45's and 25's

I heard a well-known strength coach once explain that in a perfect world there would only be 45 and 25 pound plates. He was making a reference to teaching Olympic-style weightlifting to college kids. He said to get rid of all the small 5 and 10 pound plates, the awkward 15’s and those unnecessary 35’s. By eliminating the student’s options, they would need to first master a weight before deciding to make a significant jump.

For example, if you had someone that could snatch 185 pounds, they would have to get so technically good, and perform so many reps in order to feel confident enough to make the next jump to 225 pounds. Eliminating the decisions, and all the in-between weights, forces the student to learn the weight more. To get to know it’s ins and outs and to know how it feels in all aspects of the movement. 

You might be starting to wish you had another weight option these days. Maybe your kettlebell is getting light on your squats, or not really heavy enough to deadlift. If that’s the case, I urge you to learn the movement better. There isn’t going to be another kettlebell available, get to know the weight that you have. A couple extra reps or a slower tempo is all you need to make something feel more challenging. 

We have been given a chance to learn movements and learn the weights better than ever. At the gym, it’s easy to swap out weights when something is light or heavy or hard. Now, we need to make due with what we have. Eliminating the choice of all the in-between weights is a great chance to master movements and build strength. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain