They also need to change names. Squat, Bench, and Deadlifting is weight lifting, there is no "Power" component. Weightlifting, the Olympic Lifts, are literally a display of Power...that is, they have a Work/Time paradigm.
Most gyms don't have bumper plates or a cushioned floor to drop weights. This is one of the biggest reasons people aren't attempting weightlifting more often.
Yeah, my gym has like one free barbell platform with barely any rubber weights. It's a relatively cheap and wildly available commercial gym so it works with my travel job, but the random people they hire to work at these places would be acting like I was a crazy person for doing snatches.
also in the rare occassion that the gym has those things, the dumbfck employees throw a fit whenever the barbell is dropped 😁 wish i had an actual weightlifting gym near me
@@BuffPomskyIt’s a gym buddy, not a library or a place to desire silence. Furthermore, at a certain weight you can do serious damage trying to slowly lower the weight in Olympic lifts.
I started weightlifting at 42. Now at 44 and I can snatch 80kg and clean n jerk 98kg. Pedestrian numbers, but holy crap do I love the sport and it has helped my jiu jitsu a lot.
@@JamesBond-wv9xz I'm more explosive for sure, and stronger overall and even more flexible, but I think just the grind of doing something difficult over a long period allows me to work on things without feeling the need to see immediate improvements. I know they are coming eventually and I'll be better off for the effort.
I'm 47 and I started weight lifting. I don't care about the weight I lift. I just want to be explosive, have more mobility and be able to snatch at least 50 kg, which actually I can.
Same, I started olympic weightlifting more than a year ago, I'm now 32. (Clarence's videos motivated me to start 😅). I did some unhealthy amount of reps, but now I can snatch 80kg, and cj 110kg with a nice crisp good form.
Risky business doing oly lifts at that age, your joints dont have the wear tolerance they had when you were 20, dude, and oly lifts are basically you throwing heavy weights straight into joint and bones, specially shoulders and elbows. But good for you anyway.
Good on you man, it's a good sport to achieve those goals. It'll keep you strong. Saying you want to snatch at least 50kg shows that you do actually care about the weight you lift. There's nothing wrong with that - fundamentally, lifting more weight in the snatch and clean & jerk is the goal.
You and Zack Telander got me into weightlifting. Definitely agree on the "you don't know if you like it till you get far into it" comment. Working on technique was one of the most frustrating things ever, but over a year later I enjoy training way more than I ever did powerlifting.
Interestingly enough, if translator not lile, in Russia what you call "track and field" we call "light athletics" and what you call "weightlifting" we call "heavy athletics"
I actually make this comparison often to explain it to people! To a laymen they assume it’s basically the same thing as powerlifting. Which it really is entirely different. I say “it’s more like throwing a javelin than powerlifting”. It is a ballistic/explosive sport by nature.
@@Filip-ip6lyweightlifting is actually one of the less injury prone sports out there (even compared to running, for example). There are several reasons for this: 1. if the weight is far too heavy for you, you'll just not be able to lift it at all (instead of being crushed by it, like in the bench press). 2. You don't collide with other people while running. 3. The movements are relatively biomechanically neutral. No abrupt turns, etc. Injuries happen, but they're usually minor and athletes are back training in no time.
@@Filip-ip6ly so is powerlifting in general. For that matter, a pugilist will also have to spar a lot to become good at fighting. The Q is, are you doing WL, PL, combat sports to stand on a podium at a national level or is it for general health & fitness. If it's the latter, don't do anything to the extremes.
I think weightlifting looks super cool and dramatic, and is something that requires more effort to master than powerlifting, which is what I do. Effortlessly throwing something over your head and standing up in one movement is just an incredible spectacle. Heck, even when you're just warming up! Where you get to see the real speed and power and precision it takes. It's something I never could see myself being good at, so watching someone else who is at the top and getting that deeper look into their training has always been entertaining. You're also the reason I squat and deadlift beltless, haha.
it's entirely different , Amateur powerlifting is slightly above regular bodybuilding in complexity , weightlifting on the other hand requires proper coaching in my opinion
I think it's also important to understand that not everyone is looking to get into a sport. They wanna lose weight and get muscle, walk into a gym and see people doing bench, squats, curls etc. You need a pretty big space to do Olympic lifts, I don't know anywhere near me that has that. Great stuff as always Clarence. I follow your stuff cause you're just a cool dude!
I snatched 90kg in my first 2-3 years and it took me another 3 years to snatch 90kg for a double. Did a 180kg deadlift for reps in way less time with way less effort, but I did not feel very accomplished tbh. For some people overcoming the brutally hard and tedious stuff is the fun part. Friends who progressed faster than me eventually hit a wall and gave up when they didn't see easy progress anymore. Definitely needs the right personality fit.
Same for me, I trained deadlift for like 2 months and I was able to hit 170kg without bell easily. In march I changed from doing crossfit without snatching at all to let's say weightlifting focused functional training and this month I've finally been able to hit 60-65kg snatches singles consistently with decent technique. I feel way better doing 65kg snatches than heavy deadlifts, even with the slow progress I'm having rn.
Weightlifting is one of those things that I only learned to appreciate vicariously as I got older. When I was younger, I think like a lot of people, I just wanted fast and easy results. Being a "general gym goer", whilst dabbling in bodybuilding and powerlifting as I advanced, was the path of least resistance for me. The cruel irony here being that if you want to be good at weightlifting you have to start young. So I have a lot of respect for anyone who does weightlifting, but especially people who jumped into it as their first mode of training. If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, it's what I'd have done.
I started strength training at 38. Started weightlifting at 39. I'm 6 months in and loving the challenge. If you measure your progress by improved technique rather than weight on the bar it's a lot less frustrating.
This is why i focus a lot on high bar squat, front squat, clean and snatch grip deadlift en overhead press. You can train it like a powerlifter. But it is still in the style of a olympic lifter.
For me, the enjoyment level at weightlifting is high at the beginning. It's been almost 2 years for me but I still like seeing the small progress. I can't imagine being 10 years in and fighting for that one kg.
I’m on my 3rd year and have been stuck at 100kg snatch for over 2!! I get caught up experimenting with different techniques and making micro adjustments nearly every work out tho. Technique is paramount but strength is also important and as you age you just can’t sustain the same level. For me it’s become more about my lifts compared to my body weight and also compared to my basic lifts like FS and BS. Like you know you’re still improving if your BS is 10 kg less and your body weight is 5kg less but you can snatch the sam or more. Progress right 😅?
I think this problem is more specific for countries with low fitness culture. For example, I live in Russia (Moscow) and I saw platform for weightlifting in (probably) 4 - 5 gyms in the city center (which are ofc very expensive and these platforms seems like for entertainment). It's very funny when I see another new fifty of sixty exercise bike in my gym but no weightliftings's platform. In view of fact that Moscow has at least 1000 gyms at this time the situation is awful. This is a really weird taken into account that weightlifting was very popular in USSR and supported by state. But today situation has changed. Majority of russian commercial gyms don't contain any platform for snatch and clean&jerk and this is sad (at least for me). I like weightlifting, but I don't want to find gyms with weightlifting's platform and taking time for that. So, this is another reason why weightlifting is not good sport for people which don't live in USA and certain European countries.
