Besides running and CrossFit, weightlifting is one of the few arenas wherein the over-forty athlete can ignite that passion for competition with loads of local meets and a well-developed masters national circuit already fully in play.

With the growing popularity of CrossFit, many people over age 35 have discovered a passion for competition. Today’s over-forty population is not interested in growing old gracefully, and like their younger counterparts, once introduced to the sport, they thrive on competition.

Besides running and CrossFit, weightlifting is one of the few arenas wherein the over-forty athlete can ignite that passion for competition with loads of local meets and a well-developed masters national circuit already fully in play.

As a fifty-year-old athlete myself (that’s me on the left), I am well aware of the toll that weightlifting can take, having suffered a fairly severe injury myself about four years ago.

However, many master’s athletes are relatively new to sport or have been away from rigorous training for decades. So what are some of the things you can do to build a stronger base while keeping alive that thirst for excellence and not detract from the movement patterns you are working so hard to ingrain? What exercises can you incorporate into regular training that will strengthen your body while handling issues associated with being older at the same time?

My Experience

I am a weightlifting coach, and my team consists mainly of athletes between the ages of thirty and fifty. Although there are a few outliers, these athletes are the ones who have heeded the call and have developed a passion for weightlifting by training with our team. These athletes are the ones I have been graced with to coach – even taking one of them to a well-fought-for bronze medal at the recent 2015 Masters Nationals in Monrovia, California.

“I sincerely believe in the power of regular chiropractic care, physical therapy, corrective movement, mobilization, stretching, and deep tissue work by qualified practitioners.”

As a fifty-year-old athlete myself, I am well aware of the toll that weightlifting can take, having suffered a fairly severe injury myself about four years ago. Since then, I have spent a lot of time reading, learning, and even experimenting on myself to uncover effective exercises, stretches, and mobilization tools to help my team perform better with less pain, better movement, and no injuries.

No Coach Is an Island

Let me first say that I firmly believe in referring out. No coach is an island with all of the answers. I sincerely believe in the power of regular chiropractic care, physical therapy, corrective movement, mobilization, stretching, and deep tissue work by qualified practitioners. In fact, the exercises incorporated into this program design were vetted by Yvonne Ramirez, PT, DPT and Michael Shahbazian, DC. Matt LaBosco of Optimal Performance Systems was also consulted regarding some of the ideas incorporated. I highly recommend any of these professionals, as they have all helped me and members of our team to move and perform better.

As Matt LaBosco likes to say, “The thoracic spine, hips and feet/ankles are the 600 horsepower engines of your body. If you don’t keep those fully operational, the low back and knees take the brunt of where they fail.” As such, keeping the big engines in excellent working order is the overriding principle behind the exercises and mobility included in this program’s design.

“This program would be suitable for the following weightlifters: Class III, Class III Masters, or athletes new to the sport of weightlifting but who have a good understanding of how to do the lifts, albeit still needing practice in perfecting form.”

I’ve opted to use as a base Bob Takano’s Sample Class III Training Program from his book Weightlifting Programming: A Winning Coach’s Guide, as I feel what I’d like to highlight is what I add or subtract, as I in no way can compete with Bob’s brilliance when it comes to writing weightlifting programming. Although Bob gave me his permission to use this, my additions and subtractions are mine and mine alone and should not be taken in any way as endorsed by Mr. Takano.

Bob Takano coaches during a clinic in Santa Barbara, California.

Who This Program Is For

This program would be suitable for the following weightlifters: Class III, Class III Masters, or athletes new to the sport of weightlifting but who have a good understanding of how to do the lifts, albeit still needing practice in perfecting form. It is meant for people who need some GPP, but who have been doing some sort of regular athletics for at least six to nine months, can move with decency, have a good idea of their bodies, and present no obvious injuries or issues.

Although some general short conditioning would normally be included as part of the GPP training for this population, as well as a fairly extensive mobilization plan, this article and program will focus on the auxiliary exercises we incorporate and their purpose in this program. We’ll talk more about the mobility side of things in my next article.

