Another weekend at EliteFTS in the books, and a great one at that. Learn to Train is in my opinion, one the of the greatest investments you can make as a competitive lifter, gym rat, or coach. I have attended all 3, with 2 being an attendee, and this past one as a coach. I was asked by Dave a few weeks ago to help Dr. Ryan Smith with the mobility station. With that, I'll give you my Top highlights of the weekend.
1. The Atmosphere- Everyone always talks about how awesome it would be to train at a place like EFS. Well, now you know. If you have a place like EFS within 3 hours of you, make the investment in yourself and get your ass out there. My 2 hour drive is nothing to the drive some of the guys like Andy Deck and Vincent Dizenzo have been making for years to train with a good crew.
Me, Joey Smith, Ted Toalston, Steve Diel
2. Attendee's - This is why we were all there. We were there to help these people get better. We had 5 groups throughout the day. I stuck towards the back and watched over a few different people. In each group, I chose a couple guys that I saw could benefit from another lifter like myself reassuring them this stuff really does work. I was blown away by how receptive the attendee's were to me and my direction in helping them out. I can't thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to do so. 3. Dinner- Both Friday and Saturday most of the sponsored lifters and volunteers headed out to dinner. It's always a good time with these guys. Dave really has put together a great group of guys.
This weekend was one I won't soon forget. Being around 80 people that have the same goal you do...to get Stronger. There really is nothing like it. I can't thank Dave Tate enough for giving me the opportunity to help.
I headed out to the meet on Friday morning. Got to the hotel and checked in around noon, then headed over to get weighed in. The venue for this meet was awesome. Huge space, lots of seats, and a massive warmup room. 3 mono’s, 3 benchs/platforms even though I didn’t need to use either.
Woke up the day of the meet feeling really well, confident. Took a contrast shower and did some rolling and headed over to the venue. Got there around 8 a.m. I was in the third flight. Warmup’s felt off until 400+ was on the bar. I was really having trouble staying warm, because I’m used to squatting in 80+ degree weather. Need to bring more clothes to make sure to stay warm. Flights had lots of lifters so there were big rest periods between attempts.
My flight came up and I opened with 765. It wasn’t hard at all, but I started out forward with it and didn’t feel I needed to re-rack(which I ended up doing with my 2nd) Went down, dipped and for sure thought I had buried it well deeper than most of the squats I had seen passed that day. 2-1 No Lift. Got a white from the side, and red from head judge and the other side judge. Little disappointing but as soon as I got out from under the bar, it was out of my head. Brian came over and told me I needed to go up and not take it again because it definitely wasn’t a strength problem.
So I took 800 on my second. My setup was really off and I had to re-rack the weight. I’m not sure if my foot placement was wider than normal or what, but it just didn’t want to come out of the rack. Took it down smooth, dipped (as best I can) and brought it back up, for sure thinking this was good, I tried to bury it. Same lights as before. This was frustrating but I had to get over it and move onto my 3rd attempt.
Took 800 again on my third and it was just an ugly attempt. Knee’s came in, drifted in the hole. The one positive was I brought 800 up once again. BOMB!
I’m going to start this out by saying, bombing was no ones fault but mine. Do I agree whether my calls were fair? Not really, but the judges did the best they could. It was a weekend full of awesome lifting and I am glad I decided to do this meet.
My programing from Brian was great. I felt stronger than ever and it sucks I couldn’t get through the meet. I was feeling good and for sure thought I had a 500 bench in me that day. I just want to say thanks to my family for all the support, Dave Tate and Mike Robertson for putting together such awesome facilities and allowing me to train at them. All my training partners, you really pushed me the last 10 weeks, I appreciate it all.
I’m not sure when the next meet is going to be, but I will be deciding this week. I have a few different things to fix and I’m sure that if I put in the work, and focus on the thigns outside the gym that are holding me down, I can improve on this training cycle and hit some bigger numbers. Thanks again
So after reading a few different posts about goals for the pro-am I figured it was about time I put mine down. I'm already pretty excited about competing on the same platform as alot of the guys I've met over the past couple months that I don't get to see very often. Being that I have not lifted for that long, I think its awesome lifting at such a big meet so early in my career. Here it goes.
For the Pro-Am I will be competing in Multiply Junior SHW's.
Total - 1900
The real goal for this meet is to come out with a 1900# total. It doesn't really matter to me what numbers I hit, the 1900# total is all that matters. I will be getting programming from Brian Carroll, and I have several awesome guys that follow my stuff online that will be helping me with technique stuff, along with getting my gear set right. I'm really excited to make this happen!