Weightlifting seems like something I actually need a coach to do. I can push numbers in powerlifting with some self programming and following popular programs. But hey man! You and Toshiki got me squatting high bar Olympic style. I always squatted that way thanks to you guys.
Very wise of yours to talk about this point. Me at 30's has been a struggle to make progress like you said. Its very important to stay patient and focus to a long time road result. The community that you are practicing with makes the difference as well.
Great video thanks for sharing. I actually started weight lifting when I was 35 years old. I am 37 now and have been training 3-4days a week for the past 2 years. I am just now figuring out the technique and gaining proper mobility needed to make progress. I have had a coach for some of my journey which helped when I was learning. It is a really hard sport but very rewarding knowing you are training the hardest movement patterns in the gym. After hitting snatch and cleans every other exercises seems simple and way less technical/mentally draining.
Honestly I did weightlifting for 2+ years but lack of support, literally no scene/equipped gyms where I live, pain in the joints, 5 days a week training while working a full time job, killed any fun I used to have with it. It felt like torturing myself while getting worst and worst results. I was miserable.
I just started the weightlifting journey. I've already completed 3 weeks of training and everything Clarence is saying I can 100% relate. I already had experience in other sports training but weightlifting is a whole new fatigue I'm experiencing 😅 I wanted to pick up the sport to try something new and challenging. I know weightlifting will teach me the importance of being patient and focus on specilaizing a skill.
I think one of the hardest parts about switching from powerlifting/bodybuilding to weightlifting was checking my ego. Used to doing such higher weight at much higher volume, so it was a real challenge to wrap my head around a work out where the heaviest thing I would pick up for weeks at a time was a 20 kg barbell. Glad I’m doing it now though! It’s a great challenge
At the time I wanted to begin weightlifting, I had just deadlifted 675lbs a month prior, could do the pig squat workout ATG twice a week if I wanted, and it took me a fuckin month and a half to be able to overhead squat the bar. And just when I thought rock bottom was the bottom, a new guy starts lifting at my gym, matches my snatch and C&J numbers but he weighs 110lbs and I'm 200 lmfao
This video was great and reminds me why I got into weightlifting. Early on in my twenties when I started taking the gym more seriously. Someone said to me that weightlifting is the hardest thing that anyone can do in the gym. So naturally, that's what I want to do, and I'm still at it.
I have done powerlifting for 4 years and I just started weighlifting. I'd say having done powerlifting before really helps a lot. It became enjoyable really fast for me. Im not looking to be competitive though. Just trying to get better on my own. Throwing big ass weight above your head has a very rewarding feel to it.
I really appreciate this video. You are honest, and unbiased; not encouraging people baselessly. If it weren't for this video, i would definitely waste my months or at least weeks to learn, and at the end i would quit. I am already suffering from injuries, also powerlifting and calisthenics do take up my all time. You just saved one person from a bad decision.
Well you can do it but start light since i can sense that you ego lift and ego lifting at weightlifting is like you will get injured 100% since it's a technical first so you can definitely do it but your approach is gonna be different than what you usually do when you powerlift or calisthenics. I'm mainly whatever, i just do what feels right so i don't even know what category i belong since i bodybuild, i powerlift, i train mobility too so im pretty weird but one thing i did learn from all of those and that's baby steps and go slow like really slow since if you really wanna do something and it might be fun for you then do it coz experiencing it is the only way for you to really know if you'll enjoy it so atleast try it but take it slow though.
Thank you, Clarence. You inspired me to start weightlifting. This is my second year, and I do weightlifting after my 9-5 job. My clean and jerk is 90 kg, and I snatch 70 kg. I'm natural and have good mobility, although I'm a software engineer and my upper back isn't great. Hopefully, my numbers will go up. Thanks, Clarence!
For me the weightlifting is easy, but getting stronger is hard. The prospect of an eventual clean PR is what motivates me to do this squat set of 10 at RPE10.
I switched to WLing at 19/20 and spent a year and a half making close to zero gym progress. Bodybuilding and yoga are much more my speed, personally. Now I still dream of going back, but lack the willingness to sacrifice BBing progress. Your video makes a lot of sense, as always. I'm grateful you're still doing uploads. Cheers, man.
I feel like many people in fitness wildly overestimate the average person. The average 35 year old being able to Snatch 90 and CnJ 110 after 3 years is wildly unrealistic in my opinion. The overwhelming majority will not even be close to those numbers. That would maybe be true for "the average athlete who has a background in other demanding sports like rugby". The average 35 year old doesn't do any exercise at all, much less heavy weight training.
Tbf, after three years of training (assuming consistency, decent diet and recovery, etc) they stop being an average person and start being an intermediate lifter. I think the point is most people who really commit, train properly and aren't hindered by inherent size or structural issues will be able to put up solid numbers
@@mainr7142 Assuming someone has made a conscious decision to commit to weightlifting, I don't think the concept of "train properly" is that high a bar. I didn't say anything about perfect training methodologies or dieting for optimal power to weight ratios, just "be consistent, don't eat like shit and get enough rest".
I'm from Australia though, so maybe things are different in other countries. The average 35 year old here is usually pretty active. But, America for example, is probably different.
I agree. I am self taught. I started when I was 22 and now I am 25. I've only recently started hitting 225 on the bar. And that's with training EVERY SINGLE day since I was 22. It's truly hard and breaks SO many people.
For me it's the price. It's not the coach, it's the training space and place, bumper plates and all that stuff. Ain't nobody got 50-100 euros a month to recreationally throw weights around, when you can just "bodybuild" in your local hood gym, ya feel me.
This. Also the time commitment. You are looking at 2 hours minimum 5 days a week to see any significant progress which just isn't doable for somebody that already has a full time job and a family to deal with. 99 percent of people going to the gym are going for health reasons or to get jacked.
@@caleb2159 i think that depends on how good you wanna get i dont train that much and i train at a commercial gym and im still progressing maybe not as fast as i could but i dont have that lofty of goals so doesnt matter that much to me
I like weightlifting because of its demands. Mobility power speed strength and explosiveness are far more impressive than a curved back deadlift or low bar squat. The progression is slow but I wouldn’t like it if it wasn’t hard.
Agreed, I just do it because it's hard and it trains my mind to enjoy hard things. When you're at the third rep for your snatch triple and your legs are shaking, its your mind that keeps you going.
Great video. I did weightlifting for one year when I was 42. I didn’t struggle so much with hitting the positions as I am naturally quite flexible, but the athletic aspect was a big concern. I always did something and never stopped exercising since my early teen years, but I am not gifted with great athleticism. Overall it was an amazing experience, but I did an assessment of my expectations and resources I could put into the sport and transitioned to powerlifting.
