Self Discovery Under the barbell

Throughout the course of an athletes’ lifting career, regardless of what competitive level they ultimately end up getting to, there needs to be a shift from a more strict set of technical rules to general guide rails the athlete can operate within to find their best version of their lifts. There are two truths within the framework of technical proficiency, there is both a very specific set of fundamental things that need to happen in order to proficiently move the barbell, and also a lot of individual variance that must happen in order to do so. Early in the career a lifter should seek the direct guidance from their coach, asking questions and learning the why and how of each lift. At some point though, and it does’t have to be at an overly advanced stage, the athlete has to begin to take all that information and explore their own movements and how they feel.

The most common examples of this will be in the bodies positions, from grip width on cleans and jerks, to width and the degree to which we turn the toes out in a squat. Unlike the technical aspects we are always seeking to solidify and improve, an individuals positions will evolve during their lifting career and there is no one size fits all answer for these things. The role of the coach still exists here, but it must coexist with the curiosity and input of the lifter. I as the coach need to be able to weight the pros and cons of making position changes, explain to the lifter how that can affect the lift or impact strength when doing so, but, the lifter has to have the desire and freedom to explore within their own body to achieve the desired results.

Once an athlete shifts from a purely learning stage of their development and has established a sound set of fundamental skills for the sport, it’s time for them to start to take ownership of other pieces of their lifting. A coach cannot tell you exactly the right squat stance, grip width overhead, start position for a pull, among many other things. Now it is the athletes job to take the reins, to feel and understand and expirement within the framework we’ve established. There is security in feeling like someone can give you the answers, but the truth is, at some point there is no right answer and instead there’s a range of options that until you've spent some time with cannot know which is truly going to be the best.

Coaches are vitally important, cues are great, structure will always have its place. But there is also an irreplaceable aspect to success that is within the individuals responsibility to take ownership of and figure out. It’s your body, your lifts, your career. Be a student and be coachable, but don’t be afraid to explore what feels right for your body.