Weightlifting Etiquette

Simple post today, primarily aimed at new weightlifters. What basic rules of etiquette should you be aware of when training with other weightlifters?

First, let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way:

1. Clean up. Frankly, I think this is the most important rule and the easiest to follow. I take pride in always leaving an area exactly as I found it (or cleaner, if I found it messy). Put away weights and bars in the proper places. Move jerk boxes back to where they belong. Take care of the space as if it were your own. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’ll endear you with the owner.
2. Don’t coach. Unless you actually are a coach, don’t offer unsolicited advice. Many lifters won’t appreciate it, and you never know if they’re purposefully doing something you consider ‘wrong’.
3. Sharing is caring. Don’t be selfish with the bar, plates or platform. They’re not yours anyway. If someone asks you to share, then do so unless it’s absolutely going to somehow mess up your workout. Even then, explain that and apologize. Be a good person.

Then there are the less obvious rules, specific to the sport of weightlifting:

1. Sightlines. Don’t walk in front of somebody while they’re lifting. More broadly, don’t stand right in front of them, or really too close in any direction. Lifters pick a focal point that they keep insight at all times during the lift. Interfering with that can throw off a lift. Of course this doesn’t apply to ALL situations. If someone is warming up with the bar, their sightline matters less than if they’re attempting a PR. Use your best judgment.
2. Noise. Similar to the rule above, this is more important the more difficult the attempt, but don’t create undue noise when someone is lifting. Don’t take a lift when they’re in the middle of their attempt. Don’t have a loud conversation right behind a lifter during their attempt. Respect the level of mental concentration and focus that the snatch and clean and jerk require.
3. Chalk. Keep the chalk in the bowl. Don’t LeBron James the chalk. Rub it into your hands, and tap off the excess all inside the bowl. Don’t purposefully break the chalk into smaller chalk pieces. Respect the chalk.

And one bonus rule of etiquette. I’ve never heard of this rule before, and I’m guilty of breaking it many times if it’s true, but one of the places I researched for this post said:

6. Don’t stand a bar on its end to unload plates unless you own the bar.

Good to know. Not sure if this is a real thing or not but from now on, I’ll avoid doing it.

Anything I missed? Leave it in the comment section.

First Meet Notes

Previously, I wrote a post on advice from experts for your first weightlifting meet.

Here are some notes, post meet.

1) Pillow. The secret weapon. Best advice I got was from Jacob Tsypkin who wrote:

The absolute most important thing you can do at this time [between weigh-in and warm-ups] is try to stay relaxed (did you bring that pillow?)

Having a pillow, headphones, and A Feast For Crows on my phone was so helpful in staying relaxed and calm during the three and a half hours or so between weigh-in and warm-ups. I ended up lifting about an hour and twenty minutes later than I had planned. Instead of pacing and wasting adrenaline, I laid down in the back on my pillow, listened to my book, and breathed deeply. I was more relaxed than ever.

2) Use the clock. Another great piece of advice from the same article:

DO NOT rush your set-up. This is probably where I see the most new lifters miss their attempts – they get too excited and hurry through their set-up. Behave exactly as you would in training.

I probably took the longest to lift of almost anybody there, even though it was only fifteen seconds or so. I’d take setup on the bar, sit in the bottom of my squat, take deep breaths, stay relaxed and clear my mind, just like in training but a bit longer. I really think it helped. My heart was never beating fast, and my lifts felt instinctual. That is NOT how my lifts normally feel, given I’m an unathletic cubicle monkey (the last time I competed at something, I left bloody).

3) Use the night before to prepare. I packed my bag, made food and planned out my morning the night before, giving myself plenty of time for surprises. The next morning breezed and I never felt stressed. Just like the previous two notes, it all comes down to eliminating as many distractions and stresses as possible so you can simply focus on lifting.

Most importantly, have fun. Meet the other lifters, have someone to root for and vice versa, relax and enjoy it. Not only will it help you perform better, but you’ll have a better experience and want to come back.

I left a more thorough recap on Reddit with a lot of boring details you don’t care about.

Gear for a New Weightlifter

Simple question: What stuff does a new weightlifter need to buy?

Note I used all Rogue links to keep it easy if you want to buy a bunch of stuff all from one place. They also do free shipping on a lot of stuff. I’m not paid by them or anything like that. There’s definitely some cases where I wouldn’t buy the Rogue links, like the notebook or timer.

