Weightlifting
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Organize Your Weightlifting Calendar
Recognizing Common Problems Among Novice Lifters
I try to keep up on what sort of problems present themselves to novice lifters and thus end up trying to keep up on their comments on Social Media. I read things like
• I haven’t trained in six months, and I just made a 1 kg PR.
• I just broke my 5 rep squat PR, but my snatch remains the same.
• I clean & jerk at least twice a month, but my numbers never get better.
These are all the comments of individuals with no plan,s and it is obvious. I don’t know the background of these lifters, but it is apparent that they have a rather murky view of what it means to be an athlete.
How I Plan an Annual Weightlifting Calendar for My Team
When I was coaching my team, I did the planning for them. Let me provide an example.
Establishing the Competition Calendar
After each Nationals was concluded, I would lay out a calendar for the next year.
- The first thing to do was to list the dates of the various national events.
- For some individuals, I might schedule local meets as test events.
- Then I would work back from each event to determine the deadline for qualifying.
This was a training program for those athletes who hadn’t already posted a qualifying total.
Setting Mesocycles for Key Competitions
The next task was to determine the beginning and ending dates for each preparation mesocycle and each pre-competition mesocycle for each meaningful competition. A meaningful competition is one for which programming is undertaken with the goal of lifting personal records and is preceded by a pre-competition mesocycle.
My most advanced lifters would need two preparation mesocycles for each macrocycle and the less accomplished lifters would only need one.
Moving From Calendar to Detailed Programming
After all these calendar dates were established, the programming details could be determined.
Now I understand that most beginners aren’t familiar enough with programming to go much beyond this point of setting up the annual calendar. Programming is an involved and complicated process that is dependent on a considerable number of variables.
Two Resources to Guide Your Weightlifting Programming
I therefore have two options that have been developed over many years of programming experience with a variety of weightlifters.
1. Weightlifting Programming Book
The first is my book, WEIGHTLIFTING PROGRAMMING. It goes into great detail about the process of programming and explains the need to vary the programming based on the proficiency level of the athlete. It includes sample programs for six different levels of lifters, beginning with raw beginners all the way to international elite athletes. Hard copies are no longer available, but the digital copies are available for just $25.00. The link to purchase is https://www.takanoweightlifting.com/new-products.
2. Membership with Weekly Programs and Resources
The second is a membership to my site that provides weekly training programs for three different levels of proficiency that are provided on a drip basis. This includes access to a video of my weightlifting seminar, a video of the 1988 Bulgarian team in secret training, and many other instructional articles. All the training programs have been tested with weightlifters and have provided exceptional results. The first 14 days are free, and after that, membership is $47.00 per month. Membership can be cancelled at any time. Just go to https://takanoweightliftingcoaching.net/vsl-order-form1665785222494.
