Heavy Weight Is Instructive

I first read that in S&S. Like many other truisms,
it takes time and practice to sink in.

After one year of training, I have recently
graduated to the 32kg in the S&S program and found
that I could no longer rely on my biceps and
triceps to get me out of trouble in the middle of
a Turkish Getup. With a heavier bell crushing
down, a bent elbow or tipping arm becomes more
risky. I have to make keeping a straight arm
perpendicular to the ground a top priority. A
slight bend or tilt requires immediate attention.
Once that is dialed in, the move becomes less
taxing. If I feel weak, crushing the handle would      
work. From these experiences, another truth starts
to make sense, i.e., strength is a skill.

I dread injuries and S&S has been a very safe
program so far. Nonetheless, pulling a 16kg bell
toward me with an extended shoulder, goblet-squat
the 32kg with a hunched back, and swinging
without packing the shoulders or straightening the
spine were among the mistakes I made in the past.
I sought out experts and took lessons. The problem
was that superficial cognition did not automatically
translate to intrinsic knowledge.

I have observed: one prepares to the best he can,
he trains, gets hurt, learns and persists, and gets
better. As he pursues more ambitious goals, the
process repeats. One has to make mistakes to learn.

The key here is to avoid big and permanantly
damaging mistakes. But I guess if one keeps
pushing, he would reach a point where that kind of
mistakes are more likely. At that point, knowing
when to stop would be very personal, tricky, and
maybe even impossible and no one could really
help. Anyway, I am far from there; let me relax
and enjoy.