This is an open-ended process of refinement, knowing where you are, addressing weakness and making adjustments. After a lifter learns the lifts with proper coaching instruction it’s time put them into practice. As they follow a strength program, while receiving feedback, experience is gained and it makes them more proficient at the lifts. The indicator is when reps start looking identical to each other. At that point the weight can be increased without much form degradation. After a certain point the lifter will need to take more ownership of their technique by actively paying attention, thinking about what they should be thinking about and sense what good technique “feels” like.
After 80% technical proficiency is reached the lifter should be lifting considerable heavier. This incurs a new set of problems that requiring more lifter autonomy while experimenting with different variations and setup up changes that target weaknesses within the lift and lifters psyche.
Let’s take a look at the different levels of Technical Mastery
Level 1 – General Technical Model
A lifters movement patterns are consistent at low weights. If a lifter is struggling with consistency of the reps try changing the stance, grip width or bar placement. It is recommended at this stage to slow things down, using tempo work and pause variations. This helps create an environment for increased proception. Cueing from a coach should be minimal and concise with the goal of the lifter “feeling” what right feels like. This is also a good time to start getting use to rating the lifts. I use the rated perceived exertion (RPE) scale 1-10. 1 being super easy 10 being extremely difficult.
Level 2 – Stabilize the Model
Lifter’s movement patterns are more consistent than level 1 with RPEs of 7. The lifter will notice form degradations and start to understand when they are compensating. The lifter should be placed in situations where they tend to struggle. Specific variations (example for a chest fall pattern in the squat use a safety squat bar or tempo variation) or at a specific intensity that is at the cusp of form breakdown so the lifter can be successful in overcoming the movement fault with good technique.
Level 3 – Refining the Model (80% Technical Efficiency)
The lifter will have much more control over lifts that are RPE 8-9. Here you’ll see very little form breakdown. You’ll see more sticking point and lack of force production issues. Here the lifter will “tweak” certain things like tucking the elbows more on the bench, or setting up with the hips a little bit lower on the deadlift or sit the hips back more on the squat for better hip drive.
Here the lifter should be doing special exercises that rewards or punishes movement. I tend to think of heavy dead bench press or dead squats (dead variations are pin variations that starts on the pins with no stretch reflex). You must be in the correct position in order to get the lift started. The adjustments to technique are often minimal body movements using variations that are usually set up to build strength at the sticking points.
Level 4 – Making Technique Changes
Lifter will have technical degradations and these happen to be clues into which technique is will produce the strongest result. Here the lifter needs very little cueing and is very in tuned to their bodies.
For example, lifter who shifts forward in the squat, (if hips and shoulder structures permit) taking a wider stance and placing the bar lower on the shoulder may prove to be a better option. This should allow the lifter to stay more balanced. Other examples include taking a wider grip position on bench press or even switching the primary deadlift variation to sumo due to better leverages. These changes in setup usually take some time to build. What comes with this, usually from a lifter’s perspective, are feelings demotivation due to going backwards for some time before they can go forward. The body needs to build the technical proficiency in the newer setups. I recommend when implement set up changes to only make slight changes at first when transitioning to a different style of technique. This does two things 1) allows the lifter to retain most of their pervious technique and 2) allows tendons, ligaments, bones and cartilage to slowly adapt to the new loading angles. During this process it’s important for a lifter to keep an objective mindset not allowing rumination of “weight lifted” is what” defines progress”.
Conclusion
This model is just an outline and doesn’t mean an athlete is fixed into one level. It's common to be further along with one lift than the other but you mustn’t treat all lifts equally. Furthermore, this model isn’t a linear path towards level 4. It’s ever changing with new variations, when there are outside stressors, missing training sessions, not being mentally focused during training, or there is a physical or mental setbacks. There is merit in understanding where you are on this scale. That should help prioritize what needs to be worked on and what are the indicators of increased technical proficiency. In the long-term finding the most optimal technique is the goal and takes time and some trial and error. It must be thought as a long-term investment to keep your strength potential ceiling as high as possible.