I’m not very big in specialized auxiliary movements for novice and intermediate weightlifters. Mainly because I believe they should spend more time getting reps in the full lifts rather than spending it on other movements. And clearly the amount of time spent training is far less than an elite weightlifter, therefore we want to keep it as concentrated as possible.

With that said, accessory movements are still very beneficial for novice and intermediate lifters to help them work on specific issues that they maybe having. BUT for the majority of weightlifters these movements should be a small percentage of the training volume in relation to the full lifts. I find too many new people focusing on the small aspects of weightlifting and completely ignoring the nuts and bolts of weightlifting = the classical lifts, squat, pull, press. I don’t want to go into long rant here so let’s jump into these accessory/progression movements that I’ve found to be helpful for some weightlifters.

No Feet Movement

I heard about this a few years back from a lifter that had trained at the OTC when Zygmunt first arrived. Initially I was skeptic and thought it was more for the elite weightlifters but after being reintroduced to it, I’ve found it to be very beneficial as a primer and for lighter technique days. The premise is to start with your feet in your squat position and keep your HEELS firmly planted into the ground.

• Application: We typically program these in as a primer or for times when the lifter needs to unload a bit. It’s beneficial for both the snatch and clean.
• Benefits: great for arm action and learning to keep driving off your heels during the pull. It can really expose a torso lean, if the lifter has it.

Tempo Pulls

There’s clearly a benefit of tempos and focusing on eccentric strength for carry over to concentric movements. Considering most weightlifters really focus on the concentric and fast movements, it’s great to change the skill set and focus for strength blocks.

• Application: Tempos can be used from pulls, squats, presses, and so on. We typically program tempos mainly for strength blocks, however for some weightlifters we’ll keep them in until about x1-2 weeks into a competition block depending on the length. During this time the lifters will mainly do tempos in the pulls and on the rare occasion squats, if they’re still having trouble in the bottom of the squat. Keep in mind these lifters are generally still intermediate weightlifters.
• Benefits: Tempos and pause movements can help strengthen up specific points in the movement and create stability at weak points. They are also a great alternative to lower the total intensity but still make it a challenging exercise i.e. 80% of clean pull 4×3 2:1:4 tempo or 3 point pause pull x2 sec hold at each position with 6sec negative. Slowing down the movement can also help novice and beginning weightlifters develop better positioning awareness.

Foot Work

As you can tell I’m all about QUALITY reps, reps, and reps! Especially when a weightlifter is just starting off. Mainly because I want all these movements to become automatic for the lifter, there is NO thinking just do. This is why you’ll see many of our new weightlifters off to the side working on position during their rest time, whether it be first pull position with a dowel or jerk foot work.

For the above video, all you need is a simple dowel placed between the lifters leg, then stand up, drop down in the split 🙂 simple as that.

• Application: As stated we use this during our rest periods and also as a “take home assignment”. Because this can be done anywhere I expect many of our weightlifters to work on this at home. We have to make this AUTOMATIC 🙂
• Benefits: Helps with weightlifters that don’t feel comfortable in the split, helps with automatic positioning, reinforce “soft” back knee, and not crossing the mid-line of the body. This is particularly beneficial for weightlifters that walk the “tight rope” or have a problem landing in a consistent split.

That’s it for today. Hope this was helpful!

Stay strong,
Team Fusion Weightlifting