rate of successful lifts.  Without a strong foundation, the weightlifter can become focused solely on lifting the bar up, thus ignoring correct positioning and significantly increasing the rate of injury and of missed lifts.

To be 100% clear, I’m not saying one should not lift ‘heavier weights’ (which is an ambiguous term).  What I am saying is that one needs to build a solid foundation (GPP & technique) to truly gain the benefits of lifting with higher intensities.  I also believe that one needs to ‘earn’ the right to lift within such measures.  The psychological aspects involved in lifting maximally and confronting misses is a topic I’ll need to save for another day.

I hope that this was helpful and as stated earlier, this is just my opinion and how I coach my weightlifters. I am in NO way trying to criticize other coaches and their methods, these are my thoughts and the rationale that have lead me to my system.

Stay strong,
Team Fusion Weightlifting

(1) System of a Multi-Year Training in Weightlifting- A.S. Medvedy