Top products from r/weightlifting

It really depends what youre looking for.




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These are very popular, many elite lifters use them (Lu, Tian tao, Liao hui, etc) http://store.hookgrip.com/shop/blue-white-hookgrip-knee-sleeves/

Those sleeves linked above do not really provide any support, they will not aid you in performing any movements, theyre mostly for warmth and maybe proprioception in some ways.

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Then you have these http://www.amazon.com/Rehband-7mm-Knee-Sleeve-Original/dp/B0088KPT50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450897198&sr=8-1&keywords=rehband+knee+sleeves

Rehband is also very popular among many lifters, these provide a little more support and are thicker, these still probably wont really add anything to your lifts (maybe 5 pounds if you get them a size down??).


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Then you have this tier of sleeves http://www.howmuchyabench.net/strong-sleeves

http://www.andersonpowerlifting.com/knee-sleeves-p/sbd-knee-sleeves-pair.htm



These are used more for powerlifting or for squats only(i dont think ive seen anyone perform olympic lifts with either), they are supposed to be pretty tight and offer a lot of support, they will definitely allow you to squat more (ive seen most people get 10kg+ out of them)

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The more support you want, the more you will have to pay. There are also knee wraps which generally provide more support than any sleeve can and those have a similar breakdown from less supportive to more supportive.

It sounds like you would benefit from Greg Everett's Olympic Weightlifting for Sports. It's designed to help a general athlete learn the olympic lifts to improve overall athleticism, and it's written by one of the most respected U.S. names in the sport. It's pretty short, has plenty of pics, and has some programming in the back for you to get started with.

I started with this book and after the 6 week program in the back I loved the lifts so much I decided to switch to olympic lifting exclusively. But if you just want to use them to supplement your training it's great for that too.

http://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Weightlifting-Sports-Greg-Everett/dp/0980011140

What specifically is he interested in? History of bodybuilding?

Arnold's Encyclopedia of Body Building is about $20. I think it includes a picture of Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie Coleman has a book, but I doubt it's very useful training wise, and is expensive. The weight training info isn't excessively useful in Arnold's book either.

The Purposeful Primitive is a book I'm getting this year, so I don't know a lot about the contents except I know it includes some history and quotes from people like Bill Pearl.. a lot of history and tidbits.

If you're looking for good books on training then the answers are different, though I've heard good things about The Purposeful Primitive, so it may be the best of both worlds for you.

Try oiling the sleeves and see if that does anything.

As for the bar...

1. I've used one of those cheap bars with the bolt at the end. Not good. Especially when you have re tighten them from time to time and hope the sleeve doesn't fall off.
   
   
   
2. Waste of money if you're gonna dare to Sn or CJ with it. Passable to do strength lifts on.
   
   
   
3. No, don't buy it.
   
   
   This seems to be the best option I could find on Amazon. I've never heard of them, who knows about the quality control and how long it will last but reviews seem ok. Only about 30$ more than your prior selection.
   
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Bonnlo-Barbell-Weightlifting-Capacity-Rotating/dp/B07BXHF8H6/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=weightlifting+barbell&qid=1574724081&sr=8-8
   
   
   https://www.amazon.com/CAP-Barbell-Olympic-Weightlifting-Renewed/dp/B07RH732VH/ref=sr_1_90?dchild=1&keywords=weightlifting+barbell&qid=1574724518&sr=8-90
   
   https://www.amazon.com/CAP-Barbell-Power-Olympic-Weightlifting/dp/B006R4EOXM/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=weightlifting+barbell&qid=1574724081&sr=8-5
   
   We used to use CAP barbells as our general purpose barbells. No idea what model but it wasn't uncommon for them to get bent over time or spin poorly.
   
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   https://www.amazon.com/Training-Equipment-Olympic-Barbell-Crossfit/dp/B07NZ7T1VJ/ref=sr_1_59?dchild=1&keywords=weightlifting%2Bbarbell&qid=1574724518&sr=8-59&th=1
   
   probably the next step up but you could just pony up another 50$ and get something from Fringesport with excellent customer service and a return policy. They bought out AgainFaster a few years ago which was pretty popular in the CF community.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/XMark-Lumberjack-Manganese-Phosphate-Powerlifting/dp/B01NBTGVNI/ref=sr_1_29?dchild=1&keywords=weightlifting%2Bbarbell&qid=1574724081&sr=8-29&th=1
   
   https://www.amazon.com/XMark-Crowbar-Olympic-Weightlifting-Powerlifting/dp/B07T6C2ZWL/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=weightlifting+barbell&qid=1574724081&sr=8-12
   
   
   Never heard of XMark. They have plenty of reviews though.

