Tag Archive: weightlifting

1. Coaching at a weightlifting competition

   25th July 2022 3:48 pm Leave a Comment

   Three things I had in mind to help the weightlifters

   

   Last weekend I coached three of our club weightlifters at the Wild Boar Tier 3 event: Gabby, Will and Chris. This was their first competition outside of the club.

   Whilst every ‘S&C coach’ does ‘Olympic Lifts’ they do not coach the lifts in competition. There are big differences between training in the gym and competing. Coaching at a competition requires a different skill set and this needs to be practised and improved.

     Here are the three key things I had in mind this weekend:

   1; A happy lifter is a good lifter.

   I am strict on form, technique and standards when training. I critique and show/ explain corrections to help the lifters improve. They work hard and we have less rest than is ideal in order to maximise the limited time we have.

   But on competition day, when the lifters were a bag of nerves, my job was to reassure and encourage rather than critique.

   I gave one or two technical points as a reminder, Chris tends to lean forward from the clean, so ‘Chest Up’ is a cue we use. Gabby and Will needed to get their butterflies flying in formation, so ‘breathe’ or ‘smooth’ were the cue words.

   The rest of the time we chatted about non-weightlifting things, to try and put them at their ease.

   2: Remove all obstacles from their path.

   The lifters’ minds were full of jumping frogs. They need to channel all that nervous energy into lifting the bar above their heads. My job is to do everything else for them so that they just walk weigh-in, warm-up, walk out and lift.

   I can’t make the weight for them, nor can I lift for them (heaven forbid) but I can organise the warm-up, load the weights, remind them to drink and eat and let them know the start times.

   I had to estimate the start times for each of the lifters. Will should have been the easiest because he was lifting the least in his group (he is under-17 youth but was put in the men’s category). However, I got him warmed up, there were two minutes left on the timer, and the software system failed! It was an additional 12 minutes until Will went out. Luckily, he is young and fit, so I dropped the weights and we could do a couple more single loads.

   Gabby was lifting towards the end of her group which meant delaying her warm-up even though everyone around her had started. Counting the lifts, working out how many were going and then timing the warm-up accordingly is a key part of competition coaching. We got this right.

   

   Chris was somewhere in the middle of a large group (14 lifters). He had Covid two weeks ago and I was more concerned with his overall energy and recovery levels. I thought he had 6 big lifts in him but no more.

   We couldn’t afford to have him do an extra single or go too heavy in the warm-up. We revised the target that we had and aimed for a happy 6/6. We got the warm-up right, and he lifted well.

   Because it was a huge group, I took him outside for a sandwich and a chat in the fresh air. This 10 minutes interlude helped him recover physically and mentally.

   3. Know the rules.

   At the weigh-in, the lifter has to give their opening total. They are allowed to make two changes in each lift but that can not be more than 20kg above/below what they tell the Technical Official at the weigh-in.

   

    There is a 2-minute rest between lifts if a lifter follows themselves and a 1-minute rest if they follow on from someone else.

   Extra rest can be gained by changing the totals slightly: the clock is stopped while the loaders make the change.

   I made full use of all these rules to gain extra rest for our lifters. I knew Chris would need the rest between the clean and jerk: they are very tiring. I also used them to get other lifters to go earlier than expected. You can get too clever by half here, but we had a plan, and we worked the plan. I did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, keeping an eye on the timers and the loads.

   

   Knowing the rules helped me manage the clock and give our lifters the best chance possible to achieve their totals.

   That left them with the simple (not so simple!) job of lifting the bar above their head.

   Summary

   We had three happy lifters who enjoyed their first Tier 3 competition. Gabby won, and Chris came second in their groups: we weren’t in control of what other people lifted, but Gabby, Will and Chris all lifted well.

   Well done to them. The smiles were worth it.

2. How to start weightlifting pt3: your first competition

   12th April 2022 10:33 am Leave a Comment

   Your first weightlifting competition.

   

   Entering your first competition is a big step for every weightlifter. Every single Olympic weightlifter has had to enter as a beginner at some point. Whilst you may not be able to control your nerves, and you can’t control what the other entrants are lifting, you can prepare yourself by eliminating silly mistakes.

   Competition overview

   Weightlifting, like boxing and wrestling, is divided into different weight categories. Men and women compete in different groups and they are further sub-divided into youth and masters.

