Straps for Weightlifting

There are several straps that one can use for weightlifting. Today I have presented types of straps and which ones I think are the best to use. These are in order from best to worst (in my opinion):

1. ZKC/WBCM straps

   

These straps are superior for two reasons. First, they are quick release, meaning that they will instantly drop the barbell once your hand stops actively gripping. This reduces the risk for injury when ditching the bar. Secondly, these are typically more durable than other olympic weightlifting straps (these are usually made of cotton).

2. Hookgrip/Ironmind Nylon Straps

Although nylon tends to be durable, I find the grip a bit worse on these than on cotton straps. These are still quite popular, since they can also be made DIY. These are also quick release straps, and are also a solid option.

3. Nylon Webbing

These are reserved for more advanced weightlifters. Although they are durable, they require some level of skill to use correctly. As a result, you only see these being used rarely by a handful of advanced lifters. I would not recommend these for most people; the above two options work equally well.

4. Lasso Figure 6 Style Straps:

DO NOT use these for weightlifting. The reason is that these are NOT quick release, meaning sometimes when you have to ditch the bar (specifically ditch the bar back in the snatch), the straps will not let go immediately, which could lead to serious injury. Literally this morning, I almost had the bar crash onto my back when I ditched a snatch using these straps. These straps work for pulls and deadlift, but not olympic lifts. Using any of the other straps is better.

~ Prem

Zone 2 Cardio For Strength Athletes

Strength athletes almost always have poor cardiovascular conditioning and VO2 max. This isn't a problem for other athletes like field sports players or track runners since this population already gets plenty of aerobic work from their sport. Strength athletes spend most of their time using the anaerobic system, and having a poorly developed aerobic system can effect recovery capability both between sets and between sessions. 

All strength sport athletes (mainly powerlifters and weightlifters) should do some dedicated zone 2 cardio at least twice a week. These should be done for AT LEAST 20 MINS, as this is the minimum time required to work aerobic capacity. I personally do zone 2 work for 25-30 mins, although you could do it up to 1 hr. I would do a maximum of 6 of these sessions a week.

In each of these sessions, you should be working at Zone 2 specifically. There are two ways to measure if you are in zone 2. First, subtract your age from 220. If your heartrate is between 60 and 70 percent of this new number during the session, then you are working in Zone 2. Another way coaches cue zone 2 is "work as hard as you can whilst still breathing through your nose". If you cannot breath through your nose during the workout, you are not working in Zone 2, but higher. 

This is a short and time effective way to facilitate strength gains. I like to do these on my rest days, and I find that's when people have free time to get this type of work done.

~ Prem

Jumps And Sprints Are Useless For Weightlifting

Just because elite athletes do something, it does not mean that you should. People often see elite weightlifters training jumps (ie. chinese team) or sprints (ie. soviets), and think that this is somehow useful for the sport. It isn't.

The reality is that olympic weightlifting is a fragile and highly specialized endeavor. Anything that isn't easy zone 2 cardio or some mobility work WILL impact performance in weightlifting. This includes jumps and sprints.

Firstly, jumps are not comparable to weightlifting. Jumps are to weightlifting like sprinting is to swimming: completely unrelated. If you theoretically wanted to add jumps/plyometrics to a weightlifting program, they would need to be done for high volume at the start of the session where you are the freshest. You can see how this is a problem: you will be fatigued from all the jumping volume before you even start weightlifting! Plus, some jump variations like depth jumps are actually very stressful on the joints even if they are not weighted, which again impacts weightlifting performance.

Secondly, sprints. Sprints are even worse than jumping as far as impact on weightlifting. Max effort sprints are tough to recover from. They have a particularly high injury risk at both the ankle and the knee joint, especially if sprinting on flat terrain. They also contribute more to the interference effect. So stay away from sprinting as well.

A common argument for including jumps and sprints in a weightlifting program is that they help with 'power production'. Sure, to some extent. But this does not translate to weightlifting. Firstly, weightlifting is technical, and training technique whilst being the most fresh and recovered is high priority. Secondly, power production for weightlifting is trained sufficiently with pulls and the competition lifts.

There are only a handful of cases I would prescribe jumps or sprints to a weightlifter. If the weightlifter is a beginner or a youth athlete or obese, I may add some jumps and hill sprints as GPP training for a couple of weeks every training block. If the athlete is a hobbyist, then I may also add these jumps and sprints. 

But I would not advise anyone who takes weightlifting seriously to include jumps/sprints into the program. That time should be allocated to other, more productive work.

~ Prem

Training Frequency For Weightlifting

People often say the best training frequency for weightlifting is 6x a week. This is blatantly wrong.

For most people, who aren't national/international level lifters, training 4x a week for weightlifting is optimal. This comes both from anecdotal experience as well as the experience of the lads at Sika Strength, who have coached literal thousands of weightlifters. 

