My Journey into SuperTotal Training
I’ve been lifting weights consistently since I was 14. I’ve done bodybuilding programs, CrossFit, powerlifting, and Olympic Weightlifting. Over the last 5 years, my training has been almost exclusively focused on preparing for weightlifting meets and adding kilos to my total. But that’s changed this year.
I took some time away from hard training in 2019 due to injuries and personal reasons. Over that time, I did a lot of reflection on my experience as a strength athlete and my short time in the sport. Although I love weightlifting, I realized that what I loved most about the sport was self-improvement and the training process. I discovered that my true goal in training is to become as strong as I possibly can, not necessarily to become the best weightlifter I can be. I want to do multiple strength sports at the highest level that I can, simultaneously. That kind of desire is probably what attracted me to CrossFit early on (my desire to not do cardio is what then attracted me to weightlifting).
Since starting with SuperTotal training, I’ve seen some big changes in my body. I feel stronger now than I ever have and I’m close to setting some new lifetime personal records in all the main lifts. If all goes to plan, I think I’ll hit new bests in everything in the next 1-2 months. That’s pretty exciting for me because I haven’t hit a significant PR since late 2018. The improvements I’ve made to my pressing and my pulling strength have also given me the confidence to enter my first Strongman competition. I’ve gained muscle, especially in my upper body, and lost body fat at the same time. Improvements in my nutrition have had the biggest impact on that, but the hard training certainly helps. Now that I am enjoying training again, it’s also easier to stay on top of my nutrition because I have the motivation to.
What is SuperTotal?
The SuperTotal is made up of the main lifts from weightlifting and powerlifting: Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Back Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. Add your best lift of each to build your total. There have been some SuperTotal competitions over the last couple of years and it’s been gaining popularity. The most well known is probably the “One Ton Challenge” from the Barbell Shrugged team. Check them out on Instagram @onetonchallenge.
Is SuperTotal right for you?
If you love training for strength and you’ve got some experience with Olympic weightlifting, SuperTotal might be a great fit for you. Maybe you’ve been doing classes for a while and are looking to focus on strength. Or, maybe you are like me and have been doing strength training for a while and are looking for another challenge. If you love doing classes or doing metcons and want to continue with that, a full SuperTotal program probably isn’t ideal for you. However, a 2 or 3 day SuperTotal style program could be a great supplement to your functional fitness training to improve your WOD times if the strength movements are what’s holding you back.
The snatch and the clean and jerk are both very technical movements, so you want to have a basic understanding on how to do them safely before diving into a full SuperTotal program. This is where you definitely want a coach to help with your technique and guide you along the process of learning those two lifts. Especially if they are new to you. With that said, there’s no reason you can’t continue to get strong using the other lifts and accessory movements while you are learning the snatch/ Clean and Jerk.
If you have questions about SuperTotal training, feel free to reach out to me at cody@blendedathletics.com