   In smaller competitions, you may find yourself lined up with people a lot younger or older or even heavier, but the results only count against your category. Usually, 6-8 people are lifting in the same group.

   Each lifter has to weigh in with an official 2-3 hours before their group is due to start. The lifters have a warm-up area to prepare for their first lift. They are called to the competition platform and their names are announced to the spectators about ten minutes before the first lift is due.

   The lifters share one competition platform and the lightest load is lifted first. The weights are continually added to the bar until each lifter in the group has attempted the snatch three times. You might lift three times in succession or you might have to wait for 5 to 8 lifts as other lifters make their attempts. If you are following yourself, you will have a 2-minute rest, if you are following another lifter, you will have a 1-minute rest.

   The same process is repeated with the clean and jerk. If you fail an attempt you can either stay on the same weight or choose to go up. You can never go lighter!

   The winner is the person who has lifted the most weight combined in snatch and clean and jerk.

   A presentation is held shortly after the competition finishes.

   There are three technical officials who judge whether your lift is successful, or not. This is now done electronically and you will hear a buzzer and see 3 white lights for success or red lights for failure. You just need two white lights for it to count. If the electronics fail, then the judges will use a flag system.

   Control the controllable

   

   This has become a cliche amongst sports psychologists but, watching one of our recent weightlifting club‘s ‘Personal Best’ nights, I was gobsmacked about how ill-prepared some of the young people were.

   This is why we run these sessions: it allows the novices to make mistakes and learn on their ‘home turf (platforms)’. They can then improve and prepare better for the time they enter their first licensed competition.

   Here is a checklist of things that are within your control:

   • Enter the competition early (they sell out fast).
   • Arrive on time (plan your route, know the start time, allow for delays).
   • Make your weight. Only enter the category that you know you can make weight for. Know this in advance and lose weight gradually if you have to.
   • Have a drink and snack ready. If you have had to skip a meal to make the weight, have something ready to eat before you compete. Never rely on finding something at a competition venue.
   • Don’t chew gum (can’t believe I have to write this). You can choke on it.
   • Know your opening lifts. You have to declare this on the competition entry and also when you arrive. You are allowed to adjust this by a maximum of 20kg on both lifts combined before you lift. I.e. if you declare an opening snatch of 60kg and clean and jerk of 80kg, (140kg total) you can adjust to a 120kg or 160kg total depending on how you feel on the day.
   • Have all your weightlifting kit packed and prepared. Check the competition rules to see if you need a singlet or not. You will always need weightlifting shoes.
   • Know your personal bests and what you aim to lift on the day (some people don’t know what they lift!).

   Dealing with the uncontrollable

   

   There are certain things you can’t control: the schedule, the weigh-in times and how much your opponents are lifting. The order in which you make your attempts is constantly changing as the other lifters adjust their attempts. You could wait 2 minutes, or have to wait 10 minutes between lifts: this is disconcerting and you might have to get an extra warm-up lift in.

   But, if you have everything else in control, you are better able to focus on the bar and make your lifts. The audience is respectful at competitions and wants to see good lifts. If you are fit and prepared, then be confident and lift the weight above your head. It’s that simple.

   Summary

   It is a good idea to go along to a competition to see how the format works. You can volunteer as a loader (always needed) or cheer your club mates on.

   Otherwise, get used to lifting in front of an audience at your club, and replicate the countdowns and the 6 attempts. This will help you understand the process. Enjoy your first weightlifting competition.

   • How to start weightlifting part one.
   • How to start weightlifting part two

3. How to keep fit in your fifties.

   17th November 2020 3:52 pm 2 Comments

   Are you fit enough at fifty?

   

   The Covid-19 pandemic has focused minds acutely on risk factors that either prolong the illness or cause victims to suffer worse symptoms.

   Obesity, age, underlying health problems and ethnic background are four of these risk factors. We cannot alter two of these, but we can do something about the other two.

   Whether you just want to be healthier or you want to reduce your risk of suffering badly from Covid-19 (and many other health-related problems such as diabetes or heart disease) then read on.

   If jogging puts the fear of the Gods into you, don’t worry, the advice that follows contains NO JOGGING and NO LYCRA!

