General Weightlifting Procedures
New or Returning Athletes:
We frequently welcome new athletes to our program. It's essential to gather accurate data on their capabilities before they attempt a 1RM lift. 1RM attempts involve heavy weights and carry a significant risk of injury if athletes aren't adequately prepared. It's important to note that what constitutes a "heavy" weight varies from person to person.
Before an athlete attempts a 1RM, they require substantial experience "under the bar," and our training program is designed to provide this preparation. Here's how we introduce new athletes to lifting:
Gradual Progression: New athletes begin with 3 sets of 5 reps, with a focus on lifting a weight that is challenging for all 5 reps.
Starting with Proper Form: We initiate them with a light weight to ensure they perform the movements with correct form and technique.
Gradual Weight Increase: In subsequent sets, they incrementally increase the weight, maintaining proper form.
Record in SugarWod: Athletes should log their results in SugarWod. However, their entries should be separate from the main workout log. Instead, show them how to create a new entry for their 3x5 lifts.
Progressive Overload: In future workouts involving the same lift, athletes begin with the weight they used during their last session. They then follow the same process of gradually increasing the weight while maintaining proper form.
1RM Attempts: Athletes are eligible for 1RM attempts after they have consistently followed this procedure for the same lift over at least three weeks.
Supervised and Observed: It's crucial to emphasize that 1RM attempts are always conducted under supervision and observation by a coach. Athlete safety is paramount.
Caution for Experienced Athletes: For athletes with prior experience, we may accelerate this process. However, it's imperative to ensure they still spend enough time honing their skills under the bar.
We stress the importance of relying on up-to-date data. Old or outdated lifting numbers can lead to unrealistic expectations and potentially unsafe lifting practices. Our training methods depend on using data that accurately reflects an athlete's current abilities, which is best achieved through continuous evaluation and demonstration of their skills.
Powerlifting Barbell Lifts:
These are known as the "slow lifts" and include:
Deadlift
Back Squat
Shoulder Press
Bench Press
Deadlift Procedure:
Position your feet hip-width apart, and stand very close to the bar so it splits your feet from front to back, about an inch or half-inch away.
Bend over, maintaining a slight knee bend, and grip the bar firmly just outside your legs.
Bend your knees until they touch the bar without rolling it.
Arch your back and maintain tension.
Push through your heels, pulling the bar up your legs while keeping it in contact.
As you stand up, your hips, knees, and shoulders should extend simultaneously. Avoid leaning back or bending your arms.
To lower the bar, push your hips back while keeping your back arched.
Ensure the bar maintains contact with your legs throughout the movement.
The bar should pass your knees before you bend them.
If done correctly, the bar returns to its starting position.
Safety Note: Focus on maintaining an arched back throughout.
Deadlift Explanation/Comments:
The deadlift is fundamental and widely applicable. It helps prevent back injuries caused by poor lifting habits outside the gym. Proper form means maintaining an arched back and avoiding twisting or deviation from this arch.
There are two arches in the back: the thoracic arch (top) and the lumbar or lordotic arch (lower). These arches efficiently distribute load through the body. Without the lower arch, forces disperse into soft tissues, potentially leading to lower back pain.
Injury from bad form often accumulates over time, especially in intense gym workouts. Small form deviations can compound and result in back injuries.
Below are a few scenarios for you to think about. These are common but not always easy to address. As always if you have questions please ask!
Deadlift Scenario 1
The athlete is a strong guy that likes to lift weights and has some experience lifting. He is reticence about asking for help and only mildly responsive to coaching unless it is a movement outside of his experience. His deadlift is generally good but there is a detectable roundness to his lower back. When coached on this he acknowledges it and does try to flatten it out but with limited success and always seems to return with the flaw at the next deadlift session. His progress is good and he is getting stronger. He’s happy about this and enthusiastic about training. The flaw in his lower back arch continues, until finally one day on a heavy deadlift he hurts or “tweaks” his back. Now he misses several days of training and it takes him a couple of weeks to get back to normal.
How could you as the trainer avoid this chain of events?
Where in the sequence is the best place to intervene?
How would you intervene with this athlete?
What interventional action would you prescribe to the athlete?
Give your explanation of the mechanics involved. Explain it the way you would to the athlete.
What actions would you suggest to the athlete to help them begin the healing process?
Deadlift Scenario 2:
You have a young woman whose bodyweight is about right for her height but has no experience lifting weights. She follows directions and is intent on doing the movement correctly. As she sets up you notice she has no problem arching her back and even seems to have a very pronounced arch that more than you have ever seen. Her deadlift setup is good but you notice she loosely grips the bar and when she starts her lift there is a discernible whole body movement before the bar moves. When the weight gets heavy she seems to give a half-hearted pull and then gives up saying the bar is too heavy.
What is the biggest issue in this scenario?
Is it right that her body moves before the bar moves?
