Today's blog is a final summary of the Olympic Training Center camp. I wanted to take a couple days and think about all that happened over the week. Below are six major things that I took away from the camp and that coaches and athletes should consider.
1- Focus on Positions. As much as we know and utilize strength, we often neglect focusing on the positions of the lifts. The campers and coaches spent the week subtly and directly focusing on bar position in every one of the movements. It was programmed in small auxiliary exercises as warm-ups before major lifts and there were pauses and isometric holds built into the major lifts to ingrain proper positioning as well. This should be a major factor in any serious programming focused on the Olympic lifts. Perfect positions through the whole lift enables big lifts. Don't neglect your positioning.
2- Focus on the Jerk. I can't tell you how many of the camp athletes, as well as myself, feel far more confident in their snatch and their clean than their jerk. Unfortunately it is the jerk that often becomes the final nail in the coffin. Athletes with a great jerk are dangerous. These athletes are the kind of athletes that can make up a major deficit in competition with one lift. I witnessed lots and lots of athletes with extremely strong legs, strong backs, and therefore strong cleans but also really weak jerks. Remember a strong clean in the sport of weightlifting is still three red lights without a strong jerk. Focusing on your jerk makes you dangerous.
3- Environment is Everything. Your training environment can be as detrimental to your lifting as it is beneficial. I have always said that at the top of any list of important factors in your training is training environment. More important than coaching and more important than programming. The type of training environment that supports training is paramount to an athlete's success. However, as I experienced this past week, it can also be a negative force as well. Without some sort of governor or control over an exciting, electric environment, training sessions can turn into something that it was never designed to be. Good training partners help you stick to a program. Good training partners support and encourage you through training even if that training just means heavy sets of five in the squat. Good training partners and a good training environment will allow you to grow and develop with tenacity while at the same time staying disciplined and focused on your training. Make sure the environment you're surrounded with has all these things. Excitement and encouragement is important but not to the point at which it pushes you past the overall goal of the workout.
4- EAT! One of the greatest advantages that residents have at the training center is the cafeteria. For those of us at home in our own kitchens forced to cook for ourselves on a daily basis we are at a bit of a disadvantage. The residents are provided with a plethora of different meal options to meet their fitness and workout goals. In my own training last week I saw a massive improvement in energy level and as a result power output. This is because I was able to consume the right kinds of protein ane the right kinds of carbs and fats at the right times. This is much harder to do at home when balancing life obligations can prevent some of your meal prep. If you're not at the training center take a clue from them and make sure you are well-fed pre and post workout. Make nutrition and calorie intake an important part of your training. It doesn't matter if you're programming is perfect if you don't have the energy to complete it. Hopefully many of these young athletes learned how important food is this past week.
5- Mental Fortitude. I heard one of the camper say that it took a great deal of mental fortitude for him to push the weights during the heavy lifting on Friday. There is some truth to the statement but I think many of these young athletes don't realize that it takes a great deal of mental fortitude to follow the program, and hit the weights prescribed, even when your body feels like it could do more. In fact I would say it takes a greater amount of mental fortitude to stick to the program when your body or environment begs you to push the weights. One giant take away that I will bring home with me when coaching is the development of discipline. Developing this characteristic early om young athletes is critical to those athletes having a long, successful career in the sport.