   Thomas Cureton (The Godfather of Physical Education in the USA) came up with a series of fitness tests that can be done at home. Here are 3 of them in this video. Don’t be frightened, try them out.

   Why strength is important

   Strength and mobility are two components of fitness that are often neglected by fifty-year-olds who are trying to get fit. Daily life for many requires no feats of strength, our modern post-industrial, post-agrarian society has removed them all, except for unscrewing the lid off a jar of pickled onions.

   As you will have found from failing those 3 tests that are designed to represent normal health not elite-athlete status, your strength is lacking.

   

   Of course, you can avoid all efforts to measure and be tested (there are no pull-up bars on Strava) but that doesn’t help you as you get older and one day you can’t pick up your grandchildren. Or you strain a muscle doing gardening or digging a sandpit on the beach.

   The type of strength that is important for health is demonstrated by Andy Stone (58-years old in this video) doing this mini-workout. The ability to get up and down off the floor with control, pushing up and balancing with both upper and lower body can be done with no equipment.

   (Andy has 50 of these videos on his channel. If you did 1 a day during the week, that is 10 weeks of exercise without repetition).

   As you can hear from his breathing, just doing different movements continuously does work your heart and lungs: blood is required by the muscles, waste products are transported away, so the heart beats faster. Oxygen is required to keep doing the work and so you have to breath faster.

   Kenneth Cooper, the founder of aerobics (He of the Cooper Test:12-min run) and 1.5-mile run test) told Vern Gambetta in the back of a taxi on the way back from a conference that ‘After 40, strength is more important to work on.’

   Tip 1: Do a mini-workout every day for 10 minutes. Frequency is better than the intensity at the beginning.

   Why mobility is important

   As you may discover trying to tie your shoelaces in the morning, it’s not only your paunch that stops you from doing it in standing, it’s your stiff body. Too much time sat at a desk or in a car or binge-watching Netflix series leads to your joints becoming stiff.

   

   Like strength, you don’t know mobility is missing because you don’t have to touch your toes when sat on your Peloton bike for hours. You just notice it when you get off and have to waddle to the sofa to undo your cycling shoes.

   If you exercise in a limited range of motion your joints will gradually become accustomed to moving less. That is one of the main reasons why using machines in the gym or just cycling or just running for your exercise is problematic.

   It is very difficult to stretch your way out of a lifetime of bad posture: a 2-minute calf stretch after jogging at 9-minute-mile pace for an hour will not solve the problem. Instead, try to exercise through many different ranges of motion in every exercise session.

   An example is a lunge. In this video (I was a 50-year-old man when filmed) I show some different lunge sequences. The medicine ball is not heavy, it just helps remind me of my posture.

   Tip 2: Exercise through many ranges of motion in many different directions.

   Why skill is important

   Some people just like the grind. For whatever reason, they do the exercise equivalent of wearing a hair shirt and flogging themselves with birch twigs. ‘I don’t care what I do, as long as I get tired and sweaty.’ Their self-esteem is linked to doing ‘more.’

   Good for them. I doubt if that is a sustainable attitude for the long term. Your body does not need to be ‘punished’ for your unhealthy lifestyle. That is a way to get injured or be miserable or boring: have you ever met someone who does Triathlon?

   By doing exercise that has a skill or learning element in it you can look forward to the session rather than dread it. This is why activities such as climbing, yoga, surfing and dance are popular (as well as their social interactions). The process of learning keeps me hungry to train: I never get bored.

   A parent of an athlete I train said that ‘gym training is boring.’ He has tried to relieve the boredom by buying ever more pieces of equipment. But, no amount of sandbags, kettlebells and Bulgarian Goat Bags (yes, that is a thing) can make a dull exercise programme come to life.

   Weightlifting is a sport that requires strength, mobility, skill as well as speed and coordination. In this video, you can see Marius Hardiman (50-years-old when filmed) doing the snatch. He is only using a lighter weight to demonstrate but you can see how well he moves.

   I am not saying that everyone in their fifties should come to our weightlifting clubs (although they would be welcome). I am saying that everyone in their fifties would benefit from finding an activity that helps them develop and maintain their strength, mobility and requires some skill or learning.

   Tip 3: Find an activity that has a learning component.