Below are the supplementary exercises we include with the programming for these lifters:

• Building Core Strength: Incorporating planks, side planks, Pallof presses, dead bugs variations, leg lowering, hanging straight leg raises, and hollow holds helps ensure a stronger trunk on which to hold heavier weights while squatting, as well as better bracing for powerful extensions in weightlifting. These variations can be progressed as the athlete achieves mastery.
• Strengthening the Low Back: All of the core strength exercises are incorporated with protecting the low back in mind. Weightlifters often develop the low back extensors without developing the surrounding musculature simultaneously. Our focus on a strong core is with prevention in mind.
• Increasing Thoracic and Scapular Mobility: Incorporating slow scapular push-ups, thoracic foam rolling, wall angels, and ring flex arm hang with knees up really forces scapular retraction and separation as well as keeping the thoracic spine moving. Bat wings, with the emphasis on rhomboid retraction, help build strength endurance and improve posture.
• Keeping the Shoulders Healthy: The thoracic mobility work’s main purpose is to strengthen the posture and mobility of the thoracic spine, so the shoulders won’t have to bear their load. However, strengthening all of the surrounding musculatures of the shoulders is also critical. Incorporating bent flyes with external rotation (which also target the rhomboids) pull-ups, cross-body stretches, bat wings, deep tissue work (especially on the neck), and even internal rotation exercises has proven beneficial.
• Improving Hip and Glute Mobility: Bridges, hip flexor stretches, the leg lowering portion of the side planks, bowler squats, and reverse tables are all incorporated. Deep tissue work for tight hips is also critical to keeping the hips fully functional, so the low back doesn’t try to do their job.
• Mobilizing Ankles and Feet: Dorsiflexion stretches with plates or bars held at the knees are standbys for weightlifters, as it is well documented how lack of ankle mobility affects the squat. Incorporating ankle extension stretches has shown helpful in keeping this area mobile, and arching and flexing the feet has also proven therapeutic.

8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week One

Please note that all 1RMs are projected. That is, the percentages are based on a 1RM the lifter expects he or she will be able to hit at the end of the program.

More Like This:

• What Makes Masters Competition Different From Regular Competition?
• Train to Win in 24 Weeks: Masters Swimming and 5K Running Events
• Women and Weightlifting (And How I Fell in Love)
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. Stuart McGill, Low Back Disorders, Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition (University of Waterloo, 2007), 210-241.

2. Bob Takano, “Weightlifting Programming: A Winning Coach’s Guide”, (Catalyst Athletics, 2012), 70-74.

3. Eric Cressey, “Lower Back Savers,” last modified 05/05/09.

4. Dan John, “Reawaken Your Rhomboids”, T-Nation. Last modified 4/19/11.

5. Mike Robertson, “Ground Based Core Training”, Mike Robertson, last modified 10/9/13.

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week Two

Please note that all 1RMs are projected. That is, the percentages are based off a 1RM the lifter expects he or she will be able to hit at the end of the program.

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week Three

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8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week Four

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8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week Five

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8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week Six

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8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week Seven

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8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program: Week 8

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The post An 8-Week Longevity-Based Program for Masters Weightlifters appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Here are their stories.

Aimee Everett

Aimee Everett started lifting in the summer of 1996 when her volleyball coach sent her to train under coach Mike Burgener. Shortly after, she quit volleyball and became a full-time lifter under Coach B. She soon made her way to the American Open and trained and lived at the Olympic Training Center Junior Training Camp for the next four years.

After a five-year break from the sport to finish school, Aimee dove back into weightlifting full force in 2005 and began training new lifters for Coach Burgener as well as assisting him with CrossFit Weightlifting Certifications. Aimee dove head first into learning all of the finer intricacies of coaching from Mike Burgener and credits him in paving her way to being the coach she is today.

“Everything I have right now- I really believe he paved the way. Who I am as an athlete, a coach, as a person is totally him. From my programming, to the way I love my athletes, to the way I scare my athletes with my yelling, and to my total devotion to my team and gym family.”

Bob Morris and Lynn Jones from the Olympic Training Center as well as her husband, Greg Everett, have also been huge influences on her coaching style.

“There just weren’t women coaches around me when I was growing up in this sport. Today, I am lucky to have Ursula (Garza Papandrea) to look up to as a female coach. She paved the way.”

When asked if she felt she was held back in any way because of her gender:

“Honestly I’ve never even thought about it being harder to break into this sport as a “female” coach until you asked me this question. I just knew there was one female international coach and I wanted to be the second. Period.”

Aimee has now accomplished that goal and is the second female international USA Weightlifting coach ever. Her lifter, Jessica Lucero, is on the National Team, won the National Championship in 2015 in the 58 kg class, and is a national record holder in the snatch. Spending “a bazillion” hours working with Jess to get her to where she is today is what she credits as her biggest coaching triumph. Aimee and Greg Everett own Catalyst Athletics, one of the most respected weightlifting resources in the United States.

