To buy or not to buy... these are the accessories!

The natural progression of this blog is to get into accessories you COULD use for Olympic weightlifting. Do you need these to lift? Hell no! Would you benefit from utilizing these? F*@k YES!

The first and foremost item I would highly recommend are weightlifting shoes also called lifters. I prefer Adidas, but as long as you get a heel that is 15 mm (0.6 inches), you should be good to go. The purpose behind getting a lifting shoe you may ask. "Weightlifting shoes have a lifted heel, which will increase the ankle's range of motion, or the ability to stretch the Achilles," says Lisa Reed, C.S.C.S., owner of Lisa Reed Fitness. So if you have a hard time sitting all the way down into a squat, they could help you achieve greater depth. "They also allow for hip flexion and extension in all of the Olympic movements," adds Reed, meaning they help you move through the full range of motion required for powerful lifts like squats, cleans and snatches. I would suggest getting some shoes from either Roguefitness as they have a pretty good array, or going with Amazon. If you want to splurge, look badass, and/or feel legit; I would then recommend getting a custom pair put together by BStreetShoes. The craftsmanship this guy produces is unparalleled! Below are a couple of pictures to give you a glimpse of what this man is capable of.

The next extremely recommended item is chalk as it provides a more natural boost to grip without constricting the wrist (as opposed to lifting straps) and allowing the muscles in the forearm more complete extension and flexibility. Chalk also helps ensure that your hands don’t get sweaty, which will compromise your grip and decrease your workout’s effectiveness. Now the type of chalk you choose is up to you. you can go old school and get a block, go with a chalk ball, or go progressive and get liquid chalk. Each has it's own pro's and con's, but ultimately you should be using a form of it every time you lift the barbell.

Going into things that are useful, but not mandatory or extremely encouraged would be wrist wraps. Instead of your wrists being bent wrong, fatiguing, or straining; wearing wrist wraps will actually help to keep your wrists stabilized, tight, and secure so that you can lift and target the muscles you want to focus on instead of your wrists taking all the strain. Perfect application is in the overhead squat. You will be pinning your arms overhead for up to a minute or two and need a lot of support for all that potential strain. I absolutely love my HookGrip wraps. You can go with the simple yet more secure wraps such as rogue, bear, or schiek found at Roguefitness or go with more of a traditional Olympic version with the tie closure seen on the hookgrip version. Its suggested to give the lifts a try without the wraps and build your tolerance, but utilizing them for heavier lifts. Myself... I have weak wrists therefore I use them quite frequently while performing snatch, cleans and and pressing movements. The key is to not become dependent on them.

On the topic of wrist wraps (seen above) is an item that frequently gets confused with wrist straps (see below). Wraps obviously wrap your wrist and assist with stability of the wrist joint. Wrist straps help grip the bar tighter, and complete lifts at loads unable to complete with a hook grip. I am not creating a whole category for straps because some lifters utilize their wraps to help with this demand. However, it wouldn't necessarily be a complete list without at least including the straps. I have a couple different variations of straps myself from my power lifting days. When pulling massive weight, you sometimes lose your grip, so you add straps to lock yourself into the barbell. On days I have snatch grip deadlifts or a clean pull variation at maximal weight, I will complete as many reps/sets as I can before strapping in. Again, not a huge issue to not have these and you really do want to build your grip strength and utilize your hook grip as much as possible. So not a big need, but can be useful at times.

Moving on... the next big item you may see in the gym, online or in advertisements would be knee sleeves or wraps. I personally only use these for squats and maxing cleans. However, some people have more stability in the knee joint, while others aren't as fortunate. If you have discomfort in squats, cleans, lunges or knee tracking is off when reviewing your lifts, maybe try sleeves or wraps. I have a few different sets and honestly don't have a preference or recommendation here. I would get a cheaper pair to begin with and see if they work. If you like them, you can go with a thinner, thicker, more aesthetically pleasing etc pair. I have these (below pic) just because they look nice and match a lot of my gear since the reverse/inner stitching is black and red.

