T Nation

Olympic Lifting?

Beginners
#1

Hello!

I’m 14 and I’ve been lifting StrongLifts for the past 5 months and currently my lifts are:
Bench: 150 lbs 1rm
Press: 100 lbs 1rm
Squat: 300 lbs 5rm
Deadlift 315 lbs
Row: 135 lbs 1rm
All tested for max even though its a 5x5 program

However, after every session I increasingly hate the bench press and I’ve instead did Wave Loading 3/2/1 for it because i’ve struggled so much with it. I think i hate it because i’m hypermobile/double jointed in my left shoulder and it feels very weird. I’ve also changed the press into 5x5 clean and press because I’m really interested in Oly and after reading about it and learning about the benefits of Oly.

I’m going to keep doing SL because my short term goal is to get a 315 squat and I love squatting more than any other movement, except maybe clean and press.

However, there’s one catch. I don’t know where to learn the lifts. I thought maybe i could go to a crossfit box and probably that’s my best bet. So, I’m pretty sure I’m going to do oly, but how can i learn these lifts if i go into the crossfit gym and theres a guy quarter squatting 500 lbs. Or what if i go in there and the price for learning the lift is all the money i saved this summer from being a golf caddy?

I asked around at the Gym i go to, (the Y) and the one guy who does oly said he learned from his lifting coach for football. I play rugby though and im not willing to tryout for our school which won states for the past 5 years

#2

Also, i’ve chosen Dan Johns beginners lifting program If i can learn the lifts

#3

[quote]cakyman wrote:
I love squatting more than any other movement, except maybe clean and press.[/quote]
These are great habits that will serve you very well, no matter what direction you want to go.

What city are you in? That’ll help narrow down some quality coaches. You could also try starting a thread in the Olympic Lifting forum here, but they’ll also ask where you are/what area you’re looking in.

Despite the bad rep, some CF gyms have good coaching, especially for the O lifts. Just like any gym, some trainers know their stuff and some don’t. In the mean time, I’d treat the O lifts just like you learn the bench, deadlift, and squat. Start light, focus on the movement instead of the weight, and practice. Taking video, and possibly posting it for review, can also help.

That’s something to worry about once you find a place. As a heads up, some places might also have an issue with you being 14. Some gyms don’t allow kids to train on their own, and require them to either work with a trainer all the time or have a parent present for each session. Again though, that’ll vary gym to gym so don’t stress over it yet.

FWIW, there’s a kid at the gym I go to who works part-time in exchange for a membership. Basically, he mops, sweeps, and cleans mirrors for a few hours a day/a few days a week, and he gets to train there. It’s a deal he worked out personally with the manager.

If Dan John knows two things, it’s how to train the Olympic lifts and how to coach young lifters. Following his advice is an awesome idea.

#4

Can’t recommend a coach strongly enough. Even guys who have been lifting 10+ years need feedback

#5

Thank you very much for your feedback.

i live in suburban philadelphia and i lookes up the closest boxes and they all have very low certification for crossfit\high prices for classes. I am in NYC this weekend and maybe i could find a weightlifting gym there, as i go here every month for a weekend and am pretty free to do anything, and thats probably my only hope for learning the lifts

#6

[quote]cakyman wrote:
Thank you very much for your feedback.

i live in suburban philadelphia and i lookes up the closest boxes and they all have very low certification for crossfit\high prices for classes. I am in NYC this weekend and maybe i could find a weightlifting gym there, as i go here every month for a weekend and am pretty free to do anything, and thats probably my only hope for learning the lifts[/quote]
Check the USA Weightlifting site to find a legit coach. It might end up being at a CF gym, but it’s a solid certification so there’s a better than average chance of high-quality teaching:
www.teamusa.org/usa-weightlifting/clubs-lwc/find-a-club