I actually have purchased or received as a gift the hookgrip wraps, hookgrip knee sleeves, and rehband sleeves.

I agree with /u/ronniedowd that if you want warmth only, the hookgrip knee sleeves work great and they're cheap. Rehband sleeves provide a lot more support, and they are super durable, but they are fairly expensive. Now I only use the hookgrip wraps, because they're adjustable. If I only want warmth I can wrap them loosely, but if I'm squatting heavy and need support I can wrap them quite tightly. I can't say yet how durable the wraps are.

"Thigh clean" isn't a thing. Whoever was coaching you probably doesn't know what they're talking about.

I recommend getting Greg Everett's book. He does a good job explaining the principals of weightlifting technique and making sense of the lifts. Trust me, it is well worth the $40.

Afterward, get a coach. The content in the book should help you determine whether or not a coach has a clue of what they're talking about. If you coach seems to be thoughtful and informed about what they're having you do, then stick with that coach.

Great advice. The Russians have lots of info on tracking your training like this and give volume recommendations based on your total and weight class. Bob Takano's book would be pretty useful in this context.

Another useful book would be Medvedev's A System of Multi-Year training in Weightlifting. This is the stuff that Bob's book is based on.

Bob's book Link

Medevedev's book Link

A good book for anatomy and basic physiology is Anatomy without a Scalpel by Kilgore http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Without-Scalpel-Dr-Kilgore/dp/0615390722

For exercise physiology, I used my college power points which was very thorough and well beyond what is needed to understand the basics of programming and weightlifting. I would suggest Principles and Practices of Resistance training because it will go over the energy systems, neuromuscular, and basic biomechanics in addition to sharing some very awesome insights on periodization http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Practice-Resistance-Training-Michael/dp/0880117060/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413763312&sr=1-1&keywords=principles+and+practices+of+resistance

I'd recommend the first exercise in this video for shoulder flexibility, it has helped me a lot. I generally do a short stretching circuit after training two or three times a week. As my flexibility improved the amount of stretching I do has lessened. It is usually composed of the shoulder dislocate in the video, I touch my toes standing and sitting, I stretch my hips and glutes with the butterfly stretch, stretch my quads and hips with the quad stretch, and I also stretch my shoulders/pectorals with the pectoral stretch. Many of these can be found by googling them, though I've gotten most of my stretch work from this book

Also a nice guide.

http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=137

Just to reiterate what biscarch said: hip and ankle ROM are huge, specifically (in my opinion) ankle dorsiflexion.

I’ve posted this on here before, but I think an underemphasized factor in getting to a deep squat with an upright back is ankle ROM. If you can’t dorsiflex, your shins will remain more upright. If your shins are too upright, your butt will end up too far back at the bottom of the squat, or you’ll end up with an excessively wide stance to compensate (which is unstable). And the only way to remain balanced if your butt is too far back is to lean your torso forward. If your torso is leaning forward, you won’t be able to hold the barbell.


You mentioned that when you’re wearing Oly shoes you still put small plates under your heels? That says you’ve got pretty tight ankles. I’m in the same boat, man. I’m currently doing the same thing that biscarch mentioned: foam rolling, specifically on my Achilles and calves. It’s… not comfortable, but it helps, along with some of the stretches listed here. It’ll take time and patience, but stick with it and you’ll see results. Definitely check out mobilitywod.com for mobilitly exercises too, it’s by the same guy who wrote Becoming a Supple Leopard

Covered extensively in my new book - http://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Weightlifting-Complete-Athletes-Coaches/dp/0990798542/

Short version is you need to be learning and practicing the lifts with very light weight for an initial period; during this time, you need to be covering any GPP needs and working on fundamental strength movements. When you reach a basic level of technical proficiency, you begin training the competition lifts along with the strength lifts.

