Weightlifting
Welcome and thanks for visiting...
Don't Game Weightlifting
A Common Concern Among Coaches
I’m a member of the USAW Masters Council, and we recently held our monthly meeting. One of the laments that came up among the coaches is an all too common one, and that is the tendency of too many lifters to hold off on entering competitions until they can determine the composition of the field and then decide which class to enter or whether to enter at all. In other words, they’re trying to game the competition.
Focus on Lifting, Not Manipulating the Field
This is, I believe, contrary to the mindset of most coaches I’ve known. Most weightlifting coaches are almost always concerned with how much weight their athletes can lift. They are focused on steady progress, sound technique, and the honest pursuit of strength. Their goal is not to chase medals through clever planning but to develop lifters who can lift more today than they did yesterday. That should be the goal of the lifters themselves as well.
The True Goal of Weightlifting: Progress and PRs
The overarching goal of the sport for over a century has been to determine the amount of weight an athlete can lift. Unless we are concerned about a specific high-level competition between several elite-level lifters, we look at the results to see how much weight was lifted, whether records were set, or how much progress has been made. Personal records (PR) are the goal, and if they qualify as national or world records, so much the better. Most lifters that I’ve known would rather set PR’s and finish 5th, as opposed to winning with mediocre lifts over a mediocre field. Mere placings may be impressive to those who are naïve about the sport (friends and relatives), but it is the amount of weight lifted that impresses members of the community.
The Danger of a Manipulated Career
In the worst case, a lifter might have a career of manipulating the variables and end up with a wall full of medals, very little progress toward his or her true potential, and never finding out what the best outcome weight-wise might have been. This is rather pathetic.
Too Many External Factors Hurt Performance
The problem with gaming the competition is that the lifter is allowing too many external factors to influence the competitive performance, which, by the way, is unfair to the coach. There are already enough external factors that can come into play, such as the date of the competition, the time, the travel, and the expense.
A Real Example of Missed Potential
One such example that comes to mind is Rich Siebert, who lifted in New York City during the 1970s. Rich had some talent and lifted nationally competitive weights in the 52 kg class, but he was young and fairly tall for that category. His advisors and coaches purposely held him down at a low bodyweight so that he could score team points, but inhibited his overall development so that he never reached his full potential. Very sad.
Manipulation Replaces Real Training
The gaming approach is also problematic in that it requires very little in the way of training methodology because the goal is not to lift heavier weights, nor to compete in the optimal bodyweight category.
Lift Often, Train Hard, and Aim for Joyful Progress
So the best advice is to train hard and smart, compete often, and learn how to perform, set personal records, and enjoy the experience of being a weightlifter. Lifting more than you’ve ever lifted before is a joyous occasion and an excellent way to reward your coach for the work he or she has put into your development. If you win, great, but remember that setting PR’s is just as euphoric, if not more so!
