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That was just under two years ago. At the time I couldn't legally squat 315, could bench about 225 and deadlift 405. I was also suffering from chondramalacia (my hamstrings were relatively stronger than my quads leading to the knee not tracking properly) and have bursitis in both shoulder joints. So I faced the challenges most older lifters face- the body has a few miles on it. After 16 months of lifting I entered my first competition and did 465-345-565 weighing 220 pounds. After 22 months of lifting we just did contest simulation and I did 545-365-585. So obviously I've done some things right. I've also made my fair share of mistakes, but hopefully have learned from them. For what it's worth, this is my opinion on what a master lifter should focus on. 1. Work on Developing a Healthy Ego Most people who contemplate powerlifting are either naturally strong or admire strong people - or both. So you walk into a gym and the first thing that happens is the old ego starts to act up. You want to prove how strong you are. Bad for any lifter - doubly bad for the 'novice' master lifter. The gym is a place to train, not to compete. Your body just can't take doing maximal lifts day in and day out. So, leave the unhealthy ego at home. Focus on your own lifting and don't worry about the other people in the gym. You are going to see some huge egos at work. My favourite are the 'two man' bench press specialists. One guy benchs, the other does rows - on the same bar. We've got quite a few people like this in our gym. Funny thing is - they are using about the same weight today that they were using when I started lifting two years ago. They have not improved. Meanwhile I am now using 50% more weight than when I started lifting. For the most part I have learned to tune out the distracting elements in our gym and I've learned to keep my ego in check. Like me the typical master lifter is still very competitive - the natural reaction is to compete. Don't!! Instead ... 2. Get On a Periodized Program I've followed both a periodized routine (I call it my Dr. Squat program) and a Simmons routine. The Simmons routine used exercises and a program developed by Louie Simmons and can be very effective. But most of the people who use it have a solid background in lifting prior to going on this program. You don't if you are a novice lifter. I like the Simmons exercises, but in my opinion the novice master lifter would be better served by following a periodized routine. What a periodized routine does is escalate the intensity of the workout over a period of time. So at the start of a cycle you may be doing 3 sets of 8 repetitions in the bench press with 65% of the weight you can lift for 1 repetition (your 1 rep max). 8 weeks later you may be doing 3 sets of 3 reps with 95% of your 1 rep max - much more intense. A periodized program recognizes the need for downtime and rest, but still allows you to focus on that critical issue ... 3. The Master Lifter Uses Proper Technique I can't over emphasize how important technique is to a lifter. Good technique allows you to handle a lot of weight with as low a chance of injury as is possible. Study technique, keep the weights low while you learn technique and then focus on maintaining technique as you push the weights up. As a master lifter with a lot of miles on my body often my technique is forced on me by the limitations of my body - my previous injuries - as well as my strength. When I started lifting my biggest concern was to get as strong as possible as quick as possible. So I used poor technique for some lifts because I could initially lift more with those techniques. Not a good idea. For one thing poor technique leads to injuries. Injuries reduce strength - you can't train. As well, while I was able to lift more initially with poor technique I believe it has held me back over the long haul. Now I am focusing on relearning techniques. How to squat and deadlift specifically. Does this discourage me? No. Its a good lesson is the importance of the first point - develop a healthy ego. Keep it under control. What is proper technique? Unfortunately good technique changes from person to person and even changes in the individual over time. But some things are basic to all techniques. Keep the back arched. An ached back is a strong back, a rounded back puts tremendous stress on the skeletal system. So work on technique in your powerlifts which allows you to keep the back arched. Keep stress off the joints - as much as possible. Good technique should protect the knees, the shoulders and the hips. It allows the body to move the weight in a natural way. A good squat technique shouldn't allow the knees to come forward over the feet. It protects the knee joints as much as possible. A good bench technique should protect the shoulders as much as possible by keeping the bar down on the chest. If possible seek out the help of an experienced lifter to help you with technique, but even then question everything they tell you and try to use technique which reduces injury. Don't be in a rush to make the big lifts, because ... 4. The Master Lifter Should Be Patient Look, the master lifter didn't fall off the turnip wagon yesterday. This should be easy, right? It's not. Like anybody else I wanted to see results right now. I wasn't happy with small improvements, I wanted huge improvements. It just doesn't work that way. Gaining strength takes time, and it takes more time for the Master Lifter because his or her body doesn't recover as fast as the young person. So use a program which empathizes rest and recovery. This is another reason I like a periodized program. It allows you to improve, but forces you to scale those improvements over time. The old adage that less is often more is even more true for the Master Lifter. So be patient, stick with your program. Because ... 5. The Master Lifter Must Be Consistent The key to making gains is consistency. Keep on the program, develop discipline, avoid injuries and you will see results. Since your body takes longer to recover and can't take the abuse it used to take you have to be thoughtful and consistent to make improvements. Look at it this way. Say you decide to use a periodized routine which uses a 9 week cycle. Now, lets say you can improve your strength 3% over nine weeks. Not much of an improvement is it? A measly 3%? Well, say you are bench pressing 200 pounds today. If you can improve 3% every 9 weeks in 3 years you will be bench pressing 330 pounds. Not too shabby. This is essentially what I have been able to do. In spite of some serious mistakes I have been able to improve 3% every nine weeks. This make me very hopeful, because it means that by the time I'm 50 I'll be doing a 2,938 pound squat, a 1,967 pound bench press and a 3,154 pound deadlift. Cowabunga baby!!!! And by the time I'm 65 ... Okay, maybe I'm being a little optimistic. A reality of life is the higher you go the harder they come. But you get the point about consistency leading to big gains. It's also important to be realistic. Which leads us to the last point ... 6. The Master Lifter Must Use His Head As Well As His Body Okay, the body has a few miles on it, but hopefully you've learned something over that time. Make what you've learned work for you. Lift with your head. Watch your diet. Make sure you get enough rest - including enough sleep. Use visualization techniques. Study out what can help you. Think about it. There is a ton of resource material available on the internet to help you. Here are my five favourite weightlifting sites. Please note that I am not in any way affiliated with any of these sites and that there are plenty of other great sites to visit. This is just a start ... Strength Online Good articles on lifting, lots of information on routines and the best
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/main.htm GoHeavy This is the place where you can go to debate almost anything about lifting.
Griffins Weightlifting Page A complete compilation of information - the largest repository of
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~griffin/weights.html IPF Home Page So many federations, but for my money this is the most legitimate contender
Dr. Squat's Homepage You want routines, you want info, this is it. And here's motivation
for
Reproduction of this article, in whole or part, for any purposed other than personal use is prohibited without written consent. Copyright 1998 Keith Hobman.  |