The main proponent of 5-6x/week training is Clarence Kennedy. In my opinion, Clarence Kennedy is disconnected from how the average weightlifters responds to training. Clarence is a genetic phenom who is on steroids, and who also does not have the best programming knowledge (I've seen his programs, both powerlifting and weightlifting). Although high frequency training is certainly beneficial for weightlifting, people often do not consider how high injury risk is in weightlifting. It is not uncommon for even hobbyist lifters to have constant knee, shoulder and back pain. Plus, 4x a week of the lifts and their variations is plenty frequency.

The reality is that only truly advanced lifters (ie. national level of above) should be considering training more than 4x per week of weightlifting. Plus, if you are this advanced, you will likely already be working with a coach who can help you train up to 7 or more days a week since they can manage your fatigue better.

Here is my go-to weightlifting split for anyone who is not yet a national or above level lifter (including myself):

Day 1: Weightlifting

Day 2: Weightlifting (+ back squats)

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Weightlifting (+ back squats)

Day 5: Bodybuilding(Optional) - mostly/all upper body, relatively light

Day 6: Weightlifting (+ front squats)

Day 7: Rest

Squats are followed by rest days or by bodybuilding days since squatting sessions are typically quite intense for weightlifters. The bodybuilding day is an optional day you can do if you care about upper body hypertrophy. It probably won't benefit your weightlifting at all, but it can help you not look like a marathon runner. However, this bodybuilding day should be kept RELATIVELY LIGHT ie. don't max out bench press, overhead presses and barbell rows, you still have a weightlifting session the next day! I typically recommend most people do some shoulder, back, tricep and bicep, and core work on the bodybuilding day.

I would not train 6x or more per week as a sub-national level weightlifter.

~ Prem

Do Not Combine Programs

I always see intermediate lifters or athletes attempting to combine programs. This includes trying bodybuilding and weightlifter, or lifting and running, or bodybuilding with some other sport.

This type of training is theoretically possible. However, combining two, separate, stand-alone programs into one and doing them both is a stupid idea. A stand-alone program (either one made by me, or any other reputable coach) is most likely made to be run in isolation. This means that it is designed assuming that you are not doing any other training. If you do decide to do any other training, it will impact progress on a stand-alone program. A stand-alone program as very specific percentages, reps and periodization that can be impossible to follow if you are fatigued from training elsewhere.

The best way to train for multiple goals is NOT to combine two programs, but to have one program that accounts for two training goals. For example, when I train sprinters, I include both track training and weight room training. However, I program the weight room training differently than compared to a weightlifter since I need to consider fatigue from actual sprinting.

Plus, I always recommend my athletes to train for one goal. Just one. Training for two or more goals will not let you master any of them. 

~ Prem

Periodization ONLY WORKS for Weightlifters and Track Athletes!

Periodisation is basically the planned manipulation of training variables are the training cycle of an athlete progresses. In layman's terms, periodisation is just the concept of training differently in the off season/before competition compared to training during the on-season/competition period.

Periodization only works for weightlifters/powerlifters and track athletes (sprinters, mid or long distance runners). Periodisation was a concept first propagated by Tudor Bumpa, who was researching methods of strength and conditioning in soviet athletes. The reason periodisation only works for weightlifters and track athletes is two fold. Firstly, there is a large link between their strength and conditioning training and their sport. Strength and conditioning training for weightlifting has a MASSIVE correlation to how that weightlifter performs in competition (obviously). Also, the strength and conditioning work of sprinters also impacts how they perform on the track to a large extent. However, the same cannot be said about other athletes, like basketball or tennis players. For these athletes, skill is a much larger component in how they perform than just their strength of conditioning levels, so periodisation becomes less relevant. Secondly, periodisation builds up the training intensity as competition gets closer. As a result, it only works for athletes who compete on a single day/week. Athletes who compete in multiple weeks (ie. a game season in basketball) cannot simply peak for performance on one day, and so periodisation doesn't work.

This is why I only provide programs for weightlifters, track athletes, or for strength and conditoning!

~ Prem

Don't Use Free Programs (IRONIC)

Yes, this is very ironic coming from me, but don't use free programs, particularly ones you find on the internet! Why?

If a program is free, it is an indication that it is dogshit. If the program was good, and took actual time an effort to create, their would certainly be a price for it. Also, almost all of the free programs you see on the internet are cookie cutter, meaning they are very general programs that are not specific to the individual. They do not ask for you weight, height, experience, or injuries. Although these programs may provide you with some progress, they lose value in the long term or for the serious athlete.

