LISTEN: Table Talk Podcast Clip — Jim Wendler's 5 Core Values for Training

“We all know the Ten Commandments, right? I think we need something more personal.”

Luckily for Table Talk Podcast listeners, special guest Jim Wendler coaches what he knows, and he’s got knowledge to spare. One facet of knowledge Jim has is the concept of core values.

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FULL EPISODE: elitefts Table Talk Podcast #3 with Jim Wendler

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Core values are something that Jim... well, values. He’s got core values for every aspect of his life, whether it’s the core values he and his wife share, the core values at work, or core values for training. The mastermind behind the

5/3/1 program shares his five core values for training with Dave Tate:

1. Start too light
2. Progress slow
3. Use compound movements
4. Attempt to set PRs
5. Balance

Dave defines core values as a “basic statement of what you want to strive for.” These statements later become standards, which become quantifiable. For example, if you know your core values as say, a business owner, you can easily go down a list of your business’ core values and see if you or your employees have strayed from the course. In a meeting with employees, that shouldn’t take more than five minutes — pretty simple and easy. Core values make decisions easier because you don’t have to wrestle with certain things. You know what’s important, so you’ll stick with it because you know it’s right.

“They’re you.”

That sentence, short as it is, is a profound one. Your core values are more than a part of you: they make you who you are; they are you. That doesn’t mean that your core values won’t change or evolve — ideally, they should. Just as a person grows and changes, so do their core values. They are you.

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