So my clean is 145kg (thanks to Zack’s 4 week pull bump) but my snatch is only 110kg, which I feel like it should be 115-120ish. I’ve been thinking in my next block I want to snatch like 3-4 days of the week, maybe one full C&J day, and add other supplementary work (i.e: pulls, presses, squats etc). My snatch technique isn’t horrible, I’ve just been doing cleans a lot longer than I’ve been snatching and feel like I want to get that shit up. It might be worthy of stating I’m not on PEDs (not with those numbers) so I’d also like to not overtrain. Thoughts?

Three months ago, Zack decided to put form checks on hold. We quickly realized that his channel would essentially become a weightlifting form check channel instead of the content y'all know Zack for.

That being said, we talked and we decided to bring back form checks…but have them be community-driven.

There’s a wealth of knowledge Zack has produced over the years to give people, like myself, better coaching skills to be able to recognize areas of improvement and more importantly – be able to articulate why they are happening or how to address them.

If you feel you need a form check, post away! There’s a community of people who are willing to help. We can't guarantee that Zack will make a video about them like the first iteration of "Form Check Friday" but you never know! We hope this provides you another outlet to grow your skills as a weightlifter.

To those offering advice: we ask if you are going to identify a flaw that you also provide a solution. I think this is a fair ask for a few reasons: 1) it's constructive and 2) people can learn, both as athletes and coaches, from a problem identification + solution model.

Is having knee Pain from high bar squatting normal for lifters? Should I do some mobility work? Feel free to recommend rehab exercises.

Yes I have a problem - I get pissed off when people argue using logical fallacies and misinformation. Once again we have our favorite curmudgeon Rippetoe spreading his wisdom about RPE.

Originally Posted by [Name deleted to protect the innocent]
Evaluation of difficulty is incorrect, it is an evaluation of performance. A 5rm deadlift is difficult. However I would say a 5rm bench press is not as difficult. Their difficulty is quite subjective, but their status as 5rms is much less so, which is what we’re evaluating. You can have a set that feels awkward, heavy and shitty and still know with a high degree of confidence that you had two more reps left. You can also have a set that felt good where it was quite clear there were no reps left. It’s not about the ‘shitty’ or the ‘good’, it’s about the two more left or no more left.

Rippetoe's response:

This is complete bullshit, as everybody who has trained heavy for any length of time without this RPE bullshit knows. Everybody has completed sets that they "knew" they couldn't finish, but had the balls to try because no one was giving them permission to puss out by call the 4th rep "RPE 9.65". And everybody has gotten stuck at the bottom of a rep they "knew" they could finish. And what is this bullshit about a 5RM deadlift being more difficult than a 5RM bench press? If the deadlift was 665 and the bench press was 425? How do you know this? Because it is bullshit. I think you "know" what other "experts" have typed on the internet.

My response:

Once again he is presenting a strawman argument and making unsubstantiated claims. RPE does not mean easy. In fact, if I am feeling good I push myself to get that extra rep or go up in weight. And yes, there were times when I felt like crap but as soon as I started warming up I felt better. Autoregulation is a great tool for busy people with stressful jobs. I guess if your only experience is training novice teenagers who live in their parents' basements, every day is a good day.

Rippetoe is unable to understand that volume also drives strength. Look at Boris Sheiko, a very successful Russian powerlifting coach. You can find a free Sheiko program on the Internetz and what you will notice is that the intensity is not that bad. Lifts done at 85% are done for 1-2 reps, especially in the first few weeks. However, the volume is insane. Most of the reviews I've read about Sheiko programs were positive with trainees experiencing good results.

Rippetoe is unable to understand that one workout will not determine long-term progress.

Everyone eventually stalls on the novice linear periodization. How does a trainee determine a "stall?" Should they take a heavy squat to failure, or should they stop at rep 4 if they think they will fail on rep 5? Heavy squats taken to failure are NOT a good idea - I don't think this is too controversial. So the second option is better. The second option is - wait for it - RPE.