I will shoot for 2000# next spring and try to take the current Junior SHW squat record which stands at 900. I'm relentless, the record will fall.
I just want to end this with one thought. Do things for you, don't do them because of other people. The moment you stop caring what other people think, is the day you start living. Do things how you want to do them, not how someone else wants you to. It's your life, no go grab it by the balls and DO SOMETHING!
I don't really know if I can put everything that happened this last weekend into words. All I have to say is that Dave Tate put together a great group of guys. Not only are they strong, but they are willing to help out a stranger. I attended the first LTT seminar this past January and learned more than I ever would have hoped. This time they outdid themselves.
Lance, Mike, and I departed from I-FAST around 5:25 or so. I'm somewhat psychotic about being on time, well actually, being early. I would rather be 30 minutes early than show up 30 seconds late. Just how I am. We made it to the compound around 8:00 and got settled in. Speakers on tap for the day were James Smith, Brian Carrol and Jeremy Frey, Doc and Mike, Wendler, and Dave. I was pretty excited for well...all of them. If there has anything I have learned when in this type of setting, I remember more of what I will use if I just listen. I was blown away by all the speakers. I loved the approach everyone took and appreciate the knowledge bombs that got dropped.
Fast forward to dinner that night. Since Mike was a speaker, he got Lance and I into dinner with the EliteFTS crew. Matt and Julia Ladewski, Zach Nicolay, and the three of us made up the table. It was great meeting Matt and Julia. Matt had some great suggestions for my shirt work and getting more comfortable in it. We talked shop, had some awesome laughs. I do have to say, if you haven't met Zach or taken the time to talk to him, you are missing out. Zach's a great dude!
After desert we were all sitting there and I feel this big hand grab my shoulder. I turn around to Joey Smith. Joey and I hit it off pretty well, he's a really nice guy that is really out there to help guys get stronger. Really looking forward to training with him again. Back to the story. He told me that earlier in the day he was getting pissed becasue he couldn't think of who I was and were he knew me from. After about an hour he said it popped in his head..."That's Lil Stevie!" Now if you have ever heard Joey talk, he is like me, ALWAYS at a 9! We get to talking about whats on the grill for Saturday and I mentioned that I wanted to come watch them squat and try and learn the gear a little bit better. Joey says "Why watch, come squat with us." I to be honest was taken back. I agreed and was pumped. To make a longer story short, I got asked about my bench and preceded to have Dave Tate, Joey, and basically everyone making fun of my weak ass bench! I am determined to change that!
Saturday morning comes around....I slept for what seemed like 5 minutes ( a whopping 4 hours) We left for the compound and got there around 6:20. Warmed up and asked Frey if I could work in with them. He said that was cool with them. Ended up working up to 725 for a few singles straps down and then my suit wasn't set right and I got dominated with 750 (which shouldn't have been much trouble) Thanks again for saving my life Matt, Brian, and Mike. Frey hit in the high 700's, Joey hit 750 I think, and Carroll did a 1030 w/ reverse averages. I learned a ton and wanted to say thank you again. Michael Keck hit a 575 raw squat, and I think Julia worked up to like 255 in her shirt. Some strong, strong people were in there that morning.
After missing 750, Steve Pucinella came up and started talking to me. We just talked about some random stuff and then talked about some of the big squat accidents of recent years. I was fortunate not to get injured cause he said he had seen a bunch of guys do similar things and end up injured bad. I had no idea Big Bach's squat accident was at Iron Sport and that Steve was spotting. Crazy Stuff. We broke into groups and went to our first stations. Q&A was up first. Just really listened to the other guys asking Julia, Matt, and Landon some questions pertaining to raw training and such. Next was squat. I would call myself a pretty sound Raw squatter. I've got pretty dialed in technique and was looking forward to showing Todd Brock my improvements. To my surprise Todd remembered me and we got to talking about some stuff. He gave me some really kind words encouraging me to keep learning the gear and that I'll put up big numbers soon. Next was MR and Doc's Mobility station. It was pretty funny seeing everyone get dominated by stuff we do on a daily basis at I-FAST. We broke for lunch and then came back to bench.
During lunch Zach asked a few of us that had been to the last seminar to come do interviews. I'm not really good at bullshitting or being serious. I told it like it is and I really hope that the clips end up somewhere, cause it was hilarious!
As many of you know that follow any of my stuff, my bench sucks. Joey, Steve Diel, and Jeremy both did a fantastic job helping everyone out. This was my first chance to talk to Jen Comas Keck. I'll tell you what, she is almost as cool as her husband! She had been struggling with her bench also and by the end of the day, her technique looked pretty damn good. I myself have some stuff to work on, but the setup pointers I got from the guys really helped me out today when I benched.
