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[Video] The Top 3 Rules For Masters Weightlifters
Given all the promoting of high volume programs I’ve been doing lately like:
- My 21-Day Squat Challenge
- The follow up to my 21-day squat challenge where I show you just how crazy you can make it
- My Squat Nemesis Program
- And my recent video advising beginners to take upwards of 100 to 200 total working reps on the snatch per week …
It is only reasonable that many of you in the “masters” categories have questions about how much of that applies to YOU.
Here is my answer:
Questions? Comments? Leave Them Below And I’ll Answer You Up Real Nice …
Thank you coach Nick for the video ’3 Rules for the Masters’ (the oldER guys – that’s me). Good rules and good advice.
Could you, please, advise and speak about how to increase the flexibility of the (or at the) elbows, wrists and the ankles? O. Weightlifting can be very difficult without the proper flexibility to have the right techniq.
Thank you,
Ben
Hey Ben!
I do want to do a video on some of that at some point. But it may be a while. Until then, I suggest hunting down some old episodes of Mobility WOD by K-Starr … I am sure he has addressed this at length.
Thanks Nick, I don’t wus out, I do have fun most of the time, but I get a little stupid sometimes about the missed lifts hard not to keep trying when it feels so close!
Hahahaha!
No doubt, my friend
I … have the same problem!
I have taken over 30 attempts at a weight in one session before … do as I say, not as I do. LOL
56 years old and have been lifting olympic style regularly for 6 years on a mon,wed,sat. basis with wed. being the heavier lift day.I travel to Queens ,N.Y. with a friend and lift heavy there as its a real olympic weightlifting gym with coaching.I’m interested in lifting also on tues. and thur. as I have a werksan set and a gym at home. I’m thinking of either doing Goodmornings every day and on alternate days some light deadlifts alternating with light front squats or light overhead squats. What do you think? I think I can gain something from the everyday light workout.
Definintely!
I think doing 2 or 3 heavy days with 2 light days where you focus on technique and keeping the body moving works AMAZING for masters lifters.
I almost feel like the light days do you as much good as the heavy days, honestly. There is the combo of getting blood flowing and increasing recovery – active recovery is MUCH better than rest in almost every case – and also the added CNS learning that you get from everyday “going through the motions” kind of practice.
My Masters lifters who train this way make the fastest progress … by a lot.
The key is really just being smart about not going crazy everytime you hit the gym. Keep the light days light, and you can do almost as many of those as you want as they actually increase you capacity to recover.
Interesting article. All the folk I spoke with said 3x per week was max for masters. But when I googled muscle recovery for masters athletes there appeared to be no indication that recovery was compromised. (I’m 55 btw). So I did a 8 weeks Bulgarian schedule with 5 weeks of 6 days per week (maximals and squats) with 2 light weeks and a one week competition taper. I felt pretty darn tired and even worried that my competition would suck. Interestingly, I go an un-official C+J masters record on my last lift and felt good.
This time around I am reducing a bit to a 3 week cycle: week 1: 6 days, week 2: 3 days, week 3: 3 days light.
Hey Geoff!
How’s it going? I guess I’ll be seeing you in California this November. I’ve been taking workouts 3x a week, but somewhat sporadic as to intensity.I think we’re about 9 weeks out and I should be putting together a program to follow and then change it again at 6 weeks out, concentrating on the snatch and clean and jerk.So what’s your new clean and jerk pr? I’ve been fighting a lower back thing that makes me twist in the bottom of the snatch. 2 weeks ago I was making gumbo and spilled some very hot oil on my left hand.Its O.K. now. Well anyway, good hearing about you and look forward to your reply.
Hi Dannie,
Yes definitely going to CA. Sorry to hear about your ‘injuries’. My wife doesn’t let me cut the lawn any more! My new PR is 133kg. Hoping to do better in CA, I’m trying to put weight on (Hershey’s dark chocolate, almond nuts, and full fat milk!) so if I don’t have a heart attack before November, I’ll see you in CA.
Best Regards,
Geoff.
LOL, nice.
As I mentioned in one of the comments above, I think masters lifters often do best with only 2 or 3 truly “hard” workouts per week … but often do even better if they also do 2 or more “light” workouts.
I’ve got masters lifters who have done upwards of 6+ training sessions a week pretty easy, because they still were only doing 2 or 3 of them all that hard, and the rest were just “going through the motions”.
Active Rest + Technique Training = Faster Progress in almost every case.
The key is keeping the light days light … but not dropping them.
An excellent three points. Number three, “Have some fun,” is very underrated. If you study, V. Janda’s work, O lifting is like the perfect training program for age: you keep the “muscles that tighten loose,” (hamstrings, hip flexors, pecs, biceps, et al) and strengthen the muscles that weaken strong (delts, triceps, butt, ab wall).
So, I really appreciate this post. I think a Master, and I’m a mere child at 55, doesn’t really need to train like the guys at the Olympics. I also agree with Tommy Kono about extra warm ups, more mobility work and a stress on perfect (“pain free”) technique.
Dan John recently posted..Packing Lists and SUDS
Thanks Dan!
And your own points are great, too. The guys at the olympic are in it to win, regardless of any other concerns – like long term health. That’s a valid way to be since it is inline with their goals … but our goals are totally different, and the training should reflect that.
Also, V. Janda really hit the nail on the head …
I just realized that “masters” was a pseudonym for “old”, which means me since I turn 53 in Dec.
I enjoyed the video. I agree with you. I think people my age are more resilient then we give ourselves credit for.
I train virtually everyday and frequently twice a day, and have had no problem every since I started weightlifting 20 months ago.
My normal workout is 6-8 sets of either snatches or cleans at 85% -95% of my 1 rep max (the max I ever hit once) with 5 pullups and 5 pushups (hands at waist) in between each set. Twice a week I do heavy traditional weightlifting. Few months back I did a modified version of your squat nemesis and got my squat up from 115 to 150 (I weigh 125). I squated every day doing 4 waves of 3, 2, 1 where 1 was my 1RM. I pushed it, trying to jump my 1RM by 5# every day.. Frequently, I’d dump the bar, but every few days I would set a new max.
I do everything this way, always pushing the envelope. I don’t know if it is because of my young “training age” or if it is my willingness to push to failure, but I have made amazing gains following your training philosophy.
Carol
I like the sound of your program. Great stuff!
It sounds like you’ve figure out how to push the envelope in a smart way, and that is really one of the big keys to making great progress in anything.
Right on, Carol!