The MONSTER GARAGE GYM/MAROSCHER COACHING LOG is a weekly Coaching Log by MGG owner, 2-Time WPC World Powerlifting Champion, Eric Maroscher, and is geared to the new to intermediate powerlifter. LIVE, LEARN and PASS ON.
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THIS WEEK’S Monster Garage Gym/Maroscher Coaching Log: NEW DOGS, OLD TRICKS
*NEW MGG COACHING LOG POSTED HERE EVERY WEEK!!!!
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Following the lifters you want to be like is a smart thing. However, learn to differentiate what they are doing now, vs with what they have already done in order to get here…… this is what we mean.
Although I am not a big basketball fan, I do enjoy watching in amazement, some of Michael Jordan's highlight reels. This was a player with virtually no deficiencies in his game. If a new to the sport player wanted to emulate anyone, emulating Michael Jordan would be a wise choice. Having said that, the new to the sport player watching the highlight reels and the footage of old championships would only be getting a tiny portion of the overall story of this great player. What he or she would not see are literally the decades of work and thousands and thousands of hours on the court in practice, developing his essential foundational skills to build from. Emulating how Jordan ended, meaning, the final version of him as a player wouldn’t be the best way to get where he ended up at. Emulating how Jordan developed his skill set from day one, over the years and decades to get where he ended up at, now that is the better plan. Watching the dunks and trick plays in the championship games is a snapshot of a longer movie that is the evolution of this man. Thousands of hours practicing layups, dribbling the ball, hours of conditioning and time on the free throw line. Decades of days comprised of multiple hours on the court translates to that rare and special moment in the spotlight, in the arena, when those skills translate to that one single game winning shot.
This applies to powerlifters as well. Seeing that great powerlifter and learning that perhaps that great lifters currently follows, say, the WS program, does not mean that the newbie to powerlifting should do that powerlifter’s current program, in this case a program meant for those who have already achieved an elite total. Rather, find out what that lifter did to get to where he or she is, and consider that path as they too started at the beginning.
The saying that “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks” implies that the old dog is stuck in their ways. Having said that, it can also very well be interpreted as, sometimes the old tricks are tried and true and thus the other saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Point being, a powerlifter, a successful powerlifter started their powerlifting journey by building a foundation, a foundation laid with hours upon hours of the basics in the weight room that eventually lead to p.r.’s on the meet platform.
Jordan practiced drills and skills ad nauseum. A new powerlifter starts with technique, technique and more technique. Then they complement this practiced technique with rote movements honed to perfection and combine this with hard work, time, more hard work in the gym, and that cycle repeats itself over and again.
Once there is a proficiency of the technique with a given weight, we increase the weight, discovering then what the shortcomings, the weakness are. We fix those weakness (by strengthening other areas), and move up in weight and then that cycle repeats itself over and over and over again.
Bands and chains and specialty bars absolutely have their place in our sport, but what also has its place are the basic movements, that non-sexy barbell with plain old 45LB plates on the sides. When you were a kid learning how to cook, you started with how to make a quality sandwich, you did not start out by learning how to prepare Duck Pate En Croute.
In this coaching log video, we feature Alex Carl and Ben Thomas, two novice lifters training with the Maroscher Powerlifting Team at Monster Garage Gym. Ben (26yrs, one-year of training experience) is training for a novice Strongman competition and Alex (20yrs, 6 months of training experience) just competed in an APF novice meet. In this coaching log supplemental video both of these RAW lifters are training basic supplemental movements to complement their squat and deadlift, in this case, pause squats and straight leg deadlifts. When I say basic, I do not mean simple or minimal or elementary or for novices only. Basic meaning; fundamental, essential, principal, pivotal, critical, key, vital, indispensable, quintessential.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiZfg-BO6v0&feature=youtu.be]
Going back to the beginning for a moment. Alex closely follows Ed Coan, the GOAT. Not a bad person to follow if you ask me. So when Alex does his straight legged deadlifts, he as the bar placed a couple of inches away from his shins to there is a little bit of an ‘out of range’ element and he pulls then holds the barbell up off the platform for just a moment to squeeze out that little extra. Advice that he learned reading something from Ed Coan as Ed discussed his training at the beginning. Whatever Ed’s training program was when he was pulling 901 LBS at 220 LBS of bdw, that is not what Alex is honed in on. Alex is honed in onto what Ed talks about as staples to Ed’s early training.
The point of this week’s coaching log is this. Stringing together movements that incorporate bands or chains or specialty bars might look great on someone's instatweetedsnapchattedfacebooked social lookatmedia account, but if you are new to the sport and are still building your foundation, do so with brick and mortar movements, the tried and true, the basics, (remember, that means fundamental, essential, principal, pivotal, critical, key, vital, indispensable, quintessential) as correct training in the gym is what gets ready for the meet.
EliteFTS equipment used in this coaching log: Elitefts 3x3 power rack, Texas Squat Bar, Texas Deadlift Bar, EliteFTS Squatter Proloc collars.
Wishing you the best in your training and competitions. Ever Onward, Eric Maroscher, Owner: MONSTER GARAGE GYM
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MONSTER GARAGE GYM uses Universal Nutrition/Animal supplements and EliteFTS powerlifting equipment. 
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