Is there really such a thing? Indeed, there is. Hitting a plateau, especially after the spectacular progress you make in the first months of lifting, is the epitome of frustration. Here, dear lifter, are some ideas to help you to move past this obstacle in your path to more weight overhead.
Lifter, I heard what you were saying the other day when we were talking about being frustrated… Here are some ideas I noodled out that complement what we talked about. Sometimes, it is changing your angle of approach and things become more clear.
1. Mind muscle connection. Tell yourself which muscles to activate and aggressively activate them in the lift. The legs need to be pushing hard into the ground as you stand up in either a snatch or clean (or even a squat). Really concentrate and focus on utilizing the leg muscles. This will hopefully maximize the intensity of each and every repetition.
1a. Focus intensely on technique. Arms are loose. Elbows are fast. Transition quickly between standing up and then getting under the weight.
EXPLODE from the ground like a rocket and land like a butterfly.
2. Along the same line of thinking, make sure that your weightlifting starts with your feet. Is your weight balanced over the entire foot? Are you applying force over the entire foot? Big toe, pinky toe, and heel.
3. Concentrate on a longer eccentric (i.e. lowering) portion of the repetition. This would especially be true of pulls, jerks, push press, squat, dead lift, etc. You may have to take some weight off to allow for the longer lowering.
Do these things for a few sessions or weeks and I think that good things will start to happen.
Coupled with the perceived lack of progress with the barbell, there may be conflict in the area of diet and bodyweight. The best thing to get you moving in the direction you want to move is to write down everything you eat (every single morsel of food) and drink (every drop of liquid) for 10 days. You have to do this without judgment. If you eat a Snickers bar and wash it down with a Coke, do not admonish yourself. Just write it down.
After the 10 days period, can sit down and analyze your dietary habits. From there a plan with respect to quality and quantity can be generated.
Good luck!
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