One basic "starter" program here for someone who knows how to snatch and CJ well enough and wants to transition into more dedicated WL programming - http://www.catalystathletics.com/article/131/Starter-Program-for-Catalyst-Athletics-Online-Workouts/

I tried it while my thumb/shoulder was injured. Botched the numbers (supposed to take a a percent of your max and then put that number into the program) and wound up doing it all with too much weight. After three weeks, I had a severely strained hip flexor and couldn't squat anymore, which took a couple months to recover from, plus the thumb and shoulder issues. If I hadn't messed up the numbers I think it would have been great!

I think it's better to try and find a 1RM for the day, everyday. That method worked a lot better for me, especially while doing the double day squat program from Catalyst. That was my favorite and let me progress the most as well as get accustomed to moving 90% or more on multiple lifts in every session.
Also this is a good book: http://www.amazon.com/Squat-Every-Day-Matt-Perryman-ebook/dp/B00CE5BCFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412823349&sr=8-1&keywords=squat+every+day

Shameless plug but my sister just published her first book last week and I'm super proud of her

This is a goal she has been pursuing since grade school. It's categorized as an urban fiction, with steampunkish and post-apocalyptic elements worked in.

The nylon and velcro Harbinger belts have the benefit of not being super thick or overly supportive, light weight, and they have a very simple overlap buckle + velcro closure. You can also pick one up at Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc... and they are very inexpensive (plus I've seen them used by a lot of really strong folks).

Many of the ones sold online are the 5-inch which is 7mm over IWF regulations. Go for the 4-inch model like this one

Disclaimer: Also not an expert, in fact I posted a form check as recently as yesterday.

You shouldn't be using arms, once you use your arms u negate most of the power from the ground plus the bar swings away from you. Your arms should be loose, elbows external rotated, chest up, lats engaged (personal cue: I think about bending the bar around me with my chest/lats/core).

There are a bunch of other issues but its best to tackle one thing first. I agree its too much to start from the floor at this point. I'm not sure what you've been reading but I got a lot from this book

Try a velcro belt, I I got this one and it's been great. For myself, velcro belts fit better while in the start position and Ilya even used the exact model in 2012.

When I use Creatine, I just fill up a gallon jug with water, a cup of sugar, and a heaping spoonful of creatine monohydrate. Sip it throughout the day. You need lots of water for training, and in order for the creatine to be absorbed into your body. I got this recipe from Ellington Dardens book http://www.amazon.com/The-High-Intensity-Training-Muscle-Building/dp/1594860009

Try it out for a couple of weeks, if you don't notice results feel free to tell me to go fuck myself haha good luck

I can't read Russian but I know for sure Everett is the best in the English language. I can't recommend his book highly enough.

Catalyst Athletics

Oleksiy TOROKHTIY

Coach Zach Telander

Coach Max Aita has some stuff out there in youtube, but not his own channel. He does the Training Make podcast with ZT, and does coaching/programming with JTS (has a few things on their channel).

I'm pretty new too (about 4 months), but this is what I found so far. But I would really make finding a good coach in your area a priority. They will correct problems as they see them, which is really important for beginning weightlifters. Also, if you can, find a WL team you can train with. I would also buy Everett's Olympic Weightlifting book, and use it as a reference (he's the guy that runs Catalyst above).

I don't feel like I'm qualified to give advice so here are some great resources to check out until you get a coach:

Snatch tutorial from Juggernaut

Clean tutorial from Juggernaut

Jerk tutorial from Juggernaut

Catalyst Athletics excercise library (The rest of the website is also a complete treasure trove)

Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches by Greg Everett (the owner of Catalyst Athletics)

EDIT: Oh, and if you live in the US you can find nearby USA Weightlifting affiliated clubs on this site.

Get Greg Everett's Book and do the Weight Gain Program

High Calorie snacks: whole milk, nuts / nut butters, jerky, cheese, full fat yogurt, avocado. great now im hungry and im supposed to be dropping weight

Catalyst Athletics makes a great book. I use it and it’s available on Amazon. Has a everything from programming, exercise selection, tchinqje, nutrition, and much more. Here’s a link https://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Weightlifting-Complete-Athletes-Coaches/dp/0990798542/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Catalyst+athletics&qid=1573231159&sr=8-3

Here's a great book on the subject. You can probably get it at your local library or on inter-library loan if you're a student (or, you know, buy it).

