Get After It

Who loves lifting? Me!! You feel strong, confident, and like anything is possible. But are you getting after it the right way?

So often what I see in class are athletes who approach a bar with about 75% intensity. That’s OK; it’ll get you to a certain level. But (if you’ve been doing this for awhile) — are you really reaching your full potential? Probably not.

It starts with the warm-up. If you’re doing your warm-up and just going through the motions, you are not getting the most out of it. Really, instead of being called a warm-up it should be called “movement prep.” Your body should be warm and ready to go afterwards, for sure, but if you’re lifting, you should have also intentionally rehearsed parts of the movement that will make the lift go smoothly. Are you getting to position 1 on your way up? Are you keeping the bar close in your high pull? Did you even think about these aspects in your warm-up, or did you just zombie your way through it? If you didn’t, you’re missing out.

Now, let’s lift. Here’s really where I see the 75% effort. There’s a difference between doing a lift, and attacking the lift. GET INTO IT. Get pumped. That doesn’t mean you need to grunt or yell at the people around you. But you should be approaching the bar with a purpose, with some attitude. Like it’s going to be the best looking power clean that anyone has ever seen. An aggressive pull. Fast elbows on the turnover. Dropping quickly underneath the bar to catch it. It should look like you’re a bad ass. It should look like you’re a professional lifter. “Oh, but Erica, I’m not a professional lifter,” you say? I know. Neither am I. But we can for sure approach the bar with the same intensity, determination, and swagger that we would if we were. Do this, and I guarantee your lifts will feel better, and you’ll find out that you’re stronger than you think.

Get after it.