Yeah it's funny how people treat you like a lanklet crossfitter when you're in your intermediate phase snatching 70-90kg, but when you start to regularly snatch 100kg and over you suddenly become the center of attention in the gym lol
I got inspired by Lu, Klokov, and Clarence. I taught myself weightlifting movements, and later on, I just focused on the clean because I realized that learning all the techniques would require significant time and effort. It took me three years of inconsistent practice to finally learn how to dive under the bar. Weightlifting isn't really my priority at the gym, but I'm glad I still learned it. I only do clean now whenever I do back and legs together.
I played football for 20 years. Got tired of it and decided to do weightlifting as I had learned the basics and found it fun. After having done weightlifting fulltime 5 days a week now for a year I have gotten actually "good" at the lifts. The biggest part of my enjoyment is actually how hard it is. Picking up a new hobby or a sport at 27 that you suck at and its hard to get good at it is the fun part. What's the fun in doing something that takes no effort?
As someone who's main sport is swimming been competing since I was 12 (now 23) and only started going to the gym as an adult weightlifting interests me cause of how technical it is!
You got me into weightlifting when I was 64 and 450 pounds. Now I'm only 43 but I've grown to 520 pounds and can only snatch negative weights made from helium.
If you are bored after years of bodybuilding and basic barbell movements, weightlifting is an excellent alternative to jump into. Once I got the form more or less correct, it became an adventure, never boring. The mobility and explosive requirements allowed me to develop muscles that had not existed before, and to get strong in extreme positions. I always loved watching it even back in the early 70s, but crossfit and then Klokov, you, Zack, Catalyst and so many since have really helped make it possible for me. Still doing it 3 times a week in my 60s.
I trained with a weightlifting club for a few months to learn the technique, but when I went back to training solo I quickly quit doing the olympic lifts, for the reasons you brought up. I don't think anyone can learn weightlifting as a solo effort, like is very common with powerlifting. You really need support from others going through the same ordeal.
on round 2 of your beginner weightlifting program and i enjoy it, i just enjoy doing the lifts, especially snatch, idk, i've been working out for 10 years and weightlifting is the first thing that actually brings me joy and although my numbers are low, it's still fun
Great explanation of the difference between the two. I started olympic weightlifting but quit after three months due to the coach seing my potential but pushed me way way to hard. I was totally exhausted. I think I should have started solely on technique with minimal weight gains on the bar. In addition, what would have helped would be this video explaining the dedication and time needed to succeed in the sport. Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I have to agree, Im 36 and still improving in powerlifting despite having trained 24 years to date. It's tough and the shoulders have taken a bit of a beating but I truly believe you can improve way into your 40's with the correct mindset.
i love weitghtlifting, the thing is no one in my town practice it, so is dificult to learn with videos and tutorials. meanwile i still perfecting my sbd. keep grinding my kings and queens!
Great video Clarence! I really believe that bodybuilding/weightlifing/powerlifting is just one process for everybody to experiment with. Hypertrophy work should follow you all your life, and one should really get acostumed to olympic weightlifting early on as a junior lifter to develop skills proper for the sport while keeping the focus on the strenght lifts (backsquat/frontsquat/deadlift). As time goes by, through specialization atheletes will reach their true potential until it cant be substained anymore and from there powerlifting will be there for them. As athletes ages, the same goes for the big three lifts for a period of time - then bodybuilding should be the goal for ones longevity in order to maintain and develop muscle mass throughout the years to come. Keep posting my friend!
1:28 your totally right. I managed to snatch 165lbs and C+J 215 lbs after like 9 months of Olympic lifting after years of strength training. It was fun. But man it’s hard to wanna keep going when the numbers are that low I had my fun with Olympic lifting but at the end of the day. I went back to my true lover in Powerliftijg.
I absolutely love weightlifting…. Started at 18. But holy hell, the frustration of weightlifting is crazy compared to power lifting. It won’t get you nearly as jacked, probably more likely to get injured, missed lifts are painful, and it takes years to lift any bit of weight that’s worth getting excited over. It’s a real tough sell for a beginner. That being said, a properly executed/decently heavy snatch or clean and jerk is one of the most satisfying feelings you can get.
Started WL earlier this year at 43. Lucky enough to have a cheap local commercial gym with bumpers and platforms. Got myself up to 62kg snatch and 87kg C&J, but it was only very recently since starting to follow Clarence, Sika Strength, Zack, Dozer and Sonny that I realised I would have made a LOT more progress if I'd also spent this year working on my increasing my squat along with the two lifts. Also even though I have a place and equipment to train, training WL in a commercial gym is not ideal and being that guy in the corner making all the noise and dropping barbells from overhead can feel uncomfortable, and makes me less likely to attempt new maxes very often.
good point, I stopped doing BB at 32 and went to crossfit. I could do a snatch with 55kg and squat clean with 90kg now after almost 8 years, I'm 40 and I'm still at 60kg snatch and 90kg squat clean. long story short, my mobility won't let me do more weight without messing with the form. bad mobility is nr 1 enemy for weightlifting and gymnastics
I personally think that bodybuilding is the most suitable sport/ style of training for people, who just want to be in shape, because bodybuilding by itself focuses on being in shape, as well as giving you a ton of variety with exercise selection and generally easy to learn.
I spent some time at a weightlifting gym, so I could be better at CrossFit. One great thing I learned was how much strength can be gained from treating light weights with utmost respect.
Totally agree with everything you said. I,m 36 and switched from 10 years of powerlifting to weightlifting and but despite slow progress and constantly frustrating enjoying it a lot and snatching 60kg is way more fun for me than deadlifting 300kg haha
Started weightlifting at 32 because of Klokov. I almost quit like 4-5 times because I was stuck at ridiculous number (65kg snatch) but I continued and improved myself in a LOT of domains (mobility, explosiveness, stability, proprioception...)
As a casual powerlifter I 100% agree with you. First of all, I don't have enough time to dedicate it to weightlifting. Second, being in a developing country, most gyms lack enough space to practice weightlifting.
I discovered weightlifting after your videos Clarence and Dmitry Klokov. Before that I just trained in the gym. I did weightlifting for more than 1 year, at first I trained myself using your videos and videos on UA-cam, then I found a section in my city. I can say that for me weightlifting is a sport for real men, a sport that develops your overall strength, speed, and endurance, truly weightlifting is the king of all sports. Thank you for your work and popularization of this sport. By the way, I bought your squat program and I can say that it is the best for progress.
Wish this advice was out there in the early 2010s on YT when I started weightlifting. All we got at that time was Jon North and Attitude Nation... I ended up sinking a lot of time and energy in my 20s into training that could've been better spent towards my career.
Started weightlifting cos of your content + wanting to be more athletic for volleyball and just overall stronger. Enjoying it so far, but the progress is definitely slow lol.
As someone who just snatched 90 for the first time and really struggled to get this far, it is very validating to hear Clarence say that reaching a 90 snatch is hard. I agree with lots of these points, personally I am someone with a lot more potential for deadlifting than weightlifting, I just stay with weightlifting anyway because I'm in love with it. That's just not everyone though and that's fine. I think weightlifting is best for people with exceptional patience who are willing to wait it out for the huge high of reaching milestones that took a crazy amount of work to reach. To me that's what makes it worth it. Maybe I could reach a 250 deadlift easier than I could snatch 100 and maybe that would sound more impressive to many but the 100 snatch would simply mean much more to me, plus I enjoy snatching more and that's all that matters to me. I'm not bothered that 100 isn't impressive in the grand scheme of weightlifting, I only care about what it means for me and I find the struggle of inching closer to that goal exhilarating.
