Weightlifting Techniques

There are many different takes on the perfect weightlifting techniques, but most of us can agree that they should be safe and effective. Now, what is effective for a beginner is probably not quite enough for a veteran lifter, while the efficient weightlifting technique for the veteran almost certainly isn't safe for the beginner. Therefore, we have to approach the question from the perspective of who you are and what level you're currently at.

When beginning with weightlifting techniques, your first and foremost priority at this point is to learn the proper movements without overdoing it or getting sloppy so that you pull something. Nothing derails a good fitness effort quicker than a nasty back or shoulder injury.

Keep your abs tense - This is the numero uno insurance policy against back problems. Make it a habit to always tense up your abs, especially when lifting things over your head. Using a weightlifting belt is a complement, not a substitute to this habit.

Lift with your hips and legs - Likewise, make sure to get the whole moving guy mantra down. Deadlifts, squats and so on are great for building strength, but you have to learn to bend your hips and knees so much you don't round your back in the process. This doesn't come naturally for most, so practice squatting without weights standing next to a mirror with your side turned, so you can observe whether you start rounding your back or not.

Slow and steady wins the race - In weightlifting techniques, each repetition should be done slowly and deliberately without any bouncing at the bottom. For example, when doing a bicep curl it should take about two seconds to curl up and three seconds to let the weight descend again. This lets you maintain control at all times with no unnecessary wear on the joints and ligaments.

As you have a year or two of lifting under your belt, you know how to stay safe and how to get your muscles working. In fact, it's all getting a little too comfortable. That's when it is time to mix things up with more advanced weightlifting techniques!

Negative training - You're a lot stronger in the negative phase of the rep, i.e. the part where you control the weight on its way back down in a bicep curl. This is a safety mechanism of the body; even if you exhaust yourself lifting a rock over your head, you have enough strength to control its descent so that it lands next to you rather than cracks your skull. This strength reserve can be tapped through smart training as a way to train harder than you technically can. The simplest way is to have a training partner help you lift the weight (during a bench press, for example), then let you resist on your own during the descent before helping lift the weight again.

Ballistic training - It takes more energy to get a car from zero to 65 mph in five seconds than 15 seconds. Likewise, you have to put in more effort to push a weight faster. Here's an advanced technique that deviates from the previous rule about slow and steady winning the race. Instead, you try to do an accelerated movement in the lifting phase. In other words, when benching, you try to toss the barbell at the ceiling, although you're using enough weight that it'll never actually leave your hands. This kind of training is especially good if you participate in a sport where you need explosive energy, like football or the high jump.

Periodization - If you always do the same exercises with the same weights and the same reps, your muscles will soon learn the ropes. When the muscles get comfortable, they have little incentive to grow stronger. Thus, you have to continuously challenge them to achieve continuous improvement. To accomplish this, alternate so that you do a couple weeks of heavy weights and lower reps (6-8 strict reps per set) followed by lighter weights and higher reps (12-15 reps per set). You can phase in and out with a week or two of in-between weight/reps. This works especially well when mixing up the exercises, too.

As mentioned earlier, these weightlifting techniques should only be done by experienced lifters, as you're all but certain to get injured if you're not ready yet. Likewise, don't do negatives or ballistics for everything -- be judicious and throw in perhaps a couple sets per week, alternating muscle groups with each, so that you don't overtrain any one muscle. Be attentive if something doesn't feel right, and ask a local personal trainer if you need help getting these weightlifting techniques right. Good luck!

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