Weightlifting

After reading the title of this blog you are probably wondering why I both waited this long to write it and why I would add one more blog to the plethora of material out there on the topic already. Honestly, I’m probably not going to add anything to this debate or add anything new that you don’t already know. I promised myself I would write this blog when the weight classes came out but I wanted to get some reactions from some athletes and coaches before I published it. So here ya go. A community perspective:

The history of weight class changes is pretty profound. I have never personally had to struggle through a weight class change as a coach or an athlete but there are many coaches out there who have been through multiple weight class changes. More often than not, the reason weight classes change is to reset the records from a previously dirty sport. That is absolutely the case this time and if I have heard correctly that was the case also back in 1998. For those of you who are interested below are the list of different weight classes and what years they were changed. It’s interesting to see the dynamic and some of the trends that previous committees have landed on. It’s ’s important to look at these classes to provide context for our current ones. Also, if you want a really good history as well as insight into the current classes you should check out Greg Everett podcast with Ursula Papandera. That link is here. The second question and answer is a pretty good overview of where we’ve come from and how we landed where we did today. Check that out if you’re interested.

1913:
Men:
60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, +82.5kg

1947:
Men:
56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, +82.5kg

1951:
Men:
56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, +90kg

1964:
Men:
52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, +90kg

1969:
Men:
52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, 110kg, +110kg

1977:
Men:
52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, 100kg, 110kg, +110kg

1983:
Men:
52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, 100kg, 110kg, +110kg
Women:
44kg, 48kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, +82.5kg

1993:
Men:
54kg, 59kg, 64kg, 70kg, 76kg, 83kg, 91kg, 99kg, 108kg, +108kg
Women:
46kg, 50kg, 54kg, 59kg, 64kg, 70kg, 76kg, 83kg, +83kg

1998:
Men:
56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg, +105kg
Women:
48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, +75kg

2016:
Men:
56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg, +105kg
Women:
48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 90kg, +90kg

2018:
Men: 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 89kg, 96kg, 102kg, 109kg, +109kg
Women: 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 71kg, 76kg, 81kg, 87kg, +87kg

Before I give my thoughts on the classes, I thought I would at least give you some thoughts from some of the other more prominent more experienced coaches in the sport just to provide some context for my own thoughts. I polled some athletes and coaches hoping to get a multitude of different opinions. It turns out most of them think the same things. Here’s what they had to say:

Ursula Papandrea (in summary) said she felt like the middle classes, which consequently hold the highest quality lifting and also the largest portion of the sport, did not get the credit they were due. She was hoping for a little less spread through the lower and upper 50s for the women as well as the mid-70s up into the 80s for the men. Her opinion, which I tend to agree, is that in those classes there is the most impressive lifting and often times the highest percentage lifting per bodyweight. She would’ve loved to seen a little less of a spread between classes like the 73 and the 81 and believes there should be one more class between 49 and 64. Like me, she struggles with the idea of a 45 class though historically something around that range has always existed.

Bobby Sirkis said: “I don’t think much changed on the female side, I feel it just made it easier to make weight for most people. Obviously the 90kg class being cut to 87 is a bummer for them.

On the guys side I actually really like the new categories. I think this is a good mix and a good change pretty far away from the original categories. They are far enough away that it forces people to move up. Unlike the females, where it is close to the same. I also think the starting categories in both male and female are too low.

Now the Olympic categories is a much different story. It very much favors some of the lighter categories with the smaller gaps. Since we can only send a max of 1 in each category, making up a smaller body weight difference of 5-6 in the lighter categories is much easier to do than a body weight difference of 10+ in the high body weight categories.

Because I am one that likes to mix things up, I personally would have liked to see the 7 Olympic categories be total different than the 10 normal categories. Again, I’m a bit crazy.”

Cara Heads Slaughter:
“I can’t remember which one I thought didn’t make a ton of sense but mostly because it’s not important (at least I don’t think so).

It is what it is, as it has been each time the classes change. Honestly, I don’t see the value in doing much with how they settled out to be except lift more weight.

Goal is the same – lift more weight. There will always be classes that seem to have an advantage. Doesn’t matter. Lift more weight.

The end.”

All in all, I like the additional categories. It creates more opportunities for people to make an international team. And more opportunity is always the best thing.

