If you want to be a heavier lifter, it’s time for you to become more aggressive with the iron and showcase your dominance by engaging in more aggressive tendencies.
The other day, I had posted a video of a client of mine performing a deadlift to zercher of 405lbs. I received much feedback about his performance, feedback such as “woah, hell of a lift!” to “oh my, he is going to destroy his back”…well whether you’re amazed at his efforts or ready to crucify his unique technique, I want to focus in one on aspect of this lift…
Brotha, he lifted that weight with A TON OF ANGER!
Now, as we have seen in previous posts and literature, it’s very important that we consider the way we differentiate between movements and attempts pending the context of the situation. To understand this idea, I am going to incorporate two very different movements: hitting a golf ball and performing a power clean. When hitting a golf ball, the movement requires you to hit with precision but at the same time a ton of power. If we consider these two variables, we wouldn’t want to over engage and become overstimulated for this could ruin the placement of the ball on the course. On the other hand, when performing a power clean, the biggest priority is for the bar to lift upward and be caught by the lifter. There is a level of technique performed with a power clean, but the highest priority of this movement is to lift with as much power as possible. This would then cause the lifter to try to overly anticipate and overly engage in the movement. Between these two movements, there is a level of focus and power that shifts, but another way to coin this concept is to say there is a level of arousal regulation that needs to be considered. To bring it all back to the iron, we want to be highly stimulated, and engage in a higher level of arousal to conquer heavier loads of weight. One of the ways to do this is to incorporate focus, excitement, and a heavy dose of aggressive tendencies.
Before a movement begins, we have to visually see it happen within ourselves through mental imagery. This is the moment you see a lifter approach the bar with intense focus and that “deathly stare”. In a study by Bolliet, Collet, and Dittmar, these authors helped to reinforce an ongoing notion about the benefits to mental rehearsal on actual movement. They investigated the level of ANS stimulation between a mental lift and an actual lift, concluding there was “no significant difference”. This information implies that active participation in mentally simulated movements are comparable to actual movements, which can be beneficial for those interested in learning a new task, rehabilitation from an injury, or adding modifications to a previously learned skill. Although it does not directly affect performance of movements, it can help replicate the autonomic response for possible benefits to future performance. This, plus much more research developed in the world of mental imagery, indicate that seeing yourself lift weights before ACTUALLY lifting weights has a ton of benefit. But now, once you have your hands on the bar and are ready to go, what are you going to do?
This is now the time when lifters showcase their aggressive tendencies by starting to “bark” and “yell” at the weight, followed by a massive roar of confidence during the movement to insert their alpha dominance within a fifty mile radius. A common question amongst outside spectators (because if you were a true lifter, you would understand this) is “why do people yell when they lift”?
In sports where an explosion of power or strength is necessary (e.g., weight lifting, tennis), athletes often yell or grunt to increase force production. Martial artists have used a similar technique for centuries called a kiap, but scientific evidence of its effectiveness is scarce. This study by Furukawa, Fujiwara, Abe and Kamijo examined the effect of kiaping on strength and whether expertise influenced its effectiveness. Fifty (25 novices, 25 experts) martial artists completed a handgrip strength test under no kiap and kiap conditions. Performance for all participants was significantly better with the kiap (437.1 Newtons ± 94.9) than without (408.0 Newtons ± 90.6; p < .001). What this shows to us is that although there is no direct research on if it makes us lift heavier weights compared to others, it does show that within explosive sports the idea of a heavy vocal grunt helps to increase force production. So when you see lifters attempting a phenomenal lift and they hit the “wall”, they provide a forceful yell that helps them clear the sticking point and move forward towards success.
In the end, if you want to be a heavier lifter and perform at a high level, it’s time for you to become more aggressive with the iron and showcase your dominance by engaging in more aggressive and violent tendencies. Take those years of suppressed adolescent raged, followed by the angst you have for your oppressive superiors and harness it into an aggressive ritual that takes over before or during a lift to make you an iron warrior! Let this be your outlet, and become a part of your sanity by embracing your insanity.
And as always, science rocks. This is a time to research ideas and literature that increase performance with the iron. Don’t be a “bro” the rest of your life, take action now and be a better lifter.
Bolliet, O. O., Collet, C. C., & Dittmar, A. A. (2005). Autonomic Nervous System Activity During Actual and Mentally Simulated Preparation for Movement. Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback, 30(1), 11-20.
Katsuhiro Furukawa, Takayuki Fujiwara, Koji Abe, Masayosi Kamijo. (2016) The effect of vocalization on spinal excitation as measured by H wave. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice 32:3, pages 218-222.