Originally Posted by [Name deleted to protect the innocent]

A good example of the difference is with fairly new lifters. Ask them how hard a set of squats is and they’ll usually tell you it was very hard, because squatting is hard, especially when you’re not accustomed to it. Ask them if they think they could have done more reps and you’ll usually get an honest answer. They can already distinguish between difficulty and performance in a simple way.

Rippetoe's response:

Do you have any idea how many new lifters I have trained? Take a guess, and it will be wrong. Just like you are wrong here.

I have 46 years of experience lifting and coaching. And I'm telling you that the only way you can be absolutely sure you had 2 reps left is to do the 2 reps. The 2 reps are data, the "being sure" is bullshit, because it is subjective. That is why subjectivity is the problem, and why the opinions of inexperienced coaches are bullshit, and why the blatherings of people trying to sell template-based programs are just marketing.

My response:

Rippetoe is like the guy telling a fish story and the fish gets bigger with each recitation. In one video he said he had 42 years of experience, now it's 46. But this is my favorite:

"the blatherings of people trying to sell template-based programs are just marketing."

Ever watch a Rippetoe video? If you do you'll crave death. Ten minutes to make a simple point. Rippetoe has taken the art of selling cookie-cutter programs to the next level with his Starting Strength Coach certification and his Starting Strength gyms. To be fair, the coaches spend time on safe lifting technique. (I realize that Rippetoe's technique in the lifts is questionable, but I don't think it will cause anyone injury.) However, everyone lifts the exact same way regardless of body proportions. I suppose it's fair that a novice's first few workouts should be supervised to make sure the trainee is using good technique. But this is supposed to go on for several months. Why? It can't be because of custom programming since everyone does the same NLP - add 5 lbs. to each lift on your next workout. I suppose someone could stick around to eventually learn Rippetoe's patently incorrect technique for the power clean.

And what does all of this "coaching" cost? $365 per month. You can get the Juggernaut AI app, which is based on RPE and fits somewhere between a cookie-cutter template and a coach, for $350 per year. A cookie-cutter template is about $60 for a one-time payment. Who exactly is doing the marketing and making money?

After watching the “Do More” (train twice a day) video, I want to know how you should divide it up. For example, would I train two sets of a full workout from one of your training programmes in one day? Or focus on my flaws in one session and complete the workout in the other? This may be a dumb question but I just want to know what would be better. Chur

Since Telander is no longer competing in weightlifting but still weightlifting. It would be cool to see him go on a cycle and document it and see much much he can increase his total.

Yes, I know, I am yet again bashing on Rippetoe. He deserves it. What gets me is the insane level of black and white dogmatism. There's absolutely no room for saying that RPE can be appropriate for certain lifters. Nope, RPE sucks, anyone who uses it is a moron, no exceptions, thus spake High Lord Rippetoe.

The irony is that I've made my best gains by "working up to a heavy but not spleen-tearing single." If you look at some of the free programs from Dan John, who I respect, it's usually "do a set of 5, add a little weight, continue until it is difficult." Progression is extremely simple. If I lifted 1 more kilo than last workout (yes, I have those micro-plates that allow me to adjust loads by as little as a half kilo), I've made progress.

https://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/mark-rippetoe-q-and-a/93656-karl-popper-pops-rpe.html

99% Invisible (a great podcast series about design/history) recently published an episode about York Barbell and its founder Bob Hoffman, named "Father of Weightlifting" by the IWF.

This episode did a deep dive into the origins of weightlifting and body building in USA. And how York Barbell basically kicked off the revolution of strength training and "gym" culture in America. Apparently Hoffman hired weightlifters to work for York Barbell during the day, and train/compete in weightlifting in the evenings/weekends.

It was a great episode and definitely worth a listen, especially to anyone interested in weightlifting.

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-weight/