Weightlifting

A friend dragged me to a Weightlifting trial class. I went to be polite. I was terrible. I went back because I couldn't stand being terrible at something. That was 8 months ago. The overhead squat I stumbled through in that first class is now something I teach to newer beginners. bar path has becom…

I came to Weightlifting for the fitness and stayed for the mental challenge. Everyone talks about the physical side — the overhead squat, the conditioning, the chalk. Nobody mentioned what happens to your mind. Learning percentages and programming demands a kind of focused presence that clears ever…

Weightlifting has been one of the best decisions I've made for my fitness and mental health. The snatch and the deeper cat stretch keep training mentally engaging in a way the gym never did. But I want to be honest: technique-before-loading discipline. Nobody told me about that before I started and…

I started Weightlifting six months ago with zero background in the sport. The first few weeks were humbling — I couldn't do jerk footwork properly and had no idea what third pull under the bar even meant. My coach kept pulling me back to fundamentals, which was frustrating at the time but clearly th…

I got into Weightlifting after watching Lasha Talakhadze compete and thinking I wanted a piece of that. Reality check: what they make look effortless takes years of work. The overhead squat I admired on screen took me 9 months just to do passably. But somewhere in that process I stopped caring abou…

I had zero athletic background when I started Weightlifting. First class I was completely lost — everyone seemed to know the language of cat stretch and I didn't. My clean and jerk was nonexistent. I nearly didn't go back. I did go back. And the first grading 4 months later was one of the proudest …

I signed up for Weightlifting expecting a straightforward fitness class. What I found was a technical discipline that demands real skill development. The front squat I was shown in week one is still something I'm refining now, 17 months later. cat stretch gave me a framework for understanding why th…

I've been training Weightlifting for 18 months at a decent gym with good coaches. My front squat has improved significantly and I've developed a real understanding of receiving position. the full-body explosion it develops has been a consistent positive. The one thing that has genuinely frustrated …

After 4 months of Weightlifting I want to share what I wished I'd known at the start. First: mobility requirements for beginners — it hits earlier and harder than the internet suggests. Budget for it practically and mentally. Second: the chalk you buy first will probably be wrong — ask your coach b…

Around the 8-month mark in Weightlifting I hit a wall. My progress with front squat wasn't improving and I felt like I was spinning wheels. It's apparently common but that didn't make it less frustrating. What helped: going back to fundamentals with my coach, spending more time drilling percentages…