The last recommended item would be a few resistance bands. These will help get you through a dynamic warm up, stretch, or do a few exercises/accessory moves to build speed, strength or technique. These bands by Oleksiy Torokhtiy are great for dynamic warm ups and overall training. Another option would be a few closed loop type of bands to help with other training assistance such as 5lb, 10lb and 15lb set. Using these can help open up shoulders, build strength in the over head position, add resistance with lifts etc. If possible, buy both the Oleksiy band and a few close loop bands. This will really give you a great variety to complete progressions of training. 

  

There you go... figure out what you may or may not want or need and go get it! Not a single one of these are mandatory, but if you were to buy only one, get the damn shoes! This will improve your lifting technique and output more than any other item I or anyone else could recommend.  

Have questions how to use any of it? Need to know a brand or an exact series I use or recommend? Leave me a comment and let me know. I may just write about it next week if it is a damn good question or recommendation! 

Until next week... lift it overhead, slam it to the ground and repeat! Practice leads to progression... progression to Gold!

Get to work!

Since I have covered the overview of the main lifts, and what equipment is necessary to train... I think it's only necessary we begin to look at the training programs as well as how to decipher what the F@#k its saying.

I would highly recommend starting off with a FREE pre-made program if you are new. If you are really uncertain as to whether or not you will stick to Olympic lifting, maybe try this 8 week program by Elitefitcross. I will warn you however, since it is only 8 weeks long, it is a bit more demanding. If you have previous lifting experience and your are confident in your strength, this may be for you! However, if you are a little shaky, or you know you will stick to a program for the long haul, I highly recommend the 12 week program laid out by elitefitcross. This program is a bit slower pace with less demand on the body. Yet it will give you great confidence in the end and you will see your personal bests (PB) go up guaranteed!

Last item concerning programming, if you have previous lifting experience, are a personal trainer or have a friend who knows the ins and outs of the training principles, look at this page by TrainHeroic to create your own program.

NOW... to get down to business and decipher the codes written within these programs.

Most lifting programs are based off your single, heaviest lift one time noted as 1RM. When you view a program it will state something like:

Squat @ 80% 3x2.

This essentially means, if your squat 1RM is 100 pounds, you would Squat 80 pounds. If you were to say squat 300 pounds as your 1RM, you would essentially need to squat in this scenario 240 pounds. To find this number easily, input in your calculator your 1rm x.8 (100 x 0.8 = 80) and its that simple. Math made easy right?! Now to the remainder of that statement... the 3x2 section. This is telling you in the first number the amount of reps (times you complete that exercise without stopping) and then the amount of sets (number of times you complete the reps with breaks in between) in the second portion. So it kind of reads like this: Exercise (squat) at weight (80 pounds) - reps (3) for number of sets (2). So you would complete a set of squats with a weight of 80 pounds for 3 reps, rest and complete a second set of squats a 80 pounds for 3 reps to complete the prescribed workout scheme.

To further complicate the equation you will sometimes see a workout prescribed such as this:

Power Clean + Front Squat + Push Jerk @ 80%  (1+1+1) x 5

This is telling you to: Power clean the weight once, go directly into a front squat once, then complete a push jerk once to complete a single rep. Thats the (1+1+1) summation. then you will complete that sequence 5 times according to the statement/prescribed workout.

One last thing I want to throw out there because lets face it... it is Olympic weightlifting and the sport is enjoyed in more areas of the world than the US. Sometimes you may come across a program that has the actual weight involved instead of the percentage of your 1RM. Keep in mind it may be in kilograms. To easily convert kilograms to pounds you use a simple equation utilizing a factor of (2.2). To keep it simple, I will show what 100kg converts to and then back. (100kg x Factor of 2.2 = 220 pounds) So 220 pounds equals 100 kg (roughly). To convert the other way, just devide by the factor of (2.2). So 220 pounds / 2.2 = 100 kg. Lets give it a try with harder numbers. Lets take 300 pounds. 300 / 2.2 =136 kg or 115 kg x 2.2 = 253 pounds.

