I have become a bit of a training recluse. I have an awesome setup in my basement. I train down there with my wife, but we aren't training the same things at the same time. On Friday's Karsten and Drew, two holdovers from the old Southside crew come over to bench which is awesome. All in all, I spend most of my time, training solo.

There are some great benefits to training alone especially if it's in your own home. You don't have to wait on anyone, ever! I can get a training session in by the time it would take me to grab my stuff, drive to a gym, park, walk in, walk out, and drive home even if the facility is only a few minutes away. I never have to wait for equipment either. That means there's no excuse not to train. This has definitely helped me in my quest to get in better shape.

All that said, ever since I started training for a full meet again I keep getting reminded of how important it is to have a great crew around you. Of course, this is only if you want to maximize your growth as a strength athlete. Even though I have learned and trained with some of the strongest people in the country, it doesn't mean I don't need eyes on me.

This has been made very evident to me a number of times this summer. First, I went out to Case De Muerte to train with Rhodes and Wendler where they both critiqued my lifts. Then I was off to the LTTX at Elitefts where I had Dave Tate and Swede Burns coaching me through the squat. Then just the other day I went to Hellbent Barbell here in Stratford CT where they coached me up like powerlifting vets.

I had to go for a max squat. Keep in mind my heaviest squat using the 5th Set 7-day protocol was 395 for AMRAP. I also need to mention, that was in sleeves. Knowing I had to go for a max single to begin peaking for my meet, I reached out to Mike Skiba at Hellbent Barbell to see if I could come down. He welcomed me with open arms. Right off the bat, Mike offered to wrap my knees which was so rad. First, I hate wrapping my own knees. Second, he was so much better at it than I am. Holy sh!t he can wrap like a BOSS.

As soon as I got under the mono, Mike was cueing me to get tighter in my back. Then on one of the heavier sets Chris Della Fave saw me come forward a little and reminded me to sit back a little and stay upright. Considering my training numbers were shy of 400 lbs, it was pretty wild to end up with 600 lbs on my back.

If I had been in my basement I might not have had the courage to take the attempt. I felt safe with the spots and confident in myself and the coaching. Sure enough, as soon as I took the weight, I was hearing the gym cheering me on and the cues I needed from Mike and Chris. I can't say for sure the depth was there, but I felt good about the squat. It's been twenty years since I have had a straight bar on my back with that kind of weight.

So here I am, a powerlifting vet of 33 years and I know I need help. What does that mean for the rest of you? Keep in mind, just because you train around people, it doesn't mean you aren't training alone. There are so many great powerlifting gyms and strength training facilities in this country, you should be taking advantage of them and their teams. It's easier than ever to find them with social media now, so there's no excuse.

A special shout out to Mike Skiba and the crew at Hellbent Barbell. They have an aweomse facility and made me feel like family from the second I walked in.