This Week’s First Topic
This week in Facebook I came across a post on the Masters Weightlifting page. One Joe Chinnichi had just competed, made three good snatches, (the final one a PR), and then was only able to make the first clean & jerk as the second and third felt uncommonly heavy. This post elicited a 58 post reaction. All of them were well meaning, many were helpful. No one, however, asked for his height and bodyweight although Rachel Crass Wood did ask how much bodyweight he had to cut for the competition.
At any rate this posting got me to thinking about the issue of bodyweight to height and clean & jerk proficiency. Under optimal conditions a lifter whose training is well designed and balanced will clean and jerk 123-125% of his or her snatch. This requires the lifter to have sufficient muscle mass on the body and especially so in the supportive torso musculature. I once read an article comparing the average heights of the clean & jerk medalists vs the average heights of the snatch and total medalists. In almost all cases (except where the medalists were identical in all three categories), the clean & jerk medalists were shorter on average.
The second point I’d like to focus on is cutting bodyweight. This should only be undertaken by experienced lifters and not those who are in developmental stages. It is one thing to lose excess water to make a bodyweight class limit if you are already at the appropriate bodyweight for your height. It is quite another if you are already too tall for the targeted bodyweight class and then you attempt to lose weight. You are much more likely to lose strength and the ability to lift heavy weights.
What to weigh?
I recently came across this website called Symmetricstrength.com that calculates optimal bodyweight to height figures that are based on some empirical data. The results come out pretty close to what I would recommend for a serious competitor. Here are the tables I produced as a function of the calculations on this site.
Women’s figures
Ht (inches)
Bwt (lbs)
Ht (cm)
Bwt (kg)
56
106
142
48
57
106
144
48
58
106
147
48
59
106
150
48
60
117
152
53
61
128
155
58
62
128
157
58
63
139
160
63
64
152
163
69
65
165
165
75
66
165
168
75
67
178
170
81
68
187
173
85
69
196
175
89
70
205
178
93
71
214
180
97
72
223
183
101
73
232
185
105
74
241
188
109
75
250
190
114
Men’s Figures
Ht (inches)
Bwt (lbs)
Ht (cm)
Bwt (kg)
58
123
147
56
59
123
150
56
60
137
152
62
61
137
154
62
62
137
157
62
63
152
160
69
64
152
163
69
65
170
165
77
66
187
168
85
67
187
170
85
68
207
173
94
69
231
175
105
70
231
178
105
71
237
180
108
72
247
183
112
73
258
185
117
74
268
188
122
75
278
190
126
76
288
193
131
77
298
196
135
These table should provide useful guidelines for appropriate bodyweight in relationship to height.
The Second Topic—Coaching Technique
Like many gym owners, I’m often approached by marketers. One of the questions that I’m frequently asked is whether or not I offer one-on-one sessions. This is a tip-off to me that the marketer in question knows very little about the process of weightlifting training. People interested in one-on-one sessions are usually looking for hand-holding, and that is not the person I’m looking for to become a weightlifter.
This is especially true during the technique acquisition phase of training. During this early stage the job of the coach is to explain and guide, but the athlete needs to understand that his or her role is to become better through guided practice. To become a weightlifter is to become a self-contained unit who can feel every nuance of body positioning during the lift and to make appropriate changes during the course of the movement. This can only be done through diligent practice and just as importantly through increasing body awareness.
So the coach needs to explain what needs to be done during the phase of technique under question, perhaps explain how the biomechanics work, and then provide exercises that will allow the athlete to heighten the awareness of the movements taking place. It is then the function of the athlete to practice the prescribed movements while attempting to feel the improvements taking place.
For most newcomers, each rep will not be performed correctly in the near term. It will take many repetitions and the timetable will vary with each individual. It will be the job of the coach to determine what is working, what is not working and when and if to change approaches. There is no set pathway that works for all, but the ultimate degree of success for acquiring technical mastery is largely up to the willingness of the athlete to become sensitive to the dynamics of the movements taking place.