Move it slow!

“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast”

I heard this seemingly oxymoronic line in my first BJJ class in 2018. I had what you would call, spazzy white belt rage - moving as aggressively and quickly to avoid the snares and technical prowess of other members. It certainly worked against smaller but equally technically incompetent opponents, but even the most novice white belt with a few classes under his belt could keep me at bay until I tire myself out. This 5 minute pep talk/pat on the back after being woken up from an involuntary nap has had a profound effect on how I approach training and many day to day activities.

So… how is this relevant to lifting weights?

See, trying to rush and muscle your way through workouts is a completely understandable and very common fallacy in powerlifting. The weight is heavy, you want to give it everything you’ve got to MAKE IT MOVE! Unfortunately, this strategy rarely pays off in the long run.

To compensate for a lack of technical ability, many lifters resort to moving quickly in an effort to complete the lift before gravity realises what's happening (my interpretation of events anyway). With weights that are any way challenging to a lifter, rushing a lift leads to crap, inconsistent positioning and failure. This is often seen as rushing out of the bottom of a squat -  with knees hips and chest see sawing, heaving the bar off the chest in the bench press - with ass lifting, elbows going god only knows where, and yanking the bar off the floor in the deadlift - which leads to the most frustrating lock out and missed lifts you will ever see.

• I must note that “bad positioning” is entirely individual, and I feel dirty even suggesting that any particular way of moving is good or bad.

*Lifters should switch their focus from trying to move weight with speed, to moving weight with intent, being aware of your positioning and how you want to complete the rep*

The golden rules for technique - the reps should be consistent, repeatable and unconscious. This takes time and deliberate practice as contradictory as that might seem. Every day is an opportunity to hone in on your technique, focusing on few things at a time, until you are confident in getting into the gym and knowing intuitively how you want to move, regardless of the weight on the bar.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.