Next was deadlift with Kroc and Mike Harris. Kroc is jacked and that is an understatement. I ended up being the only sumo puller in my group. We were all pretty gassed so no one really worked up to anything heavy. Mike is a really nice guy, he had a few pointed for me and I appreciate it.
The last and final station was strongman. I have never done anything but a farmers walk. It was pretty cool cleaning and pressing an axle, and doing a log clean. Andy Deck might have the biggest calves of any man on the planet that isn't 500lbs haha.
Dave wrapped everything up. We all said our goodbyes and went on our way. Lance, Mike and I stopped at Crackle Barrel on the way home, got some gas and that was it. Not much talking, alot of yawns and sighs haha. I ended up coming home and straight crashing.
I can't thank everyone enough for taking the time to help me out. I can't wait for the next seminar!
Before I do a big post about all the awesomeness that occurred this weekend at EliteFTS's Learn to Train seminar I wanted to make a quick post about the 3 key points that I took from my training session with Joey Smith, Jeremy Frey, and Brian Carroll.
-Being Patient- If anyone follows my training, I'm not really patient when I get in the hole with a squat. I don't know if it is the confidence, or just learning to trust the gear. Frey had me really try to be patient when I got in the hole and not give up early, "It was high cause it was only training" was a stupid excuse to not hit depth basically. Something that I really need to work on if I plan on hitting what I'm chasing after.
-Mental State- This is where Joey Smith and I are very similar. After seeing the "lack of psych up"(not in a bad way) that Carroll and Frey had before hitting squats I realized that maybe being so intense all the time has been hurting my training. Yeah, approach each lift the same, but don't always be so jacked up that if you aren't, you miss the lift. If you don't need the psych up for 495 that you do for 700, you really aren't approaching it the same are you? So basically, Calm the Fuck down.
-Technique, Technique, Technique- Technique is everything. Those guys look like robots when they squat. Each rep is identical. Although my Raw squat is really dialed in, I'm having trouble keeping the same consistency when I get the gear on. I think this will continue to improve the more I handle bigger weights and learn the gear.
So basically, I got a ton of things to work on, without much being said. I wasn't looking for a an overhaul, I just wanted to learn as much as I could about the gear, about the technique, and some simple stuff that will help me stay in a better position.
And anyone who says squatting out of the ghetto mono set up we do at I-FAST and using a real one is a jackass. Biggest switch ever
How intense are you? When I hear this or anything like it, my answer is, "It really depends." I think this is the answer everyone should have. I was thinking this morning about the differences between my personality on the platform and my personality off the platform.
At my first meet, my girlfriend and my parents told me how I looked like I was going to murder the bar when I went for my first squat attempt. This was pretty funny to hear the first time. I'm a pretty easy going, usually have a smile on my face, always laughing about something or joking kind of guy. I think the importance of flipping this switch really started to show when I started training with I-FAST co-owner Mike Robertson. Mike has a pretty specific order in which he approaches the bar. He has a really specific breathing pattern that over the years I think has been telling his body, "Hey, get your shit together, because I'm not missing this weight!" In this time, my approach to each attempt has been much more consistent, which in turn, has been giving me more consistent training sessions.
Sometimes intensity comes from a breathing pattern like MR. It could come from stomping your feet, one certain song, or a combination of both. For me, it really isn't the music (although I do like it REALLY loud and heavy) it starts with the bark. I wouldn't call it a signature bark, but you know I'm taking something serious when you hear it. My little sister Lisa actually laughed the first time she heard it at my last meet. You can hear it in the video, at the time I didn't think it was funny because I was having a bad meet, but now, I think it's pretty stinkin funny. Don't mind that I missed it =)
A huge reason I think getting into the right mental state now before attempts is because you never know what can happen under the bar. With the weights being as heavy as they are becoming, and with the added factor of gear, taking a set without the same intensity that I would approach a heavier set isn't an option. In the video you can see what I mean by keeping the intensity the same as the session goes.
What would I like you to take from this? I think the big thing would be to stay consistent. Not every training session is going to be the best. Go with the punches and approach each attempt with the same, intensity and mindset as the last. You really can't expect to hit PR's if you approach 495lbs with the same mindset as 315.
I would love to hear some responses on what your pre-lift rituals if you will consist of. Is it always the same? Does it change depending on what lift you are performing?
This isn’t a sob story, nor is it a pity party. I just want to shed a little light on where I’ve come from and what it has taken for me to get to where I am.