If so, what is going on and what cue would you use?
Is the bar too heavy? Would you lower the weight?
Is there anything else you would do given the information you have above?
Deadlift Scenario 3:
You have an athletic young college student who is eager to learn. He’s on the small side but very gung ho. When he deadlifts heavy weight he loses his arch and his legs bow and twist. He looks dreadful and scary.
What is your first step to helping this athlete?
What are your concerns about coaching him given what you know?
Back Squat Procedure:
Position the bar below your scapulae on your back.
Place your hands as close to your shoulders as flexibility allows.
Lift the bar by raising your elbows and standing up, taking two steps back.
Stand up straight, take a deep breath, and ensure your feet are hip-width apart.
Descend quickly into the squat, achieving a "bounce," then stand up.
Keep your head focused about 6 feet in front of you; do not look up.
Back Squat Explanation/Comments:
The back squat significantly correlates with athletic ability. It's essential to achieve full range of motion (hip below knee) and address common issues:
Wobble Knees: Knees that move side to side are a symptom of weak abductor and adductor muscles. These are the muscles on the side of you quads. Abductors are on the outside and abduct or “take away” from the core or center. The adductors are on the inside of the leg and adduct or move the leg to the center. When these muscles are weak the athlete will not be able to correct position or maintain the knee over or in line with the foot. The cure is to have them stand on a short box and put the side of their foot on the edge of the box so that their other leg is hanging in space. Then the athlete moves up and down only a few inches. This is not a pistol, not that they could do one anyway. They should do this for 20-30 reps per leg. They will notice the outside of their leg getting tired. Tell them they can do this before and after the wod and that in a week or two their ability to hold their knees in position will be greatly improved.
Partial Squatting: All movements should be performed with full range of movement. If an athlete cannot get low enough that their hip is not below their knee then they are not performing the full range of motion. Correcting this fault is essential. The universal cure for this issue is reducing the weight on the bar. Human bodies have an intuitive understanding of their capacity. Generally without extreme effort an athlete will not go into a movement his or her body is unable to handle. In the back squat this shows up as not going low enough. Sometimes the athlete is unfamiliar with the movement and simply does not move through the full range or they lack confidence, but often it is caused by weakness. If you cue an athlete and it seems that even with their best effort they cannot go low enough then the problem is there is too much weight on the bar. In both cases the universal cure is to lower the weight. If the athlete is unfamiliar or lacks confident they will gain both with experience squatting the full range. If they are weak then they will get stronger. Lowering the weight is the universal cure!
Dropping or Dumping the Bar: Every new athlete is required to demonstrate “dropping or dumping” the bar. This is essential for a few reasons. First, there is no safe way to “spot” the back squat. Most of the available methods can easily result in bad outcomes. Second, being able to get out from under the bar at any point in the lift can really help an athlete gain the confidence needed to do the movement well.
If you have a new athlete in your class you are required to make sure they know how to drop the bar and that they have done it at CFTally. So be specific in your question and certain you get the right answer. It is not enough that they have seen it or even that they have done it somewhere else; we have to have the demonstration from each and every athlete we train. Be especially aware of visiting athletes.
Dropping or Dumping the Bar Procedure.
Teach the back squat using the standard approach.
Teach them how to setup and use the rack.
Set the height of the rack such that when standing fully up they can walk the bar into the rack then lower it an inch or two onto the rack.
Caution them to not look at one side of the rack but to walk into the rack.
It’s better if the rack is too low rather than too high. No one wants to be on his or her tiptoes trying to rack a heavy bar.
Describe the dropping/dumping procedure:
The need to get rid of the bar in the back squat almost always happens at the bottom of the squat, so that’s what we practice. When they decide they need to dump the bar they push the bar back while they take step forward. It is important that you stress they are to push hard on the bar and quickly take a step forward. Make sure they understand the bar will not go far and it is much worse for them if they let the bar roll down their back.
Cue: Push back and step forward!
Select a weight they can easily manage. For men, 95 and for women 55 on a junior bar.
Have them unrack and do a set of 5 back squats then rack the bar. If they look good then move to the next step, but if they are a train wreck then do another set or two. Don’t take all day. You cannot fix everything today.
Have them unrack step back and do a set of 3 back squats then stop at the top.
Check in with them and describe again what they are supposed to do. When they are ready they should go to the bottom of their squat and pause there. It is important they pause at the bottom and perform the dump from that position.
Ensure the area behind them is clear then give them the go ahead to squat, pause then drop the bar.
If all goes well and they seem confident then allow them to move forward with some lifts. At this point they have demonstrated the ability to drop the bar.
If they do not do well then have them repeat the process. Sometimes it takes a few times for them to feel confident and are able to do it on demand.
