We can all agree that confidence is extremely important when lifting heavy weights. As the saying goes, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
When I’m coaching my powerlifters as they approach a competition, I try to do everything I can to help them build confidence. Mostly, this involves purposeful mental preparation like visualization and positive self-talk. But sometimes we use actual physical drills to build confidence, specifically overload exercises that let the lifter feel maximal weights or even supramaximal (heavier than their 1-rep max) weights.
These are not all-the-time things. Too much supramaximal loading can create unnecessary fatigue and a false sense of confidence, perhaps fooling both the lifter and coach into thinking they can lift more than they actually can. But when done strategically, they can give a lifter just the confidence boost they need to crush it on the platform.
Supportive Gear
My favorite way to overload a lifter is use supportive gear – that is, wearable equipment such as a Slingshot on the bench press and knee wraps on the squat. Both the Slingshot and knee wraps stretch and tighten as the lifter lowers the bar, storing elastic energy that then helps launch the bar back up. This allows the lifter to handle slightly heavier weight (but not too much heavier) and often teaches the lifter to improve their technique.
I also love the fact that unlike using bands and chains, the weight on the bar doesn’t change throughout the range of motion, so the lifter is actually handling the exact weight on the bar from start to finish.
Wearing a Slingshot on the bench teaches the lifter to “spread the bar” and stay super tight through their upper back as they lower the bar. It also teaches the lifter to keep their elbows directly under the bar. A Slingshot will help blast the bar off the chest, but it also sends the bar up and back at the exact angle of the forearms. If the lifter lets their wrists roll back/elbows fold forward, that bar is gonna fly straight at their teeth. Unless the lifter wants to make their dentist filthy rich, they’d better learn to keep their elbows under the bar.
The one drawback of the Slingshot is that for some lifters, is forces a touchpoint on the chest that’s a little too low (toward the hips). If their competition-style bench uses a wider grip with the elbows slightly flared and a higher touchpoint, their Slingshot technique may be too far removed from their competition bench to have much carryover.
We’ll use knee wraps on the squat less often than Slingshot on the bench simply because it’s much harder to learn to use them. Plus, when you wrap your knees properly, it kinda hurts. But knee wraps require laser focus to control the bar path. The tiniest deviation forward or backward can knock the lifter off balance, leading to a missed lift. This kind of technical precision is a must for anyone who wants to squat massive weights.
Bands and Chains
Adding bands or chains to the bar is called accommodating resistance. As the lifter moves the bar, the load gets heavier at the top of the lift as the bands stretch or chains uncoil off the ground. This has many applications, from improving bar speed to overload sticking points. But in the case of building confidence leading up to a competition, we like the fact that it lets a lifter feel supramaximal weight at lockout without having to handle maximal weights throughout the entire range of motion.
For the squat and bench, we’ll most often use reverse bands. By hanging bands from the top of the squat rack and looping them around the bar, the weight on the bar is reduced as the bar moves downward (into the hole on squats or toward the chest on bench). Then, the lifter gets a little boost as they start to lift back up, but this assistance fades toward the middle/top of the lift as the bands go slack. Therefore, the lifter gets to handle heavy weight during the second half of the movement without getting crushed at the bottom.
For the deadlift, we more often use chains to overload the movement. This is mostly because we don’t deadlift inside a power rack and because the bar starts on the floor, the bands have to stretch exceptionally far to be looped around the bar. This makes it hard to estimate how much band assistance a lifter receives and often leads to more assistance off the ground than desired. We know exactly how much each chain weighs, so we can be more precise and ensure that the lifter is handling the weight we want at lockout.
Heavy Holds
The final overload method is the simplest: heavy holds. You simply load up a supramaximal weight, unrack it and hold it. I first saw these done by Jen Thompson, one of the strongest women to ever walk the planet. As a 330-pound bench presser in the 132-pound weight class, she was doing heavy bench press holds with over 500 pounds. This absolutely blew my mind.
It’s not groundbreaking to claim that your setup can make or break your lift. Nothing tests your setup like unracking and holding a weight heavier than you could lift for your 1RM. On the squat, it improves your ability to be deliberate with your walkout and not lose tension or position with each step. On the bench, it teaches you to keep your chest up and lats tight. Once you master your setup with heavy holds, you’ll be extra dialed in with the weights you plan to handle in competition.
Application
The key to these overload methods is to use them sparingly and at the right time. I usually save them for the final 2-3 weeks before competition. We’ve found that using them too much more than that leads to fatigue that takes away from practicing the actual competition lifts.
We aim to have lifters handle 105-115 percent of their desired 1RM. Lifts done with supportive gear don’t require as much overload, whereas heavy holds can be done slightly heavier because you’re not actually moving the bar.
I’ll often prescribe assisted reps or heavy holds between sets of the competition lift. The supramaximal weight creates a post-activation potentiation effect where the lifter is able to recruit their fast-twitch muscle fibers more effectively. The lifter’s setup often feels better after the heavy hold or assisted rep too. For example:
- Work up to a single @ 8 RPE / 90% of 1RM
- Perform a heavy hold for 2 sets of 10 seconds @ 105% of 1RM
- Perform another single at the same weight as the first one
- Proceed to backdown sets
This has been a successful recipe for building confidence and improving the quality of a lifter’s backdown sets. Whether the benefit is actually physiological, purely mental, or a combination of both, it doesn’t really matter. As long as it works!