I had the pleasure of first visiting Omaha Barbell (OBGYM) back in 2014. Then again in 2015 with Ed Coan. This year, owners Bret and Amber Carter brought Stan Efferding into the mix.
Probably the best part of the weekend was the fact that I wasn't dieting for a show like I was in 2015. And... I hold babies when I'm there. 2 years ago it was someone's cute girl. This year a monster 4 month old named Charlie. #iholdbabies
Sometimes the best conversations at seminars take place off the cuff - at dinner, standing around chatting - but there was definitely a lot of good takeaways during our actual seminar as well.
We coached up the 30+ attendees on squat, bench and deadlift. Most were pretty proficient to begin with, which makes a more watchful and careful eye even more necessary.
Without giving a play by play, I just want to recap some things that I think would be helpful. Some from Stan, some from Ed and some from myself. Even listening to the other two talk, I learned some things. Some were things I found myself nodding my head in agreement to, but maybe it was just said in a different way. And some things were like, "Hmmm, never thought of it like that."
Some you may agree with, some not. Important key is to take what works for you and apply it.
1. Water & sodium - It's preached to drink and drink and drink more water. Stan's statement of "I don't want my urine clear - unless I'm cutting weight or prepping" brought up an interesting discussion of how too much water actually causes the body's electrolyte system to get out of whack (think sodium especially). And drinks like Gatorade which are supposed to "replace" lost electrolytes - you'd have to drink so much of them that you still end up "over hydrating". Better off just salting your food.
2. Competing - Some people get caught in a cycle of competing over and over to "test their strength." In reality, it's difficult to actually improve on your weak points if you don't take enough time between comps. Your weak point may always be your weakest point, but the goal is to improve that weak link and bring it as close to your strong points as possible in the off-season. If you never have an off-season, you're just beating a dead horse. If you never have an off-season, you can't really correct any technical problems either. Ed talked about competing only twice a year. I mentioned how I took 18 months between shows to build and a year between PL comps to improve there. Have an off-season (which I would say is a minimum of 3 months before starting a new prep cycle).
3. Document your sleep and recovery. You can't fix what you don't know. Your sleep is a key component, if not the most important, in your recovery and gains. While Stan talked a bit about this (getting a CPAP for one of this very large strongman guys), I couldn't help but think of some of the athletes and people I work with who, after poking and prodding about lack of progress, realize that their sleep is absolute crap. Stan's athlete didn't realize that his sleep was so poor (when you're 350+ pounds, how good is your sleep really) until he got a CPAP and was immediately feeling better. It may not be a CPAP you need but take note of your quality of sleep. There are tons of ways to do that. Even simply making note of how many times you wake, to how many hours, to getting a sleep study or using an app. Your recovery affects your gains... and if you have the luxury to nap (no more than 20 min), even better.
4. Avoid sugar in your refeeds after cutting weight. Powerlifters seem to love to boast about all the junk they eat after weighing in, but sugar should be left out if you're looking for an optimal refeed an performance the next day. Not only does it not get utilized properly, it can often cause gastic distress... something you definitely don't want on meet day. Stick to real and good food for refeeds.
There were a TON of great questions and tons of good conversations. If you're in the Omaha area, or even remotely close, you gotta check out Omaha Barbell. They've expanded and have everything from elitefts equipment to strongman and powerlifting. Really a great set up with some really great owners!