HMMR Podcast Episode 236: Rethinking VBT (with Wil Fleming)
Velocity-based training has been gaining traction over the last few years as the technology becomes more affordable. Many of the resources out there, however, keep discussing the same old approaches to VBT. Weightlifting coach Wil Fleming just published a new book on VBT based on his experience using it in a sport that is based around the barbell. On this week’s podcast we discuss some of the methods he has tried out and how they can be adapted to other sports.
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Notes and quotes
Wil Fleming is the head coach of 1Kilo Weightlifting, as well as an author and speaker on weightlifting topics. As an athlete, Fleming participated in the Olympic Trials as a hammer thrower and was master’s national champion as a weightlifter.
- 0:00 – Introduction
- 4:00 – Why the sport of weightlifting has been slow to adopt VBT.
- 11:15 – The role of height in velocity based training: “The minimum velocity needed to make a lift is dependent on the athlete. A taller athlete has to move the bar faster to reach the same like endpoint.”
- 14:15 – Comparing hang and standard lift variations: “If you want to move the bar fast, think about what variations you do. The hang clean is slower since it travels a shorter distance than the full clean.”
- 18:15- Velocity profiling: “Velocity profiles are going to be pretty unique from athlete to athlete. It helps you know what speed an athlete needs to make a lift. Their max might vary day to day, but the speed needed won’t so you can gauge each percentage on the day.”
- 24:00 – Minimum Velocity Threshold and finding training percentages.
- 30:00 – Using VBT for beginning weightliftings: “There are things you do to try and move fast, but the bar is actually moving slower. I don’t use it with anybody who doesn’t have established technique right.”
- 36:00 – Using VBT to diagnose and improve technique: “We’re all talking about velocity. But I think that the technology is going, to those next level kind of pieces of information like the bar path, the height of peak velocity, RFD, and other metrics.”
- 42:00 – Coaching Mary Theissen-Lappen and transitioning sports after university.
- 49:00 – Comparing alternatives to weightlifting for athletic development.
To hear more on these topics, listen to the full episode above. Also be sure to subscribe to our podcast and review it on iTunes.
Further reading
- This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus. Become a member for full access to our videos, articles, and podcast archives. This month’s site theme is technology and sport. Stay tuned for more on the topic.
- Want to try out VBT training? The Vmaxpro velocity measurement device is available in our store providing expert data at an entry level price.
- Fleming is the owner of Force Fitness and Performance in Bloomington, Indiana. You can follow Fleming on Instagram (@wilfleming), Twitter (@wilfleming) and his website. You can also follow his weightlifting club 1Kilo on Instagram (@1kilo.wl) and pick up some gear in the 1Kilo Shop.
- Even more details on this topic are in Fleming’s new book Velocity-Based Training for Weightlifting: Current Concepts & Applications. He’s got some video on creating a velocity profile and other topics up on YouTube as well. You can also learn more generally about weightlifting in his book Complete Olympic Lifting Handbook.
- Fleming was also a guest on Episode 147, where he shared lessons from hammer throwing and weightlifting.
- Some past episodes that talked about velocity-based training: Episode 15, Episode 17 with Bryan Mann, and Episode 221 with Simon Overkamp. We also discussed a different approach to the topic in this article.
- The topic of how Olympic lifting fits into the training of non-lifters has been a topic we’ve addressed on numerous occasions on this site. In particular, check out the multi-part roundtable discussion we had with weightlifting coaches (including Fleming). We also covered weightlifting with Matt Foreman on Episode 82.