Several years ago I remember hearing about the very first elitefts™ Learn to Train seminar. As a beginner powerlifter, I was "sold" before the tickets were even available. At the time, I was personal training out of a commercial gym and trying to find something to compete in after college football. The opportunity to get to listen to and get coached by some of the best in the business was one I was not about to pass up. The chance to get to train at the compound is a dream of pretty much every serious lifter in the country. I don’t remember everything from that weekend, but I do remember being inspired by Dave Tate, the sponsored athletes, and the entire elitefts™ family. Like anyone else who has been to a LTT, I went home with a fire underneath me, and the drive to achieve great things.

The next year when they held the second LTT, I wasn’t about to miss the chance to go back. The difference was that at the second LTT, I had the dream of one day opening up my own facility. I got the chance to talk to Matt Goodwin and discussed equipment a bit.  I also got the chance to try out some of their products as well. Over the next year, I planned, prepared, and started the ball rolling towards opening up NBS Fitness.

I actually ended up missing the third LTT because I was busy putting all the finishing touches on the gym, so I could open the doors. Using many of the principles I had heard Dave talk about, some lessons I had learned on my own, and a fair amount of luck, I built up NBS Fitness—the gym I have always wanted to be part of. I must have been doing something right because I was asked early this year to become a columnist for elitefts™ and share whatever motivational and educational information I care to in my biweekly column, No Bullsh*t. I am part of the team elitefts™!

The privilege to associate myself with elitefts™ has always been a dream of mine since I first learned about them. The best part is that I now have the opportunity to reach out and effect so many more people, which is my passion and life goal.

I was asked to coach at LTT6 and that really was a truly unique experience. For the first time I got to experience the LTT from the other side of the glass. Getting to train at the UGSS, going out to eat with the sponsored athletes, and coaching beside some of the best in the business were all incredible experiences. I can say this, as both an attendee and as a coach, I have had so many opportunities to learn and grow as a trainer, a gym owner, a powerlifter, and as a person.

I would like to share some of my insights into the whole LTT experience that the regular attendee might not be aware of.

  1. The staff of elitefts™ work their butts off to put on that seminar. Many people don’t realize that the online retail business that is elitefts™ still has to function during the time of the seminar. So staff gets spread out a bit to make the LTT possible. They are putting in a lot of hours to make sure it is the experience that they promise it to be. I know many of them are exhausted by the end of the day Saturday.
  2. The sponsored athletes take their training extremely serious. While many athletes have the opportunity to go out Friday and Saturday night and have a few beers and party a little bit, many of them take it easy and rest up because they know they have the UGSS in the morning.
  3. The sponsored athletes, while having lots of knowledge, possess no secrets. Most of them are in their thirties (with a few exceptions on either side) and have been training hard for many years. Their achievements are the results of years of dedication, hard work, perseverance, and determination. There are no insider secrets that they aren’t telling you.
  4. Matt Kroc really likes sausage. Sunday morning, I ate breakfast with Jo Jordan, Matt Kroc, Josh McMillan, and Jeremy Frey (I know, hell of crew to have walk into a restaurant). Kroc ordered a normal breakfast with eggs, hash browns, pancakes, breakfast potatoes, and sausage links. Except, he switched everything else but eggs out for sausage links. So he ended up eating 4-5 scrambled eggs and about eight sausage links.
  5. Now that Jo Jordan has a sweet Santa Claus beard, more people are tempted to try to sit on his lap and ask him for Metal gear. Unfortunately for Joe, these people are usually SHW males.
  6. There are so many opportunities to learn at the LTT. There is the chance for “structured” learning during the lectures and coaching sections, and what I would call “shooting the shit” opportunities. These occur when coaches and athletes are sitting around talking and discussing their own training, nutrition, recovery, lifestyle, etc.
  7. As a trainer and coach myself, the opportunity to coach so many different people on Saturday really helped me with my craft. Coaching takes practice and having such a concentrated amount of practice at one time really helps you with your cues and explanations. The opportunity to listen to and witness other great coaches teach the major lifts also let me see how other people coach and learn from them as well.

There is no greater feeling for me than to be able to get across to someone I’m coaching and see their eyes light up when they finally get what I am saying. The guys in my group were awesome and so appreciative of the information that we were giving them. I had to sit back at one point and reflect on that because not too long ago that was me. I was the one so readily soaking in all information being passed along to me. Of all the things, I am most grateful to have had the chance to come back and truly live, learn, and pass on. Thank you elitefts™.