Olympic Lifting Update and Finding a Place to Practice

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fit4Less. The opinions and text are all mine.

I have been taking an Olympic Lifting class and it has taken me completely out of my element. The movements still feel very foreign because they tend to be the opposite of what I do in my regular training.

An example? When I do my clean and jerk, my instructor is constantly reminding me to sit back further on my heels. Any movement in cycling or running is pushing me forward, not backwards so this has been a bit of a learning curve, but I am loving every minute of it.

With my class being weekly, I need to make sure I am practicing in between to make sure so I am nailing the movements. I had cancelled my gym membership over the summer because I love exercising outdoors during this time, but with the insane winter we have been having in Canada I began to consider the merit of having a treadmill at my disposal. These factors along with my need to practice my lifting form confirmed my need for a new gym membership.

The issue is, considering I am swimming at my local pool, training on my own bike on the trainer at home and doing some group workouts with my running club, I didn’t want a gym membership where I was paying a premium for something I wasn’t going to access that often. I needed something that had the training essentials I needed, but at the same time didn’t want to pay additional for someone to chill my towels or leave a mint in my locker.

I did some research and after comparing options I decided that Fit4Less was the best fit for my needs. The reason I really like Fit4Less is because I can hop on the treadmill or practice my lifts when convenient (many locations are open 24 hours) and can do so paying under $5 a month (along with corresponding joining fee and tax). Considering I have a small little apartment that cannot fit weight lifting equipment or a treadmill, it is the wisest choice for me and there is a location near my house which is handy for me.

So while I have been practicing my lifting, what have I learned?

It hurts in new places

I’m talking thumbs and traps for the current moment. My thumb spends a lot of time being squeezed between the bar and my other fingers and when you combine this with increasing weight it certainly doesn’t feel ideal. On top of this, I am also not used to pulling a weight up to my shoulders so my traps are feeling super sore as I expand my workouts.

Rock climbers and weightlifters have something in common

Chalk. I didn’t know it was necessary for lifting but I need to use it to help my grip on the bar. It reminds me of climbing but instead of being in a little pouch around your waist, the chalk is in bar form that you reapply before lifts as needed.

There is a new jargon to learn

I will admit, I needed to google what all the lifts were before I began. Snatch, clean and jerk, clean…I literally had no idea.

Break at the hips

Hit full extension of the hips and everything else will flow. Learning proper hip movement in lifting appears to be as essential as learning proper rotation in swimming; you won’t have it right away but once you get it, you get it.

I will continue to check in with everything I learn with the sport, but for now, if you are looking for a cost-effective but solid place to train, check out Fit4Less for more information on how to become a member.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fit4Less. The opinions and text are all mine.

I have been taking an Olympic Lifting class and it has taken me completely out of my element. The movements still feel very foreign because they tend to be the opposite of what I do in my regular training.

An example? When I do my clean and jerk, my instructor is constantly reminding me to sit back further on my heels. Any movement in cycling or running is pushing me forward, not backwards so this has been a bit of a learning curve, but I am loving every minute of it.

With my class being weekly, I need to make sure I am practicing in between so I am nailing the movements. I had cancelled my gym membership over the summer because I love exercising outdoors during this time, but with the insane winter we have been having in Canada I began to consider the merit of having a treadmill at my disposal. These factors along with my need to practice my lifting form confirmed my need for a new gym membership.

The issue is, considering I am swimming at my local pool, training on my own bike on the trainer at home and doing some group workouts with my running club, I didn’t want a gym membership where I was paying a premium for something I wasn’t going to access that often. I needed something that had the training essentials I needed, but at the same time didn’t want to pay additional for someone to chill my towels or leave a mint in my locker.