   Summary

   As you can see from the videos of us three men in our fifties, you don’t have to become a Strava-bore or a couch potato with a Dad-bod. You can do creative and fun exercise at home or with others and move well into your fifties. This will give you the fitness to play with your children or grandchildren and be active into your 60s.

   • For those readers in Oxfordshire, Marius runs a series of classes for the over-fifties called Well Fit.
   • Anyone over 50 in Devon who wants to follow an athletic development programme, please contact James Marshall at James@excelsiorgroup.co.uk
   • N.B. No exercise programme will help you escape a bad diet, so watch this video for ideas on eating sensibly.

4. Weight training for women: Lessons from 1957

   26th March 2019 8:05 am 3 Comments

   “Continuity of exercise is most essential”

   The 1950s were the age of physical culture. Jack Lalanne was doing his TV show and “Health and Strength” magazine offered a monthly look at different aspects of training.

   This April 1957 edition includes an excellent article on Weight Training for Women by A.J. Mannix who was the Chief Instructor of Camberwell Ladies’ Weight-Training Section.

   The article looks at five leg exercises that use a dumbbell, a barbell and a chair as equipment. They require balance and co-ordination as well as strength.

   He managed to write the whole article without the word “functional”!

   “It is true of all forms of exercise that regularity gets the results in the long run”. Mannix emphasises quality of technique, as well as coaching points and motivation for the women readers.

   A well written article without gimmicks, fads or “groundbreaking” sport science. Unfashionable nowadays, but sound advice that I try and implement. (You can download our free ebook for women here).

   Prevention is better than Cure

   I got the magazine for its article on weight training for women, but it contained some excellent other articles. The clue is in the title: Health is prominent.

   “Every effort should be made primarily to train our youth so that it takes a keen interest in health; to make it become as fit as possible in the organic sense.” says Capt Knowles principle of “The Institute of Breathing.”

   Coming in the week of the leaked Ofsted report on P.E. in schools, this is the type of education that is needed in schools. Competitive sport is different from Physical Education (as I have discussed here).

   An article on tumbling and amateur acrobatics by Ken Woodward (Principle of the Woodward School of Physical Culture) shows what has been lost in the last 60 years.

   “I am a firm believer in the old saying that in order to get the best out of exercise, one must thoroughly enjoy it.”

   You can see the boys from an Air Cadet force trying the gymnastics triple roll. This requires strength, co -ordination, balance, team work, trust and it is fun!

   Woodward managed to write the whole article without mentioning the word “core”. I can tell you that the athletes I work with (young and old) enjoy this type of training immensely, once they have got the tools. He offers variations and progressions on these tumbling exercises that can be done on simple mats in schools or clubs.

   Basic gymnastics is an important skill, that is why we incorporate that in our Athletic Development programmes and warm ups (read how here).

   Or, you could line your players up, get them to do the plank for endless minutes, tell them to “engage your core” and then bemoan the fact that girls are disinterested in physical training.

   “Chest Size is not important”

   Says Don Doran in an article about the need for an increase in lung capacity. “The size of a man’s chest does not always give a correct sign of its usefulness or efficiency”.  He stresses the need for a “natural action” in exercises.

   Doran then emphasises the need for health first, strength training second. This connection between health, fitness and performance seems to have been forgotten. This was an article written for bodybuilders, an activity I have little time for, but it contained a lot of common sense and sound coaching advice within it.

   John McCallum’s “Keys to Progress” offers further practical advice on pure strength training from this era. Further reading on 1950s strongman training here.

   What now?

   

   Excelsior female athlete

   I was inspired and frustrated reading this magazine. Where the heck are the Schools of Physical Culture and Institutes of Breathing nowadays? Our Universities are advocating Crossfit and kettlebell training instead of sound programming and development in order to cater to fashion and sell places.

   Physical Education and Athletic Development have many similar aspects. Without a sound health basis, physical literacy and role models in school teachers and parents, our children will never become engaged in fitness.

   Competitive sport is now the universal panacea according to the politicians. I am working hard in conjunction with fellow coaches to try and educate the next generation of athletes and future coaches through our Athletic Development Club. I hope that you can be part of it.

   Further reading: Weight Training for Women A modern female perspective. You can come and train with us if you are interested in weight lifting exercises for women.

5. How to Get Stronger: Learning from the Strongest.

   4th May 2018 1:45 pm 3 Comments

   How Strong is Strong Enough?

   “How much strength training should I do?” is a question I am often asked, or more likely “Why should I lift weights?” But these questions have been around for some time as the following Old School strength gurus like Dave Prowse of Star Wars fame will tell you.

   Our regular readers and athletes will know the approach we take working on all aspects of the Strength Spectrum, but in different degrees according to age, stage and sport.

   I recently met Tony Caldwell, and ex Powerlifter on a Level 1 S&C course I was running. He had some interesting thoughts and stories on his past and that of his peers. I thought it would be interesting to share some of his thoughts.

   We have some shared history as we both trained at the Crystal Palace Weightlifting Centre in our careers (him some time before I was born!).

   Tony Caldwell Training Background

   My own career is fairly unremarkable really but here goes! I played rugby both union and league at school and local club level as I grew up in Yorkshire.

   

   Dave Prowse

   Around 1966 after moving to Surrey with my parents I started training at the Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre under the tutelage of Dave Prowse who at that time was British Heavyweight Olympic Lifting Champion.

   He later went on to fame and fortune as Darth Vader. The objective was to gain some strength & size to aid me in rugby.

   The workouts revolved around about 6 basic compound exercises including some Olympic lifting such as clean & press, power cleans & jerks.

   At that time the overhead press was one the Olympic lifts but was dropped sometime around the late 60s as it became difficult to referee (a bit like the scrum now!)

   In 9 months I gained from 9stone 7lbs to 11 stone using this routine 3 times per week and basically eating anything that didn’t bite back.

   I would use this approach even now for someone who really needed to gain size and strength.

   Over the years some of my best gym poundages were 330lb bench press, 400lb dead lift and 415lb squat. In competition these were somewhat less 285, 380 and 365 respectively at a body weight of just under 13 stone. I only competed at local level and also dabbled in some bodybuilding competition, although I never liked the extreme dieting and was not willing to take the steroid route.

   Old School Strength Training Methods

   As a Powerlifter, I used some of the methods advocated by these legends over the years.

   Bill Pearl.   A 4 time Mr. Universe winner who during the 1960s planned and delivered the fitness training for NASA astronauts and who also has a background in wrestling.

   Pearl is 80 yrs old now but is still in great shape training every day. His website contains much information including a complete free course entitled 20 months to a championship physique.

   His teaching is very much aimed at bodybuilders & people who just want to improve their appearance therefore is fairly high volume and time consuming. The routines are well explained however and are useful for the very good exercise illustrations.

   

   Bill Starr

   Bill Starr.  He was a USA national Olympic lifting champion in the 1960s and was probably the first S&C coach in the NFL when he joined Baltimore Colts around 1970. I believe he was also fitness coach for Washington State University football around this time.

   He developed the 5×5 system whereby he utilised what he called the “Big 3” namely power clean, bench press and squat and had his athletes working with heavy weights on a 5 sets of 5 reps routine.

   He would also change things around occasionally and use exercises such as rows and incline & overhead press.  He also wrote a book called “The Strongest Shall Survive” Read Starr’s Starting Strength Article here

   

   Reg Park

   Reg Park. Park used a 5×5 system in the 1950s before Starr developed his own and I think you can still purchase his course. He was a 3 time Mr. Universe winner and one of the strongest bodybuilders ever with lifts such as 500lb bench press 600lb squat and incredibly 300lb press behind neck.

   This was pure old school strength as Park had no background in Olympic lifting. There is a website but sadly Reg passed away about 3 years ago at the age of 79 as a result of skin cancer. (Old bodybuilders spent their whole lives in the sun!)

   HIT Training.  At the other end of the spectrum is High Intensity Training or HIT.  Basically this is the complete polar opposite of what Pearl recommends and refers to the performance of 1 or at the most 2 sets taken to complete failure. This after warm ups.

   Generally the exercises used are heavy multi joint exercises such as squats, leg presses for legs benches & inclines for chest overhead presses for shoulders etc etc.

   Rest periods are short and for this reason most advocates of this type of training do not include any aerobic training as they feel that this makes inroads into the recovery system when the workouts themselves are extremely taxing on the central nervous system. Workouts are brief (usually less than 30 minutes) and infrequent (2 per week average)

   Proponents of this are people such as Arthur Jones (Nautilus) Mike Mentzer, Ellington Darden and Dorian Yates. The system first surfaced in the 1970s, is quite controversial and does generate a lot of discussion.