I hope all this is making sense. I know if you are new to this, it can be daunting. My recommendation is to work with someone who is a gym goer already. They don't need to be Mr Olympia or a world record holder to get you going. Just someone who has a few months in the gym and has followed a fair share of workouts.

Now its time to test your 1RM in the Squat, Deadlift, Over-Head Press, Push-Press, Snatch and Clean+Jerk to determine your program requirements. Remember a 1RM is not how much you can grind out while throwing caution to the wind. It is the 1RM you can safely and effectively lift without injury or S#!t form. For more references on how to properly perform these lifts, I would peruse Youtube as they have thousands of videos that will guide you to proper lifting techniques!

Have questions as to how to start after reading this? Not sure about the math when inputting a specified weight? Send me a msg or comment below. No worries, I will get back to you! And as always... stay safe, but crush your goals!

Equipment recommended?!?

Today I am going over whether or not to go to a commercial gym or build a home gym. I will give a few examples of what the pro's and con's are of both.Hopefully by the end of this, you will have a better idea as to which route fits your needs AND know what type of equipment you will need to perform the lifts!

Ensure to weigh your options before committing either way!

Commercial Gym route:

If you live in a large city or the suburbs, you most likely have access to many commercial gyms. However, most commercial gyms will have only the machine weights and some barbells with iron plates. You absolutely cannot drop iron plates! 

If you do have a gym or two locally that have bumper plates, you can always give the gym a trial and see how you like it. Some gyms are more accommodating (platforms, high temp bumpers, chalk or able to drop weights) with the Olympic lifts than others, so asks as many questions as possible before signing up for a membership. You possibly coudl be lucky enough to have an actual weightlifting gym in the area. If at all possible, try these out as they will have the equipment as well as the instructors to lead you to success at a much faster rate! Some  downsides are that you may have to wait for the platform to open, the weight to perform at your percentages may not be available or that the barbells are trashed/bent from people doing ridiculous things with them. Another glaring downside to commercial gyms are the fee's. You pay to have a monthly membership, the quarterly or semi annual dues and then any instruction fees. This can begin to get costly really fast!

Home Gym:

With a home gym you create the rules, play your music as loud as you want and have no restrictions to equipment. However you have to have the space and the finances to support such an endeavor. 

The following list is what I would consider essential garage gym equipment for Olympic lifting.

PVC Pipe 7ft in length

You should *absolutely* invest in a PVC pipe -- ESPECIALLY if you are new! This will help dial in your technique, build your muscle memory and not kill your shoulders and wrists with the weights you're not ready to handle.  

 

Barbell

You can’t just use any old barbell for Olympic weightlifting. A special Olympic lifting style barbell is what you need to have. This type of bar is important because:

• Whip (the ability to store elastic energy and create a bend without breaking). As you progress you will begin to use this to your advantage!.
• Smooth rotating sleeves. This allows the weight to rotate as the lifter rotates the bar in the pull.
• Olympic bars are purposely built to able to take repeated drops from overhead.

Here is what I recommend on the high end as well as the cheaper but still high quality. There are hundreds of bars out there if you do your research, but its ultimately the number one thing in your arsenal... make it count!

Bumper plates

As I eluded to earlier, you can’t use any plates laying around for Olympic weightlifting. Bumper plates are essential because:

• They were made to be dropped, beaten and battered! They are specifically designed to withstand the ‘abuse’ of regular drops from overhead heights! Any other types of plate (iron or polyurethane) will cause damage not only to the plates, but also your barbell and/or your floor!
• Most Bumper plates are all the same diameter. The diameter of a traditional bumper plate is based off the 25kg bumper height. Iron plates tend to all be different sizes. If you are just starting out you should not be starting with the 25kg plates, so bumper plates let you set up at the same height even when utilizing lighter plates.
• Bumper plates are also traditionally color coded for easy identification/math. RED usually is 25kg/55lbs, BLUE is 20kg or 45 lbs, YELLOW is 15kg/35lbs, GREEN are 10kg/25 lbs and black are kind of the step children of the bunch rounding out 2.5kg/5lbs, 5kg/10lbs and sometimes even 7kg/15lbs.