Yes, I do produce free programs. And I do have people who run these programs. But here's the catch: my programs are intended to teach rather than get people to high levels of competition. And secondly, my free programs actually did take me a long time and a ton of effort to write. However, these programs are still very cookie cutter, and I would advise everyone reading this post to save up LITERALLY JUST A FEW DOLLARS to either purchase my programs on the Patreon, or buy my 1 on 1 coaching. If you don't want to buy programs from me, you can buy them from other reputable sources like Catalyst Athletics or Sika Strength (though these are more expensive than mine!). 

I put a lot of emphasis on producing free stuff for everyone to learn and use. But in a world run by money, this isn't entirely practical for myself or this business. Even if you choose not to buy my coaching (which is fine), just don't rely on free programs for long term progress.

~ Prem

Don't lift in front of a mirror

Lifting in front of a mirror will get you too accustomed to using the mirror as a way to fix technical errors in your lifts. Do this long enough and you will lose body awareness and will find it difficult to lift without a mirror in front of you. This is an easy problem to fix in most people's training: just turn around away from the mirror when you lift!

~ Prem

Utilizing Both Mobility And Prehab/Rehab Protocols!

Yes, warmups and mobility are important. I've said in the past that you can skip them if you're restricted on time, but if you take training seriously, you should do them. Here's how you can integrate both effective warmups and rehab/prehab working into your day to day life!

Firstly, do your mobility work as your warmup for your training sessions! This works as mobility work increases joint ROM whilst also increasing body temperature if done in a circuit style. I hear people say they do their mobility right after their workouts. I think that's pretty stupid, since 9/10 people will skip post-workout stretching since they are already tired and just want to leave. Here is a basic starter mobility routine that works for anyone who olympic lifts:

1. Barbell Front Rack Wrist Stretch

2. Cable Lat Stretch

3. Banded Dislocates

4. Quad Nordics

5. Side Splits

6. Deep bodyweight squat for 3-5 mins

Secondly, rehab and prehab work should be done separate to your workout entirely. Putting rehab work as part of the workout itself tends to decrease the amount of effort put towards it. Therefore, I think that by separating the rehab work to be done later in the day apart from training, athletes focus on it more, thus making the rehab work more effective. Obviously, if your rehab work is for just one joint, you could probably just do it with your workout. But for someone like me or other more advanced lifters who have multiple pains, rehab work can actually take up to 20 minutes, so it is better if done separately from training. 

Here is my rehab protocol. I have never had any serious injuries, but my main problem areas are my shoulders/rotator cuffs and knees, which are frequently fatigued:

1. Side Plank

2. Overhead Walks

3. Band Facepulls

4. Tibialis Raise

5. Banded Side Walks

6. Soft Tissue Work (Foam Rolling, mainly the T spine)

Note: If you do not have equipment at home to do your rehab, and do not want to travel to the gym twice in one day, then add your rehab to your warmups.

These are all the additional protocols an athlete requires. 

~ Prem

Top Assistance Work For The Non-Novice Olympic Weightlifter

Here are some of my favorite (and thus, the best) accessories for olympic weightlifting. These should only be used once you pass the early novice phase of olympic lifting (ie. you can lift the bar + some respectable weights with decent technique consistently in the full snatch and full clean & jerk). Novices should not focus on assistance work and should spend 100% of their time perfecting snatch and clean & jerk technique. Please note these assistance exercises are SEPARATE from strength exercises, and so will not include pulls, squats and overhead work. I will discus these strength lifts in another post.

Upper Body Assistance Work

1. Weighted Dips: Better than bench press as it takes the shoulder through a greater range of motion. Great for having a decent chest as well as strong triceps for the jerk and overhead positions. I like to treat these like a main lift with percentage based programming.

2. Lu Raises/Facepulls: Both great options for shoulder health. The facepull focuses more on the rotator cuff, whereas the Lu raise develops the side delts and the overhead position. I alternate each every week since they are both so good.

3. Weighted Chinups: Great general developmental tool for the lats and biceps, which are not hit adequately by the olympic lifts. 

4. Barbell Rows: Helps keep the bar close in the snatch and clean, also develops resilience in the lower back.

5. Hanging Leg Raises: Core work helps lifters brace in the snatch and the clean and the jerk. People online claim they train core every session, but I think that's pretty stupid. I train core heavy and hard 1-2x per week and find that more effective for both skill acquisition and muscle growth. I believe this approach is more effective than training core half-arse every session.

Lower Body Assistance Work

1. Back Extensions: Simply the best exercise for lower back strength. Better with a barbell on your back.

2. Split Squats: These provide a stimulus to the quads different from the olympic lifts and squats since these are unilateral. These also develop the glute and hip muscles well. My favourite variation are bulgarian split squats.

3. Leg Curls: Train the hamstrings in the shortened positions. Hamstrings are important to train both for injury prevention and since they are not hit hard by the main lifts, squats, and even pulls!

