I needed to know about life, I learned in the gym.
I will never forget the first time I was asked to give what we all know as the hand out from Hell. You know, the person on the bench does zero to help get the bar out and then misses about 1/2 way up and you help to get it up and they say, “two more”, leading to you doing two slow tempo bent over row reps.
In the gym, I call this a handout. Someone asks for help and then you end up doing all the work.
In contrast, what I call a lift-off is when you only lift out what’s required for the lifter to maintain tightness, control, position, and strength. You help them only with what they need and they do the rest. Many times lifting weights and doing things they otherwise couldn’t do.
We all find in life there are many people looking for handouts and others that only need a lift out. It’s true you may not know one from the other until you're stuck pulling the weight, but that’s simply part of life.
If you pay attention, learn to not make the same mistakes over and over, and notice the red flags, you’ll find the handouts become less, allowing you to provide more lift-offs to those who really need them.
You never stop raising the bar but learn to become wiser in how you do it.
Oh, if you’re asking... always expect a lift out. Be willing to handle the weight, keep tight, absorb the force and push through the sticking points. The hand out might be easier, but you won’t make the same progress.
- - -
I’ll be presenting on this theme @swis.2018 #swis2018. I will be one of dozens (several dozens) of presenters from all sectors of the strength and conditioning industry. Check this out at @swis.2018 while there’s still time to register. Hope to see you there.
Is this where I should say there are ONLY THREE SPOTS LEFT!. If you think I’m serious, I’m not, I have no idea how many spots are left. You can ask @kenkinakin on that one. Trust me, I won’t be anywhere close to the smartest person there so you're going to learn a lot. I know I will.
More Blogs & Articles From Dave Tate Here