Here again are high end and cheaper sets.

Flooring

This is very important aspect to consider for your home gym. First, you have to decide what sort of ‘platform’ you want. You don’t need to have an actual platform. But I personally love having a designated area for those lifts! Consistency is key as you will find out with lifting in the months to come! I do however, have my lifting area/garage gym covered in horse stall mats. Underneath my platform, I have continued the horse stall matting as well to prevent further damage to the concrete. It also lessens the abuse on the bar and weights as well as keeps things a bit more quiet when dropping those weights. Using horse matting is certainly the cheapest and in my opinion the best way to go!! You can find it at a local hardware store or a farm equipment/tractor supply type store.

Squat rack

Squatting is the building blocks of Olympic weightlifting. You will be squatting regularly in almost every program you will ever follow! For beginners, I recommend a set up like this instead of the full rack. This will help with grip width, but still give you stability and arms to catch missed/too heavy of squats to recovery when you attempt your one rep max.

There are other items you will use to perform the lifts (accessories), but as a garage set up these are the essentials!

Did I miss anything? Please comment and let me know! I will add in any great suggestions.

What is Olympic weightlifting?

Olympic Weightlifting:  the sport in which you attempt to lift a weighted barbell over head three times, in one of two ways, to combined the two best attempts into a total score. 

First is the snatch: The athlete approaches the bar with an athletic stance, grips the bar utilizing a wide grip while in a squatting position to begin. The initial pull is to the knees and resembles a deadlift. 

The second pull is from the top of the knee to the hip with a great emphasis on Triple extension (hip, knee and ankles) and pulling the bar up with the elbows high and wide.

The third pull is where the athlete forcefully lowers themselves below the bar and "punches" up to lock the bar overhead while in a overhead squat position.

After the three pulls have been completed, the athlete will then stand up tall with the bar overhead and elbows locked out for a completed lift.

Check out this quick video to see the Snatch performed by Oleksiy Torokhtiy
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBc5N_-xdqo

The second  lift is called the Clean and Jerk: The athlete takes an athletic stance and grips the bar just outside the thighs and is in a position where the shoulders are higher than the hips and the hips are higher than the knees. The initial pull also resembles a deadlift and is to the knees. 

The second pull is from the top of the knee to the upper thigh. The athlete will forcefully shrug the bar up utilizing the shoulders through the use of triple extension (ankles, knees and hips). During this moment the athlete will simultaneously lower themselves under the bar to receive (catch) the bar in a front squat position. 

The athlete will stabilize themselves before standing up tall with the bar across the front delts with elbows high.   

Then the final drive will begin with the hips and knees slightly hinging. The athlete will forcefully change directions pushing through the bar in an upward direction while driving the feet apart and into a split position (feet approximately shoulder width apart and resembling a lunge). The lift is completed when the athlete has the bar completely overhead with elbows locked out.

Check out this quick video to see the Clean and Jerk  performed by Oleksiy Torokhtiy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HyWjAk7fhY

Traditionally the competitions are calculated and recorded in kilograms. The athlete attempts each lift three times and takes the best of each lift to combined them into a total score.

Leave me a comment below letting me know if you liked my explanation or if I could elaborate more. 

Comment on what topics concerning Olympic weightlifting you may want to read about.  

Or just let me know if you dropped by my Instagram @eliteNRG. ꜜ

Check out some of my lifts on Instagram for more references:

https://www.instagram.com/elitenrg/