29/09/2025
The Arthur [Saxon] Lift 🏋️♂️
Or, “another way to get a barbell onto your back without a squat rack”, in this case as a setup to perform a Jerk.
I’ve been aware of the lift for a while, but this was the first time I’ve played with it hands on.
Old time lifts have a habit of looking ‘hectic’, and the Arthur Lift is a stand out in this regard.
But, also like most Old Time lifts, it’s way less hectic than it looks when you actually start feeling it out — as long as you give yourself a good margin for error.
During this day of introductory practice there were micro improvements at each level—
We started on 20kg (unloaded barbell), then onto 30kg, 40kg, a couple of bouts of 50kg dialing in the initial launch to the back, before hitting 60kg here.
Though the last set was “the best one yet” (in terms of what I was focusing on dialing in — which was the initial launch up) there’s still plenty to improve on.
This being the case, this isn’t a ‘how to’ post telling you that you should do this lift or outlining my preferred technique to do it (which I’m still figuring out).
It’s a post about the journey — Feeling out the edges, and smoothing them out in the pursuit of . ✌️
If there’s one thing I want to imprint on our members as part of my coaching it’s not a set of movements, or “results”, it’s this. 👆
A process that looks different for everyone, depending on where you are and the set of limitations you do and don’t have, but is always driven by curiosity and conservative-but-consistent exploration rather than fear and outright avoidance. 🤸♀️
Don’t be reckless, but don’t be afraid to test the boundaries either… ⚖️
Be water my friends 🌊
Coach Clem
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Keen to experience how this philosophy plays out in a class setting?
Or maybe you just want to try out a bunch of weird things with a supportive bunch of likeminded weirdos. 😆
Either way, our course based Strength Classes are right up your alley.
Comment or DM to come out to play 🤙
“All aboard the crazy train…” 🎶🤪🚂🦇😆