In my own personal opinion I think all the coaches above are correct. It does seem like some of those middle classes got the short end of the stick in an effort to appease some of the lighter body weights in Asian countries as well as the heavier bodyweights around the Middle East and Central Asia. It’s a tough road for a 69 kg girl to have to make the jump 76 and an even tougher road I think for a heavy 85 to be competitive as a 96. We all have athletes who come to mind in those areas and if you pay attention to some of our best performers they seem to live right around that space.

As a spectator, this is going to be a really fun couple of years as we see the best in our sport compete in the same classes. As a coach, it’s a tough conundrum for me. While I love the competition and I love what the increased competition will due to performance, I struggle watching really talented athletes have to both fight to get in a weight class they aren’t fit for right now as well as fight with athletes who are already established around that bodyweight. A lot of the best talent in the sport in this country likely will get left out of the Olympics as they just don’t have enough time to transition to a new class. Now, watching them try and what that will do to motivate their training and their nutrition will be awesome to watch. Ultimately, spectators, coaches, and athletes at some point need to step out of the assessment phase of the new classes and step into the performance space. Cara is dead on. Time to lift heavier weights. The end.

In every good sports movie there’s a moment where the team or the coach or a specific player begins to make the transition that we all look back on and see as the pivotal moment for the success of the team. In Remember The Titans it was the teams trip to Gettysburg battlefield. The “You were Born for This“ speech in the movie Miracle. There’s one of these moments in every good sports story.

For the first weeks of the month I got to be a part of one of those moments for USA Weightlifting. To be fair, this is just one puzzle piece that has been a part of the transition from USA’s relative nonexistence in the weightlifting world to its current rise to the podium. For the first time in a long time we put athletes on the podium at the world championships in Anaheim and Sarah took home gold! Two weeks ago our Junior Weightlifting Team continued that success. These young athletes made history winning 18 total medals in the winningest Junior World Championships in history. With the help of gold medalist CJ Cummings, the men’s team took fourth overall.

On the female side, there were more medals than I care to count lead off by Power & Grace Performance’s own Jordan Delacruz. The girls would go on to WIN the world championship as a team! For the first time ever, A United States Weightlifting team is the strongest team in the world. This past championship is one of those marks of transition. Mike Gattone I think said it best as we closed up the week. He told the team that he was super proud of them but he wanted this feeling, this competitiveness, these results to become expected. If our country is going to be a dominant force in weightlifting that it has the capacity to be, medals can’t be results we hope for but results that are expected.

There were a multitude of big moments during the competition that stand out in my mind as reasons to celebrate. USA truly competed for the first time in a long time on an international stage. When I say “competed“ I mean they didn’t resign themselves to bronze or shrug their shoulders at a new satisfactory total. The aim was always the podium and was always the top. When I say “competed“ I mean Team USA walked into every competition with the intention of winning not just totaling. They competed for the top spot every single session in every single weight class. I saw this in Jourdan taking an attempt at the winning snatch. I saw this in Harrison fighting back from a relatively poor performance in snatch to take the winning clean and jerk gold medal. I saw this in Jules stepping up to the plate and smoking her final snatch for a gold medal. I could go on and on about lifts and gutsy calls and big moments where our Junior weightlifters decided they were not just going to be resigned to average. They weren’t happy with just being there. They wanted to win. This kind of mental shift is a transition our sport needs if they’re going to be perennially competitive on the international stage.

I challenge some of the Senior lifters out there competing for spots on World teams to take a look at some of the tenacity and grit that these Junior lifters approached the stage with. We are good enough to do more than just show up. Our country is better then many of the people we find ourselves second place to.

More on this to come but for the time being I’m both very proud of our up-and-coming weightlifters (especially Jourdan) but I’m even more challenged that these couple moments are not be exceptions to the rule but that they become the standard for USA weightlifting.