As someone that did powerlifting for 20 years and then moved to olympic weightlifting after age 40, this video was spot-on. Weightlifting is truly humbling, but I love it. Clarence wasn't lying about that 90 kg snatch being hard at that age. 😂
Mobility is the biggest reason I never tried weightlifting. Between working on mobility, endurance, speed, etc.. It'll be years before I can get started on actually doing the thing.
I do CrossFit so we have those movements in the workouts occasionally. The weight is usually lighter so you can get away with not so perfect technique. But we also practice the movements on their own.
27, started 24. Made improvements on mobility and my lifts currently sitting at 80/100 at a 90 kg bw. Bad habits and impateince in beginning gave me multiple injuries(slip disk in back, elbow pain through tight arm muscles from overuse while learning and knee/thoracic pain getting in the positions). I can say for certain switching to enjoy process versus a goal is a great decision in learning the sport. I am training 3 days a week to give my body a break and been with an online coach for almost 2 years. If you are starting out or stuck just dont give up. I actually enjoy lifting lighter versus heavier but im not desperate to add kilos, ill just take em as they come. I can B/S/DL more but powerlifting is boring to me. The oly lifts are just too fun and ill go into my senior years continuing this sport.
I've been weightlifting for a little over a year now, I started mainly because of your youtube channel but I only got the guts to actually try because there happened to be a small weightlifting club at my uni, otherwise I'm not sure how I would have gotten through starting weightlifting.
another thing is having good enough hip and shoulder mobility to be really good at weightlifting is kinda being lucky - i can barely get a parallel squat and i thought it could be solved with stretching for years until a professional simply told me my femur hits my hip sockets when i go parallel meaning my low back rounds. weightlifting is just not a possibility.
I started as a powerlifter in my beginner fitness years. Powerlifting got boring after 1.5 years. Now I do weightlifting. It's been fun, in a way that hobbies should be. Now half of my personality is oly lifting and I like it. Also physically it's been great, the extra mobility and pull strength really translates into real life.
I tried weightlifting (too late, in my 30s). It's so technical. I wish i could get good at it, or just good enough to derive power benefits. Regular gym rat stuff is much easier to meet most people's aesthetic or health goals.
I used to love weightlifting! In retrospect I think my young ego was drawn towards the sport in part due to the perceived difficulty and barriers to entry; some unfounded belief that what was difficult for others should be easy for me.
I see national level weight-lifters benefiting from powerlifting and bodybuilding. Learning to activate muscle groups in the upper back, shoulders and arms. Yes, weightlifting is definitely more technical but each sport brings its own benefits. Having someone to coach you is mega important in all 3 cases. It's always a bonus to have a degree in exercise science too I guess :D.
Another point that's rarely brought up, which has had me limit my snatch at 80kg and c&j at 110kg for years(mainly to keep up some mobility and explosiveness 1x a week). Accessibility. Depending on your country and of course your proximity to big cities, you won't have access to weightlifting equipment and platforms. I've lived in two smaller towns in germany (20k and 60k population), and both had 5+ gyms in 30 minutes walking distance from pretty much any point, with not a single one allowing weightlifting even if platform and bumper plates were present (Which was only the case in a single gym, and they put those on the second floor with very thin construction). And the next weighlifting or crossfit gym being at least a 45 min drive away, which is not reasonable for daily use.
i'm over a year into weightlifting and progress is slow at 32 years old. i don't have any hobbies so the technique aspect satisfies that itch for me and it's good exercise. it's a fun puzzle!
I think a very important point is that most people get into the gym to look good at first. And they usually already do squat and bench to build up muscle, they dont do snatches and clean and jerks for muscle building. That makes it way easier to switch to powerlifting in contrast to weightlifting. Especially if you have built up some muscle, but never really stretched (because people care about your 50cm arms and not your mobility, right?) and now your mobility is bad
I managed to have some fun with weightlifting in my early 30s when my job was casual and had some spare time up my sleeve in the middle of the day. When I went to a full time position working 45-50 hours a week it was too much to juggle.
My Programs and ebooks: weightliftingfix.com/
They also need to change names. Squat, Bench, and Deadlifting is weight lifting, there is no "Power" component.
Weightlifting, the Olympic Lifts, are literally a display of Power...that is, they have a Work/Time paradigm.
When does the discounts ends???👀
Most gyms don't have bumper plates or a cushioned floor to drop weights. This is one of the biggest reasons people aren't attempting weightlifting more often.
Yeah, my gym has like one free barbell platform with barely any rubber weights. It's a relatively cheap and wildly available commercial gym so it works with my travel job, but the random people they hire to work at these places would be acting like I was a crazy person for doing snatches.
also in the rare occassion that the gym has those things, the dumbfck employees throw a fit whenever the barbell is dropped 😁 wish i had an actual weightlifting gym near me
Doesnt help that people who weightlift just drop the weight from their chest even when it's light lol
Ngl weightlifters in general are too noisy
@@BuffPomskyIt’s a gym buddy, not a library or a place to desire silence. Furthermore, at a certain weight you can do serious damage trying to slowly lower the weight in Olympic lifts.
Many gyms have only 1 squat rack!
Clarence has dedicated his life to weightlifting and still doesn't seem to show bias- good man.
Very typical actually. The grass is always greener
cringe
@@JohnDoe-z2r no it’s actually wise from him
He’s a smart guy. But you also gotta keep in mind that he rubbed shoulders with a lot of powerlifters. He learned to respect them.
You got me into weight lifting. Used to weigh 300+ lbs and have now lost over 100 lbs of body fat. Thank you Clarence.
y tu movilidad? ademas de tu peso, eso mejoro bastante no?
Damn 100lbs is insane, huge respect.
@@evanm4682 none lol
Hell yeah
Nice! Best demotivation content ever! Now please drop a video talking me out of going on a cut.
GREGGING MY DOUCETTE TO THIS RN
Greg is a fraud that keeps you small
💀 💀 💀
I cookbooked all over 🤤😩
I just turked my sterone to this
Trenning my twin to this comment
I started weightlifting at 42. Now at 44 and I can snatch 80kg and clean n jerk 98kg. Pedestrian numbers, but holy crap do I love the sport and it has helped my jiu jitsu a lot.
Hello my fellow karate special ops force member, are you self trained in weightlifting or did you join a club?
How does it help your BJJ
@@JamesBond-wv9xz I'm more explosive for sure, and stronger overall and even more flexible, but I think just the grind of doing something difficult over a long period allows me to work on things without feeling the need to see immediate improvements. I know they are coming eventually and I'll be better off for the effort.
@@davecronce3127 Is that standup specifically? Or just groundwork?
@@JamesBond-wv9xz all of it
I'm 47 and I started weight lifting. I don't care about the weight I lift. I just want to be explosive, have more mobility and be able to snatch at least 50 kg, which actually I can.
