The fitness field has MANY unqualified idiots, and with these jackasses brings a wave of morons trying to take on the next fad…Good or bad this wave is now taking on Olympic Weightlifting. It’s gotten to the point where commercial gyms are trying to hard sell teaching the lifts to their members…and as we all know, commercial gyms trainers/sales guys= no soul. Beyond this, sadly many trainers believe if they take a weekend course or shadow a Coach for a few weekends that they are qualified to start teaching Olympic Weightlifting. Not sure where this thought process came from, but it’s very rampant in the fitness field.
My problem isn’t the fact that people are interested in this great sport, it lies in the people that show it no respect. I find it insulting when I hear/see that some trainers come to say they want to learn the Olympic lifts, yet give nothing back to the Weightlifting community, and (as stated above) believe after a few weekends the trainer THINKS he/she can teach the lifts. It becomes a problem for two main reasons: People get hurt and than blame it on the lifts (Snatch, Clean & Jerk) and/or it becomes such a big fitness FAD, and as past experiences has shown…fitness FADS ruin everything in it’s path…like a plague!
While I sound super cynical, I don’t want to sound like I’m ungrateful, I truly do love the fact that Weightlifting is started to get its popularity back. So with that stated, make sure that you find a QUALIFIED Weightlifting Coach. While this will be a challenge to decipher a legitimate coach because Coaching is a skill set developed over time COACHING Weightlifters.
Below are some suggested criteria to help your decision making process:
Coaching Weightlifters
Pretty straight forward, the Coach should be COACHING Weightlifters, not the nutritionist of the team, not the masseuse, etc…COACHING…was that clear? 🙂
USA-W Sanctioned Club
While this isn’t mandatory it shows that the Coach is devoted to Olympic Weightlifting and is a USA-Weightlifting Coach. Some basic positive points that the club/coach is serious about Weightlifting, instead of a weekend workshop “Coach”.
Weightlifters
While it maybe difficult for the untrained eye to see, those that are interested in Weightlifting know the basics. If the Coach’s Weightlifters technique look like shit, bar swinging and crashing…or for the untrained eye just looks painful, than you probably shouldn’t be working with them. Your time is precious so value it!
Summary
While there are many other aspects that make a qualified Coach, the point is to make sure they have some type of qualifications. Eric Cressey said it best here:
“I could go to a dinner party with some non-medical types and drop a bunch of fancy anatomy and physiology words and likely convince people that I’m a cardiologist. I’d be full of shit, though, and you wouldn’t want me doing your open-heart surgery. That’s our world, though – there are many people who sweet-talk a lot, yet know very little.”
In short: keep your eyes open.
Stay strong,
Team Fusion