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Fitness

The Power of Positive Skill Transfer (Athlete Journal 116)

After about two years of not doing a snatch, I hit 85% of my all-time best result this week. How is this possible?

Written by Charles Staley Last updated on Nov 7, 2022

As I mention below, after about two years of not doing a snatch, I hit 85% of my all-time best result this week. How is this possible?

Positive Transfer

The answer is that I’ve benefitted from what’s known as “positive transfer” from the normal training I do on a regular basis. In short, the squats, pulls, and presses I do on a weekly basis have developed stretch that has allowed me to maintain most of my snatching ability, despite not doing that actual lift in a long time.

“As a rule, generalized, lower-skill activities tend to transfer better to more specific, higher-skill activities, as opposed to vice versa.”

Perhaps a more relatable example would be as follows: the first time you ever deadlifted, how much could you lift? 135? 185? 225? Perhaps even more? Whatever your answer, one thing is clear: your deadlifting strength didn’t come from deadlifting. It came from other activities – perhaps things as seemingly unrelated as walking, climbing stairs, cycling, and so on.

RELATED: Do Similar Exercises and Drills Transfer to Specific Sport Skills?

How Skill Transfer Works

As a rule, generalized, lower-skill activities tend to transfer better to more specific, higher-skill activities, as opposed to vice versa. This is why most athletes will benefit most from common exercises like squats and presses than they would from Olympic lifts.

Finally, when it comes to transfer, specificity rules the day. A pianist will have an easier time learning to play the harpsichord than will a drummer. Taking that example into the weight room, bar dips will improve bench press strength better than curls or calf raises. Close grip bench presses will transfer even better.

This Week’s Training

I initiated a deload/contrast week on Thursday of this week, which is why my weekly volume is down a bit. I’m starting to integrate a bit of Olympic lifting in anticipation of possibly competing in an AAU weightlifting meet in early May.

Surprisingly, in my first snatch workout in many months, I hit 154lb quite easily. My best competitive snatch ever was 180lb (at 228lb bodyweight, by the way), so needless to say, I was quite encouraged by that. In addition to that, I hit some really nice squats and pulls, so all in all, a satisfying week.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the videos and please leave your comments and questions below!

Weekly Training Volume: 45,404 lb (Last Week: 56,692 lb)

Significant Lifts:

  • Squat 335×2, 315×4
  • Power Snatch 154×1
  • Deadlifts 455×1
  • Push Press 160×1
  • Power Clean 215×1

Monday, November 10, 2014

Bodyweight: 199.6 lb

Volume: 12,206 lb

Squat

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 3

Set 5: 225 lbs × 2

Set 6: 275 lbs × 2

Set 7: 315 lbs × 2

Set 8: 330 lbs × 2

Set 9: 335 lbs × 2

Set 10: 315 lbs × 4

Power Snatch

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 65 lbs × 3

Set 3: 110 lbs × 2

Set 4: 132 lbs × 1

Set 5: 154 lbs × 1

Overhead Squat

Set 1: 45 lbs × 3

Set 2: 45 lbs × 3

Set 3: 45 lbs × 3

Deadlift

Set 1: 225 lbs × 5

45-Degree Back Extension

Set 1: 120 lbs × 10

Set 2: 120 lbs × 10

Set 3: 120 lbs × 10

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Bodyweight: 198.6 lb

Volume: 14,458 lb

Bench Press

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 3

Set 5: 205 lbs × 2

Set 6: 225 lbs × 2

Set 7: 235 lbs × 2

Set 8: 240 lbs × 2

Set 9: 240 lbs × 2

Set 10: 225 lbs × 2

Set 11: 215 lbs × 3

Set 12: 215 lbs × 3

Military Press

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 65 lbs × 5

Set 3: 85 lbs × 5

Set 4: 95 lbs × 3

Set 5: 105 lbs × 2

Set 6: 105 lbs × 3

Chin Up

Set 1: +25 lbs × 6

Set 2: 8 reps

Set 3: 6 reps

Set 4: 6 reps

Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)

Set 1: 70 lbs × 10

Set 2: 70 lbs × 10

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Bodyweight: 199.2 lb

Volume: 7,805 lb

Power Clean

Set 1: 65 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 3

Set 4: 165 lbs × 1

Set 5: 185 lbs × 1

Set 6: 185 lbs × 1

Deadlift

Set 1: 135 lbs × 3

Set 2: 135 lbs × 31

Set 3: 225 lbs × 3

Set 4: 315 lbs × 1

Set 5: 405 lbs × 1

Set 6: 435 lbs × 1

Set 7: 455 lbs × 1 (Video of sets 5-7 with commentary below)

405, 435, 455

High-Bar Squat

Set 1: 95 lbs × 10

Set 2: 95 lbs × 5

Set 3: 135 lbs × 5

Set 4: 185 lbs × 2

Set 5: 225 lbs × 1

Set 6: 275 lbs × 1

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Bodyweight: 201.4 lb

Volume: 10,935 lb

Push Press

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 75 lbs × 5

Set 3: 95 lbs × 3

Set 4: 115 lbs × 5

Set 5: 135 lbs × 1

Set 6: 150 lbs × 1

Set 7: 160 lbs × 1

Power Clean

Set 1: 45 lbs × 5

Set 2: 95 lbs × 3

Set 3: 115 lbs × 3

Set 4: 135 lbs × 2

Set 5: 165 lbs × 1

Set 6: 185 lbs × 1

Set 7: 195 lbs × 1

Set 8: 205 lbs × 1

Set 9: 215 lbs × 1

Bench Press (Dumbbell)

Set 1: 110 lbs × 10

Set 2: 140 lbs × 10

Set 3: 180 lbs × 10

Life Fitness Dual Pulley Row

Set 1: 60 lbs × 10

Set 2: 60 lbs × 10

Set 3: 60 lbs × 10

Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)

Set 1: 70 lbs × 12

A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles Staley trains and competes just like his clients. Every Friday you can read what Charles has done in his workout sessions.

About Charles Staley

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Charles Staley's primary interest is providing inspiration and education for older guys looking to reclaim their physicality and vitality. At age 56, Charles is leaner than ever, injury-free, and in lifetime best-shape - a few of his recent bests include a 400-pound squat, a 510-pound deadlift, and a set of 17 chin ups.

Well known in the U.S. and across the world, Charles is recognized as a innovative coach and a thought leader in the field of human performance. His experience, reputation, and self-effacing persona have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show, along with numerous radio and podcast appearances. He has penned more than a thousand articles for major publications and online websites in the industry.

Often referred to as a visionary, an iconoclast and a rule-breaker, his methods are leading-edge and ahead of their time, capable of quickly producing serious results.

Charles is not only a thinker, but also a doer: currently, he competes at the national and world level in weightlifting and powerlifting on the master’s circuit and holds three World Championship titles in the sport of raw powerlifting. Find Charles online at Target Focus Fitness, or follow him on his popular Facebook page.

Charles has had a successful online coaching service in place for several years. This is a way people to train under his direct supervision even if they aren’t local to him. If you’re ready to invest in yourself, Charles would love to be on your team!

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