Author: Raymundo Gardea

There’s a lot of thinking in Weightlifting, and there really shouldn’t be, at least not while you’re performing a lift. The discussion of corrections and technique should happen between lifts, internalized by the Lifter, and executed when the barbell is in their hands. Part of this falls on the coach, don’t give a Lifter too many things to think about, or they end up looking like a computer with a hundred browser tabs open. Snatches are already difficult enough without having to think about: keeping the chest up, keeping the bar close, staying balanced, relaxing the arms, fully extending, pulling under, moving the feet, punching up to lock the bar in place, standing up after gaining control. It’s more confusing than trying to put together a piece of IKEA furniture. That’s why we drill, and lift, and practice over and over until things become nearly automatic. Here’s the problem, when the weights start to get a little out of your comfort zone you start to hesitate, and doubt, and…think.

I’ve seen so many people do it time after time. They’re rolling through a workout and the warmup reps look solid. They keep going up and eventually reach working weights. Things could go either way at this point depending on the percentages. If the percentages are on the lighter side, no problem, you’re comfortable with those weights. You’re cruising down a familiar street you’ve been down a thousand times. Things start to fall apart when the percentages are high or you’re going for a heavy single/1RM. Now you’re in an unfamiliar neighborhood in the middle of the night with shadows scurrying in and out of alley ways. You don’t set up the same way when it starts to get heavier, why? Nothing changed, you just added a little more weight on the bar. That high percentage or the pressure of making a PR causes you to talk yourself out of even giving the lift a good attempt. You scare yourself with all that extra thinking, that’s a main reason people Clark lifts. I really hate when people Clark the bar, if I see it happen and it’s my call, they are done, time to move on.

Weightlifting is ritualistic for many people. They set up a certain way. Some people scream like banshees or slap themselves as hard as a person belly flopping off a diving board. Most people don’t do it for the warmup, it’s usually an attempt to psych themselves up for heavier lifts. Therein lies the problem, it’s no longer in your comfort zone, you feel like you need something extra to be successful. There is nothing wrong with trying to amp yourself up, just don’t take forever to do it. I’ve watched people set up for a lift, then take twice as long as they normally would to initiate the lift. Then they miss, and act like that was going to happen all along. They sit there letting the doubt creep in, they are talking to themselves, bargaining even. It’s not something they feel like doing, because they don’t want to fail, so they reluctantly try it and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. So how do you fix it?

Let me introduce you to the 5 Second Rule. No, I’m not talking about picking up and eating the food that fell on the floor 5 seconds ago, although that might be a discussion at some point if you still do it. I’m talking about the 5 second rule that a woman named Mel Robbins talks about. I heard about this rule a while ago and started implementing it in my life in as many areas as I could, including Weightlifting. The rule is this: When something pops into your head that requires an action, do it within 5 seconds. Sounds simple, but it’s not easy. It’s a tool that you have to become familiar with using, and it only works if you apply it, and it can be applied to anything and everything. Want to drink more water, get up and go fill a bottle, within 5 seconds of thinking it. See a person and want to ask them on a date, do it within 5 seconds of thinking about it. Thinking about sending a text to check up on a friend, take Nike’s advice and Just Do It. Action is the cornerstone of getting anything done. You’re rarely going to feel like doing things, but you don’t have to listen to that voice, you can act in spite of that feeling. Weightlifting requires action, obviously.

That hesitation, that conversation that you have with yourself when you’re about to attempt a lift, isn’t helping you. You only need to act, lift the barbell. 5 seconds, that’s all you should give yourself. Don’t sit there with your butt raised in the air like a stink beetle for 15 seconds. Don’t close your eyes for 20 seconds as the clock ticks away and you try to convince yourself you can do it. Do that when you’re resting between sets. Only action is required when you’re set up and ready to go, just as you would with any other lift that’s lighter than the one you’re attempting. If the 5 second rule doesn’t work for you, the problem is not the rule, it’s that you don’t want to change. You have to face the unknown, step out of your comfort zone, try something new, and risk failure. 5 seconds, that’s it. What are you waiting for?