Weakly Weights

Megan of Kinetic Advantage Consulting joins the boys to talk about masters athletes. We discuss how ageing impacts our potential as powerlifters, the physiological changes that occur with ageing, and the way that these practically affect us as coaches. Megan takes aim at Will's quadriceps strength. 

The boys discuss whether certain lifting or training styles are more universally desirable, and what the implications of having preferences for your lifting/training that don't necessarily suit your build and needs are. We also discuss gym romance, and how we can approach a gym crush without being creepy whilst maximising our chances of success

The boys go through the Audience Request Form (available via the Weakly Weights IG page) and answer some of the questions. We have long chats about tracking training metrics like E1RM, tonnage, set counts, and session RPE, supramaximal training and which overload techniques work best, sleep, as well as plenty of off-topic chit chat. 

The boys sit down to talk about their feelings. Alex struggles to express himself due to fragile masculinity. Will is emotionally unstable. Halo Top is disgusting. Topics covered include what emotions training can generate in us, how to deal with negative feelings around training, how being aware of the space that training takes up in our lives can help us make better decisions, and what the factors underpinning a good relationship with training might be. 

The boys talk about the implications of coronavirus on powerlifting as a competitive sport. They talk about rescheduling and cancellation of high-level events, the competitive implications of split-venue competitions, the impacts of scheduling and planning disruptions on athletes and coaches, and some potential workarounds for the limitations that these issues impose on us. 

Mac joins the boys to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of tracking macronutrients, and some alternative strategies that we can use to modify energy intake. He speaks about using food choice, meal timing, and mindfulness as ways to aid or replace macro tracking, and the contexts in which they might be appropriate. We talk about the performance implications of low energy availability, nutritional checklists for powerlifting performance, and how coaches can improve their nutritional practices. Alex explains why MJ and not Lebron is the GOAT

The boys are joined by the very tall Kyle Dobbs of Rebel Performance. We talk about what movement quality is, and how different postures and skeletal orientations can influence our mobility and ability to express certain movements. We cover some of the typical postural characteristics of powerlifters, why they might arise, and the potential utility of exposing people to different positions. 

The boys discuss their 1wk hiatus, the importance of hobbies, and Will's history of being a lightweight. They then do a variation masterclass, taking a deep dive on paused deadlifts. Finally, they cover the 501kg deadlift performed by Hafthor Bjornsson and the "beef" with Eddie Hall. They go into the concept of psychological barriers, the 4-minute mile, what it means to have a record, and how badly either of them would be bopped by Tyson

As the IPF moves to ANOTHER scoring system, there have been repeated calls from athletes and a broad body of federations to adopt a reasonably new coefficient called DOTS. The boys chat to the creator of the DOTS formula, Tim, about the pitfalls in current scoring systems, the thinking underpinning his formula, and the political machinations that have made it difficult for his approach to be officially adopted despite its support. 

The boys debut a new segment called variation masterclass (this one wasn't plagiarised), going in depth on the merits and uses of close grip bench. They also answer your questions, covering training one lift per day, RPE training for beginners, the role of personality in prescribing programs, pet peeves at competition, and GPP. 

Alex the alliterative astronaut asks his amicable amigo about alternative approaches available alfresco (or at home).  The boys talk about how we can structure training in a range of circumstances to still be progressive, even where specific powerlifting training may not be possible. We cover the ins and outs of programming different phases, and the benefits of maintaining training direction in uncertain times.  Alex also responds to some controversy, in which he was (rightly) accused of plagiarism. 

Bryce Lewis of The Strength Athlete joins the boys for a chat about the art of coaching. We cover the fundamental roles of a coach and how we can modulate our programming, avenues of communication, feedback and degree of collaboration with athletes depending on the individuals that we are working with. We also cover some of the subtleties of how our coaching business structures can promote athletes developing individual coping skills and fostering a sense of enjoyment and buy-in. Bryce also gives his opinions on PL commentary, board games, and methods of reading.

The boys talk about the changes to our, and our clients' training circumstances in the wake of COVID-19. We talk about the specific barriers we are constantly hearing about and some practical strategies to get around them, both in a training sense and a motivational/psychological sense. We talk about what is still to like about training, and how we can make the most of this period as coaches. 

Tom Clark and Brandon Tan guest host an episode in which they ask the boys trivia questions, discussion points, and conduct personal interviews. As quizmasters, they also dictate a drinking schedule to your regular hosts. We move between lots of silliness and anecdote to more serious discussions about the nature of coaching and coach/client relationships, and how we can be more productive training currently. 

Anthony, of Apex Strength, joins the boys to talk about a multitude of topics. We cover his competitive history, injuries and lessons learnt from his experiences lifting at the world level. We speak about his past problems with alcohol, and about learning to love himself. We then change tack and discuss his moved from Powerlifting Australia to entering ProRaw, and the differences and challenges involved in doing so. 

Hattie joins the boys to talk about why she chooses to make heavy strength training the core of her physique development programs. We go into depth about aspects of motivation, self-management skills, and coaching practice to bring people through the ups and downs of prep. We draw out lots of useful parallels between her practice as a physique coach and powerlifting coaching.

Robert joins the boys to talk about Wilks points, and what the changes to the old Wilks Formula mean. We also talk about what it would take to elevate the standard and level of interest in powerlifting internationally. Finally, we speak about whether World Powerlifting can ever truly be relevant. Robert also shares some coaching wisdom.  Ps, he doesn't like paused squats. 

Jacob joins the boys to talk about yearly planning for powerlifters. We cover what it entails, whom it best serves, and how as coaches we can begin communicating with clients about longer-term plans. Jacob takes potshots at Will's bench and Alex's body composition. 

Why? Wherefore? (WhereFOUR) The boys are back with another Q&A, covering the role of variations in drilling technique and our go-to options, paradigm shifts in health/fitness and PL coaching, daily undulating periodisation, signs of overreaching/underrecovery, lessons we've learnt in coaching/programming recently, whether we need to work on stability throughout a career (and what it is), getting started in coaching, determining strong squat stances, and the application of RPE training/autoregulation. 

Eric, of Elevate Barbell and The Strength Athlete, joins the boys to talk about peaking, what it is, and how to do it. We discuss the benefits and drawbacks of pushing intensity up and tapering volume over a peak, some other coaching considerations, and also talk about how your training environment and attitudes can shape your progress.