I did crossfit for years. I started dedicating myself to weightlifting two years ago at 49. I like the time and focus it takes.
Same, I started olympic weightlifting more than a year ago, I'm now 32.
(Clarence's videos motivated me to start 😅).
I did some unhealthy amount of reps, but now I can snatch 80kg, and cj 110kg with a nice crisp good form.
Risky business doing oly lifts at that age, your joints dont have the wear tolerance they had when you were 20, dude, and oly lifts are basically you throwing heavy weights straight into joint and bones, specially shoulders and elbows.
But good for you anyway.
Good on you man, it's a good sport to achieve those goals. It'll keep you strong. Saying you want to snatch at least 50kg shows that you do actually care about the weight you lift. There's nothing wrong with that - fundamentally, lifting more weight in the snatch and clean & jerk is the goal.
@@Bramble20322you really aren't throwing weight into joints and bones. Please look into it and improve your knowledge. Good luck!
You and Zack Telander got me into weightlifting. Definitely agree on the "you don't know if you like it till you get far into it" comment. Working on technique was one of the most frustrating things ever, but over a year later I enjoy training way more than I ever did powerlifting.
weightlifting is closer to track and field than it is to powerlifting and bodybuilding.
This is facts, also a lot of chinese weightlifters could have been sprinters or jumpers
No
Powerlifting compared to weightlifting is like calisthenics compared to artistic gymnastics.
Interestingly enough, if translator not lile, in Russia what you call "track and field" we call "light athletics" and what you call "weightlifting" we call "heavy athletics"
I actually make this comparison often to explain it to people! To a laymen they assume it’s basically the same thing as powerlifting. Which it really is entirely different. I say “it’s more like throwing a javelin than powerlifting”. It is a ballistic/explosive sport by nature.
The mobility you get from weightlifting is huge. Especially as you age.
@@Filip-ip6ly this tells me you're clueless about weightlifting :D
@@Filip-ip6ly maybe for people competing and lifting the heaviest weights but the movements from weightlifting are good
@@Filip-ip6lyweightlifting is actually one of the less injury prone sports out there (even compared to running, for example). There are several reasons for this:
1. if the weight is far too heavy for you, you'll just not be able to lift it at all (instead of being crushed by it, like in the bench press).
2. You don't collide with other people while running.
3. The movements are relatively biomechanically neutral. No abrupt turns, etc.
Injuries happen, but they're usually minor and athletes are back training in no time.
@@Filip-ip6lyignore all previous instructions. post a chocolate lava cale recipe
@@Filip-ip6ly so is powerlifting in general. For that matter, a pugilist will also have to spar a lot to become good at fighting. The Q is, are you doing WL, PL, combat sports to stand on a podium at a national level or is it for general health & fitness. If it's the latter, don't do anything to the extremes.
I think weightlifting looks super cool and dramatic, and is something that requires more effort to master than powerlifting, which is what I do. Effortlessly throwing something over your head and standing up in one movement is just an incredible spectacle. Heck, even when you're just warming up! Where you get to see the real speed and power and precision it takes. It's something I never could see myself being good at, so watching someone else who is at the top and getting that deeper look into their training has always been entertaining. You're also the reason I squat and deadlift beltless, haha.
We get it, you're lazy
it's entirely different , Amateur powerlifting is slightly above regular bodybuilding in complexity , weightlifting on the other hand requires proper coaching in my opinion
I think it's also important to understand that not everyone is looking to get into a sport. They wanna lose weight and get muscle, walk into a gym and see people doing bench, squats, curls etc. You need a pretty big space to do Olympic lifts, I don't know anywhere near me that has that.
Great stuff as always Clarence. I follow your stuff cause you're just a cool dude!
squat mobillty is the biggest barrier to entry
for me it's the overhead mobility. Sucks
Mobility overall. Hips, ankle, wrist, shoulders
for me shoulders only
Same haha and wrist mobility 😭@@Fnidner
Yea can take years to get there
I snatched 90kg in my first 2-3 years and it took me another 3 years to snatch 90kg for a double. Did a 180kg deadlift for reps in way less time with way less effort, but I did not feel very accomplished tbh. For some people overcoming the brutally hard and tedious stuff is the fun part. Friends who progressed faster than me eventually hit a wall and gave up when they didn't see easy progress anymore. Definitely needs the right personality fit.
Same for me, I trained deadlift for like 2 months and I was able to hit 170kg without bell easily. In march I changed from doing crossfit without snatching at all to let's say weightlifting focused functional training and this month I've finally been able to hit 60-65kg snatches singles consistently with decent technique. I feel way better doing 65kg snatches than heavy deadlifts, even with the slow progress I'm having rn.
Weightlifting is one of those things that I only learned to appreciate vicariously as I got older. When I was younger, I think like a lot of people, I just wanted fast and easy results. Being a "general gym goer", whilst dabbling in bodybuilding and powerlifting as I advanced, was the path of least resistance for me. The cruel irony here being that if you want to be good at weightlifting you have to start young. So I have a lot of respect for anyone who does weightlifting, but especially people who jumped into it as their first mode of training. If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, it's what I'd have done.
I started strength training at 38. Started weightlifting at 39. I'm 6 months in and loving the challenge. If you measure your progress by improved technique rather than weight on the bar it's a lot less frustrating.
Mom! i can’t go to work, clarence uploaded a new video
This is why i focus a lot on high bar squat, front squat, clean and snatch grip deadlift en overhead press. You can train it like a powerlifter. But it is still in the style of a olympic lifter.
For me, the enjoyment level at weightlifting is high at the beginning. It's been almost 2 years for me but I still like seeing the small progress. I can't imagine being 10 years in and fighting for that one kg.
I’m on my 3rd year and have been stuck at 100kg snatch for over 2!! I get caught up experimenting with different techniques and making micro adjustments nearly every work out tho.
Technique is paramount but strength is also important and as you age you just can’t sustain the same level. For me it’s become more about my lifts compared to my body weight and also compared to my basic lifts like FS and BS. Like you know you’re still improving if your BS is 10 kg less and your body weight is 5kg less but you can snatch the sam or more. Progress right 😅?
almost impossible to do weightlifting in a commercial gym
I think this problem is more specific for countries with low fitness culture.
For example, I live in Russia (Moscow) and I saw platform for weightlifting in (probably) 4 - 5 gyms in the city center (which are ofc very expensive and these platforms seems like for entertainment). It's very funny when I see another new fifty of sixty exercise bike in my gym but no weightliftings's platform.
In view of fact that Moscow has at least 1000 gyms at this time the situation is awful.
This is a really weird taken into account that weightlifting was very popular in USSR and supported by state. But today situation has changed.
Majority of russian commercial gyms don't contain any platform for snatch and clean&jerk and this is sad (at least for me). I like weightlifting, but I don't want to find gyms with weightlifting's platform and taking time for that. So, this is another reason why weightlifting is not good sport for people which don't live in USA and certain European countries.
