20/05/2026
Let me explain further 👇
Variation lifts aren’t there to replace the competition movement, they’re there to develop it. A good variation exposes the positions, muscles, timing or technical qualities that are currently limiting your main lift. A lot of lifters make the mistake of judging a variation by how strong they are at it immediately, when really the whole point is that it SHOULD challenge you. If it feels awkward, unstable or weak at first, that’s usually the adaptation opportunity.👀
For example with sumo deadlift helping a conventional pull, it’s not necessarily about becoming a sumo puller. Sumo forces you to become more aware of position, tension, lat engagement, wedge, hip control and leg drive off the floor. It's specifically teaching me patience into the start position. For a conventional lifter the sumo can expose inefficiencies and build strength in areas that conventional alone may keep hiding.
This is also why staying the course of a full training block matters. The first 1–2 weeks of a variation are often just you learning the movement, finding positions and improving coordination. By weeks 3–5, the movement usually starts feeling smoother, more efficient and more natural, which is when adaptation and overload can actually begin to compound. If you ditch a variation too early because it feels hard or unfamiliar, you often quit right before the payoff starts.
Stay the course, if it sucks, i'm sorry but keep going, youre right round the corner of it paying off 🙌 (this is me having a breakthough after banging my head against the wall for 4 weeks ((clearly a deficient movement pattern for me!))🤪) wish me luck!