Emmy Vargas

Emmy Vargas started lifting as an 18-year-old in junior college, when her shotput coach took her to see now weightlifting Hall of Fame coach Bob Takano to make her stronger and more powerful. One of her first experiences was seeing Diana Fuhrman (six time world team member, four time national champion) lift in Bob’s weightlifting gym. Emmy wound up getting a scholarship to Cal State Los Angeles as a thrower (ended up with a 45’ throw), but quit her throwing scholarship as her love for the sport of weightlifting grew.

Bob referred to Emmy as “the doormat” because her personality and confidence at the time were so small. He told her she needed to learn to grow fangs. His encouragement must have worked, as Emmy became a national team member, represented the USA at the World championships, won a silver medal at the Pan American Games in 2007 in the super heavyweight class, and made it to three Olympic trials (placing in the top 10 each time). She is also the lightest woman in the history of American weightlifting to clean and jerk more than 300 lbs (142 kg). Anyone who knows Emmy now knows she is no doormat.

Emmy started coaching weightlifting on a bigger scale when her friend Andy Garcy, who was the head coach for Pinnacle Weightlifting in Colorado Springs, unexpectedly passed away in 2009. At the request of his team, she agreed to help coach them through their upcoming meets. The Pinnacle team wound up with podium finishes in the School-Age (now Youth), Senior (third place at Nationals), University Level (second place) as well as Master’s Nationals and the Master’s World Championship that year. Her passion for coaching was ignited full force.

As a long-time resident of the Olympic Training Center, Emmy also credits resident coach Bob Morris with helping her develop her coaching style. Emmy is now the Head Coach of Barbarian Barbell where she coaches both women and men in the old school way with no loud music playing. She believes being able to hear the timing of the lifts is critical.

She doesn’t believe her greatest triumph as a coach has happened yet:

“I have high standards. As I’m still coaching and learning, I can’t answer that question, but I do hope I’ll be able to say I’ve helped change some folks’ lives for the better.”

Her goals as a coach, however, are high. She’d like to get someone on an Olympic team or put someone on the international stage. When asked about her “best coaching secret”, she said it is being a coachable coach. Her advice to anyone looking to get into coaching the sport is apt:

“Lift in a meet. It’s one thing to tell people what it’s like to lift, it’s another to have experienced being called upon in a moment when you’re spasming and you’re dehydrated, and you’re being called upon to make a big lift, and you only have 2 minutes on the clock to hit that lift under high pressure.

You can be that feel good coach, but in my opinion, you’re not going to be a good coach. The coach has to be willing to take the heat, to keep the athlete focused on the task at hand. Being able to handle the heat live in a meet is critical, so get out there and coach. Coach at different levels. The game changes at each level. When you get to higher levels, the pressure changes. When you’ve got lifters trying to make teams or set national records, it’s much different than just helping someone get a PR.”

Lindsay Yocum

Lindsay Yocum was introduced to the sport of weightlifting post college when she started her first job at Velocity Sports Performance (VSP) in Redondo Beach more than ten years ago. Since then she has partnered with Sean Waxman at Waxman’s Gym, where she coaches weightlifting and one of their competition teams. She also continues to utilize weightlifting at the strength and conditioning level for her athletes at Marlborough School, a college preparatory school in Hancock Park.

Ken Vick and Sean Waxman have been her mentors. Lindsay believes her capability has not been measured by her gender but rather her experience:

“Post college I was green to the sport of weightlifting, just having earned my CSCS and my USAW level 1 coaching certifications but not really having the “hands on” experience that it takes to develop the coaching eye and learn the art of coaching weightlifting. Luckily I did have a supportive mentor (Ken Vick) and professional peers that took the responsibility of honing our craft seriously. I quickly went from having a handful of reps under my belt to thousands and I am fortunate enough to have a natural proclivity to understanding, identifying and correcting the lifts as I coach.”

Unlike all of the other women in this story, she did have one flagrant example of being denied a role specifically because of her gender. After paying her dues at VSP coaching youth (8-11 year olds) and middle school athletes, it became apparent that her superior was holding her back from coaching high school teams:

“His reasoning was that he believed I couldn’t demand respect from a group of high school aged boys. Let’s just say that I proved him wrong and that I do not credit him as a mentor, hence why he remains nameless. “

Lindsay trains both women and men and like all of the women in this story, believes that people are attracted to coaches because of their knowledge and coaching style, not their gender:

“I think people in general regardless of their gender gravitate towards a coaching style that they deem compatible with their learning style. I think the most important part of developing trust with an athlete is a) knowing your stuff and b) telling them what they need to hear, instead of what they want to hear.”