4. Jump squats/Depth jumps: I start my cycle with 6 weeks of weighted jump squats with 10-20% of my backs quat 1RM, and then peak with 3 weeks of depth jumps. These help specifically with extension and force development in the jerk. 

5. Maybe Calf Raises/Hip Adduction: I personally do calf raises just 1x a week since I train for sprinting as well. However, calf work probably doesn't help with weightlifting specifically, unless you have terrible ankle mobility. Hip adductions are good bodybuilding exercise which target the large adductors, but these are likely trained adequately by doing squats anyways. Do these if you like, but they are not as important as the others on this list.

~ Prem

The Supertotal Is A Really Dumb Idea (For Competitors)

I made programs in the past which aim to get someone better at numerous objectives. For example, my Megatotal program aims to get someone good at powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman all in one program (basically general strength). On the same line, the Supertotal describes training for both powerlifting and weightlifting.  

When I put out these hybrid programs, the target audience is really recreational lifters. In my Megatotal program, I do not accept lifters to actually go compete in powerlifting, weightlifting AND strongman. These hybrid programs are just for enthusiast who like variety and novelty in their training. 

The reality is, using these hybrid programs as an actual COMPETITOR is really fucking stupid. Chasing two goals in one strength program SEVERELY limits your progress in each individual endeavor. ie. training for the Supertotal will severely limit your progress in weightlifting AND powerlifting, compared to if you trained each sport individually. You won't have enough room in the program to train the weightlifting movements hard, AND you won't have enough room to train the powerlifts hard. Basically, you will be shit at both sports. Of course, you can still make progress, but it will be painstakingly slow and inefficient progress. 

So my suggestion for anyone who wants to train the Supertotal (or any hybrid strength program) is to just choose one endeavor and work hard on it. 

PS: When you see people online who have a big Supertotal, they are most definitely on steroids. I made this post assuming you are not on steroids. 

~ Prem

Basic Injury Prevention Exercises

3 great exercises I program for basically everyone regardless of sport are the following:

1. Facepulls

2. Calf Raises

3. Leg Curls

4. Full ROM High Bar Back Squats

Here's the rationale:

Facepulls strengthen the rotator cuffs. 9/10 problems areas for the upper body are always the shoulders. This applies largely to olympic lifters, powerlifters, pitchers, throwers and cricket players. The facepull is a great 2-in-1 exercise where the external rotators are strengthened, providing less injury risk, whilst also growing some strong and large rear delts. I like doing facepulls on a cable, preferably on the seated row. 4 sets of 15 reps once per week is good.

Calf raises are a must for sprinters, jumpers, weightlifters, and any sport that requires running of any intensity. Calf raises strengthen the calves, which are the largest muscle surrounding the ankle joint. Obviously, the ankles are a huge problem area for sprinters and basketball players, but having strong and mobile ankles also helps in the squat. I like seated calf raises the most since they are performed with a bent knee, which makes it a bit more specific to squat mobility whilst also building bigger calve muscles. 4 sets of 15-20 reps done with full range of motion 1x per week is good.

Leg curls. I have met numerous people who have experienced hamstring tears, and I can't help but think that doing leg curls largely decreases the risk of ever experiencing such hamstring related injuries. My favourite leg curls are the seated leg curl and the nordic leg curl. The Nordic is a much more advanced movement, and I plan to make a blog post on how to progress it properly. But the seated leg curl is also a fantastic option. The key here is to really slow down the negative, as this will have more transfer so far as decreasing running-related hamstring tears (yes, the research supports this: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/FullText/2020/06000/Hamstring_Strain_Injuries__Incidence,_Mechanisms,.5.aspx). Do leg curls for 4 sets of 5-12 reps with a slow negative once, maybe twice, a week.

Finally, deep, full range-of-motion back squats. This one's a no brainer. Getting the knee to move through its full range of motion is the no. 1 way of decreasing the risk of an ACL tear, which is a devastating and potentially career-ending injury. Don't do fucking half reps. Squat full ROM 2x a week.

~ Prem

Powerlifting Is Not A Real Sport

Powerlifting ain't a sport son. I used to be a powerlifting bro, but now I've changed.

I guess powerlifting is kinda a sport. But its a shit one. It's basically just olympic weightlifting, but worse. Saying powerlifting is a sport is like saying table tennis is a sport. Table tennis took regular tennis, and just made it more shit. Weightlifter are powerlifters who actually possess skill, athleticism, mobility, power and strength, and powerlifters are just fatties.

Get over it. Accept the truth. Start weightlifting. Use one of my programs. 

Just made this post since I saw some dumb powerlifters on Youtube. Gee they fucking piss me off. 

~ Prem