elitefts™ Sunday Edition
Some of you may remember an article I wrote last year titled "The Trip." Each year for the CSCCa conference, I drive to the conference location and visit as many schools as possible along the way. I knew that this year would be tough as I had already committed to coaching at the Learn to Train 6 and was leading a 350-mile bicycle ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC, at the end of the month.
After a brief meeting with my wife (who is also pregnant), I knew that I couldn't do all three, so I told my staff that the trip would be sans Hamer this year. Instead, I planned on staying back that week and preparing for LTT6 and my bike ride. For anyone who enjoys lifting and riding, here are the highlights of those trips as well as what I learned this year.
LTT6
Day 1, Thursday, May 16: I was driving to Columbus, Ohio, from Pennsylvania so I offered to pick up anyone from the airport who didn't already have a ride. My first pick-up was easy because it was Gabe Naspinski and Steve Goggins. I already knew Gabe, and Steve is a great guy. My next pick-up was really cool because it was Ed Coan. Of course, his flight was delayed so I had some down time and decided to go to Columbus's finest restaurant, Piada! For those who have never been here, it's as if Jesus himself made your food.
After filling up, I met Ed at the airport. Wow—what a great guy! We talked the entire ride back to the hotel, mostly about Henry Rollins, who Ed has been able to hang out with and who's book I'm currently rereading. Then I headed back to the airport for John Mike and Chad Aichs.
After finally arriving back at the hotel for good, I saw Ed standing in the lobby. He looked at me and said, "If you want dinner, I'm buying." I was still stuffed from Piada, but my response was, "I'm starving." Who turns down dinner with Ed Coan? As we drove away, I could feel Chad staring at me wondering why he wasn't joining us (haha, sorry Chad). Ed and I arrived at the restaurant and ordered drinks. No sooner had the drinks arrived when my phone rang. It was Chad and John wanting to know if they could join us. Of course!
The evening was a great chance to talk and learn from some great lifters. I learned that Chad and I have way too much in common, including laughing when Ed said to Chad that he looked lean and healthy at 335 pounds and the table behind us stared in disbelief at this comment.
Day 2, Friday, May 17: I was just about to run to Timmy Horton's for a cup of Canada's finest coffee when Steve Colescott asked if I could help check people in. So instead, I sent Chad without me in my car (my car isn't very big). Upon Chad's return, he asked me, "What kind of strength coach has a bike rack on the roof of his car?" My answer—"The kind who is about to ride 350 miles." Chad had quite a disappointed look on his face.
All day I helped out and wasn't able to listen to many speakers. While I would have loved to have heard them, it was cool to be able to help out and be a part of the event. That night we had a team dinner at a place with wheelchairs at the front door in case you ate too much pie!
Day 3, Saturday, May 18: This was the day many were waiting for—a day at the gym. I decided to squat with Gabe, and we just did technique work under the watching eye of Chad. This was a blast because as Chad tweaked my form, he gave me crap for being skinny. I was able to work up to 455 pounds for a double and 405 pounds for a ton of triples, just working on form. It was a great learning experience, and I walked away with three big things that I need to work on.
I was lucky to be able to coach with Harry Selkow. Harry is a beast in the weight room and we had a blast coaching. The group was awesome. My only complaint is that we ran out of time. Some of our attendees were still working up when our time ran out. I realized that we were going too long when Mark Watts stood next to me with the microphone and said "five minutes left" for the fifth time. After this, we had time for the Q&A, which I'll keep to myself for future surprises! I'll just add that this is a must see. After all this, we went out for a beer. I was extremely tired but was able to eat a little and have a few beers.
Day 4, Sunday, May 19th: I went back to train at the compound. I had a nice bench workout and felt strong. It was nice to get tips again from Chad as well as from some of the other lifters. Jeremy Frey was very helpful with a few tips as well. After lifting, I had to return to normal life (which meant rushing back to Pittsburgh to pick up a crib).
Over the next few days, I tried to clean up some technique issues that were brought to my attention by some of the guys, but then it was time to do what most people reading this article will hate me for—ride my bike (bicycle, not motorcycle) for five straight days.
Bike Ride
Day 1, Wednesday, May 22—Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle, PA; 79 miles: This day was a fun ride with lots of historical information along the way. For anyone interested in history (and we all should be), this is a great ride because you go by where Braddock died and many places that George Washington has been. Ohiopyle is a great outdoors town with a few good pubs and some great beer that flows like water. The highlight of this day for me was saving a bullfrog's life.
Day 2, Thursday, May 23—Ohiopyle to Cumberland; 72 miles: This was a cool day because I met up with my dad and the rest of the riding group about ten miles into the ride (they took a shortcut). We had a nice, uneventful day until....at 4:15 p.m., we arrived at our hotel in Cumberland and the rooms weren't ready. This was a little annoying after sweating all day, but within five minutes, the front desk informed my dad and I that our room was ready. So we went up, got showers, and invited others to use the shower in our room.
While this was going on, a band had taken over the lobby. The band, Leftover Salmon, was there for a large bluegrass festival. I was able to talk to the singer/guitarist for a while, and he even got up and performed the "I don't have a room" song for us. This made me think about what I often tell my athletes—life truly is all about perception. Yes, the hotel was a mess and few people had been able to check in, but why not enjoy the ride?
Day 3, Friday, May 24—Cumberland to Hancock, Maryland; 63 miles: We had another fun-filled day of riding and eating at every stop we made. That afternoon, my wife showed up to surprise me for my birthday and brought cheesecake for everyone. So at dinner, we ate one and a half cheesecakes and then my dad walked around the restaurant offering the remaining slices to other restaurant patrons. The lesson is always pay it forward.
After dinner, we drank in our motel room college freshman style. This means the group all stuffed themselves into one room and sat on the beds drinking beer because it was 45 degrees outside.
Day 4, Saturday, May 25—Hancock to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; 62 miles: The morning was a little cool temperature wise to start off, but the sun felt good and the destination was awesome. If you've never been to Harpers Ferry, it is a 'must visit.' It's a great little historical town. Again, we had a dinner that ended with twenty people singing 'Happy Birthday' to me. It's nice to have your birthday celebrated two days in a row! I made sure to get in 37 pull-ups off a bridge along the trail.
Day 5, Sunday, May 26—Harpers Ferry to Washington, DC; 61 miles: We got out on the trail early so that we would have time to see Washington, DC, before the bus brought us back to Pittsburgh. We arrived in DC at about 1:00 p.m. The only highlights of the ride were watching the old locks opened by hand and seeing a Boy Scout fight with a dude cleaning the bathroom. The fight ended with a broom being thrown into a urinal. He clearly didn't win a badge for politeness.
The athletic staff at Georgetown was nice enough to allow us to shower at their facilities when we arrived so that we could walk around DC and have a few libations before hitting the road back home.
The lessons I learned over these two weeks were:
- Always pay it forward.
- Do what you want and what you enjoy.
- People generally want to help you succeed.
- Be coachable.
- Be honest with yourself.
- Know what your goals are (refer to number five as a reference).
- Be positive.
- Enjoy the ride because it's over too quickly.
I realize that this article is very different from what is normally posted on elitefts™. I actually had another one ready for this month but felt it was important to write about something a little different. I hope you enjoyed the ride with me.
