How should I weight lift?

[sooch90]

Thanks for all the comments guys, they're all very very helpful!

Just some more information on how I'm training. In addition to doing usually 3 sets of 6 reps of different lifts, machines, whatever, I'm also doing 9 left sprints with a takeoff at the end (putting in about 5 minutes of recovery in between each sprint). I'm also going to start a 4 week linear jump training program that's in the book "Jumping into Plyometrics" by Dr. Chu.

Okay, so should I be trying to be about 148lbs then? If 155 is pushing it and 140 is just enough? And I can gain this mass via few reps, high weights and exercises that jumpbackin described?

Then later on start training for power? The problem with doing all the power cleans, hang cleans, jerks or whatever is that I don't have a coach is someone who is experienced with these lifts to guide me. I'm not sure if the LA Fitness staff people are.. reliable? Anyway, I'm sure they wouldn't provide enough attention for me to know what I'm doing and to be doing it safely.

However, in college there will be a lifting as well as a vault coach who could probably show me how to do these lifts

[Skyin' Brian]

With your legs.

[powerplant42]

I'm not sure if the LA Fitness staff people are.. reliable? Anyway, I'm sure they wouldn't provide enough attention for me to know what I'm doing and to be doing it safely.

If they ignore you or avoid it, just tell them, 'OK, I'll just go put 300 pounds on the bar and try to do these lifts the way I THINK it's supposed to be done... If I hurt myself, I'll just sue you guys anyway...'. Maybe that's a little extreme, but just remind them that it's their JOB to keep people lifting safely.

Also, consider doing some pyramid work (increase/decrease weight in a pyramid form, increase/decrease repetitions accordingly) as opposed to the linear set structure you're working with now, just to keep things fresh.

[LHSpolevault]

First and foremost, not sure if it's been mentioned. If you're new to weightlifting, spend your first month or so learning the Olympic and Power lifts, as well as working on your general strength to build a foundation to work off of. Don't jump into working heavy weights, even if you're doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps. They should be somewhat moderate weights that you don't have to struggle with to finish each set. Just making a quick post here, so if this has been mentioned, my bad.

To concur with what was previously said, definitely have an experienced athlete/lifter/coach teach you the mechanics of the olympic lifts, and especially the deadlift. One minor fault in your technique, especially with heavier weights (when you get there) in the deadlift, can really set you back. I'm still recovering from a deadlift injury from late-February.

Good luck PM me if you have any questions.

[jumpbackin]

Then later on start training for power? The problem with doing all the power cleans, hang cleans, jerks or whatever is that I don't have a coach is someone who is experienced with these lifts to guide me. I'm not sure if the LA Fitness staff people are.. reliable? Anyway, I'm sure they wouldn't provide enough attention for me to know what I'm doing and to be doing it safely.

However, in college there will be a lifting as well as a vault coach who could probably show me how to do these lifts

If you're going to be in a college program in just a couple of months, it would probably be best if you held off on doing the power lifts until you start with the team. Hopefully they know what they are doing (no sure thing though).

[Rhino]

Okay, so should I be trying to be about 148lbs then? If 155 is pushing it and 140 is just enough? And I can gain this mass via few reps, high weights and exercises that jumpbackin described?

Try to be about 138 lbs and strong! Don't try to put on weight. Get strong and lean and if the pounds come on, it's fine. I wrestled 138 lbs my senior year at 5' 11", and I didn't suffer from weakness.

As for lifting without a coach, do it! When I was your age, we had no coach (except for writing marathon running workouts), no books, and no internet. Some of us managed anyway. Read about it, watch videos on youtube, get advice from friends at the gym, and start light, concentrating on form. With the Olympics coming up, you should have a golden opportunity to see some Olympic lifting.

People are too cautious (paranoid) these days.

[sooch90]

Okay, so should I be trying to be about 148lbs then? If 155 is pushing it and 140 is just enough? And I can gain this mass via few reps, high weights and exercises that jumpbackin described?

Try to be about 138 lbs and strong! Don't try to put on weight. Get strong and lean and if the pounds come on, it's fine. I wrestled 138 lbs my senior year at 5' 11", and I didn't suffer from weakness.

As for lifting without a coach, do it! When I was your age, we had no coach (except for writing marathon running workouts), no books, and no internet. Some of us managed anyway. Read about it, watch videos on youtube, get advice from friends at the gym, and start light, concentrating on form. With the Olympics coming up, you should have a golden opportunity to see some Olympic lifting.

People are too cautious (paranoid) these days.

haha all right!

another question, how do you get lean muscle as oppose to bulky muscle? Obviously I wanna go for lean muscle, is it just like training for power?