   Tony Caldwell (Old school strength coach)

   (Strength training tips from Strongman Glenn Ross here)

   See our Get Stronger programme here

6. Excelsior ADC Club Update December 2017

   14th December 2017 3:52 pm Leave a Comment

   Merry Christmas to all our club members

   

   Our new assistant coaches

   Thanks to all our athletes, parents, volunteers and suppliers for a great 2017. A lot has happened over the last year, and more is planned for 2018.  Here is a summary and update for January 2018.

   Please share with family and friends, you never know who might want to take up a new activity in January, or help at the club in some form. We couldn’t have foreseen our 4 level 1 weight lifting coaches a year ago!

   As Head Coach I shall continue to strive to improve what we do as a club and my own coaching. In 2o17 this included:

   • Level 2 weightlifting coaching qualification
   • Became a weightlifting coach tutor

   • 

     James presenting

     Completed the Damien Walters movement course (Parkour)

   • Attended and presented at the DAASM (German Academy of Applied Sport Science) conference in Cologne.
   • Attended and ran practical workshop at GAIN conference in Houston.
   • Attend weekly Adult Gym sessions at Orchard gymnastics to improve my practical knowledge.
   • Completed the Level 3 Gymnastics Somersault module.

   These experiences and sharing ideas and asking questions of World Class coaches are invaluable in shaping how and what I coach for our club members.

   Athletics

   Training and competing in the Summer seems a long way off.

   

   Pre race warm up

   Every athlete competed at some point and in more than one event. This avoids early specialisation and gives everyone the opportunity to run, jump and throw.

   It was nice to start running sessions at Willand school too and see those pupils become club members.

   Thanks to Cullompton Community College (CCC), we could practice our long jumps and discus throws safely. Thanks to Sainsbury’s vouchers donations we bought new javelins, discus, and hurdles.

   Winter Athletics has moved from monthly to weekly due to demand. We now run 2 sessions a week and the new members have really liked being taught how to move properly.

   Gymnastics

   

   Grace, Amelia, George 50th caps

   After last year’s expansion of classes and move to the excellent Willand Village Hall, this year saw a focus on expanding the Freestyle Gymnastics and improving the class design. Our Summer display was the best yet, and it all came from the design of the gymnasts themselves.

   Thanks to fund raising efforts, we have bought even more equipment: a “rockin robin” tumble trainer, a junior springboard, a round off mat and an extra landing mat. All of these are used weekly.

   In September I took Flora, Grace and Jack to the somersaults and aerials workshop. We now have several gymnasts who can do front or side somersaults. It is just as pleasing to see our new intake mastering the forward rolls, thanks to Harry Washington for helping with this group.

   We now have a waiting list in Willand, but unfortunately we still seem unable to gain more members in Wellington, especially in the Free G (Parkour) class. If you know anyone who would like to take part, please let me know.

   Weightlifting

   

   Love to lift at CCC

   A big year for the weightlifting section thanks to the Sport England grant.

   • New competition equipment
   • 4 new assistant coaches
   • “Love to Lift” outreach sessions at CCC
   • Beginner daytime sessions for Ladies (19 tried it out).

   have all been completed.

   Zara and James both represented the club at weightlifting competitions in the South West, Zara finished 4th in the Bristol Open.

   We have more “Love to Lift” sessions that are running in January, so if you know any females who want to try the sport, please let me know.

   

   Zara competing

   The main comment was “It looks so easy, but it’s really hard“! As you can see from the picture above, it isn’t all about heavy weight, it is about speed, co-ordination, mobility and no small amount of courage.

   We held three p.b. nights over the year and will host our next club competition in February 2018.

   Summary

   A lot has happened, sorry to see some members leave, but delighted to welcome a lot of new ones. I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas break and look forward to coaching you all in 2018.

7. Excelsior ADC Club Update September 2017

   6th September 2017 11:58 am 3 Comments

   Autumn Term means new beginnings

   

   Gymnasts receiving funds

   School term has resumed which means the end of Summer Athletics and the resumption of gymnastics and weightlifting in Willand and Wellington. Here is a brief synopsis of what is happening.