She doesn’t believe that she’s had one moment of triumph as a coach, and her goals are simple:

“For the most part… my satisfaction (in coaching) is derived from the fact that I am directly influencing an athlete to achieve their personal best. Whether that is teaching the athlete how to properly lift, motivating the athlete to train through challenging times, or creating confidence in an athlete to perform under pressure and at their best, coaching is a means to teach people to strive to actualize their potential as a human being.

Female coaches inspire female lifters. And that’s a good thing. [Photo courtesy of RX’d Photography]

Alison Parakh

Alison Parakh got her start in weightlifting while studying physical education at the University of Oregon, where she majored in exercise physiology and also received her Masters. She competed a bit in graduate school, but became so busy coaching that she didn’t have time to train. She doesn’t credit anyone as being a mentor in weightlifting, per se, but does mention Jimmy Radcliffe, the Head Strength Coach at U of O as an overall strength-coaching mentor.

There was one time that she felt singled out as a woman. She found out she was being interviewed because of a quota that required females to be interviewed. She also admits that back when she first started coaching strength and conditioning in the 1990s, networking opportunities seemed far more difficult because of being one of only a handful of women in a male dominated industry. She has noticed a change recently though, in that “there are a lot more women in the industry now, and it seems that being female isn’t so much of an issue as it might have seemed before.”

Alison coaches both men and women and also believes that:

“It comes down to what you know and how well you communicate, and if you can communicate well, and you know your stuff and can help an athlete improve, I find it doesn’t matter (if you’re a man or a woman).”

Her greatest accomplishment as a weightlifting coach so far is having their club officially recognized as USAW sanctioned this year and already having two lifters who qualified for University Nationals. Alison prides herself on recognizing talent, wooing them to her weightlifting club, and seeing her lifters improve. Her goals as a coach in the sport of weightlifting are simple: “to continue to learn, improve, and help athlete’s succeed.”

My Coaching Journey

I found weightlifting through Team CrossFit Academy in Monrovia in 2008. I joined their newly sanctioned USAW team and began competing in local meets. Shortly thereafter, I opened my own gym, CrossFit Survival. After focusing mainly on coaching CrossFit for the first few years, I decided to form a USAW sanctioned team, and switch my focus to studying and learning as much as I could about coaching weightlifting.

I took Coach Mike Burgener’s CrossFit Weightlifting seminar in 2010, followed by short seminars with Jacob Tsypkin (accompanied by Ariel Stephens) as well as driving my lifters down to the San Diego area to study with Edgar and Evelyn Hernandez of E2 Olyfit early on. From there, I studied under Greg Everett, taking his Level One Seminar as well as passing the demanding Catalyst Athletics L1 Certification in 2014. In 2015, I jumped at the opportunity to study with Hall of Fame legendary weightlifting coach, Bob Takano, completing his 100 hour internship and receiving one of the highest scores at that time on the most demanding test I’ve ever taken.

I credit Eric Le Clair and Bob Takano as my mentors, but wish to acknowledge Michael Keating as well. In terms of coaching both men and women, I coach both. At first I had a hard time getting men to trust me, but once again, I think that had to do more with my belief in myself. As I’ve racked up more hours and learned from greater and more knowledgeable teachers, my confidence has risen to the point where I know I have something valuable to offer both men and women, so I know their trust factor has more to do with that.

My greatest triumph was coaching Laurie Espinosa to a first place win in the Masters National Championship in 2016 in the 63kg weight class for her age group followed by a first-place win at Youth Nationals for Mike Melendez, my 69kg 13 and under youth lifter in the same year. Laurie went from someone who was overweight, stressed out, and had never even lifted a barbell to someone who worked her ass off and earned the right to be called a national champion. Mike spent two years in CrossFit Survival’s Kids program struggling with asthma and learning proper movement. By the time we disbanded it, he had become a confident athlete. I asked if he’d like to try weightlifting, and he adapted to it like he’s been doing it his entire life.

My goals are to help my athletes achieve their goals—plain and simple, but I help them set higher and higher goals for themselves, so anything could happen. I co-coached a senior to Nationals in 2015 and am excited to be taking a lifter to Youth Nationals in June and two master’s lifters to the American Masters in November.

