[Joshua is an Exercise Science student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is an Athletic Development Intern for Athletic Lab]

As a competitive powerlifter and strength enthusiast, I am fascinated by human feats of strength in the various strength sports such as olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman, and highland games. The competitors that make up these sports are outliers compared to the general population. Most individuals will never have aspirations to achieve the levels of strength these athletes push their bodies too.

The discussion I will entertain today is the concept of technical mastery and developing strength as a skill. As a competitive powerlifter with six (6) years of experience under the bar and competing at national meets, the strongest lifters I’ve come across have endured in this sport. They have put in many hours, days, weeks, months, and years of training to achieve impressive levels of strength in the power lifts (the squat, bench press, and deadlift). When someone asks me, “My current squat is 250lbs. How do I squat 500lbs” My response is typically always the same, “Put in a decade. Train for ten (10) years and see where you end up.” Most of the time I get a look of confusion and a facial expression of “Are you kidding me” I don’t literally mean you need to train for a decade to get strong(er). The point I am making is if you want to really be good at the basic barbell lifts (the squat, bench press, deadlift, the press, and power clean), you will have to put in time under the bar. I will acknowledge that the strongest and most muscular individuals I know have been training for over a decade though.

This doesn’t mean that you train mindlessly with no rhyme or reason, a lack of concern for programming, or forget to follow simple training principles such as overload and specificity. To become brutally strong and proficient at these movements, it takes practice. Just as an athlete practices his sport and becomes proficient at the technical and tactical skills involved, so must a lifter or trainee practice the lifts to become proficient at these movement patterns. I view practice of the lifts as your warm ups leading up to your work sets during the training session. Here is a sample warm up:

Exercise
Weight
Sets x Repetitions
Back Squat
45lbs
1 x 10
Back Squat
135lbs
1 x 5
Back Squat
225lbs
1 x 3
Back Squat
275lbs
1 x 2
Back Squat
325lbs
1 x 1
Back Squat
365lbs
1 x 1
Back Squat
405lbs
1 x 1
Back Squat
430lbs
1 x 1
Back Squat
455lbs
3 x 3

The above protocol is typically how my warm ups look on a squat session that works up to 90% of my 1RM (my current 1RM is 505lbs at the moment). This session’s focus is doing triples (sets of 3) at the prescribed intensity of 90% of my 1RM. The warm up attempts are calculated and consistent over time. The reason for this is because eventually you can become so in tune with your body and proper mechanics, you will know instinctively how 45lbs x 10, 135lbs x 5, 225lbs x 3, etc. should feel on a typical training day. You then begin to develop mastery and proficiency of the movement pattern by following protocols and consistent loading patterns over time. When I am training a client or lifter in these movement patterns, I want them to understand this very basic concept before we push the training stimulus to high intensities. I call it “respecting the weight”. Just because it is 135lbs x 5 repetitions, it doesn’t allow me or anyone else the right to become ignorant in the weight room. I will use a video analogy of a great lifter to demonstrate the focused effort and intent when moving lighter weights leading up to heavier work sets. Please pay attention to his setup and how each repetition looks identical regardless of the weight on the bar:

The Animal Underground: Jay Nera, February 2014:

In conclusion, if you want to become a more skilled lifter and strong(er) in the basic barbell movements discussed above, take your warm ups seriously. Hone and perfect your technique through mastery and skill development. Become the individual in the gym who lifts the weight with such preciseness, control, and focus that others are not only impressed by your technique with lighter loads but see the translation to strength development which leads to becoming strong(er). I would like to thank my two (2) powerlifting coaches, Travis Werner and Jason Manenkoff. Travis Werner coached me as a lifter at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 2008-2012 as a collegiate lifter. (1) Jason Manenkoff is now coaching me as lifter at Iron Arena Powerlifting and Performance from 2013 to present as an open lifter. (2) Many of the concepts I have alluded to in this article are from texts, emails, phone conversations, and practices I’ve had under their tutelages.

References:
The Animal Underground: Jay Nera, February 2014:
Werner, T. (2014, March 22). Werner Strength Programs. Retrieved from https://wernerstrengthprograms.com/
Manenkoff, J. (2014, March 22). Iron Arena Powerlifting and Performance. Retrieved from https://iron-arena.com/