   Fundraising: we have been short listed from over 700 applicants for the Skipton Grassroots Giving Campaign. In order to gain £500 for the club to buy equipment, please vote here. Every vote counts, so thank you.

   We were also kindly given £450 from Viridor for equipment and £240 from Willand United Charities to subsidise our uniforms.

   Athletics

   Summer training and competition has finished now. The last event was the Exeter Open where we had several personal bests in hurdles, sprints, javelin and 1200m. No long jumpers this time due to conflicting events. Archie Ware won both his events but got listed as an Exeter Harrier by mistake!

   Winter training will resume in October and will consist of technical work and physical preparation for next spring.

   Weightlifting

   

   3 of our weightlifters

   Sessions have started back this week after a quiet Summer. We have spaces available on Monday nights for anyone aged 13+ who wishes to learn a new activity and be physically and mentally challenged. Other times are available, including two day time slots. Full details on our weightlifting page.

   Four of our members will be doing their Level 1 coaching course starting in 2 weeks’ time in Willand. Topsy, Sarah, Laura and Zara will then be able to help James coach in the upcoming funded “Love to Lift” sessions which will start in October.

   Gymnastics

   We ran a volunteer workshop last Friday for the new and existing volunteers who help out at the club. This gives everyone an idea on basic handling, safety and an introduction to good coaching practice. We looked at handstands,  headstands and some beam work.

   

   End of a busy day somersaulting

   These workshops are designed to help improve what we do and give confidence to parents that they can get involved and help out.  We have a good mix of parents and Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, without whom we would be unable to operate.

   James attended his first Level 3 technical module in Honiton on Sunday with 3 of our gymnasts. The syllabus included: front, back and side somersaults, with aerials and aerial walkovers.

   We will be able to work towards these skills with our more accomplished gymnasts.

   We have vacancies in Freestyle Gymnastics in Wellington and Willand and still have some spaces left in our Primary gymnastics class in Wellington. All details are on our gymnastics club page

   Thanks to everyone for supporting the club, we are looking forward to improving everything we do to create the best environment for our athletes and coaches.

   We are looking to recruit a new Welfare Officer. If you know anyone who might want to take on this important, (but low workload) role to help the club, please let James know. Would suit a retired person who is willing to attend a 3 hour course (paid for by the club) and have a DBS check.

8. Olympic Weight lifting Tips

   10th May 2017 4:56 pm 10 Comments

   Learning from a WeightLifter

   

   Coomonwealth medallist Neil Taylor gives some tips on hot coach the Olympic lifts. Neil has recently been appointed as Performance Manager for South Wales with Welsh Weightlifting. I know Neil from our days working together at the RFU. Here are his tips.

   I have been performing the Olympic lifts since the age of 11. My coach at the time kept it simple, didn’t over complicate the movement and allowed for errors early on. Here are some of my Olympic Weightlifting tips.

   With his expertise he helped me lift MY way and not the way the books said. 30 years down the line I have watched those lifts turn into a menu of biomechanical myths and mind numbing terminology.

   KEEP IT SIMPLE.

   In my opinion it is always easier to teach the Power Snatch first, the pulling phase is the same as the Power Clean and the lift a little less problematic. (Becky Brown in pic).

   • Demonstrate the lift without a verbal description then ask athlete to perform the lift and observe their interpretation of that lift, they may be near perfect, they may be not, treat each one on how THEY lift
   • At the start position instruct your athlete to push the chest out and through whilst pulling the bar off the floor this will encourage correct lifting posture with the back being slightly in extension
   • Depending on your athletes’ training age you may wish to break the lift down into stages.  Start with the first pull by deadlifting the bar to the waist position and returning it back to the floor, encourage the athlete to push their chest through to retain good posture.

   

   Clean Pull

   Repeat this until your comfortable with what you see, be patient

   • Once confident with the first pull,  move to the high pull.  It is important at this point for your athlete to work on pushing the hips forward and extend up on to the toes. (James Marshall in pic).

   One coaching tip you may wish to use here is to pull the bar up to chest height rubbing finely against the navel area, this will encourage the athlete to keep the bar close to their body

   • Move on to the full lift when you feel the athlete has mastered the above and never be afraid to revisit the basics.
   • A great tool to use is the video camera but be aware of gaining consent from the parents or guardians of your athletes should they be under 18 years old
   • Compliment the athlete on their good lifting points as it is important to finish lifting on a feel good note, people deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong.