Traveling to a competition really changes up your usual routine, but you don’t have to let it get in the way of you feeling strong and prepared. Here are our favorite tips for flying before meet day:

1. Drink lots of water while flying
   Drinking lots of water while flying can be a pain, but it’s the best way we’ve found to stay on body weight and feel like ourselves when we land in a new place. Periods of inactivity increase water retention, so be sure to drink plenty of fluids and move around frequently.
2. Pack food/snacks
   When packing for a trip, try to bring food for the travel day and remember to bring any specific snacks you might want if you’re cutting or for after weigh ins. You’ll most likely be able to run to the store, but we’ve found that bringing some snacks is always helpful. If you’re cutting weight, avoid salty snacks that can potentially hold water. I like to avoid airport food all together due to high amounts of sodium used in many of the foods that they provide. Great snack ideas include rice cakes, almond butter, fruit/veggie squeezes, cut veggies, protein shakes/bars, and dried fruit. *Don’t forget about the 3.4oz airport rule!
3. Pack your lifting gear in your carry on
   When flying always expect the best and plan for the worst. Sometimes bags disappear and if your shoes and lucky underwear are in that bag, competition day is going to be a real nightmare. No matter the flight we ALWAYS have everything we need for meet day in our carry on. It’s one easy way you can make sure you’ll be ready for the training hall and competition.
4. Try to line up training and competition time
   When you arrive, and even before you arrive, it is a good idea to train at the same time you will compete. If you are most comfortable training in the afternoon, but you compete in the morning, it would be wise to add in some morning training sessions. Also be sure to get your training done at the meet as close to your actual session time; if you compete at 9:00 am you should try to train at 9:00 am the day before.
5. Don’t be afraid to stretch in the airport, and move around on the airplane!
   Sitting down for long periods of time is not ideal for lifting heavy weights. Pre competition, make sure to stand up at least every hour on the plane — if you’re drinking a ton of water this might actually be necessary. If you have a long layover, it’s always a good idea to find a little space and stretch out your hips/back before getting back on the plane. Having mobile hips on competition day is totally worth all those weird looks you’ll get from complete strangers.

Competing for your first time… or sometimes your tenth time can be extremely nerve racking. On competition day the last thing you want is your nerves getting in the way of you making your opener and then that big PR you’ve been working towards. There is no one single tip that will take the nerves away, but there are a few things to practice and think about that might help you get them under control.

Remember that being nervous is totally normal! Getting anxious before a meet is not a bad thing at all, and actually, it can and should work for your benefit. For some reason beginners think that all the top level athletes are never anxious before a meet, and that’s just not true! Get the butterflies flying in the same direction and you’re good to go.

Do what you know how to do. It’s that simple. Meet day should be the day that you get to go out and use all your hard work and training. Remind yourself that you are prepared and that you know what you’re doing. Trust your body and trust your training.

Don’t forget to breathe! Try not to treat competition day any different than a heavy training session. Keep your usual lifting routine in order to the best of your ability, take a few deep breaths, and have fun!

Competition is one of the best parts of weightlifting. Don’t let pre-comp nerves scare you away from taking that next step and signing up for your next meet! But, if you’re still not convinced, check out our previous post “Why You Should Sign Up for a Weightlifting Meet.”

1. What are you training goals?

This question is easily the most important question you need to address before you jump into any kind of training program. Setting up goals for training is not a quick or easy process but it is so important for making decisions about how you spend your time in the gym. Setting goals can help you pick a program but it can also help you stay motivated and on track. Be sure when you are looking at the program you see elements that address your weaknesses. If you need to build up general strength look for at least 3 days of squats and heavy pulls/deadlifts. If you need to work on technique, pay attention to volume in the lifts as well as technical auxiliary movements. Most general weightlifting programs will fit the needs of a beginner, but it is still important to evaluate the program against your personal needs/goals. For more advanced athletes personalized programming is a great option for working towards specific goals.

https://powerandgraceperformance.com/setting-goals-olympic-weightlifting/ <<Hyperlink to Setting Goals in Olympic Lifting Button

2. What is your time commitment?

Any good weightlifting program progresses over time and if you are unable to commit to doing the program consistently you will not be able to benefit from it entirely. When you are unable to do all of the workouts you can end up cherry picking your training sessions and that ultimately leads to weaknesses. It is better to commit to a 3 day per week program than to try to do a 5-day/week program and only make it to the gym part of the time. Of course, life happens and you may miss a few here or there, but missing workouts should always be the exception and not the rule. Be realistic about your time commitment and chose a program that fits with your lifestyle/goals.

“If you don’t know exactly where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?” ― Steve Maraboli

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