Lifting Part 2

Part 2 - Fall Lifting

If you are reading this for the first time, make sure you review Part 1 to see a good set of lifting rules that will apply to the fall session of lifting also.  We learned that PHASE ONE of lifting is POWER.  Spring is a good time to develop that power by doing low-rep high weight pyramid reps.  Increase your MAX!

The other two phases of lifting can be worked on in the fall and in-season.

Phase 1 = POWER (How much can you lift?)
Phase 2 = EXPLOSION (How fast can you lift a given weight?)
Phase 3 = Muscular ENDURANCE (How many times or how long can you lift a given weight?)

Everyone talks about their max.  Most people work towards a max.  In wrestling, you only have to be powerful enough to not be overpowered by the other guy.  Most of your POWER requirements are relatively fixed.  But how important to you is it to: A) Push/Pull/Squeeze/Lift faster then the other guy and B) Push/Pull/Squeeze/Lift for a full 2 minutes without any break?

So you spent all spring getting JACKED why don't you use the fall to make that power useful?  In my opinion, the priority should be like this: Fall - EXPLOSION then ENDURANCE and In-season - ENDURANCE then EXPLOSION.  But you should tailor your lifting plan to your weakness. 

So lets look at creating an EXPLOSION workout.  Here are some good guidelines:

1. Follow the same spring guidelines but make the adjustments listed below.
2. Use free weights or non-conventional weight (kettlebells, sandbags, ropes, medicine balls, etc.)
3. Don't concern yourself with putting huge weight on the bar.
4. Spend the first two weeks throwing weight that is well lighter then you think you should use.
5. High reps, better yet use a time period.  How many times can you do the lift in 30 seconds?
6. Make a noise (Bruce Lee can't be wrong)
7. Focus more on lifting speed then perfect lifting technique.  This is why we start with light weight.
8. If possible, design a circuit that address different parts of the body (core, upper, lower) and types of lifts (push, pull, lift)
9. If possible, throw and hit things.  Tires, medicine balls, logs, hay bails, etc.

I'd also like to hear some examples of what you may have done in the past to increase muscular EXPLOSION!  Please post your examples in the comment section below.

SPEED and POWER!

Lifting Part 1

Here is the first part of a 3 part blog on lifting for wrestling.  The 3 parts will be split by the time of year, spring lifting, fall lifting, and in-season lifting.

Part 1 - Spring Lifting

To wrestle your best, you need to make a year-round commitment to the weight room.  If you stop lifting or take a break you will have to go back through the cycle.  21 days to form the habit.  2 to 6 months to hit your plateau.  It is not until then that you make major gains.  So if you lift for 3 months or so and then take a break you will never make any major gains.  Now I say major gains because some kids get stronger anyhow.  That is nature taking effect as you mature and participate in wrestling or other demanding sports.

The most important time of the year for lifting is spring.  This is when you can make your biggest strength gains.  Although you are trying to plan around some national tournaments and Disney Duals, you need to concern yourself with your weight class as LITTLE as possible and use this time of year to really build up your POWER.

POWER = Phase one of strength

So here are some rules I've developed based on kids I've coached that have made good strength gains.
If you are not following most of these you are probably waisting your time.

1. Lift with teammates or family members that will hold you accountable.
2. Lift at least 3 times a week, get to 5 times a week after your first 6 to 8 weeks of lifting.  You will be sore during the first 21 days, lift through it.
3. Keep your lifts to a 45 to 60 minute window.
4. Lift hard during that window and socialize before or after.
5. Never sit, lean, lay, or leave during your window.
6. Pick 4 main lifts to measure and get a good max for each lift prior to April 1st (I like squat, power clean, military press, and bench)
7. Set a percentage goal of 10 to 15%.  Max again after June 1st.  Divide your last max with your first max and multiply by 100. 
8. Do your 4 main lifts every other day.
9. After a 10 rep warm-up, follow a low rep pyramid pattern: 5-4-3-1 for example.  Your final rep should be 90-95% of your max.  Scale down from there so that you can get that final rep.  For example: if you max bench is 180.  Your final rep should be 170, then 155, 145, so you'd do 135 5 times.  If you follow a different pattern for military press, then adjust your percentages.  You know you are good if you can hit that final rep but it is really hard.
10. Add in auxilary lifts after you finish your main lifts or on days following a main lift day.  Any lift that is a pulling lift is a good one.
11. Your goal is to increase your POWER.  When your last rep is not as hard as it used to be in 3 or 4 of your 4 main lifts, then use a lifting day to get new maximum lifts.  Then adjust all of your reps based on your new max.  If your maximum lift is not increasing at all after your first 21 days, you are doing something wrong.  If you have been lifting consistently for 18 months or more and your max is not increasing every 3 months or so, then talk to one of your coaches or a CERTIFIED personal trainer about supplements.  DO NOT start on your own with trial and error.  You will probably just be wasting money and you could seriously hurt yourself.
12. Do not worry to much about managing weight or next year's weight class.  Focus on getting JACKED!

