COOKIE CUTTER COACHING

Weightlifting is an individual sport.  You'll never witness a group of athletes walk on the platform to perform the snatch or clean and jerk as a team.  Nope, in my experience, something like that is called a "working party". Instead, there is only one piece of equipment (the weight) and you.  It's the ultimate test of strength, power, speed, coordination, balance, accuracy, and shear will.

So, if weightlifting is an individual sport, why are coaches teaching the classic lifts with what I call "cookie cutter coaching"?  What do I mean by this statement?  I've seen and, I'm embarrassed to say, I have personally been guilty of "cookie cutter coaching" to satisfy the needs of the masses.  It's proliferation is rampid and, unfortunately, it's passed along unknowingly and negligently from one coach to the next.  It's a style of coaching based upon assumptions that everyone should perform the lifts in one particular manner, which is truly not the case.

Moreover, exposure to "cookie cutter coaching" is potentially dangerous, both physically and mentally.  "Cookie cutter coaching" knowingly places athletes in odd, difficult and sometimes physically demanding positions, which exponentially increases the likelyhood of strain and injury.  Furthermore, an athelete's inability and/or lack of flexibility to assume the requiste "cookie cutter" positions can easily lead to mental frustration, exhaustion, and loss of interest in the sport we all love.  It's sad but it's true.

So, how do we fix "cookie cutter coaching"?  It's really simple - get coached by me.  I'm sure you're rolling your eyes and saying, "this dipshit is completely into himself," but seriously, the best way to identify "cookie cutter coaching" is to question your coach.  Ask if there is a different way to approach a lift to achieve the same goals.  If the answer is "no", or your get the answer of "what dat is?", you might consider finding a new coach.  Below are three some common "cookie cutter coaching" methods that I've witnessed in the past:

- Everyone starts the lifts in a preordained manner.  This is wrong, because everyone is built differently. Some of us have orangoutang arms and yard-gnome torsos, compared to others who may have arms like a t-rex and the torso of Michael Phelps.  Will both of these athletes comfortably conform to the same starting position in the classic lifts?  Probably not.

- Everyone executes the squat variant of the classic lifts.  This too is wrong, because of the aforementioned anthropometric variances - not to mention, the individual degrees of flexibility, athleticism and history of injuries.  An athlete with a weak, inflexible, or previously injured back or knees may find squatting unbearable, if not impossible.  Should the coach insist on their athletes to receive a snatch or clean in the squat at the cost of further injury?  Or does the coach have enough coaching experience to recognize these differences and appropriately recommend an alternative (i.e. the split snatch/clean)?

- Everyone's workouts are based upon one all inclusive program.  I'll beg to differ on this subject, as everybody has a life outside of the gym.  Having a job; raising kids; maintaining a home; and a host of other life-chores and challenges can greatly impact the amount, duration and intensity of training.  For instance, an older, mature, master-level athlete will have different training requirements compared to a 20 something year-old sprite with seemingly endless energy.

Hopefully, after reading this post you'll notice the underlying theme -- individuality.  Weightlifting is an exceptionally individualized and personal sport, which attempts to exploit your personal nuances and strengths.  When looking for a coach, you should find one who can curtail a progam specifically designed for you and your personal needs.  It's just that simple.  For a coach to tell you otherwise is wrong, ignorant, dangerous, and down right misleading.  So, ask questions, look for alternatives, beg to differ, and don't fall prey to "cookie cutter coaching".