Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Weightlifting

Weightlifting is so much fun in so many ways, the challenges it brings in training, having to push that little bit harder to get through, all the way to hitting some big PBs.

But there are plenty of parts about weightlifting that can be frustrating, or that you just don't realise when you first start.

I've made many mistakes over my journey, and my goal as a coach has always been to make sure my athletes don't have to make the same ones, so they can get the most out of the sport from day one.

Here are some things I wish I knew before I started weightlifting.

It will take longer than you think

Nobody tells you this at the start, so I will: it takes way longer than you expect to even feel decent at weightlifting. Not good, decent.

The snatch and the clean and jerk are two of the most technical movements in any sport. You're learning to move a barbell at speed, through precise positions, with timing that has to be earned rep by rep. That doesn't happen in a few months. Make peace with that now, because the lifters who accept it early are the ones who stick around long enough to actually get good.

The upside? Because the ceiling is so far away, there's always something to improve. You'll never get bored. Frustrated sometimes, sure, but never bored.

Don't get specific with your strength training from the start

It's easy to fall into the trap of only building your squat strength, since that's what most people see weightlifters doing. What people tend to forget is that the lifters you see on social media posting their big lifts and heavy squats have spent years developing strength across their whole body.

When you first start weightlifting, you should be aiming to build general strength, not just leg strength. Don't get me wrong, leg strength is very important. But so is the ability to hold a bar over your head, and to lock out a snatch or a jerk.

Building overall general strength gives you a stronger base to develop from as a lifter. Do that early, and you'll be in a much better position to narrow your focus later in your journey.

Technique is key to development later down the track

What annoys me most about the weightlifting community, lifters and coaches, is the endless argument about whether technique matters. One side says "just go heavy," the other says "you have to have perfect technique first." It's such a boring argument to see on the internet.

What a lot of these "experts" forget is that they were all beginners once. Without putting some attention into learning technique and building strength early on, they'd never be lifting what they lift now.

As you progress as a lifter, where your attention needs to go will shift. When you first start, you should be focusing more on movement quality, because, well, you have no idea what you're doing yet. And while you're doing that, you're building general strength in the background. So when you're ready to go heavy, your body is ready for it and you know exactly what you're doing.

The idea isn't to hold a lifter back by never letting them go heavy. It's to help them learn to snatch and clean and jerk well. Because here's what happens to the lifters who decide technique doesn't matter: they progress fast for a while, then they catch up to a point where they can't progress anymore, because their technique is now the thing holding them back.

Build a solid technique framework early, and keep developing it as you go. There will always be minor errors to iron out as you progress, whether that's from strength gaps or technique awareness. The point is you develop technique alongside everything else, not one quality at the expense of the rest.

Every rep is meaningful

One of the biggest mindset shifts in weightlifting is realising that training isn't just about the heavy days. Every rep matters, whether it's a snatch single or a triple.

As a beginner or intermediate lifter, you can probably get away with just going in and going heavy for a while, and you'll keep walking out with new PBs. But that magical period ends quickly. Then you have to do actual weightlifting training, and if you're not ready for it, it can be pretty humbling. This is the point where I've seen a lot of people either quit or get really excited. Be the second kind.

You shouldn't just hit singles all the time, and you shouldn't just grind high-volume sets all the time either. Every rep range develops something. Building your snatch triples builds consistency and density into your lifts, which feeds a new 1RM down the track. Heavier doubles and singles help you feel top-end loads, become more consistent at heavy weights, and build confidence in yourself.

There isn't really a "you should do more of X over Y." You should be doing all of it at one point or another, depending on what you need as an athlete and where you're at in your programming.

And one more thing while we're here: you're going to miss lifts. Whether you like it or not. A miss doesn't mean your technique is broken or your session is ruined, it means you're doing weightlifting. Learn what you can from it, then move on.

Compete before you think you're "ready"

This is one I fell into the trap of myself, not competing because I hadn't hit specific numbers yet and wasn't "good enough" to compete.

Let me tell you this first and foremost: no matter what number you tell yourself you need to hit before you compete, there will always be another number after that one.

If you can lift the bar, you can compete. That's the minimum standard.

Competing is also a skill, and skills need practice. You shouldn't aim to do your first comp after years of training and expect to compete at your best. There will be challenges you weren't prepared for, nerves lifting in front of others, how a real comp prep and peak feels, managing your weight in the lead-up, what the backroom feels like on the day, having judges watch your lifts. All of that takes reps to get comfortable with, and the only place you get those reps is at a comp.

And honestly? Competing is fun. You should get in there and experience how fun it is. Not every competition will go how you want it to, and that's okay, but that's also a lesson that takes time to learn. So get in and compete before you feel ready.

Community is key

Having a community and training buddies to push you along, and to distract you between sets, is half the fun of this sport.

Training alone is boring. Trust me. I've spent a good portion of my lifting life training by myself, whether that was in the corner of a CrossFit gym or at a commercial gym. I still have to train alone most of the time, because I coach during the hours most people train. But when I do get the chance to train with others, it's always the best time.

Not only will you have supportive people cheering you on, you'll have people to push with. A little friendly competition is a great thing, and it will take you further than training alone ever will.

Have fun!

This is the most important one, and it's the one people forget, because training can be gruelling at times, or because they see what people post on the internet and start comparing themselves.

Honestly? Ignore all of that. (I know, easier said than done.) But I promise, if you focus on finding a great community, you'll have the best time regardless.

Weightlifting is amazing. I love it. I love training it, and I especially love coaching it. I never want to see the day I'm not doing one or the other, I want to be 75 years old and still snatching and coaching everyone haha.

I've been part of CrossFit for almost 10 years now, and heavily involved in weightlifting for close to 7. I've had plenty of ups and downs with both sports, and there are areas I wish I could go back and change as an athlete. But I can't. What I can do is help the lifters around me avoid the same silly mistakes I made, and help them grow as lifters and as people.

My goal as a coach is to show you how fun and rewarding weightlifting can be and that everyone belongs in this sport, no matter what walk of life you've come from.

You are welcome at MWBC.

Thinking about starting weightlifting, or already lifting and want to skip a few of the mistakes above?

Book a free 1:1 with one of our coaches. We'll have a look at where you're at, what you're working towards, and how to get you there, no pressure, no sales pitch, just a chat and a lift. Click the link to book in >LINK

—MWBC Coaching Team