Page 53 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 112
P. 53
www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #112 May 2022 53
Diary of a Weightlifter The Physical Challenges of the Master
By Thorin Gault of age and older (Canada has a and require lots of repetition to
category for those 30 and over). improve technique.
Categories are broken into 5-year
he popularity of masters increments all the way up to 85+. Another factor is that older
Tweightlifting has exploded in people require more time to
the last 10 years. It used to be rare I personally did not discover learn new movements. Our
to have another competitor in your the sport of weightlifting until I nervous systems are simply
age and weight category at the was 38 years old, so only have not as flexible and adaptable as
Canadian championships. Now, experience as a master lifter. younger people’s. So, in addition
there are minimum qualification Having coached and trained with to needing to train less with
requirements and strict caps many junior and senior aged more time to recover, it actually
on the number of competitors athletes, I can say there are very takes us more time to lock in
accepted at all national and specific challenges faced my solid technique. This is where
international meets. master lifters. master lifters who did compete at
younger ages have a significant
I am currently preparing for The first are physical. Older
the 2022 Canadian Masters people simple do not recover as advantage.
Championship in Moncton, quickly as younger people. So, we Mobility is also a challenge
New Brunswick where they are need to train less intensely with for master lifters. As we age, we
expecting 120 lifters to compete. more time in between sessions to require more work to maintain or
avoid burnout. This is especially improve our flexibility. Unlike
Masters weightlifting is a a challenge for lifters like me who powerlifting, weightlifting
designation for lifters 35 years involves daily stretching on top
had never done these lifts before demands excellent mobility in of their weightlifting training.
the shoulders, hips, knees, and
District 8 ankles to catch heavy weights In the next article I am going
overhead while in the bottom to discuss the psychological
Ontario 55+ Summer Games for 2022 challenges faced by weightlifters
in S D & G, Prescott-Russell, Akwesasne of a squat. For many master
lifters, having sufficient mobility in the masters group.
