The Powerlifting Crew is on the brink of extinction. I don’t disagree with Dan Dalenberg on this sentiment- (welcome to the team by they way). But this past weekend we had about 12 guys squatting on both of our mono lifts plus another 10-15 lifters on the racks. This is not a rarity at Union Fitness, but the norm. Some Saturdays we have a a few extra guests, and sometimes the group is a little smaller.
Take a second to watch this clip with the sound up.
[youtube=https://youtu.be/cscLFPk86_Q]
This is my training partner of five or six years taking his last heavy squat two weeks out from the Larry Pacifico Classic. Everyone in unison is cueing Joe and everyone has stopped to watch the lift.
There are seven guys in the frame, Jodie running the mono, and then the other crew of 6-8 on the opposite mono. Joe was working on his unrack the last few weeks and you can see Jabez in his ear cueing him to get his hips under him. Among that a few other cues before his unrack and during his descent.
I know this is a rarity in the powerlifting community, but it wasn’t so long ago that this was the norm. I’ve worked hard to create a space that can be both profitable and powerlifting friendly, which historically has been a tough dichotomy.
I’ve been lucky to have Joe and John with me over the years. We’ve been through thick and thin together and I miss training with them- I’ll be back boys.
I’ve been lucky to find and foster new relationships with people that just wanted a space to train. Hell Jabez and Jodie Burford drive out every weekend just to help, wether they’re training or not.
Long story short it takes commitment and sacrifice. But it also takes friends worth sacrificing for. As I sit here writing this, I’m still wondering why the powerlifting crew is dying.
With death comes rebirth- so maybe this is the time to educate those among us that are unfamiliar with how to surround yourself with like minded individuals striving toward a similar goal. Mind you, this is not a team sport. I will not accept any argument that powerlifting is a team sport so take your rage out on your keyboard elsewhere.
If you’ve read any of my articles you know I make my takeaways simple. Hell, at this point you could just scroll to the bottom of all of them for the spark notes.
How do you create a crew?
It's not easy. It will take time (it took me five years). It will take sacrifice, time, and money. But it's worth it.
- If you build it, they will come.
Invest your time in people- the right people will take time to find through trial and error.
Joe and I live in the same city but didn’t find each other until we were both attending an EliteFTS seminar. Go figure. And then Joe brought John along.
Jabez came to me for bench help. And ended up driving out every weekend to train with us and helping all of us with our squats.
Curtis was one of my clients. Now he’s moving to Pittsburgh to work at the gym and train with us.
The list goes on.
And invest your money in quality equipment (cough cough www.elitefts.com )
- Be willing to travel.
Since Joe and I started training together, we’ve gone through four gyms. The basement of a police station, where I first started competing. Robert Morris University until we got the boot. Then Umberger Performance. And finally Union Fitness. I hope it doesn’t change again, but change is inevitable. And where there is a will, there is a way.
Some of these gyms took Joe an hour in traffic to get to and from. Keep in mind “father Joe” has a wife and two young kids. Joe makes a sacrifice every training session.
We have other lifters come from 30 minutes away and even 1.5-2 hours away.
- Bring something to the table.
Occasionally we have lifters come in who are there for themselves. They are looking to have plates loaded for them or just want to take advantage of the equipment we have. They’re paying customers, so it’s fine. But eventually our culture weeds them out. And that’s when you know you’ve built something worthwhile.
I didn’t intend for this blog post to come out this way, but I guess this is a big thank you to EVERYONE at Union Fitness who has become part of the crew. It’s been a pleasure to train along side you and to coach you and to learn from you.
So maybe that’s my final take away- be open to being coached, then LIVE, LEARN, AND PASS ON.
