Most people don't know how to pick up a heavy box from the floor without straining their backs. Why do most people understand the nuances of barbell, kettlebell, and even barbell movements? And of all the people you see lifting in gyms around the world, most are self-taught. The vast majority of people who lift do not learn to lift, but are self-taught or accompany group groups in which there is limited supervision or support.
Sound alarmist? Do the math. There are nearly 40,000 gyms and nearly 65 million members in the United States. Keep in mind that a place like Planet Fitness can have 1,400 outlets and 10 million members, and you can have 5,000 CrossFit gyms with less than a million members in total. The point is that, in the larger scheme, out of the 65 million athletes, maybe 1.5 million receive the best barbell and kettlebell instruction and some level of personal attention. Out of 100 people you see in a gym, maybe 3 really know what they're doing.
The YouTube and Instagram Fitness Revolution
You kind of know it all yourself. You can see it on social media. All these videos and posts about the right and wrong way of doing things. ? can't you miss it. Some can be sad and no one has to give another lecture on knees toes in squats.
Unfortunately, we stick to it for two reasons: Qualified coaching and training are expensive and not accessible to the vast majority of trainees, and anyone can become a trainer, which means that there is no quality control in the fitness industry. Another fold is that celebrities are a currency and celebrity trainers on YouTube and Instagram have a very large audience.
On a positive note, the explosion of fitness content on social media has opened people up to Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, fitness, strongman, and many other strength exercises that are usually considered very specialized. A few years ago, you wouldn't see anyone deadlifting in a crunch gym.
On the negative side, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, fitness, strongman, and many other strength exercises are all very, very technical. It takes a lot of time to learn and understand the correct form and safe practices. They are also not for everyone. You cannot be an occasional strong man or Olympic lifter.
Lifting heavy stuff takes reason
If you want to learn how to clean and jerk properly, raise your deadlift without increasing your health insurance, swing a kettlebell, or just find out why your arms don't go over your shoulders when you lift the dumbbell to the side, you need some intellectual curiosity or mindful movement . A lack of curiosity or interest in learning the mechanics of an elevator is a failure, as is a lack of understanding of how your body actually responds and works in a particular movement.
For untrained people, the feeling of limited mobility and tightness in the body can simply be due to the fact that the body is not adequately supported, the tension is not properly distributed, or the body feels unbalanced when the focus drops to a crouch.
The secret of your first squat is that you feel great when you do it
If you really have ambitions in Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting or strongman, you will find the people who do it right. These are tough, esoteric sports that are great to look at and that can make you feel very strong, but they're not for everyone. They are sports. Most of the best coaches don't know what to do with casual practitioners if the main goal of any discipline is to win in competitions.
It's not that you choose a partner and play a game of tennis. Sure, you can judge your own performance over time by looking at how far you are pushing your own records, but that's not the culture. It is also a high-tech sport that you are likely to injure yourself without proper guidance or coaching support. If you are the only person who has learned how to detach yourself from YouTube and reach 100 kg, you are the exception and I should see the proof of your progress without external support.
- The best lifters in the country have trainers.
- The richest CEOs in the country have coaches.
- The best coaches in the country have coaches.
7 steps to find the best coach for you
Fitness sports like CrossFit are an incredibly mixed collection of disciplines that run at speed. They are not easy to look at for traditionalists, but they do have a following. If you want to, you should have a trainer who is proven in every discipline, or some of them who have expertise in specific aspects.
Do you think indoor rowing is easy? Maybe it's on the surface, but it's very technical. Granted, you can do it casually, but if you want to make the most of it, you need to understand the mechanics of the form and be able to pass on that knowledge.
I taught myself how to type when I was in college. I put my fingers a button over my left hand, but it didn't matter because I had practiced enough to be able to type my work very quickly. So I decided to see how fast I could type and tried to relearn typing to improve my speed.
It turned out to be the hardest thing I could do based on what I did myself. That types. You know what that would mean if you were to sit with your left foot at an angle that is not optimal for 20 years. You wake up at 40 and find that squatting hurts and someone who is smarter than you points out a simple adjustment that could save you pain for half a lifetime. We are not always the best judge of us.
This is a contribution by Coach Daniel Bell. He should make it a maxim – drive a hundred miles, 2-4 times a month if you have to, but make it to this coaching session.
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You don't have to hammer in your garage alone – at least not all the time. And you can talk to your trainer face to face. When you're ready to level up, send an email to Rubbercityweightlifting@gmail.com
A contribution by Daniel Bell (@rubbercityweightlifting) on March 4, 2020 at 2:01 p.m. PST
All lifts are technical.