Concepts for Beginner Powerlifters - 2 Tightness and Recruitment

Watching experienced lifters on the platform is a sobering experience. The intensity top lifters impart on the bar during lifts is master class for newbies like myself. On the face of it intensity appears to be an easy concept, grab the bar and pull/push/squat like crazy. However it's not that simple in practice.

Talking a long hard look at my approach prior to this latest cycle it was apparent I really didn't understand the concept of intensity. To improve I have focused on two related concepts, tightness and recruitment. What I found was that in an intense squat I would be focusing very hard on one aspect of the lift but at some point would be conscious of the fact another aspect of my lift was looser than it should be. 

This underlines my beginner status: I am consciously competent at the lifts but my whole body is not engaged in the lifts To move to the next stage requires becoming unconsciously competent i.e. technique is refined such that I don't have to think through every aspect of a lift.

To train this aspect I am working my ass of ensuring everything is tight and I recruit every damn fibre during a lift. For example in the squat every part of me is engaged in the lift...calves are tight, core is tight back is tight, quads are tight. 

Initially it felt counter intuitive but to become unconsciously competent I needed initially to be hyper aware of every part of me during the lifts. Each session I feel more engaged and its starting to become second nature to be fully engaged in the lift.

For the beginner the best way to switch this intensity on is to focus on ensuring everything is phenomenally tight and engaged prior to the lift. Use imagery, imagine yourself as a coiled spring or a solid bar of iron, whatever works for you. Though especially for a beginner its important not to confuse the intensity with semantic ranting and psyche ups that you see far too often.

Remember to keep watching the experienced lifters putting up big numbers on the platform. Watch how they switch it on with every fiber straining to lock out. 

Now many of you reading this will go what the F%^%ck just lift it. But it was eye opening for me to realise how little intensity I was really bringing to the bar. I believe its going to take a number of cycles of training to truly embed these new cues but I am excited for Nationals in June.

Stay Strong

Thomo