Weakly Weights

Australia's number one ranked powerlifter joins the boys to chat about her history as an athlete and coach. We cover her earliest forays into competitive sport and powerlifting and then learn how she came to train in her seemingly unconventional manner. Jess also talks to us about her processes for maximising competition performance and for moving successfully between weight classes. 

Tino joins the boys to talk about his unusual life. We cover his involvement in figure skating, in which he had Olympic aspirations, before joining Disney on Ice and performing as a lead in multiple shows. Matt tells us about his time in the army, and deployment in Afghanistan, and then we discuss the impact of his recent horrific injury on his training and mindset. 

The boys wrap up the "Programming the..." series. We cover phase-specific considerations for the deadlift in the major training variables (frequency, intensity, volume, specificity), individual difference in training tolerance and needs, and synergy/interference with other lifts. We also answer audience-submitted questions. 

Weakly Weights goes international. The boys hook up over zoom for a surprise QandA, asking the other party questions from listeners that they have to answer with no preparation. Plenty of stupid stuff, as well as discussions on the nature of coaching, why coach-client relationships and buy-in can matter as much as the substance of your actual coaching service, why certain lifts don't seem to improve, when to try sumo, and considerations for substituting one movement for another. 

Jess joins the boys to talk about her powerlifting career. We cover how she began in the sport, her rise to international competition, and the lessons it has taught her. 

The boys go over the results of Powerlifting Australia's national championships, held in Melbourne over the weekend. We cover the results in each class and pick apart some of the tighter battles that occurred. Will congratulates himself a lot for coming second. 

Dr Mike joins the boys for a discussion on the basis of phasic structure. We talk about what adaptations underpin powerlifting performance, how training specifically for certain adaptations may aid or interfere with others, and the implications that this has for program design. We also talk about changes in lifters' developmental needs over their careers and why the relative duration and degree of observed interference between different training styles may change with time. 

The boys talk about programming the bench press. We cover phase-specific changes in how we approach the training variables, discuss elements of individual differences, and answer questions from our listeners. 

The boys chat about deloads - what they are, when and why we implement them, how to deload in different phases, and how your needs for a deload will change across your training lifetime. 

The boys go in depth on programming the squat - phase-specific discussions about how we consider each training variable, individual factors that influence squat training tolerance and needs, and the synergy/interference between squat training and the other powerlifts

The boys talk about the potential of seeing powerlifting in the Olympic Games. We discuss the criteria for eligibility, how powerlifting stacks up, what the status of weightlifting means for PL, and if we were to make it what competition structure would make most sense. 

The boys chat about advanced lifters - we discuss what changes between advanced lifters and beginner/intermediates, how much training they ought to do, how heavy it should be, and how we might manipulate training variables such as frequency, variation and specificity in training. 

Chrissy joins Will to discuss the practical approach to managing niggles and minor injuries during training, how to interact with professionals who are managing you, and the way in which coaches can interact with physios to get the best outcomes for their clients. We also cover how to get the most out of coaching, and how athletes and coaches can effectively communicate. 

Simon joins will to talk about para powerlifting - what the sport is, how the execution of the bench press differs between it and 3-lift powerlifting, and what he has learnt from his time spent studying the bench press under both schools. 

Matt Gary, coaching education director of the USAPL and previous head coach of numerous national teams, joins the boys to discuss his training philosophies. We cover the influences on his training methods, how they differ from the norms, and his considerations in structuring training for powerlifters across different phases. We then discuss his history of elite-level competition coaching and how he changes his style and strategies depending on the situation and the needs of the athlete. 

The boys chat about training intermediate powerlifters - we define them, speak about the differences in requirements between individuals, and how we can structure training phases to help navigate the journey to advancement. 

Rob Flett of the Lift Education Podcast joins the boys for a discussion of sleep - we cover what the different phases of sleep are, their importance, how the quantity and quality of sleep can affect your training, adaptations, health and psychology, as well as some ways to improve sleep quality and performance. 

The boys talk about training the beginner - covering what a beginner is, their developmental needs, how to introduce the movements, appropriate loads/relative intensities, volumes, use of variation and periodisation for those who are new to the sport. 

Lyle McDonald joins the boys to discuss the menstrual cycle, its influence on performance and adaptation, and how coaching female athletes may differ from males. We also discuss different forms of birth control and their impacts on performance. 

The boys sit down and chat about competition day coaching - how to plan warmups and attempts for success. Discussions around setting expectations, the role of comp-day cueing, and why post-comp reflections are important.