Welcome back, sports fans. Let’s wrap this up with some more practical information to get you started implementing these ideas in your coaching or training.
 
Categories of Exercises
 
We can split exercises in this context into two basic categories: technical and training. The purpose of technical exercises is for the athlete to learn and practice a skill independently of any qualities like strength. These will be more common earlier in a lifter’s career, or used more for initial stage remediation of bad habits later on. These will include technique primers, learning drills and any other remedial drills performed with little to no weight.
 
Training exercises may have a significant technical element to them, but are intended to train physical qualities like strength to allow proper execution of a movement up to maximal weight attempts. This category includes standalone exercises like pulling or deadlift variations, complexes combining an exercise that addresses a problem with the competition lift it’s intended to improve, and modifications to standard exercises like including pauses or changing tempo; for example, pause squats, slow-pull snatches or cleans, segment snatches or cleans, and holds in the receiving position.
 
Criticalness of Proper Performance
 
Some of you may find it odd this has to be mentioned explicitly, and I suspect your coaching and athletic journey has been smoother than others’, because I can assure you it needs to not only be stated, but repeated regularly—exercises need to be performed correctly to be effective, and this is even more critical for exercises specifically intended to improve technical performance.
 
In fact, if you perform these exercises poorly, not only will they not improve the lift, but usually reinforce the problem and make progress more difficult. The obvious example is using pulling variations to fix the problem of tipping over the bar in the first pull—if we load up an exercise like a segment clean pull and then perform it with the same tipping motion we’re trying to correct, not only would there be no reason at all for the exercise to change the way we’re pulling, but we’re actually strengthening that poor position and ensuring further that the body will move into it as weights increase.
 
As less obvious example would be a more technical exercise like a snatch with no jump. The primary purpose of the exercise is to improve leg drive through the pull by exaggerating the drive and timing—the feet should stay on the ground because the athlete is continuing to push longer, so they remain anchored. However, it’s far easier to perform a snatch with no jump by cutting the pull short and not trying to lift the feet up—in other words, the more natural and easier way to perform the exercise will not only not make positive changes, it will reinforce and even exacerbate the cause of the problem we’re trying to fix.
 
Intensity control when it comes to programming and training these exercises is an important part of the puzzle. As weightlifters and lifting coaches, it’s natural to be stuck on the idea that heavier is better, but you see now why that’s not necessarily true—heavier is only better if it’s also correct. An exercise will be far more effective correctly a technical problem with less weight and proper execution, and the intensity can be increased over time as the athlete progresses in ability—patience and discipline are imperative.
 
Minimize Technical & Conceptual Information
 
One of the biggest reasons using exercises instead of instruction for technical improvement is that it helps us bypass the obstacle that the brain presents in the process (yes, I understand the brain is still responsible for motor learning even without consciousness, but rhetorically I like saying brain, so figure it out). We can largely avoid the common problems of overthinking, doubt, confusion and misinterpretation that prevent instruction from being as effective as our elegant and eloquent presentations would otherwise be.
 
The goal is to minimize explanation and technical information—to get the body to do what we want without interference from the mind. We need to limit explanation of an exercise to only what’s needed to execute it correctly; we don’t need to dig into technical concepts on how it relates to or affects the lift we’re trying to improve. That won’t contribute to the cause, and only offers potential problems. This is a paint-by-numbers workbook, not trying to teach Michelangelo on day one the principles he’ll use to paint the Sistine Chapel.
 
Common Examples
 
Since I told you earlier the best way to learn how to better diagnose and correct problems was to start with the methods of existing coaches and gain some experience and then start experimenting, it’s only fair I give you a few examples to work with.
 
Technical Exercises

• Slow pull snatch/clean: Fix premature opening of the hips or tipping over the bar, and improve balance and bar proximity before contact
• Snatch with no jump: Improve leg drive and balance in the pull
• Push press + split jerk: Improve timing, power and balance in the drive, upright posture when splitting
• Tall snatch/clean: Learn and improve third pull mechanics and speed, improve connection and meeting the bar in the turnover

Training Exercises

• Halting deadlift: Strengthen the ability to stay over bar longer
• Floating pulls on riser: Reinforce starting position and strengthen the break off floor and proper pulling posture
• Segment snatch/clean pull: Improve postural strength and balance in pull
• Pause back squat: Improve squat and pulling posture, improve rate of force development from in squats and pulls