Back Squat Scenario 1:
You have a middle-aged woman that is challenged by the air squat. She cannot get low enough for her hip to go below her knee. You can see that when she tries to squat both of her knees move side to side. She’s emotionally fragile and very scared that CrossFit is not for her. You get the sense that if you turn your back she will sneak out the door.
How do you get her to do a back squat?
Why do her knees move like that?
How would you reassure her that she can do CrossFit?
What do you do if she does sneak out or freak out?
Back Squat Scenario 2:
You have a heavyset guy that is on the short side and generally built for the back squat. He does heavy weight but never goes below parallel. It is always a question if his squat was low enough to count. He’s pretty impervious to coaching and just smiles when you cue him. Yet, his weights keep going up and he is now lifting almost as much as anyone. He is a long time member and a stalwart of the gym.
How do you get him to use his full range of motion in the back squat?
How do you apply the “universal cure” without pissing him off or otherwise hurting his feelings?
Back Squat Scenario 3:
You have an ex-college athlete that “loves” to squat. Unfortunately while he has decent numbers he has either been taught or picked up some bad habits. He keeps his knees straight in front of him. He looks at the ceiling when driving up. He wraps his thumbs on the bar. He’s never heard of the low back squat, or the high back squat and he does neither quite right. He has been doing this for years and prides himself in his athletic experience and ability, which he often and sometimes loudly proclaims. He is only marginally coachable and for some unknown reason responds to other coaches much better than he does with you. He’s very competitive and tends to gauge his success on his placement on the leaderboard.
How do you change his squatting “habit”?
What can you do to improve his coachability?
How do you handle it when he ignores your coaching?
Shoulder Press Procedure:
Hands should be just outside your shoulder.
Elbows in front of the bar.
After getting into this position stand up and walk a couple of steps away from the rack. Make sure your feet are hip width.
Make sure your elbows are just in front of the bar but not in a front squat rack position.
Press the bar up. It should come close to your face but be sure to move out of its way and not move it (the bar) out of your way.
The lift is complete when you have pressed the bar to full extension of your shoulder and there is a direct line from the bar down your arms, shoulders, back, legs, and into your heel.
There should be no movement of hip or legs. No bending of knees, hip, or dip drive. The safety issue is avoiding hitting one’s face.
Shoulder Press Explanation/Comments:
While the shoulder press is one of the simplest barbell movements it is like the squat in that there are several other movements that build on its mechanics. Getting it right automatically enables these other movements.
Bench Press Procedure:
Set the bench such that your eyes are just forward of the bar.
Set the rack so that the bar is a couple of inches lower than your hands.
Arch your back and pinch your shoulder blades together.
Push the bar up and position it over the center of your chest.
Look at the ceiling and not at the bar.
Move the bar quickly down and softly touch your chest then press it to full extension.
Everyone needs to be spotted for each bench press.
Make sure the spotters know their role.
They are there for safety not motivation.
If, in the spotter’s judgment the lift will fail or the bar goes down when it should go up the spotter shall rack the bar.
If the spotter touches the bar during the lift then it is a failed lift.
Bench Press Explanation/Comments:
The bench press is more technical than many athletes realize. It is also one lift that many if not most athletic men are familiar. Combining these two facts means it can be difficult to coach. Proper positioning is usually the issue, but the way they move the bar can also be a concern. Familiarity does not ensure technical competence.
There are two arches an athlete needs to create and maintain to maximize their bench-pressing ability. The first is the same arch as in the deadlift. This is the whole back arch. When properly done a hand can be slide between the athlete’s back and the bench between the shoulder blades and hip. The second arch is between the shoulder blades. It’s important that the athlete maximize the distance between the front of their chest and the top of their shoulder. This is the distance from front to back between these two points. This allows maximum effectiveness of the muscles since they have a better angle and can apply more force therefore he or she will more likely reach their potential.
The athlete’s feet should be flat on the ground. Shorter athletes may need a plate to put their feet on. Athletes should pick a spot on the ceiling to gaze at and should not follow the bar with their eyes. Once the bar is unracked they push the bar to full extension of their arms and move it over the center of their chest. Ensure they do not try to move the bar down until they reach the position where they will finish the press. Then they should move quickly down until they touch their chest and then quickly move the bar up to finish the press.
Spotting is essential for each and every bench press. There are no exceptions to this rule. Every year there are athletes hurt weight lifting and it’s often the bench press. Pay particular attention to your spotters and ensure they understand their place in this movement. They should clearly understand that safety is their sole focus and it is their judgment that determines whether they intervene. You must ensure they understand this. Remember many men have experience in school bench pressing but most were never trained and will do some crazy stuff. Clearly state they are not to wait until the athlete approves of their help, nor are they to help. If they see the bar going the wrong direction then they are to rack the bar. If they touch the bar it gets racked and the lift is over. Be very clear with them. No exceptions!
Remember that effective coaching requires a balance of technical expertise, communication skills, and a personalized approach to each athlete's unique challenges and abilities.