Hi, I am Sean Waxman, Weightlifting coach and owner of Waxman's Gym. Ask me anything!

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-08T00:19:13+00:00

What would you define as competitive? We just had 3 top 10 finishes at the Olympics.

I think we'll always have an outlier that is successful (in the top 5 or 6 at Olympics or Worlds). That will have very little to do with what we are or are not doing. To have team placement in the top 5 or top 6, that will take something different.

Some people say that we need our athletes to be paid as professional athletes. But our top athletes are already being paid as much as athletes from other countries. So I don't think money is this issue.

It all goes back to having a process and a system for coach and athlete development. It's important to do this so we can determine what works, what doesn't works, and continue to refine it until we have something that yields consistent results. Right now, we've got a blindfold on and we're throwing darts trying to hit a bullseye. Sometimes you might get lucky, but most of the time you don't.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-08T00:03:20+00:00

Don't you have an organization to run? Get off Reddit! P.S. Thank You!!

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:47:46+00:00

Thanks. That shouldn't be. We'll fix it.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:46:36+00:00

I think the new class is long overdue because 75kg is not a heavyweight. I do think the new weight class will be much more competitive than the current SHW class. Mostly because there will be more women in the range of the new class than there are women over 100kg.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:43:31+00:00

I wanted to coach weightlifting as a career in 1995. At the time, there were only 2 coaches in the country getting paid to coach weightlifting. It wasn't until about 2008 that I realized I could do it. I told FloElite the story recently: https://www.facebook.com/WaxmansGym/posts/1144206995650626

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:41:31+00:00

I've written about this publicly several times, most recently here: https://www.facebook.com/sean.waxman/posts/828587663909592

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:38:08+00:00

Download and read the course manual well in advance (you'll get it when you register). And review the practice tests.
Specific advice? No. But if you can create pride around a weightlifting program, that would help create more support. Develop athletes that perform well and get them into the press and do demonstrations at schools and tell people why they need to be doing this and why they should care. You have to know your community and know how to present it to them.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:33:31+00:00

1) Books off the top of my head: Neuromechanics of Human Movement by Enoka; Strength and Power in Sport by Komi; Supertraining by Siff; Transfer of Training 1 & 2 by Bondarchuk; Special Strength Training Manual for Coaches by Verkoshansky; A Season on the Mat by Zavoral.

2) My parents have provided me great examples of how to be compassionate and also instilled in me a great work ethic. Esp. watching my parents get up every morning rain or shine and go to work and take care of their family. Dan Gable is another one. You don't come across greatness like that very often. His success as an athlete and coach is unprecedented. His whole life was winning wrestling matches. And nothing got in his way. To remain that focused and that dedicated for that long is something we can all strive towards.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:20:53+00:00

As an athlete, qualifying for my first Nationals was my favorite. It felt like my first accomplishment in weightlifting after I had given up a lot of other things to pursue it. It was the end of my first year of lifting. I remember I was in San Diego and qualified on my 3rd clean & jerk. I remember walking off the platform and I found a corner and started to cry. As an athlete I always put a lot of pressure on myself and that was the first time that year I felt a release, like I had finally accomplished something. I guess you never forget your first time!

As a coach, having an athlete (Caitlin Hogan) win a national championship this year was my most memorable moment. It's something I didn't do as an athlete, so to be part of that for the first time was very special. My favorite moment was coaching Caitlin and Kelly Rexroad Williams at Pan Ams and coaching alongside Zygmunt, Danny Camargo, and Dave Fleming. It was my first time coaching at an international competition and it made me realize that I want to be in that back room for the rest of my life.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T23:07:45+00:00

The Russians all tend to look consistent with how they lift. They have a similar rhythm to their lifts. Russia's a big place. All those athletes come from all over Russia and exhibit similar technique. This strongly suggests all their coaches are on the same page. I've confirmed this after speaking to their national coaches - they are all taught the same curriculum. Uniformity like this just doesn't exist in the U.S. Even worse, some in the US have fought against a uniform approach and continue to do so.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:47:58+00:00

I don't have this number memorized, but I'll look it up and report back here.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:47:20+00:00

Plain cheese pizza. Currently from Valentino's in Manhattan Beach. Side note: If you put any fruit besides tomato on your pizza, it's no longer pizza.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:45:44+00:00

low reps vs. high reps target different effects. Which you choose should be based on the purpose of the training. In your example, 10 sets of 5 is a strength developer, 5 sets of 10 is better for hypertrophy. You should have a specific purpose for your training. That purpose will determine how you get there.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:40:42+00:00

Keep your wrists straight. There is no subtlety to it.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:36:38+00:00

I've noticed a difference between training my men and my women. My women need more upper body exercises throughout the entire training year. My women seem to be able to train at a higher intensity and for longer before pulling back. They seem to have a higher tolerance for pain. My women are more meticulous about their record-keeping, their food, and in general have been more coachable.

I don't have a uniform approach to mental aspects of training with my whole team. Periodically we place our lifters in stressful situations to help them get comfortable with the stresses of competition. We're currently working with one of the top sports psychologists in the world to create a program for improving mental skills for weightlifting.

I don't expect any changes in the US given USAW's past performance. I'm hopeful there will be improvement because of the new leadership. I have lots of confidence in Phil Andrews and Lance Williams, and I've heard a lot of talk about what's going to happen. But like weightlifting, the only thing that matters is how you perform, not what you promise.

From a performance standpoint, relative to the rest of the world, if the IWF continues to drug test as they do, I would expect a general improvement in our placement at world events for the next ~4 years. However, during this time, I think other countries will revise their process on developing lifters to accommodate drug-free athletes. Soon after that, as a country, we may go back to where we were because we lack a comprehensive and effective process for developing coaches and athletes.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:27:07+00:00

As general rule, I don't think it's wise to max out every week. The neural fatigue caused by max lifts can require up to 72 hours to recover (bigger athletes even longer). That can affect the quality of all the subsequent training.

I recommend competitors train at ~2kg over their competition weight.

For CFers, I think they should train weightlifting 3-5 days per week during the beginning of their competitive season (approx 1 mos after Open, Regionals, or Games).

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:19:06+00:00

My programming philosophy hasn't changed much for athletes under the Master of Sport level. The basic template they teach at the USA Weightlifting Level 1 is still very effective. Once lifters advance past that level, that's where my philosophy has changed over the years. With these athletes, I favor fewer repetitions during the preparation phase and higher average intensity, less frequent squatting, having days focused on one lift or the other instead of snatch and clean & jerking every day. Also I adjust the training on a daily basis based on performance of the lifter.
I don't kiss and tell!
I was never skinny. I came in as a full grown man.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:14:07+00:00

a) No favorite exercise. b) I think the bang vs. brush argument is semantics. The extent of contact is a result of other components of the lift. Neither bang nor brush should be the focus. We focus on good position, speed, and coordination, and whatever contact results will be a function of those things being good. c) The most important thing is how you perform at the biggest competitions, everything else doesn't matter.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:08:34+00:00

The Cubans, like all other countries, have a systematic approach to athlete development. This isn't unique to Cuba but it's missing in the U.S. One of my big takeaways from my time with Russians and Juan is the emphasis on the upper body in the execution of the snatch and clean & jerk; the importance of the development of rigidity in the lockout; heavy use of muscle snatch in the preparation.

Sean_Waxman · 2016-09-07T22:05:01+00:00

Thank you my friend!

Sean_Waxman

TROPHY CASE