Picture circa 2010

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is to be able to help organize events like the Powerlifting Experience. Weekends like we just had emobidy the values and overall mission of elitefts as a company. It also represents who we are as Team elitefts.

For me, these seminars are no different than any other clinic or conference in respect to when and where learning takes place. The conversations I had over the weekend was well worth every minute.

Instead of giving you an arbitrary play-by-play of the weekend, I figure I would provide some of the take-aways I got from the weekend from five guys I look up to and have become friends with.

Jim Wendler

In the Spring of 2005, I got a phone call in my office at the ODIA weight room at West Point. It was before I had lifting groups that  day  and was surprised to hear it was Jim Wendler on the other end. I had filled out a coaching questionnaire at elitefts and Jim apparently thought it wasn't shitty. I also listed some of the guys I had been learning from in terms of my own powerlifting career which ended up to be mutual connections. I was traveling an hour down the road to lift with John Bott once a month and also driving to Nazareth, PA to lift with Bobby Fields at Mike Miller's gym.

From then on, Jim and I have been friends and I visited him as much as I could.  I would bring my interns from Denision over to see him. I've seen first hadn the impact Jim has had on so many lifters and coaches. Some of the best advice I got from Jim wasn't training related.

Right before my first daughter was born in the summer of 2009, I got a call from Jim (most of the time I called him) when I was teaching Physical Education for the Upward Bound program at Columbus State. I asked him about fatherhood and he told me two things.

1. Being a Dad was easy. Jim told me kids just need you to pay attention to them. Sit on the floor and play with them. Just spend time with then and everything else will fall into place.

2. Everything else in your life will bump down the priority list. All the non-essential bullshit will fall of the bottom. Things become easier because less things matter.

As we are getting ready for our third this Fall; I realize he was absolutley right on both accounts.

I texted Jim on Friday of the Powerlifting experience and invited him over. I knew he would want to see Dave, Vincent, and Rhodes. I let him off the hook and said we would be expecting his infamous "Irish Exit" at some point.

Bottom line is, it was great to catch up and I am glad he got to see a lot of people and meet some new ones for the first time. As he was leaving, we were talking about doing the right thing and making an impact on people. He had given me this quote from Gandhi of all people.

“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Whether you think you are making a difference in someone life or not, you still need to follow through and do it. Help others become better even if they don't follow through on their end. You never know the impact you are having on people so don't stop being the person you want others to strive to be.

Darden, Tate, Wendler. #elitefts #PLExp2

A photo posted by Mark Watts (@mjdubs_elitefts) on

Matt Rhodes It's hard not to like Matt Rhodes. He is funny, honest, and he makes no mistake about who he is and what he will do for the rest of his life. I have been around a lot of strength coaches and I haven't met many who love being a strength and conditioning coach as much as Matt Rhodes.  We got a chance to catch up on Saturday. I walked up to a conversation between he, Mike Szudarek and JL Holdsworth about coaching and leadership. It's reassuring to share concepts with like minded coaches. After a while it was just Matt and I talking and one thing is as evident as his love for coaching is his outgoing respect for our military. Matt has some guilt about not enlisting, much like I have some guilt about my lack of combat time compared to our vets today during my time in the Marine Corps. Nonetheless, we were able to share ideas. matt has a lot of connections as his dad was a Marine and brother flies A-10 Tank Killers in the Air Force.   As we shared stories of the things we learned from some of the finest young men and women defending our freedoms, he reminded me of a quote that all coaches and athletes should take to heart. 

"Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That’s why we train so hard." - Anonymous Navy Seal

Now when you think about that statement, it coincides with all of the values we as coaches were taught. There is no such thing as a gamer. There is no such thing as "turning it on when it counts." And, more importantly, even if you feet the opposite, you can't let your players hear you condone that mindset. Everything from a motor learning to a psychological perspective will tell you that quote is accurate. To assume an athlete, lifter, or coach will be able to handle difficult situations without the experience and skills developed  under stressful situations is a farce.  One of the best examples to scientifically reinforce this point is the story of the rats.  Read about Fables for Coaches Here

Clint Darden

Some people you meet have a profound impact on you not just because of how you feel about them but how they make you feel about yourself. Clint Darden is one of those guys that everyone feels they know and want to meet in person. to say Clint has been fighting the odds and dealing with adversity is an understatement.

Clint addressed the  PLExp2 attendees at the end of the day with an emotion charged presentation that rang true for everyone. Now, I am the first to admit that not everyone received the same message from the exact same presentation. I may have interpreted Clint's talk a little differently because of my experiences and what is important to me in my life. I don't want to steal the Thunder because I feel the entire presentation will be posted as it should. There are two ideas I'll leave you with.

One of the scariest things about competing is thinking your best performance is behind you.

This is what keeps some people training way past their prime and what discourages  people to quit when they still have a few years left.  I am dealing with this now. "What if I never get another PR?" That is scary, discouraging, and challenging all at the same time.

Don't complain about what's in your lunch box everyday when you pack your own lunch. - Clint Darden

Clint told a story about 3 construction workers and after hearing it, I immediately reverted back to thinking about Brian Cain's Destination Disease.  People complaining about situations they have the power to control is very frustrating. We as coaches deal with this on the regular. Athletes often have all the answers in front of them and refuse to give the correct one. Athletes know they need to get stronger, work harder, eat better, sleep more, etc. The fact they feel they can get away without doing it is why coaching is the most important job in this country.

It also is true for the new generation of coaches. They often feel their next job will be where they can actually start to make a difference. They feel that they cannot become leaders as interns or need to have a full-time salary to make a full-time commitment to their athletes. Complaining about working long hours for little pay may be equally foolish and selfish. If reality does not meet expectations, young people become very discouraged. It is up to you to change one or the other. Realistic expectations with an actionable plan.  Don't like what's in your lunch box, pack something different.

TRAINING

SATURDAY at the Compound

Rackable Cambered Spider Bar Soft Box Squat

350 for 4 doubles

Swiss Angled Grip Press Bar Bench Press w/ Pause

200 for 5 sets of 5

Back Attack Good Mornings

Whatever weight was on the machine for 1 set of 20

Low Cable Row

Whatever weight that was on the machine for a set of 10 , then 8

 WEDNESDAY

  • Hammer Decline Row
  • Hammer Low Row
    • Superset for 20, 15, 10 (21, 15, 9 would have been CrossFit)
  • Seated Leg Curl
  • Seated Leg Extension
  • Seated Calf Raise
  • Machine Curl
  • Machine Triceps Extension

Podcast Banner