TWO MINUTE CLOCK

Hi friends,

I love talking the intricacies of weightlifting, I could do it all day... Well I kind of do already. But, with that, I also like to remind myself, athletes, followers, and of course, my beloved newsletter subscribers, not to discount the bigger picture in becoming a better weightlifter.

One thing that people may not take into account that does move the needle when it comes to improving on your technique, is simply getting in the repetitions, over a long period of time. Some examples:

• Steph Curry (Basketball) - Shoots 300 extra shots post practice daily in season, bumps is up to 500+ shots out of season.
• Michael Phelps (Swimming) - Swimming bare minimum distance was set at 80km per week.
• Tom Brady (Football) - Spends up to 16 hours daily in preparation on big game weeks (study, meetings, practice).

This isn't a message on work ethic, but of sheer repetition over time. In weightlifting, I have found this to be true also. I have personally tried every 'technical trick in the book'. In hindsight of course, some of these methods weren't exactly leading to anywhere productive. But I don't regret deviating, as I believe a trial and error process of 'getting the reps in' is an important part of the process... Here is how I envision it, with a budget mock up I made purely for this newsletter.

There are of course hard lines in weightlifting that we know are not worth pursing for many reasons, whether that is for technical efficiency or safety reasons (That time I witnessed someone bomb out with a 'sumo clean' at the Commonwealth Games 😵‍💫). These hard lines are when the coach should intervene and ensure the athlete remains on the right track.

But in-between those hard lines, fundamentals and principles. I believe there needs to be some room to explore certain curiosities. This is what I have felt really helped me learn how my body moves best, and solidified context and reasoning behind why I perform a lift the way I perform it. Because I have 'toyed with' plenty of different tweaks along the way, and developed a better and better understanding through thousands of repetitions over the years.

So just when you think you have been stalling in progression, or certain technical ares of your lifting just aren't 'clicking'. Just know that each repetition you are banking, is a step in the right direction when you zoom out, and look at it long term.

Just like the Bill Gates quote says:

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“People overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years.”

Not saying it will take 10 years to get there in terms of what I'm talking about, but you get the point! I've certainly found this to be very relevant in my weightlifting career so far.

Additional Weightlifting Content Over Past Week:

• IG Reel How to Keep the Bar Close I the Second Pull​
• IG Reel My 6 Year Technical Comparison of a 95kg Snatch​
• My Podcast - Don't Discount Strength Training in Weightlifting​

Until next week!

Happy Lifting 😎,

Brandon

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