I also agree with what u/Flexappeal said. Training the classic lifts without any real understanding of what you are doing will just drill bad habits. If you are going the self-learning route, Greg Everett's Olympic Weightlifting for Athletes and Coaches is a pretty comprehensive book that you can read and re-read to understand the mechanics of each lift.

I'm not sure if you're being serious.

Did you miss the publication of this book earlier in the year?

Have you never seen stories like this or this or this?

Communist sporting success comes through sacrificing the lives of its young participants. This isn't conjecture - it's a sad fact.

I know everyone else is saying find a coach, and you definitely should..but the book is only $26 on Amazon and it shouldn't cost you anymore to ship to Toronto.

Link

Otherwise, I could pick it up for you and you could pay me for shipping. It would still cost you $35 probably.

These are what I use : link

Stable and you can remove layers of the plastic to adjust to whatever height you want.

Questions like these are answered here (and other places): Squat Every Day, by Matt Perryman

I personally use a Harbringer 243 4-inch belt I bought it off amazon for around $15. [Link] (http://www.amazon.com/Harbinger-4-Inch-Nylon-3-Inch-Medium/dp/B00074H7WI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396208198&sr=8-1&keywords=harbinger+velcro+belt)

Ilya Ilyin used this belt in the 2012 Olympics.

Another good belt is the eleiko weightlifting belt that is around $50 but it's seems that it is always sold out.

Hmmm, thanks man. I'm debating between WODlifts and these right now, but I'm erring towards the latter just because they are less expensive and because I have wide feet and my shoes are already quite snug.

At amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ML5ZU0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The knee sleeves are cheaper from Hookgrip. Here they are on Amazon for $8.41/per sleeve. Hookgrip sells for $6/per.

https://www.amazon.com/Heel-Lift-Clearly-Adjustable-Large/dp/B001TLCZG6

If you want to add ≤6mm/shoe, just buy one. For any added height, up to ≥12mm/shoe, you'll need to buy 2 sets.

Shoes: white Adipowers

Knee sleeves: grey Rehbands

Belt: Harbinger 243

Straps: Harbinger from the local Sports Authority

Shorts: Target

T-shirt: Rattiest graphic T-shirt I can find

http://www.amazon.com/Weightlifting-Programming-Winning-Coachs-Guide/dp/0980011159

You can look for the original unbranded version of the hookgrip sleeves

Shoes: Anta Weightlifting Shoes

Straps: IronMind Short & Sweet

Belt: Harbinger 243

Knee Sleeves: Rehband 7051 & Hookgrip Knee Sleeves

Wrist Wraps: None

In the book "The Ultimate Guide to Weightlifting" by Dave Randolf is a chapter called "Are You Ready to Olympic Lift" where a couple of assessments are put forward that "are based on the Functional Movement Screen, a system that has been used on thousands of professional athletes to determine their risks for injury, as well as give them the tools to get moving well". These assessments are drills to evaluate your mobility.
..you might also want to check out flexibility

buy this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TLCZG6/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_2_a_it?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3008523062&pd_rd_wg=DEOfl&pf_rd_r=HQFK4STQAG12WFXC64ET&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B001TLCZG6&pd_rd_w=P6fRg&pf_rd_i=heel+inserts&pd_rd_r=606cec64-d70b-4ea1-b13b-4d5e071462f3&ie=UTF8&qid=1510237357&sr=2

Harbinger 360890 4-Inch Nylon Weightlifting Belt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00074H7WI/

https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738

read The Book

For reference: I'm 6'9" and I can see the path to proper form, although I'm not there yet.

I posted a form video and someone was kind enough to let me know I was leaning forward far too much on the front squat of my cleans. Since then I've been working on maintaining a more upright position. Without a bar, and with Oly Shoes, I can maintain a more upright position than I was, but I do feel much of the same pain/stresses you are describing. IMO they are a result of limited ROM. Specifically, so far I've found issues in my hip flexors and ankle dorsiflexion. With the new form attempts, I also feel more strain on my lower back (no pain) and some knee pain depending.

The hip flexor pain, for me, I believe is directly linked to lack of mobility. My squat stance was actually a little too narrow, so I opened it up to actual shoulder width (I just thought I was at shoulder width before).

I believe I can get to upright, but it's going to take some hard work. I'd suggest picking up Becoming a Supple Leopard for mobility drills. It seems to be helping me.

sidenote: even in the past when I could parallel squat 500lbs+, pistol squats were hard.