Topic: NEW FEMALE LIFTER

[MissT]

Hello everyone.

My name is Cherine and I am a retired competitive bodybuilder and bodybuilding professional. I was recruited by a very well known coach about ten months as a superheavyweight lifter. I did not have any experience with the lifts and absolutely no proper strength training or coaching prior to that. Unlike most bodybuilders, I was built for strength and the main focus of my training has always been for strength and raw power rather than aesthetics, so I had a good foundation when I came to Oly Lifting. I could power clean 100kg and power snatch 75kg which is not bad considering I had never done either throughout the course of my training.

I can tell you that I fell in love with Olympic Weight Lifting the very first day I stepped on the platform. My coach taught me the basics and I have done nothing but work technique since day 1.

So as not to drag this post in hopes of getting some responses from you kind people, I just wanted to say that I have run into some obstacles in my training and am having some trouble communicating my concerns to my coach. He has become impatient with me and his lack of tolerance is affecting my training. That being said, I have grown very fond of my coach and team mates this past year and without their guidance and direction and am lost and confused.

I would like to know if there are any books or any websites that you might recommend where I can read up on the lifts and the basics of proper technique. I do not know what I am doing wrong and talking to my coach about it has become close to impossible. The tension is bad enough to where I have decided to take time off training without his consent to see if I can get some response out of him.

I just feel abandoned :(

I would like to get better and improve. I have been trying to even devise a new training schedule for myself, and I don't seem to even know how to do THAT. All I have done literally these past ten months is work the lifts..I just recently started doing pulls and some block work. I really have very poor knowledge of the basics and that, I think, is the reason I am in this position today. A hundred questions, and not a single answer.

Thank you all.

Cherine

[Matt Erdman]

"The Weightlifting Encyclopedia" is a great reference. The only downside may be that there is too much information, and not really direct answers.

As for your training, that would depend on how much you have developed technically, and what your strengths/weaknesses are. Videos are a huge bonus.

[MissT]

Ok. Then I will buy the encyclopaedia. Any instructional DVDs you might know of that could be beneficial to me as well?

[Tom Sherwood]

Cherine,

Is your coach certified USAW?
Tommy konos weightlifting book is awesome very simple to read, lots of pics, stories, and of course technique.

Also take a look at the videos of the women in the world championships on this site.

[Andy Dick]

So as not to drag this post in hopes of getting some responses from you kind people, I just wanted to say that I have run into some obstacles in my training and am having some trouble communicating my concerns to my coach. He has become impatient with me and his lack of tolerance is affecting my training. That being said, I have grown very fond of my coach and team mates this past year and without their guidance and direction and am lost and confused.

This is troubling to me that he would get impatient and intolerant of your mistakes.  He is supposed to be the coach and the expert and perhaps he is not adequately portraying to you what he wants from your technique.  You know nothing of the sport so it lies on him to have the patience to teach you what you need to do.  I may be looking into what you said too much but you make it sound like you have hit some technique issues in your lifting that is holding you back some.  You are a beginner so technique issues are common.  I coach many high schoolers in the lifts where it seems like I keep telling them the same things in many different ways and they do not seem to get it but I do not get impatient with their mistakes it is part of the sport.  It will eventually click with them and we can progress further.  I do not want to tell you what to do, but if it were me I would consider the possibility of a different coach if possible.

But to answer your question, if you have the money taking a USAW coaching course helped me learn the techniques and the assistance exercises.  I did it to learn how to coach the lifts but fell in love with the sport and used the knowledge I learned to somewhat self coach myself (although this is not optimal) until I found a coach.  The course also comes with a DVD, but it can be pricey, however part of the course is hands on so maybe a fresh pair of eyes can fix what you are doing wrong.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Check out our articles section, under features. Check out the videos as Tom said. Check out our links. When I started weightlifting, there was nothing to be found on the sport anywhere yet I succeeded. Now you have immense information right here on this site at your disposal, if you seek it. I worked many hours to make it available.

[MissT]

Cherine,

Is your coach certified USAW?
Tommy konos weightlifting book is awesome very simple to read, lots of pics, stories, and of course technique.

Also take a look at the videos of the women in the world championships on this site.

I have read Tommy's book 3 times :) GREAT BOOK INDEED!
Yes, coach is actually one of the most prominent in the sport. Out of respect I did not mention the name.

[MissT]

This is troubling to me that he would get impatient and intolerant of your mistakes.  He is supposed to be the coach and the expert and perhaps he is not adequately portraying to you what he wants from your technique.  You know nothing of the sport so it lies on him to have the patience to teach you what you need to do.  I may be looking into what you said too much but you make it sound like you have hit some technique issues in your lifting that is holding you back some. 

You are perfectly right. That is exactly what my issue has been...my biggest problem has been my C&J. I tend to power clean the bar and then ride the bar down. I have not been able to meet the bar or catch the bar in the hole whatsoever. Its as though my legs will not bend for whatever reason. And for that reason, I have not been able to squat clean more than I can power clean. I was power cleaning 100kg my first day and now, one year later, I have only hit a squat clean with 100kg once. I am compltely stuck.

You are a beginner so technique issues are common.  I coach many high schoolers in the lifts where it seems like I keep telling them the same things in many different ways and they do not seem to get it but I do not get impatient with their mistakes it is part of the sport.  It will eventually click with them and we can progress further.  I do not want to tell you what to do, but if it were me I would consider the possibility of a different coach if possible.

I thank you for taking the time to express your opinion and I have the utmost respect to all the athletes and coaches on this forum...however, I am simply unable to walk away from my coach. I am very loyal to him and to my team mates. Some people think I am stupid for thinking like that. But he took me on because HE saw something in me. When I met him, becoming a lifter was something that had never even crossed my mind. Never even occurred to me. I did not even fancy the sport or know anything about it. And now I regret not having started lifting when I was younger before I invested so many years into a sport that spat women like me out and left us with nothing...not even personal gratification. I have never been as happy as I have been since I been lifting. I feel indebted to coach and very grateful that he has introduced me to the sport. I was damaged goods when I met him and he believed in me. I will quit before I walk away from him. Now if he lets me go, that's a different story..but as long as he wants me I will give him my 110% and if that is not good enough, then at least I tried and put a lot of heart into it.

But to answer your question, if you have the money taking a USAW coaching course helped me learn the techniques and the assistance exercises.  I did it to learn how to coach the lifts but fell in love with the sport and used the knowledge I learned to somewhat self coach myself (although this is not optimal) until I found a coach.  The course also comes with a DVD, but it can be pricey, however part of the course is hands on so maybe a fresh pair of eyes can fix what you are doing wrong.

[/quote]

I think that is a fantastic idea! Please tell me how to go about taking a USAW coaching course.

Thank you SO much for your feedback!