[powerplant42]

As far as olympic lifts being dangerous goes, the only one that I really see being threatening if done with some small bit of improper technique, even on a low starting weight, is the powersnatch, just because of the nature of the excercise... weight moving fast to over the head...

As far as your question about muscle, there's a relatively complexish answer... It is true that you can achieve your strength/vault goals without gaining very much mass at all. If you shorten the SSC in all the important vault muscles, then you will become much more powerful in the vaulting action. However, there is a limit to how powerful a muscle can become without gaining mass. Noticeable hyperplasia/hypertrophy probably must take place in order for you to become as powerful as you want to be. Do you understand? That being said, you probably want to know how to maximize results with minimal effort (legally, of course)...

To get the best results you need to eat right, lift correctly, and rest when appropriate, but you must also intake proteins/specific nutrients at certain times to maximize your workouts. This is what I normally do: right before working out, I eat a protein bar (30ish grams of protein). Soon after I'm finished, I'll take my supplementation (I'm wondering what happened to that thread about supplements...) with a protein rich food (i.e. ham sandwich with milk). Before bed, I'll make a protein shake out of bananas, blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, milk, peanut butter, FLAX SEEDS (important, but often overlooked...), and CREATINE (invest in some). Optimally, you should also intake protein (and a multi-vitamin) soon after waking up as well as DURING your workout, but that's only for psycho-lifters . Anyway, try it out and tell me what you think.

[sooch90]

haha so just an update...

i got up to 142lbs at one point, some where in mid july, but got really tired of trying to stuff myself constantly. So I went back to my normal eating habits and now I'm 133lbs, great!

I guess the up-side is that I'm getting stronger, I benched 6 reps of 145lbs with some help on the last 2 or 3.

[JamesMunsey]

Hey man, here's what you should do. I would start at 4 sets of 10 reps for all your workouts and do as much weight as you can for those sets and reps. After about a month or three weeks I would move it down to 4 sets of 8 reps and go as heavy as you can for these sets and reps. After another three weeks go to 2 sets of 8 reps 2 sets of 6 reps and do these as heavy as you can too for these sets and reps (the sets with less reps should be heavier). Then after another 3 weeks or a month or so I would go to 4 sets of 6 reps as heavy as you can for these sets and reps. I rarely do a workout where I go lower than six reps of something. I would always lift as heavy as you can while still completing all your sets and reps. Also, I would recommend adding maybe a five or at least a two and a half every set so that your last set should be the very heaviest. This can apply to whatever workouts you want, Bench, squat, leg press, whatever. dude do lots of squats. I would lift four days a week, Monday(Lower body) Tuesday(Upper body) Wednesday(Rest) Thursday(Lower body) Friday(Upper body). If you have to miss a day, miss an upper body day. There are lots of theories about this stuff but that's the one I believe in. And oh yeah every three weeks or a month make sure you change stuff up so that your body doesn't get too used to what your doing whether that means changing your sets and reps or switching up the days you do upper and lower body on. I'm no expert by any stretch, but hopefully this should give you some basics to tell you how to start. Good luck! Never quit!

[Lax PV]

If the weight comes on fast for you, consider switching to a Strength/Power plan earlier. I think Pole Vaulters are best a little on the skinny side so I don't think you should go above about 155.

Agreed. Don't bulk up. At 5'9", 140 is enough, 155 is pushing it.

He is only one guy, I get it and he is NOT the norm, but 140 is big enough if you are fast enough...

http://london2012.usatoday.com/olympics ... &id=653861

[PV2020]

If the weight comes on fast for you, consider switching to a Strength/Power plan earlier. I think Pole Vaulters are best a little on the skinny side so I don't think you should go above about 155.

Agreed. Don't bulk up. At 5'9", 140 is enough, 155 is pushing it.

He is only one guy, I get it and he is NOT the norm, but 140 is big enough if you are fast enough...

http://london2012.usatoday.com/olympics ... &id=653861

The weight on Renaud is not correct. He is over 150, there was an interview with his little brother where he said their two weights but I do not remember exact number.

But there are also two styles of short pole vaulters. Those that are naturally fast, Renaud is one of them. Then there are those that are not born naturally fast and get that way by becoming stronger and more explosive in the weight room. A guy like Greg Duplantis was only 5'6 but he was listed at about 155 and he was one of the fastest vaulters of all time.

I like to tell people to get as strong and explosive as they can and ignore the scale. If you are 5'9 140 and currently power clean 185 and have a 32 inch vertical but spend the next year in the weight room and go to 155 but can now power clean 235 and have a 35 inch vertical, the weight is good.

Pole vault is the transfer of energy. Essentially max velocity is all you need in the vault because if you go from 9.0 m/s to 9.1 m/s and gain 10 pounds you can always just use a stiffer pole