A look back at females in Olympic weightlifting:

Women’s Weightlifting: A Journey of 25 Years

The post An Equal Playing Field: Female Olympic Weightlifting Coaches appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Most masters-aged athletes entering into weightlifting, despite their legal age, are young when it comes to time spent in sport. As a result, they should approach training in much the same fashion as brand-new athletes – except their bodies come into the game already somewhat beat up and immobile from life.

Click Here to Start the 8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program

Most masters-aged athletes entering into weightlifting, despite their legal age, are young when it comes to time spent in sport. As a result, they should approach training in much the same fashion as brand-new athletes – except their bodies come into the game already somewhat beat up and immobile from life.

In this article, I will discuss the mobilization tools I now put as a requirement into my programming.

Why You Need This Program

Much has been written about the issues brought on by the chronic sitting inherent in our desk jobs – tight hip flexors, lumbar hyperextension, thoracic kyphosis, upper cross syndrome, and protruding necks, not to mention that many hours sitting in the chair means that many fewer hours put toward playing, moving, or exercising.

“If you expect yourself, as a new masters weightlifter, to jump headlong into the intensity of daily training without proper mobilization and grooving the right patterns, then it’s only a matter of time before your already compromised body breaks down.”

If you have been sitting at a desk for decades, or even grooving in other negative movement patterns for many years before finding the sport of weightlifting, then you can be sure it’s going to take some time to unmake the old and build a stronger healthier version in its place.

If you expect yourself, as a new masters weightlifter, to jump headlong into the intensity of daily training without proper mobilization and grooving the right patterns, then it’s only a matter of time before your already compromised body breaks down. This will keep you from the joys of being a true athlete and limit your potential in the sport of weightlifting before you’ve even found your wings.

Mobilization Tools

In the first article An 8-Week Longevity-Based Program for Masters Weightlifters, we discussed some auxiliary exercises that can be added in an effort to build trunk stabilization and strength in the supporting musculature of the core. I believe this component, coupled with daily mobilization is a critical part of any program for masters, specifically those of you new to this sport.

In this article, I will suggest and go over a few mobilization tools that I now put as a requirement into the programming for my athletes. I have found that few newer athletes spend enough quality time mobilizing if it is not prescribed. More advanced athletes understand the importance of mobilization and generally don’t need to be goaded into doing it.

I’ve put together a collection of videos to help you with the exercises in this program.

I have suggested whether to use these mobility pieces before or after, but once you’ve dialed in the areas in which you need specific work and/or more of it, you may play around with the order. If you need to mobilize in order to move well enough to perform a lift, then you absolutely need to mobilize restricted areas ahead of time. If you know that after a workout, you’ll feel better if you preemptively hit certain areas to avoid tightness the next day, then save those tools for after that day’s training.

However, like the lifts and auxiliary work, this mobility work is part of the programming and is not optional. Of course, once you begin to understand the importance of this work, you will no longer need convinced and cease to see it as a compulsory element, and more of a useful and beneficial necessity.

Video Demos and Training Plans

There are videos to accompany this mobility program, separated for every two weeks. If there is a link, the video for that specific exercise may be viewed via that link. The links to all the videos are also listed below.

Video Links:

• Video One
• Video Two
• Video Three
• Video Four

You must spend three to five minutes on each exercise, depending upon the amount of change that is occurring. The more change, the longer you need to work that area.

Weeks 1-4

Weeks 5-8

Click Here to Download a Printable Version

Click Here to Start the 8-Week Masters Weightlifting Program

Note: I have been fortunate to have many great teachers along the way who helped me learn these tools. Jeff and Carolyn Alexander of Network Fitness; Keely Luna, circus performer and our stretching coach at CrossFit Survival; Matt LaBosco and Kirk Albert of Optimum Performance Systems in Montrose, California; and although I don’t know Kelly Starrett personally, his book “Becoming a Supple Leopard” is a must-have reference for any coach.

More Like This:

• An 8-Week Longevity-Based Program for Masters Weightlifters
• What Makes Masters Competition Different From Regular Competition?
• Reset Your Mobility With These 3 Essential Movement Patterns

References:

1. Jeff Alexander, “Rumble Roller Certification Manual: The Alexander Method of SMR”, (Network Fitness, LLC, 2014), 7-51.

2. Kelly Starrett, Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, (Victory Belt Publishing, Inc., 2013), 226-383.

The post An 8-Week Mobility Program for Masters Olympic Weightlifting appeared first on Breaking Muscle.