   Try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom.

   Neil Taylor: Commonwealth games medallist. RFU Weightlifting Coach.

   If you like this, then read more on

   • Force, power and acceleration 
   • Coaching cues 
   • How to get stronger
   • or come to our Weightlifting club in Devon

9. Excelsior ADC awarded Sport England Grant

   21st April 2017 9:40 am 11 Comments

   Excelsior ADC awarded £8756 from Sport England

   I am delighted to announce that we have been successful in our application to Sport England’s small grants programme. The money will be used to develop the Weightlifting section of our club.

   The grant we will be used in 3 main parts:

   1. Equipment: we shall be buying Eleiko competition bar and plates, a new floor and some technical bars for beginner lifters.
   2. Coach development: it is important to develop coaches from within the club. We shall be sending some of our existing lifters on the British Weightlifting (BWL) level 1 assistant coaches qualification. This is a great opportunity for the young people of Mid Devon to gain a coaching qualification.
   3. Running new sessions for women during the day time in Willand, as part of a programme of helping females get fit and trying a new activity. This will be done in 2 seperate blocks to give as many people as possible the opportunity to try the sport.

   

   Young weightlifter

   This project will run alongside our existing evening Weightlifting sessions which run in Willand. Our club is the only licensed Weightlifting club in the South West (outside of Bristol). We accomodate people who want to get fit for their sport (Golf, rugby, hockey and football are the most common) as well as those who want to compete in Weightlifting.

   If you would like to take part in the upcoming Weightlifting sessions, please register your interest with Head Coach James Marshall . No experience is necessary, but being generally healthy is a prerequisite as the sport requires movement.

   This application took a long time to prepare and submit, a big thanks to Chris Brown (one of our lifters) for his efforts in helping.

   Getting Willand healthy and fit

   

   Willand play kit

   Last year we raised and secured £12,171.93 which was mainly used for our gymnastics club  equipment with some going to weightlifting and athletics kit.

   This meant we could expand what we were offering and move into the bigger Village Hall. We also offer a satellite gymnastics club in Wellington, Somerset, 10 miles away.

   I also worked with Willand Parish Council in advising on play equipment for the village. We chose bars and obstacles courses that allow children and adults to play and explore, rather than sit! They spent £20,000 and the kit is well used and is available to all.

   That means in the last 18 months Willand has had over £40,000 invested into it’s physical activity and sporting infrastructure!

   Willand was a sporting hub 100 years ago (read here ) it is on it’s way to becoming so again.

   Hopefully this will make a difference to the long term health of our local population. All we need now are some decent cycle paths in the Culm Valley and we will really see a difference.

   If you would like to take part in weightlifting, athletics or gymnastics in Mid Devon, please come along.

10. Bad Science

    14th May 2016 2:01 pm Leave a Comment

    High pulls vs cleans

    

    Triple extension in the high pulls

    I was asked on Tuesday by an athlete who is quite new to weight lifting why I would teach cleans which are quite complex, if high pulls also work the triple extension.
    The answer is that I have got a lot of time with this athlete, so can afford to work on his technique without sacrificing his work that will lead to strength and power development. The clean will then enable him to perform the jerks without using a rack.

    But, the question is an excellent one, and should be asked by Coaches before they do any exercise or series of techniques, instead of doing something because everyone else is doing it.

    • Some National Governing Bodies specifically want cleans coached – why? If time is limited, then
    • dumbbell cleans
    •  jump squats
    • wave squats
    •  high pulls

    are all useful alternatives for developing power.

    Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science column in The Guardian is a good read and is an example of how to examine wild claims and pseudo science. This type of objectivity is uncommon in a lot of Coaching practice.

    It is especially interesting to read how the over complication of diet has led to a new brand of celebrity nutritionists who are being discredited due to their lack of scientific underpinning.

    I keep telling coaches and athletes that they should look at what they are trying to achieve, and find tools that do that job most efficiently.

    However, many people become attached to the “magic exercise” or “magic food” and then reverse engineer its usefulness to match the aims.

    Further reading:

    • Force, power and acceleration   ( a look at the science and terminology).
    • Fuelling athletes in the real world  ( great summary of how to present complex information in simple terms).