In 8th grade, I lost my ability to walk. It wasn’t permanent but it was for a full week and every 3-4 days for the next 6 months. I just woke up one morning and couldn’t walk. To make this short I was diagnosed 2 days before my 15th birthday with Post Strep Reactive Arthritis. Doesn't sound that rough, but trust me. It was.
Two months later the day before my first soccer game back, during practice I Salter IV fractured my tibia. I was on crutches for quite some time after this. Where I am going with this is, being able to do something as simple as walk shouldn’t be taken for granted. I was able to get myself back on the soccer field my junior year. I can honestly say that this was mostly due to a former Blast player Jeff Dresser. He trained me back into playing shape during my sophomore year. I don’t think Jeff knows how much I appreciate the things he did for me.
In October 2008 I started training. If you go back to my first blog post you can see the story more in depth. But over the last 2 years a few months I have gone from fat and weak to leaner and stronger.
I think if you ask anyone I train with right now I don’t sell myself short but I don’t think I am as strong as I am. No I am not a drug free junkie, I just want to do it. 700lbs isn’t the end for me. I have told very few people this, but I want to squat 1000lbs drug free. I plan on competing in the APF/AAPF meet in Kalamazoo, Michigan this coming August. My goals are going to be 850-900lb squat, ~500 bench press, and a 650lb deadlift. Yeah, you read that right. A long way from my 425/255/450 of May 2009. Some may say there is no way but with 23 weeks to prepare and my training crew and supportive backbone of friends and family I’m going for it. I hope to go to AAPF Nationals next year and dominate.
Powerlifting has done more for me than any one person could. It really has given me my lift back. I hope to continue my climb up the ranks and one day have a few records.
I just want to say thank you very much to everyone that has supported me. To those that hate or in the past have told me I was weak or that I was “soft” jokes on you. =)
What or whom inspires you? Think about that for a second. Do you look at professional athletes or do you find more of your inspiration from the people around you? Don't take aspiration to be the same as inspiration. I myself have aspirations of being a top level IPF lifter like Brad Gillingham, does he inspire me? To an extent yes, but to me its the people around you that tend to inspire you the most.
Today one of my training partners Mike, was telling me about a friend of ours Jason Wells and how his training was going now that he was back in China. I'll get into this more in a moment but it sparked one of my favorite memories from when I was just breaking into the sport.
I'll never forget in November of 2009 I went to a USAPL meet in Winchester, Indiana. This was my first exposure to an actual meet. I had never seen someone put 500lbs on their back an squat it. Let alone 181 lbs guys squatting in the 400's. As I'm sitting there I see a guy walking over so I eavesdrop, and hear him say he is opening his squat at 500lbs! I saw this kind of stuff on YouTube but had never seen someone squat that kind of weight in person. Came to find out later that he actually trained at I-Fast(this is before I started training there) Jason went on to Squat 555, Bench 385, and Pull 630. Jason is a very humble guy and all around nice guy. He will actually be competing at the Arnold in the Raw Powerliting meet. I wish him all the luck and I'll be there watching!
I have so many great stories I could tell along with the previous but I think that what it all comes down to is pushing each other to achieve things that you yourself never thought was possible. Be an inspiration next time you train. I can say that without a doubt, the follow video would never be possible without guys like Mike Robertson, Lance Goyke, Zach Moore, and all my friends online that follow my training. I want to inspire people that don't think they are strong or don't think they can do it, to just get out there and do it!
Over the last year I have really seen growth not only in my total but my understanding of training in general and as a lifter. It really is amazing what a good group of guys can do for you. I cant thank my training partners, family, friends, and my wonderful girlfriend enough for all the support that they have given me. With my next meet in April, I hope that training continues to go well as I plan on going to USAPL Raw Nationals this coming August!
Everyone talks about Resolutions this time of year, whether it be getting in the gym, losing weight, getting huge. Resolutions don't happen. Goals do!
I guess I take after my dad on this one. He hates New Year Resolutions, and so do I. Make goals, don't make a resolution. You can make goals year round, not on one day. By making short term goals along with long term goals your more likely to stick with it than some outrageous resolution that for most people you know isn't going to happen.
For 2011 I want to total 1500lbs Raw. 1700lbs in Single Ply. Training has been going fantastic. I hit a 405x3 beltless squat today which is a PR.
I-FAST's morning/afternoon crew of "Meatheadz" is getting to be a Solid bunch. I don't see anything but good things as long as the motivation is there.
That is really all I want to accomplish powerlifting wise this year.
I am a student at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am studying Exercise Science. I am originally from Greenfield, Indiana. I train at Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training.