I did some research and after comparing options I decided that Fit4Less was the best fit for my needs. The reason I really like Fit4Less is because I can hop on the treadmill or practice my lifts when convenient (many locations are open 24 hours) and can do so paying under $5 a month (along with corresponding joining fee and tax). Considering I have a small little apartment that cannot fit weight lifting equipment or a treadmill, it is the wisest choice for me and there is a location near my house which is handy for me.

So while I have been practicing my lifting, what have I learned?

It hurts in new places

I’m talking thumbs and traps for the current moment. My thumb spends a lot of time being squeezed between the bar and my other fingers and when you combine this with increasing weight it certainly doesn’t feel ideal. On top of this, I am also not used to pulling a weight up to my shoulders so my traps are feeling super sore as I expand my workouts.

Rock climbers and weightlifters have something in common

Chalk. I didn’t know it was necessary for lifting but I need to use it to help my grip on the bar. It reminds me of climbing but instead of being in a little pouch around your waist, the chalk is in bar form that you reapply before lifts as needed.

There is a new jargon to learn

I will admit, I needed to google what all the lifts were before I began. Snatch, clean and jerk, clean…I literally had no idea.

Break at the hips

Hit full extension of the hips and everything else will flow. Learning proper hip movement in lifting appears to be as essential as learning proper rotation in swimming; you won’t have it right away but once you get it, you get it.

I will continue to check in with everything I learn with the sport, but for now, if you are looking for a cost-effective but solid place to train, check out Fit4Less for more information on how to become a member.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fit4Less. The opinions and text are all mine.
I have been taking an Olympic Lifting class and it has taken me completely out of my element. The movements still feel very foreign because they tend to be the opposite of what I do in my regular training.

An example? When I do my clean and jerk, my instructor is constantly reminding me to sit back further on my heels. Any movement in cycling or running is pushing me forward, not backwards so this has been a bit of a learning curve, but I am loving every minute of it.

With my class being weekly, I need to make sure I am practising in between to make sure so I am nailing the movements. I had cancelled my gym membership over the summer because I love exercising outdoors during this time, but with the insane winter we have been having in Canada I began to consider the merit of having a treadmill at my disposal. These factors along with my need to practice my lifting form confirmed my need for a new gym membership.

The issue is, considering I am swimming at my local pool, training on my own bike on the trainer at home and doing some group workouts with my running club, I didn’t want a gym membership where I was paying a premium for something I wasn’t going to access that often. I needed something that had the training essentials I needed, but at the same time didn’t want to pay additional for someone to chill my towels or leave a mint in my locker.

I did some research and after comparing options I decided that Fit4Less was the best fit for my needs. The reason I really like Fit4Less is that I can hop on the treadmill or practice my lifts when convenient (many locations are open 24 hours) and can do so paying under $5 a month (along with corresponding joining fee and tax). Considering I have a small little apartment that cannot fit weight lifting equipment or a treadmill, it is the wisest choice for me and there is a location near my house which is handy for me.

So while I have been practising my lifting, what have I learned?

It hurts in new places

I’m talking thumbs and traps for the current moment. My thumb spends a lot of time being squeezed between the bar and my other fingers and when you combine this with increasing weight it certainly doesn’t feel ideal. On top of this, I am also not used to pulling a weight up to my shoulders so my traps are feeling super sore as I expand my workouts.

Rock climbers and weightlifters have something in common

Chalk. I didn’t know it was necessary for lifting but I need to use it to help my grip on the bar. It reminds me of climbing but instead of being in a little pouch around your waist, the chalk is in bar form that you reapply before lifts as needed.

There is a new jargon to learn

I will admit, I needed to google what all the lifts were before I began. Snatch, clean and jerk, clean…I literally had no idea.

Break at the hips

Hit full extension of the hips and everything else will flow. Learning proper hip movement in lifting appears to be as essential as learning proper rotation in swimming; you won’t have it right away but once you get it, you get it.

I will continue to check in with everything I learn with the sport, but for now, if you are looking for a cost-effective but solid place to train, check out Fit4Less for more information on how to become a member.