Hailing from Virginia, USA, his name is synonymous with consistency and excellence, and he is known to the CrossFit Games® commentators by nicknames such as ‘Mr. Consistency’ and ‘Captain America’.
The following tips and thoughts draw from his extensive experience at the top level of the Sport of Fitness. Text is from Ben Smith.
ON DESTROYING EXCUSES
What’s your excuse for not working to get better today?
Everyone’s got one, let’s hear yours… write it down next to your goals… Look at them both and make a decision, which voice do you want to listen to?
What path do you want to take? When you realize that life’s just about choices and you’re in control it changes your perspective. Cross that excuse out and go do something that’s gonna make you better today.
USE DROP SETS TO BUILD STRENGTH AND HANDLE VOLUME
Drop sets are essentially a technique where you perform an exercise and then drop (reduce) the weight and continue for more reps until you reach failure.
Drop sets are the best sets! Well kind of, they hurt sometimes but I’ve found they really help me build strength and handle volume. Sometimes they are 2’s and 3’s and other times they are 10’s. I like squatting this way (fast reps with little lockout) to build power. I don’t do this all the time, only occasionally.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BosUYkkBdU4/?hl=en&taken-by=thebensmithblueprint
STICK TO THE 3 REP RULE FOR TESTING A 1 REP MAX IN WEIGHTLIFTING
If I’m testing a max in snatch or clean and jerk, I will limit myself to 3 attempts before lowering the weight or calling it.
Sometimes I’m stubborn but not always. It’s tough to know when to call it because you feel like you’re right there, but my general rule of thumb is 3 attempts. Then go back to the drawing board to increase speed, technique and power output and try again!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BofcVrZhd0j/?hl=en&taken-by=thebensmithblueprint
USE SNATCH HIGH PULLS TO IMPROVE MUSCLE MEMORY AND TRANSITION SPEED
I love this accessory movement because it helps build muscle memory through your positions.
I like doing these like “panda pulls” where you also work on not only getting vertical speed on the bar but transitioning to pulling UNDER the barbell as well. If you can be athletic enough to do this movement it can really help your timing and pull.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoaN5MEBb-n/?hl=en&taken-by=thebensmithblueprint
USE TOUCH N GO REPS AND THE HANG POSITION TO IMPROVE MOVEMENT AND TIMING
Touch and go reps and work from the hang positions really help me build/stay in good positions (on the descent) as well as spend some good time under tension.
Touch and go should look the same on the way down and on the way up. It is a great way to work power speed, balance and timing. Go as heavy as your technique will allow. Here I worked up to a heavy triple, this was it for now.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnCx4phBOd7/?hl=en&taken-by=thebensmithblueprint
USE TEMPO WORK TO SLOW DOWN AND MASTER A MOVEMENT
If you can’t move well and breathe through a movement, slow it down or work isometrics to build that ability. Breathing is the overlooked key in workouts.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4AaKTMHOle/
COMBINE PUSH/PULL MOVEMENTS INTO WORKOUTS
Here’s a fun one for you meatheads to try. Cardio and Bench: Classic pull/push.
5 rounds (new round every 3:00)
- 30 calorie row
- 3 Bench 225lb
5 rounds (new round every 2:00)
- 20 calorie row
- 2 Bench 250lb
5 rounds (new round every 1:00)
- 10 calorie row
- 1 Bench 275lb
No rest between sets of 5 rounds. Choose weights as needed.
TRAIN EFFICIENCY OVER LONGER TIME DOMAINS IN OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING
This workout is designed to test and improve efficiency for longer time durations and higher rep volumes during Olympic lifting.
Emom
- 5 Full Snatch
- Start at 75lb and add 20lb every 5 minutes until you fail to complete 5 in the minute
How far can you get?
I got to 13 reps at 195lb and my back = smoked.
Major key here is efficiency, work on staying efficient through the light weights and it will pay off in the long run.
TRAIN YOUR SNATCH POSITIONS IN AS MANY WAYS AS POSSIBLE
Deficit Snatch Pulls
Snatching well is all about positions. You have to dedicate time to practice under significant (relative to you) loading to hold your positions or else they won’t get stronger.
- Legs pull the bar from the floor
- Shoulders stay over the bar as long as possible
- Vertical extension
Give this drill a shot:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwqUCcQjsEO/
TRAIN YOUR ABILITY TO GENERATE FORCE WHEN YOU LIFT
Force = Mass x Acceleration
The goal, accelerate the barbell to produce as much force as possible. Do this with the right weights and positions and you can develop force equivalent to lifting heavy barbells with less stress on the body and better positioning. We used chains cause the Rock and Mark Bell both do. And it sounds cool.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwGAi6wFTXS/
KEEP YOUR BODY GUESSING BY CHANGING UP THE STIMULUS
I love some trap bar deadlifts. Loading up the hips and legs a bit differently, throwing a pause in the last rep to get some extra time under tension and muscle activation.
BTW I’m always for using/trying some different equipment to change up the stimulus if you have it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvVL1eel3tr/
VARY YOUR SQUATS
Here I’m trying to work on the lower back, hips and hamstrings in my squat. Power and speed development.
Technique Tips:
A bit wider stance and toe out a little, I like to control the descent down (staying tight on the box) and then stand up as quick as you can to develop some power. Try to keep those shins as vertical as possible (I could do better). You could also add bands or chains to this to work that speed too.
Changing things up to attack weaknesses is the name of the game.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPP9o2Fefi/
SWIM MORE
Swimming is always been a great addition to training. Wish we saw it more in competitions.
2000yd Swim workout today
- 400yds Warm Up
- 2 x 200yds w/1 min rest
- 4 x 100yds w/1 min rest
- 8 x 50yds EMOM
- 16 x 25yds (4 w/3 breaths, 4 w/2 breaths, 4 w/1 breath, 4 w/no breaths. Rest as little as needed)
Rest 3 minutes between 200’s and 100’s and 50’s.
IMPROVE ONE MOVEMENT A MONTH
Take a different movement each month and focus solely on improving that. This will allow you to gradually get better over time, and add in specialisation without losing the constantly varied aspect of your fitness.
Ben Smith: “Each month we select one particular movement (skill/lift/workout, etc.) that as a group we will test and then work on improving over the course of that month. At the end of the month we will re-test and record progress!
“We will incorporate specific work on this movement/focus during our Krypton programming multiple times per week to try and progress in areas that will help improve this specific movement of the month. This should help us not with knowledge and depth in the specific area we are trying to develop, but it will also help us set some goals and really see some short-term progress.
“Remember, everyone’s starting point will be somewhere different and we will have multiple scaling options for every movement like we usually do, and different ways we can measure progress over the course of the month. This is just a way we can all work together to learn more and improve as a group.
“We have a dry erase board chart in the gym where we would like you to write your name and your starting point for each month, as well as a realistic goal you are looking to achieve by the end of the month! At the end of the month we will test this movement again and record our progress!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoM38TxhgSm/?hl=en&taken-by=thebensmithblueprint
We hope that these tips can help you to improve your weightlifting and progress in CrossFit®. Have fun.
image sources
- ben-smith-crossfit-training-tips: Ben Smith
