Training

What Is Your Best Tip for Beginners?


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Jacob Tsypkin – Aim to make training enjoyable. If you don’t like it, you won’t stick it out. It doesn’t have to be a blast every time you’re in the gym, but if you’re always miserable, you’ll quit (and you should.)

Nick Shaw – Realize that strength sports is about longevity. Don’t rush the weight on the bar and have a sound and smart long-term plan in place.

Samantha Lower – Staying patient and get a coach!!! These lifts are far to technical to just grab a bar and go. I’m 12 years in and I still work on technique or need my coach to correct me as I go along through the years.

Ariel Stephens– Weightlifting in the United States is way less developed than in other countries like China or Russia. Many U.S. lifters start lifting when they’re adults. However lifters in other countries, like China and Russia, often start before 10 years of age. I think people who begin their lifting journeys as adults, need to take a step back and treat their training as if they were starting at age 10. I see a lot of beginner, adult lifters who want to lift heavy weights from the floor after only 1 month of training. This is when I see a common theme of injuries and frustrations. The best advice I can give to a beginner lifter is to take things slow and take the time to develop the proper technique, before you try to max your lifts.

Chad Wesley Smith– Learn to love the process.

Check out this interview with Chad Wesley Smith as he discusses his athletic background, the rise of Juggernaut and more…

Kalle Beck– Patience and remember this is a hobby. Don’t get wrapped up in the numbers of people that have been training for over a decade.

Dr. Quinn Hencoh – Be patient. Strength and high performance is grooved over the long haul.

James Townsend– Start slow. Don’t feed into what everyone else is doing. EVERY great athlete had to start from the beginning. So its ok for you to begin there as well.

Dr. Reena Tenorio– Learn to be patient. Work with a coach early on in your career; you can only progress so much when coaching/programming for yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others who have been in the sport for years.

Marisa Inda – Be consistent. It’s ok to miss 1-2 training sessions, probably not a good idea to miss 2 months worth

Dr. Mike Israetel – Make great technique your goal and train to get sore often by doing plenty of reps multiple times a week. Eat, rest, and grow.

Maya Winters– Walk before you run! Nail down the basics! Be a technician! Nail down your mobility. If you don’t have decent mobility, strength sports are not going to be very enjoyable. You will hit plateaus, you will suffer from avoidable injuries, and you just may look for enhancements to compensate for the aforementioned deficiencies. Stop it!

Colin Burns– Get a coach.

Blaine Sumner– Understand that if you want to be as strong as some of your favorite lifters, it’s not going to take months, it’s going to take years, and many of them.

Alyssa Ritchey– Learn to make adjustments to your form early on so you don’t create habitual mistakes later on.

Reid Worthington– “If you want to lift a lot… you have to lift a little a lot first”

Jamie Hagiya– Start from the top (high hang) and practice a high pull with a shoulder shrug. Then add an elbow high pull. And then pulling yourself under the bar. Think about jumping the bar up and the elbow high pull will keep the bar close. Once you get that down work your way from the top down (hang snatch/above knee/then below knee/ground) for snatch or clean. Keep it simple. Think about jumping to reach full extension.

Greg Panora – Humble yourself down, quit worrying about PRs and build a base through simple programming and good form. If your form sucks (and I guarantee it does) you will go nowhere.

Ewa Januszk– My best tip for beginners is to follow your passions, trust in your journey, and never become discouraged by the success of others. Powerlifting is such an individual endeavor, that it is impossible to accurately compare yourself to others. Enjoy what you do, learn from yourself and those around you, take advice openly, and listen to your body.

What is a tip that helped you as a beginner lifter? Tell us in the comments below.

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