Nicola Vaughan-Ellis - Powerlifting: Training, Techniques and Performance

Powerlifting

Training, Techniques and Performance

Nicola Vaughan-Ellis

First published in 2013 by
The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2013

Nicola Vaughan-Ellis 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 575 1

Project editor: Margo Galvin
Photographs of the three powerlifting lifts Terry Galvin
Anatomical drawings Caryl Dane
All other photographs Nicola Vaughan-Ellis and Margo Galvin

DEDICATION

To my granddaughter, Tabitha, the first of a new generation. She is symbolic of the possibilities of altering the orientations of the time and space we occupy. May it be a positive journey.

In all things, success depends on previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.

Confucius (c55c478 BC )

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The following unique group of individuals has been extremely helpful in making this book possible: Margo Galvin, my ever-patient editor; illustrator Caryl Dane and photographer Terry Galvin. My sincere thanks go to all three for their exceptional expertise and valuable time. My gratitude also goes to all of the coaches and service providers that I have met during my career. All of the above have been indispensible to my vision of bringing Powerlifting to a general readership.

FOREWORD

With an ever-escalating interest in sport and the national heroes of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games, it is not hard to notice the growing number of books being published on such themes as the Olympic experience and what it takes to become an elite athlete or world-class coach. Many of these books are academic in nature, examining the regimes, skills and advanced techniques that have enabled athletes to train their minds and bodies in order to become the best. Other titles are autobiographies by top athletes describing their experiences at world class level. Very few marry the two aspects together and even fewer achieve this for the sport of powerlifting.

In Powerlifting: Skills, Training and Techniques Nicola Vaughan-Ellis sets out to bridge this gap and, in my view, succeeds admirably. This is not just another strength training book. Certainly, it contains comprehensive examples of training programmes that the author has developed over thirty years. However, it extends well beyond this to include technical explanations and illustrations of the three powerlifting lifts, detailed discussion of the role of the coach enriched with her own coaching philosophy and a step-by-step breakdown of what happens at a powerlifting competition.

What sets this book apart from other titles is its fusion of academic insight and real life experience gained at the highest level, all brought to life with authentic sporting examples and practical tips that the reader can easily follow. Underpinning it all is Ms Vaughan-Ellis passion for the sport of powerlifting and for the emerging generation of coaches and athletes who are carrying the sport forward.

I met Ms Vaughan-Ellis when I became her mentor in 2006 while she was preparing for her coaching role at the Beijing Paralympics Games (her third Games). Since then, I have watched her progress and witnessed at first-hand her passion, dedication and drive to develop the sport of powerlifting. She has gained global recognition and respect as an athlete, coach, referee and manager while striving to create a climate of excellence that is enriched by deep knowledge and leading-edge ideas. All of this, I believe, makes her ideally placed to examine and explain how the coach, athlete and the athletes wider support network work together to grow and succeed within the sport.

The challenge for the author is to present an interesting, useful and reader-friendly text. Even though powerlifting is not my primary sport, my attention was captured and my interest sustained as I reviewed the various topics in this book. Ms Vaughan-Ellis has an instinct for what is right and what will work, and translates this into practical steps, supported by real life examples, that the athlete can take to improve their performance and achieve even exceed their powerlifting goals.

I was particularly impressed by the clear explanation of the different stages of skill and technical development required to perform the three powerlifting lifts and the strategies available to help the athlete put the theory into practice. The writing style is clear and the contents are presented in an interesting and thought-provoking manner. Feature boxes and clear photographs and diagrams help to illustrate key points throughout the book.

Ms Vaughan-Ellis does not attempt to include every topic or theme associated with powerlifting and the complementary sciences relating to the elite athlete. I believe this is a wise decision as it is quite impossible to do justice to all topics involved. She has focused on what is involved in developing the skills and techniques required to become an accomplished powerlifter and how the coach, athlete and supporting service providers work together to achieve the desired outcomes. While there is much in this book for the afore-mentioned individuals, the powerlifting enthusiast and the general lover of sport should also find plenty to enjoy.

Ms Vaughan-Ellis has produced a long awaited book of substance for the sport of powerlifting. Importantly, I believe it clearly illustrates how and why powerlifting has earned its place at the highest level of international competition, placing it alongside other world ranking strength sports. This is an informative, enjoyable read and I welcome its addition to the growing catalogue of sporting titles.

Peter A. Hirst

Former Performance and Coaching Director of
England Squash, and former head of Coaching
New Zealand.

INTRODUCTION

This book is a guide to athletes and coaches in powerlifting, as well as a more general book for sports lovers. It takes a coach-led, athlete-centred approach that is intended to empower the individual, promote excellence and facilitate personal fulfilment within the sport.

Powerlifting is fundamentally a sport that requires the athlete to pit themselves against the weight to be lifted, but it is important to remember that this cannot be achieved by the individual alone. It requires teamwork, support, and the sharing of knowledge, ideas and honest and constructive feedback. Therefore, in this book, I have described the preparation required by the individual athlete to perform each lift safely and successfully, as well as the skills required by the athletes coach and support network in helping them along their chosen pathway.

There are many books available that cover specific aspects of training, from training programmes (what is prescriptive) and training cycles (the activities the body goes through to complete the programme) to loading, strength building and adaptation of the mind and body, to name a few. All of these are excellent individual training components.

However, this book takes a different approach in that it offers a fusion of many different ideas in an easy-to-apply framework. It takes a multifaceted, holistic and yet fluid view, based on the belief that the sum of the whole will provide a well grounded formula that is close to the needs of the athlete. It combines the scientific and statistical elements that underpin training loads with the physical and artistic elements that enable the athlete to create the optimal body shape to facilitate the correct pathway of the lifting bar. Above all, this book reflects my belief that the key to any successful training programme is not the what but the how.