Three Things Most Lifters Are Missing in Their Training

Strength athletes, specifically powerlifters, weightlifters, and strongman athletes train to perform incredible feats of strength and power. At every level of the sport, there are athletes who train smart, and those who don't. There are a lot of factors that influence this between social media, bad methodology, bad coaching, and a lack of knowledge in regards to training and recovery. There are three components to programming that are often missing in training that could help athletes stay healthy and even make more progress in the gym.

MOBILITY

One of the most neglected parts of training for most strength athletes is mobility work. There are a few reasons why. First, it's uncomfortable. Especially in sports like powerlifting and strongman where stiffness is such a focus, mobility work is often neglected and very uncomfortable. Second, it's not adding pounds to the lift. Most strength athletes don't like spending time on movements that they don't feel like add pounds to the bar - which is fair. Lastly, it's not motivating. When you can add weight to a bar or add a couple of reps to a max effort set at a certain weight, there is motivation toward your goals, toward that given session, and toward the future competition. Mobility work doesn't give athletes that same level of motivation towards performance, and is therefore often neglected.

So why is mobility work important? To answer that we need some parameters as to how and why it should be done so we understand why it's important. Mobility work needs to be done to support the goals of the athlete and their sport. For example in a sport like powerlifting, there needs to be adequate mobility to safely perform a loaded squat, bench press, and deadlift to competition standards. For strongman it will need to be enough to pick up different implements from the floor and press others overhead. In weightlifting, mobility demands are significantly higher with requirements for the ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders being much greater to successfully perform the clean and jerk and snatch.

A lifter doesn't need to be as flexible as a gymnast to successfully perform their lifts, but making sure some mobility work is included to ensure they can safely access the required ranges of motion for their sport is very important to help build resilience and reduce injury risk. If absolute end range is the minimum for competition depth, the athlete could potentially be placing themselves at a higher risk for injury at maximum effort loads.

Choosing exercises to address tighter areas of the body and areas of high demand like the ankles, knees, hips, spine, and shoulders can be extremely helpful in keeping athletes healthy in training. The work doesn't have to be overboard, but it does need to be focused and performed with intent just like working sets of main and accessory lifts are. Loaded mobility exercises can help to progress tissue resilience at end ranges as well as the athlete progresses.

CARDIO

Strength athletes avoid cardio training like the plague. For the longest time, it was drilled into their heads that cardiovascular training or endurance training of any kind would "kill gains." The reality is that is just not true. Sure, if you were training for both a marathon and a powerlifting meet then they will effect one another, but to state that any cardio training through the week is going to negatively impact your power output in the gym is completely false.

First, adding some type of cardiovascular training into your training at least three times per week is good for your heart and lungs. In anaerobic sports, especially powerlifting and weightlifting, so much time and energy is focused on the power output of 1-5 reps in a set but never anything past that. This makes sense, the sport itself is an anaerobic sport. However, by adding cardio you are missing out on a vast amount of potential benefits with heart and lung function, which can impact your training and even performance on competition day. When you increase your "miles per gallon" or efficiency, you'll be able to get more done in training. You won't lose strength by doing some cardio three times per week, but you will notice that your motor lasts longer. You're going to be able to get through those last sets of accessories and maybe even add a few more sets. There is potential for using heavier weights on accessories for longer periods of time or greater amounts of sets. Most importantly, on competition day, you have a greater chance of not completely fatiguing and relying on caffeine to keep you feeling "energized" through the day. Also, imagine not heaving for breath after walking up two flights of steps - it's basic health.

Cardiovascular training is good to also support good health markers. There is strong evidence to support cardiovascular training reducing blood pressure. High blood pressure is a common diagnosis in today's society. There are many factors that potentially contribute to high blood pressure and it should be being managed by your physician. One thing you can do to help manage this, and even reduce the risk of it occurring, is adding cardiovascular exercise to your regular training regiment. There is also strong evidence that cardiovascular focused exercise can help keep blood sugars manageable, especially in prediabetic and diabetic populations. If you are a lifter with either or both of these diagnoses, adding cardiovascular exercise to your programming could be extremely beneficial.

Adding cardio does not have to be difficult. Try something like a twenty to thirty minute brisk walk outside or on a treadmill. Add an incline to make it even harder. You can ride a bike, either outside or stationary. Even doing something like sprint training or HIIT training can have huge benefits to your overall cardiac health and performance in the gym long term.

ADEQUATE RECOVERY

If you can't recover from your training appropriately, you could be letting yourself down. Appropriate recovery is multifaceted and involves doing the small things right. This includes getting enough sleep, adequate hydration, appropriate nutrition, and having good stress management strategies.

Life is complicated, and there are very few people who can actually have everything dialed in perfectly. Work, kids, life events, etc. - they all have an effect on our recovery strategies. Generally speaking, I recommend people try to get at least eight hours of sleep per night. Parents will definitely roll their eyes at this, and that's very fair. If you can't do this, then do what you can! Do what works best for you and you're going to be fine. If lack of sleep is catching up to you, then make sure you're adjusting your training appropriately to reduce your risk of injury.

Dehydration is a huge issue amongst strength athletes. Pounding energy drinks and coffee can help us feel energized but they aren't going to keep us hydrated. We need water and we need electrolytes. Generally speaking for healthy individuals, trying to get 100oz of water per day for a strength athlete should be around the minimum. One gallon or more can even be helpful, especially if you're a larger human being.

When it comes to nutrition, recovery from your training is extremely important. For strength athletes you need to make sure you're getting around 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. A well rounded diet that includes fruits and vegetables is also going to be really helpful in overall health, wellness, and recovery. So much emphasis is put on macronutrients, but making sure you are also getting the appropriate micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in your diet is important as well. Getting bloodwork done and speaking to your physician and a nutritionist can be extremely helpful in this area.

Stress management is the last factor to be considered. Carrying significant stress for longer periods of time can cause some dampening of the output of the nervous system and limit gym/competition performance. It can also negatively effect sleep which, as we discussed, can have a negative impact on recovery. Managing stress levels as best as you can will help you feel more recovered to get into the gym and perform the way you'd like.

Strength athletes of all levels do incredible things, pushing their bodies to feats of strength each individual didn't previously believe possible. Trust me, I know, I have been competing in strength sports since 2015 and I'm a physical therapist who works with strength athletes of all levels. To help keep the body resilient and push for the long game (where the most success is had) I believe it is pertinent for each athlete to add structured mobility and cardio training to their programs. On top of that, making sure to track your recovery strategies and maximize what you can to get the most out of your training will only be beneficial to you.

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