NECESSARY the stuff that can’t be skipped

Weightlifting Shoes – The very first purchase should be weightlifting shoes. Everything else can arguably wait but this should be the first thing.They aid your lifts and squats a great deal, and more importantly, you don’t want to ingrain bad motor patterns if you start learning the lifts without weightlifting shoes. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are cheaper options out there that don’t require the same high dollar price commitment. I bought a pair of the Rogue Do-Win ($119) shoe and have been using them for over a year. I just bought a new pair of Nike Romaleos 2 ($189) but I’m not switching until after my first meet next Sunday. A lot of people also like the Adidas Adipower ($199), including seemingly every American weightlifting video I see.

DAILY USE the stuff i use every day

Notebook / Pen – Writing down your workouts promotes discipline and offers a guide to what worked and didn’t work in the past. I just use a plain spiral bound notebook but if you want to keep more detailed track of your progress, this Rogue Fitness WODbook ($16.50) is meant for CrossFit but it could work for weightlifting.

Stop Watch or Timer – I find that using specific rest periods between sets, rather than just going by feel, is beneficial to make sure I spend my limited time well in the gym. Rogue sells this Robic Timer ($24) but there are much better options, including your phone.

Lifting Straps – Not quite every day, but just about. When you’re doing heavy clean and snatch pulls, your grip shouldn’t be the limiting factor in how much weight you can do. I have a pair of these Rogue Lifting Straps ($12) that work well for me.

Hand Care – Tearing a callous hurts like hell and impedes your training for days. After getting plenty in CrossFit, I made sure to take care of my hands once I started weightlifting. RIPT Skin Systems has a Fix Your Hands ($22) pack that has a grind stone to use in the shower after every training session, a stick you apply daily to keep your callouses soft, another stick for freshly ripped callouses just in case. I haven’t had any problems after I bought the pack and started using it, so I’m a fan.

IT DEPENDS the stuff not everyone needs

Knee Sleeves – I wear a pair of Rehband 7751 ($74) for any workout where I’m going heavy below parallel. When my knees are really bothering me every couple of months, I switch to the heavy duty Tommy Kono ($40) bands. Plenty of people lift without knee sleeves and don’t have knee pain, but I feel better wearing them every workout.

Wrist Wraps – I use a pair of Rogue Wrist Wraps ($15) on any heavy overhead work, including heavy snatches and jerks. Again, not everyone uses or needs these, but I feel better with them on.

Chalk – Most weightlifting gyms should have this available, but if you’ll be lifting somewhere without it, this is a good option for a travel chalk that you can stick in your bag. I have a Bison Chalk Ball ($13) for the rare occasion it’s needed. Also good for meets when you don’t know what will be available and where in the warm-up area.

Mobility Accessories – Most weightlifting gyms will have at least some of this stuff, but again, I have my own copies to keep in my bag or at home. A lacrosse ball ($3), a stretch band ($20), and a foam roller ($40) should be enough.

Your First Meet: What the Experts Say

I’ve got my first meet coming up at the end of January. As part of my preparation I researched as much possible advice as I could find out there for new weightlifters going to their first meet. While nothing beats having a coach to be able to walk you through everything, here is what I found.

Jim Schmitz: Your First Competition

Jim’s website ‘Ironmind’ is a great resource for articles on weightlifting, and his post on your first competition did not disappoint. The biggest takeaway from the article for me was Jim’s recommendations on what to warm-up with. His sample openers just so happened to be the same openers I planned to use (75/95… stop laughing).

Jacob Tsypkin: A Guide To Your 1st Weightlighting Meet [Part 2]

Jacob’s two-part series stands apart as incredibly comprehensive. Detailing everything from your mental state, to what to bring, how to estimate when you’ll be lifting, and how to approach your warm-ups.

70s Big: Your First Weightlifting Meet

This article is a lot more about what to do in the week leading up to your first meet and the advice seems to gel with what the other articles say. The most unique idea I saw suggested a new lifter consider power snatching / cleaning their first attempt. Especially for lifters whose strength is greater than their technique, this is an interesting idea.

Reddit: Signed up for first meet!

Let me just take a moment to extol the wonder of Reddit for weightlifters. There are some seriously experienced lifters on there who hare open-handed with advice, form critiques, and answering any questions you may have. As you can see, user olymic_lifter provided detailed answers for all of the original posters’ questions and follow-up questions.

Do you have any other great resources for a beginner weightlifters’ first meet? Leave them in the comments.