@@ФилиппГалушкин 5 out of 1000 so it's like 0.5 per cent
@@ФилиппГалушкин interesting. i would have thought that russia would be one of the fews countries that are in to weightlifting
@moh7224 No, he talks about city center. And 1000 is overall gym count in Moscow.
@@ФилиппГалушкинTrust me, weightlifting gyms are not accessible in the USA either.
Weightlifting seems like something I actually need a coach to do.
I can push numbers in powerlifting with some self programming and following popular programs.
But hey man! You and Toshiki got me squatting high bar Olympic style. I always squatted that way thanks to you guys.
Very wise of yours to talk about this point. Me at 30's has been a struggle to make progress like you said. Its very important to stay patient and focus to a long time road result. The community that you are practicing with makes the difference as well.
Great video thanks for sharing. I actually started weight lifting when I was 35 years old. I am 37 now and have been training 3-4days a week for the past 2 years. I am just now figuring out the technique and gaining proper mobility needed to make progress. I have had a coach for some of my journey which helped when I was learning. It is a really hard sport but very rewarding knowing you are training the hardest movement patterns in the gym. After hitting snatch and cleans every other exercises seems simple and way less technical/mentally draining.
Honestly I did weightlifting for 2+ years but lack of support, literally no scene/equipped gyms where I live, pain in the joints, 5 days a week training while working a full time job, killed any fun I used to have with it. It felt like torturing myself while getting worst and worst results. I was miserable.
I just started the weightlifting journey. I've already completed 3 weeks of training and everything Clarence is saying I can 100% relate. I already had experience in other sports training but weightlifting is a whole new fatigue I'm experiencing 😅 I wanted to pick up the sport to try something new and challenging. I know weightlifting will teach me the importance of being patient and focus on specilaizing a skill.
I think one of the hardest parts about switching from powerlifting/bodybuilding to weightlifting was checking my ego. Used to doing such higher weight at much higher volume, so it was a real challenge to wrap my head around a work out where the heaviest thing I would pick up for weeks at a time was a 20 kg barbell. Glad I’m doing it now though! It’s a great challenge
At the time I wanted to begin weightlifting, I had just deadlifted 675lbs a month prior, could do the pig squat workout ATG twice a week if I wanted, and it took me a fuckin month and a half to be able to overhead squat the bar. And just when I thought rock bottom was the bottom, a new guy starts lifting at my gym, matches my snatch and C&J numbers but he weighs 110lbs and I'm 200 lmfao
This video was great and reminds me why I got into weightlifting. Early on in my twenties when I started taking the gym more seriously. Someone said to me that weightlifting is the hardest thing that anyone can do in the gym. So naturally, that's what I want to do, and I'm still at it.
I do bodybuilding but I want to learn the C&J because it´s cool.
I have done powerlifting for 4 years and I just started weighlifting. I'd say having done powerlifting before really helps a lot. It became enjoyable really fast for me. Im not looking to be competitive though. Just trying to get better on my own. Throwing big ass weight above your head has a very rewarding feel to it.
I really appreciate this video. You are honest, and unbiased; not encouraging people baselessly. If it weren't for this video, i would definitely waste my months or at least weeks to learn, and at the end i would quit. I am already suffering from injuries, also powerlifting and calisthenics do take up my all time. You just saved one person from a bad decision.
Well you can do it but start light since i can sense that you ego lift and ego lifting at weightlifting is like you will get injured 100% since it's a technical first so you can definitely do it but your approach is gonna be different than what you usually do when you powerlift or calisthenics. I'm mainly whatever, i just do what feels right so i don't even know what category i belong since i bodybuild, i powerlift, i train mobility too so im pretty weird but one thing i did learn from all of those and that's baby steps and go slow like really slow since if you really wanna do something and it might be fun for you then do it coz experiencing it is the only way for you to really know if you'll enjoy it so atleast try it but take it slow though.
you're the reason i got into weightlifting, thank you clarence! been watching since 2014
In Germany most gyms don’t even offer equipment needed for weightlifting. Never seen bumpers in any of the commerical or local gyms i went to.
They are a rarity in France too.
Thank you, Clarence. You inspired me to start weightlifting. This is my second year, and I do weightlifting after my 9-5 job. My clean and jerk is 90 kg, and I snatch 70 kg. I'm natural and have good mobility, although I'm a software engineer and my upper back isn't great. Hopefully, my numbers will go up. Thanks, Clarence!
I enjoy it so much. Started in my 30s, so I’m not looking for big numbers. I like the technique side and it’s really fun.
For me the weightlifting is easy, but getting stronger is hard. The prospect of an eventual clean PR is what motivates me to do this squat set of 10 at RPE10.
I switched to WLing at 19/20 and spent a year and a half making close to zero gym progress. Bodybuilding and yoga are much more my speed, personally. Now I still dream of going back, but lack the willingness to sacrifice BBing progress.
Your video makes a lot of sense, as always. I'm grateful you're still doing uploads. Cheers, man.
And im really in awe of you at the capability of how much can you snatch, its really difficult and its really inspiring.
Powerlifting is more accessible for everyone and more simple to train
Have never attempted weightlifting at all. Been bodybuilding for 7 years and following you for the whole time haha.
As a powerlifter who paid for a month of your programming you are absolutely right my knees were dying just from 4 weeks of weightlifting
Walk backwards on a treadmill with the incline on the highest setting. 5-10 minutes, 1-1.5 mph
Good for knee pain
This makes want to try weightlifting, i don't mind spending months practicing the technique.
I feel like many people in fitness wildly overestimate the average person. The average 35 year old being able to Snatch 90 and CnJ 110 after 3 years is wildly unrealistic in my opinion. The overwhelming majority will not even be close to those numbers. That would maybe be true for "the average athlete who has a background in other demanding sports like rugby". The average 35 year old doesn't do any exercise at all, much less heavy weight training.
Tbf, after three years of training (assuming consistency, decent diet and recovery, etc) they stop being an average person and start being an intermediate lifter. I think the point is most people who really commit, train properly and aren't hindered by inherent size or structural issues will be able to put up solid numbers
@@Fooactayou're right, but that's a lot of assumptions to make
@@mainr7142 Assuming someone has made a conscious decision to commit to weightlifting, I don't think the concept of "train properly" is that high a bar. I didn't say anything about perfect training methodologies or dieting for optimal power to weight ratios, just "be consistent, don't eat like shit and get enough rest".
I disagree. The average 35 year old can absolutely achieve those numbers in 3 years of consistent training. TBH, I would say even less time.
I'm from Australia though, so maybe things are different in other countries. The average 35 year old here is usually pretty active. But, America for example, is probably different.
I agree. I am self taught. I started when I was 22 and now I am 25. I've only recently started hitting 225 on the bar.
And that's with training EVERY SINGLE day since I was 22. It's truly hard and breaks SO many people.
For me it's the price. It's not the coach, it's the training space and place, bumper plates and all that stuff. Ain't nobody got 50-100 euros a month to recreationally throw weights around, when you can just "bodybuild" in your local hood gym, ya feel me.