The Noah Parent

The list of great parents supporting the Skyline program continues to grow.  These people are awesome.  They stay at tournaments long after their kid finished wrestling to support the other kids on the team.  They go out of their way to give other kids rides.  They come in early and stay late to make sure the hospitality room or the concession stand or the mats are set up and running properly.  They donate personal money or find sponsors.  They put up with my craziness.  As the youth program continues to grow more and more of these great parents are popping up.

I want to relate this growth to another common theme I keep finding when I interview people that witnessed a normal wrestling program evolve into a top flight program.  I'm told that each of these programs had a lot of parent support.  A lot of parents in the stands.  Financial backing and/or an extensive volunteer program.  Positive peer pressure from experienced families towards the new families joining the program to let them know what it takes to stay at that high level.  But there is another common parent theme.

I call it the Noah Parent.  Noah built an arc.  His whole family was in on it but most other people thought he was crazy.  It took a LOT of work and dedication.  He ended up being right.

Every time I talk to someone about a program going from good to great they tell me there was a lot of parent support.  Then they usually add, "But there was this one set of parents."  And they talk about them.  They were leaders.  They did a lot behind the scenes.  But the biggest thing I see about these parents is that, at first, they come off as a little crazy.  They tell the new parents in a confident way what it takes and why.  The stuff they suggest is not normal.

But they end up being right.  Their kid does those things and ends up being really successful.  Then the other parents find out the Noah Parent isn't so crazy and they want to get on the boat. 

If you are one of those parents that really care about the success of Skyline wrestling, start by making sure your kid is doing those crazy things that will help them be successful.  Then you can start being a Noah Parent.

Loyalty

One of my youth coaches used a great word yesterday. 

Loyalty.

We need to develop a sense of loyalty to Skyline Wrestling.  Not completely sure how we are going to get there but I know what it looks like when we finally do.  I found a couple of definitions for Loyal.  I like this one:

firm: unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause

Unwavering devotion.  A never-changing commitment.  The feeling like you are letting someone down if you are not doing everything in your power to be the best wrestler and teammate possible.

How do they do it?

"Changing a culture."  That's the mantra.  How do some coaches do it?  They sweep into a place and in three years their program is a permanent fixture in upper echelon.  I know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.  Kids have got to understand that they will never compete at the top level until they are willing to work as hard as the kids that are already there.  I hope they are ignorant or unknowing.  My fear is that they are happy with above-average and are not willing to make the sacrifices required to be elite.

My first blog

So here is my first blog.  I'm not really sure how this thing is going to evolve.  I'm thinking that this is going to be a good place for me to go and complain.  OK, maybe not complain but more like advise.  Lots of coaches have been quoted with something like Cael's quote.  It goes something like, "If you don't continue to innovate you are going to be left behind."  That's one reason I like wrestling.  You are expected to evolve and change in this sport.  But it is also a proven fact in psychology that people hate change.  They FEAR change.

So here is my blog.  This is where I'm going to talk about things that need to change, why they need to change, and my suggestions.  The focus will be on the sport of scholastic wrestling in Virginia and the program I coach at Skyline.  But I'm sure I'll ramble elsewhere.  I hope I don't piss too many people off.

Enjoy