What the heck goes into developing a full fledged weightlifting program to make a lifter strong enough, technically skilled enough and just gosh darnit good enough to be at the peak of the sport? Where to start? Where to even begin?

Are you a weightlifter, thrower, wrestler, or any athlete in a technical sport that struggles to find that technical mindset? You get into the gym and you're sitting there wondering what can I do to stop being a meathead and to actually focus on technique? 

Improve your technique, increase your back squat, enhance your mobility. That’s all you need to do to become a better weightlifter...simple right? It sounds easy but there is so much information floating around the internet, it can be incredibly difficult to build toward a monster squat that effectively improves the competitive lifts of the snatch and clean and jerk. Your squat may have plateaued for months and in turn this has caused a stagnant point in your career....

I rolled my eyes, this happens more than people realize. On a regular basis we get direct messages of athletes wanting to come train, they want to be full-time, hit their goals and become champions. And then they come to Garage Strength. They step into a world of absurd intensity and accountability. They engage with a culture like no other. Maybe they train once, possibly twice and then disappear, never to be seen or heard from again.

Over the last year, Kate Wehr has been bouncing between two different weight classes. After the new weight classes were established during the summer of 2018, Kate and I decided to try and drop down to 55k for the end of 2018 and for the competition year of 2019. She is an excellent lifter, she has made teams at the youth level, she has made the Junior World team, she has made tremendous strides in training even while working a job at Cracker Barrel and while going to college full-time. 

It’s the sixth attempt, the meet is on the line, a two kilogram PR in the clean and jerk will capture the US National title. Deep down inside, the coach knows the athlete likely does not have the strength to hit this jerk. The coach believes the athlete can stand it up, but when they’re at the top, they may lose tension during the dip, collapse forward and drive the jerk forward. Confidence is low BUT the weight needs to be put on the bar to win that title!