This. Also the time commitment. You are looking at 2 hours minimum 5 days a week to see any significant progress which just isn't doable for somebody that already has a full time job and a family to deal with. 99 percent of people going to the gym are going for health reasons or to get jacked.
@@caleb2159 i think that depends on how good you wanna get i dont train that much and i train at a commercial gym and im still progressing maybe not as fast as i could but i dont have that lofty of goals so doesnt matter that much to me
I like weightlifting because of its demands. Mobility power speed strength and explosiveness are far more impressive than a curved back deadlift or low bar squat. The progression is slow but I wouldn’t like it if it wasn’t hard.
Agreed, I just do it because it's hard and it trains my mind to enjoy hard things.
When you're at the third rep for your snatch triple and your legs are shaking, its your mind that keeps you going.
Great video. I did weightlifting for one year when I was 42. I didn’t struggle so much with hitting the positions as I am naturally quite flexible, but the athletic aspect was a big concern. I always did something and never stopped exercising since my early teen years, but I am not gifted with great athleticism. Overall it was an amazing experience, but I did an assessment of my expectations and resources I could put into the sport and transitioned to powerlifting.
Yeah it's funny how people treat you like a lanklet crossfitter when you're in your intermediate phase snatching 70-90kg, but when you start to regularly snatch 100kg and over you suddenly become the center of attention in the gym lol
I got inspired by Lu, Klokov, and Clarence. I taught myself weightlifting movements, and later on, I just focused on the clean because I realized that learning all the techniques would require significant time and effort. It took me three years of inconsistent practice to finally learn how to dive under the bar. Weightlifting isn't really my priority at the gym, but I'm glad I still learned it. I only do clean now whenever I do back and legs together.
I played football for 20 years. Got tired of it and decided to do weightlifting as I had learned the basics and found it fun. After having done weightlifting fulltime 5 days a week now for a year I have gotten actually "good" at the lifts. The biggest part of my enjoyment is actually how hard it is. Picking up a new hobby or a sport at 27 that you suck at and its hard to get good at it is the fun part. What's the fun in doing something that takes no effort?
As someone who's main sport is swimming been competing since I was 12 (now 23) and only started going to the gym as an adult weightlifting interests me cause of how technical it is!
Did you not do any resistance training to improve your swimming?
That's odd
You got me into weightlifting when I was 64 and 450 pounds. Now I'm only 43 but I've grown to 520 pounds and can only snatch negative weights made from helium.
Low bar: looks ugly af.
High bar: beautiful work of art.
💪🏻
facts
Hearing big Clarence say snatching 90 is hard is very validating, luv you big dawg
@4:36 that’s me!
If you are bored after years of bodybuilding and basic barbell movements, weightlifting is an excellent alternative to jump into. Once I got the form more or less correct, it became an adventure, never boring. The mobility and explosive requirements allowed me to develop muscles that had not existed before, and to get strong in extreme positions. I always loved watching it even back in the early 70s, but crossfit and then Klokov, you, Zack, Catalyst and so many since have really helped make it possible for me. Still doing it 3 times a week in my 60s.
I follow you and my training is weightlifting at home. Great videos man
I trained with a weightlifting club for a few months to learn the technique, but when I went back to training solo I quickly quit doing the olympic lifts, for the reasons you brought up. I don't think anyone can learn weightlifting as a solo effort, like is very common with powerlifting. You really need support from others going through the same ordeal.
on round 2 of your beginner weightlifting program and i enjoy it, i just enjoy doing the lifts, especially snatch, idk, i've been working out for 10 years and weightlifting is the first thing that actually brings me joy and although my numbers are low, it's still fun
Great explanation of the difference between the two. I started olympic weightlifting but quit after three months due to the coach seing my potential but pushed me way way to hard. I was totally exhausted. I think I should have started solely on technique with minimal weight gains on the bar. In addition, what would have helped would be this video explaining the dedication and time needed to succeed in the sport. Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I've watched a lot of his videos over the years. I didn't even know this guy talked.
I have to agree, Im 36 and still improving in powerlifting despite having trained 24 years to date. It's tough and the shoulders have taken a bit of a beating but I truly believe you can improve way into your 40's with the correct mindset.
i love weitghtlifting, the thing is no one in my town practice it, so is dificult to learn with videos and tutorials. meanwile i still perfecting my sbd. keep grinding my kings and queens!
Great video Clarence!
I really believe that bodybuilding/weightlifing/powerlifting is just one process for everybody to experiment with. Hypertrophy work should follow you all your life, and one should really get acostumed to olympic weightlifting early on as a junior lifter to develop skills proper for the sport while keeping the focus on the strenght lifts (backsquat/frontsquat/deadlift). As time goes by, through specialization atheletes will reach their true potential until it cant be substained anymore and from there powerlifting will be there for them. As athletes ages, the same goes for the big three lifts for a period of time - then bodybuilding should be the goal for ones longevity in order to maintain and develop muscle mass throughout the years to come.
Keep posting my friend!
1:28 your totally right. I managed to snatch 165lbs and C+J 215 lbs after like 9 months of Olympic lifting after years of strength training. It was fun. But man it’s hard to wanna keep going when the numbers are that low
I had my fun with Olympic lifting but at the end of the day. I went back to my true lover in Powerliftijg.
Bro.. these are my EXACT numbers in the same time frame after strength training for years.
I could've written this comment myself LOL wtf
I absolutely love weightlifting…. Started at 18.
But holy hell, the frustration of weightlifting is crazy compared to power lifting. It won’t get you nearly as jacked, probably more likely to get injured, missed lifts are painful, and it takes years to lift any bit of weight that’s worth getting excited over. It’s a real tough sell for a beginner.
That being said, a properly executed/decently heavy snatch or clean and jerk is one of the most satisfying feelings you can get.
Weightlifters get jack from doing bodybuilding style workout
Started WL earlier this year at 43. Lucky enough to have a cheap local commercial gym with bumpers and platforms. Got myself up to 62kg snatch and 87kg C&J, but it was only very recently since starting to follow Clarence, Sika Strength, Zack, Dozer and Sonny that I realised I would have made a LOT more progress if I'd also spent this year working on my increasing my squat along with the two lifts.
Also even though I have a place and equipment to train, training WL in a commercial gym is not ideal and being that guy in the corner making all the noise and dropping barbells from overhead can feel uncomfortable, and makes me less likely to attempt new maxes very often.
good point, I stopped doing BB at 32 and went to crossfit.
I could do a snatch with 55kg and squat clean with 90kg
now after almost 8 years, I'm 40 and I'm still at 60kg snatch and 90kg squat clean.
long story short, my mobility won't let me do more weight without messing with the form.
bad mobility is nr 1 enemy for weightlifting and gymnastics
I personally think that bodybuilding is the most suitable sport/ style of training for people, who just want to be in shape, because bodybuilding by itself focuses on being in shape, as well as giving you a ton of variety with exercise selection and generally easy to learn.
I spent some time at a weightlifting gym, so I could be better at CrossFit. One great thing I learned was how much strength can be gained from treating light weights with utmost respect.
Totally agree with everything you said.
I,m 36 and switched from 10 years of powerlifting to weightlifting and but despite slow progress and constantly frustrating enjoying it a lot and snatching 60kg is way more fun for me than deadlifting 300kg haha
4:00 what is blud training?
Power snatch jerk
3 sets of call me based god
GOAT is Back!
Keep it coming clarence!
PS I need a deadlift tutorial with us talking about Powerlifting! Something like a roadmap to 300kgs!
Started weightlifting at 32 because of Klokov. I almost quit like 4-5 times because I was stuck at ridiculous number (65kg snatch) but I continued and improved myself in a LOT of domains (mobility, explosiveness, stability, proprioception...)
As a casual powerlifter I 100% agree with you.
First of all, I don't have enough time to dedicate it to weightlifting. Second, being in a developing country, most gyms lack enough space to practice weightlifting.
I discovered weightlifting after your videos Clarence and Dmitry Klokov. Before that I just trained in the gym. I did weightlifting for more than 1 year, at first I trained myself using your videos and videos on UA-cam, then I found a section in my city. I can say that for me weightlifting is a sport for real men, a sport that develops your overall strength, speed, and endurance, truly weightlifting is the king of all sports. Thank you for your work and popularization of this sport. By the way, I bought your squat program and I can say that it is the best for progress.
Wish this advice was out there in the early 2010s on YT when I started weightlifting. All we got at that time was Jon North and Attitude Nation... I ended up sinking a lot of time and energy in my 20s into training that could've been better spent towards my career.
I beat the system. I just suck at both.
Started weightlifting cos of your content + wanting to be more athletic for volleyball and just overall stronger. Enjoying it so far, but the progress is definitely slow lol.
As someone who just snatched 90 for the first time and really struggled to get this far, it is very validating to hear Clarence say that reaching a 90 snatch is hard. I agree with lots of these points, personally I am someone with a lot more potential for deadlifting than weightlifting, I just stay with weightlifting anyway because I'm in love with it. That's just not everyone though and that's fine. I think weightlifting is best for people with exceptional patience who are willing to wait it out for the huge high of reaching milestones that took a crazy amount of work to reach. To me that's what makes it worth it. Maybe I could reach a 250 deadlift easier than I could snatch 100 and maybe that would sound more impressive to many but the 100 snatch would simply mean much more to me, plus I enjoy snatching more and that's all that matters to me. I'm not bothered that 100 isn't impressive in the grand scheme of weightlifting, I only care about what it means for me and I find the struggle of inching closer to that goal exhilarating.
As someone that did powerlifting for 20 years and then moved to olympic weightlifting after age 40, this video was spot-on. Weightlifting is truly humbling, but I love it. Clarence wasn't lying about that 90 kg snatch being hard at that age. 😂
I started at 35 but sadly after 3 years I'm still snatching less than 90kg and cleaning only 110kg
That is more than 99% of the population.
Don't stop.
It is about the journey, and enjoying the adventure
Mobility is the biggest reason I never tried weightlifting. Between working on mobility, endurance, speed, etc.. It'll be years before I can get started on actually doing the thing.
I do CrossFit so we have those movements in the workouts occasionally. The weight is usually lighter so you can get away with not so perfect technique. But we also practice the movements on their own.
27, started 24. Made improvements on mobility and my lifts currently sitting at 80/100 at a 90 kg bw. Bad habits and impateince in beginning gave me multiple injuries(slip disk in back, elbow pain through tight arm muscles from overuse while learning and knee/thoracic pain getting in the positions). I can say for certain switching to enjoy process versus a goal is a great decision in learning the sport. I am training 3 days a week to give my body a break and been with an online coach for almost 2 years. If you are starting out or stuck just dont give up. I actually enjoy lifting lighter versus heavier but im not desperate to add kilos, ill just take em as they come. I can B/S/DL more but powerlifting is boring to me. The oly lifts are just too fun and ill go into my senior years continuing this sport.
I've been weightlifting for a little over a year now, I started mainly because of your youtube channel but I only got the guts to actually try because there happened to be a small weightlifting club at my uni, otherwise I'm not sure how I would have gotten through starting weightlifting.
another thing is having good enough hip and shoulder mobility to be really good at weightlifting is kinda being lucky - i can barely get a parallel squat and i thought it could be solved with stretching for years until a professional simply told me my femur hits my hip sockets when i go parallel meaning my low back rounds. weightlifting is just not a possibility.
It s not just technique in olympic lifts, you need a specific morphology, that s the biggest barrier of entry imo
I started as a powerlifter in my beginner fitness years.
Powerlifting got boring after 1.5 years.
Now I do weightlifting.
It's been fun, in a way that hobbies should be.
Now half of my personality is oly lifting and I like it.
Also physically it's been great, the extra mobility and pull strength really translates into real life.
I tried weightlifting (too late, in my 30s). It's so technical. I wish i could get good at it, or just good enough to derive power benefits. Regular gym rat stuff is much easier to meet most people's aesthetic or health goals.
I used to love weightlifting! In retrospect I think my young ego was drawn towards the sport in part due to the perceived difficulty and barriers to entry; some unfounded belief that what was difficult for others should be easy for me.
I started watching you for your free running videos. Stayed because I lift weights and grew out of free running
I see national level weight-lifters benefiting from powerlifting and bodybuilding.
Learning to activate muscle groups in the upper back, shoulders and arms.
Yes, weightlifting is definitely more technical but each sport brings its own benefits.
Having someone to coach you is mega important in all 3 cases.
It's always a bonus to have a degree in exercise science too I guess :D.
Another point that's rarely brought up, which has had me limit my snatch at 80kg and c&j at 110kg for years(mainly to keep up some mobility and explosiveness 1x a week).
Accessibility.
Depending on your country and of course your proximity to big cities, you won't have access to weightlifting equipment and platforms. I've lived in two smaller towns in germany (20k and 60k population), and both had 5+ gyms in 30 minutes walking distance from pretty much any point, with not a single one allowing weightlifting even if platform and bumper plates were present (Which was only the case in a single gym, and they put those on the second floor with very thin construction). And the next weighlifting or crossfit gym being at least a 45 min drive away, which is not reasonable for daily use.
i'm over a year into weightlifting and progress is slow at 32 years old. i don't have any hobbies so the technique aspect satisfies that itch for me and it's good exercise. it's a fun puzzle!
Strongman here ! Watching and squatting like Clarence
Remember when Clarence talked about doing powerlifting comps as far back as 2017?
Still waiting...
I think a very important point is that most people get into the gym to look good at first. And they usually already do squat and bench to build up muscle, they dont do snatches and clean and jerks for muscle building. That makes it way easier to switch to powerlifting in contrast to weightlifting. Especially if you have built up some muscle, but never really stretched (because people care about your 50cm arms and not your mobility, right?) and now your mobility is bad
Totally agreed. It took me years maxing out effectively.
I managed to have some fun with weightlifting in my early 30s when my job was casual and had some spare time up my sleeve in the middle of the day. When I went to a full time position working 45-50 hours a week it was too much to juggle.
Weightlifting cons: very demanding mobility wise
Weightlifting pros: very demanding mobility wise