The inspiration for this article came to me on New Year’s morning as I sipped my coffee and checked out Dave Tate’s newest “From the Mill” segments, specifically the “Training Alone” video. This really piqued my curiosity as a lifter because I do train alone and heavy, so what little tidbits would Dave have for me?
From the get go, Dave said that he himself had never powerlifted alone and that one who does or intends to would be better served asking someone who trains alone for some tips. Upon hearing that, I immediately thought, “I do this all alone and go heavy on all three lifts, and I’m sitting here in one piece. Maybe I know a little bit that I can pass on.” So here it goes...
Let me begin by saying that I’m no world champion or anyone special for that matter. But for our discussion, that matters little. My best contest lifts are a 705-lb squat, a 470-lb bench press, and a 625-lb deadlift. I compete at 198 lbs and 220 lbs, and I’m 38 years old. I spent a year on crutches as a teenager due to a severely broken leg, so for me to squat 700 lbs, let alone an empty bar, is quite something to me.
I entered my first contest in 1988 and I’m still at it. I haven’t always trained alone. Throughout the years, I was part of a crew or group here or there, but about a year and a half ago, I decided to leave the group I was training with and lift on my own. And not just lift but powerlift heavy to the best of my abilities. I’m here that year and a half later, stronger in most ways, weaker in some, but satisfied altogether. I’ll tell you how to do this if you find yourself alone or choose to be alone.
As I said, I decided to leave the group I was with and forge out on my own due to some personality conflicts and differences of opinion on training. In the process, I had set up my basement into the best powerlifting gym I could. My main considerations were safety and results. There was no point in even trying this if I wasn’t going to continue to get stronger.
Having been a reader and follower of EliteFTS from the very beginning, there was zero question that the centerpiece of this endeavor was going to be the power rack and that it was going to have to be a power rack from EliteFTS. To be honest, the number one thing that helped me get started was one of Dave’s early “Sick of Your Gym” articles, in which he laid out everything one would need to build a home lifting facility. I followed that article to a ‘T.’ The main thing in the article was the rack.
The two most important factors of the EliteFTS racks are the one-inch hole spaces. This is of paramount importance if you miss a weight. You should only have to slightly lose proper lifting position to find your safety pins and save you from certain doom! The second factor for me and probably anyone else in a basement was the rack height. Dave gives the option of cutting the rack down six inches so it fit perfectly in my basement. As I said earlier, the rack is the very most important component of training alone and for me to just mention “good power rack” and move on does you and this article a genuine disservice. I must tell you what it is with that EliteFTS rack that I did and that you must also do.
I took the time—a lot of time—to go through each and every single movement that I would do in that rack from missing with a lightly loaded bar to seeing where that barbell was going to go to making sure that a miss wouldn’t be the end of my life! This took much time and experimentation. I got a small notebook and numbered the holes on the rack and made notations for each lift as to where the safety pins should be set. For example, in my notebook, I wrote: “14-inch box squat, wide stance, safety pins close hole 10 from the bottom.” What that means and has meant is that with confidence I can go to a max lift, and if I miss, those safety pins will be there. I know this because I have missed, and they have saved my behind on more than a few occasions! Again, not to be redundant, but this is the most important part of training alone. Once you’re confident that you’re indeed safe, you can let your mind focus on the task before you and lay the hammer down!
The second factor was progress. The first real session I did alone was pin two rack pulls. Prior to the session, I wondered, “Can I deadlift good by myself, with no one to compete against or rev me up?” Yes and so can you because as I often tell people, what is the alternative? The alternative is to do nothing or fail. It isn’t so much that I like to win but more that I hate to lose. So when I see that barbell loaded to a PR in front of me, it’s just me and that barbell and what needs to get done will get done.
Benching with a bench shirt poses another challenge, but what is the alternative? Not to do it? That’s out of the question. This is where a friend or spouse needs to come in. I routinely work up off of boards in my shirt to the 550–600-lb range and unrack the bar myself. (I learned that from Nico! Thanks buddy!) Another good move I made was buying a small camcorder to tape my sessions because being alone I’m without the benefit of the eyes of a training partner to spot and point out technical flaws. However, with the camera, that’s all taken care of. Also, if you can and when you can, outfit your gym with the best equipment you can get. Just because you’re in your basement alone doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be squatting with a mastodon squat bar or pulling with a Texas deadlift bar. Quite the contrary. Get the best you can such as a reverse hyper, chains, or other gear.
Many times I have questioned if I did the right thing by going it alone. I have mended my fences with my old friends, but I still prefer to train by myself, be the captain of my own ship. There are many reasons a lifter may find himself in this position—job schedule, children, or family duties. Most commercial gyms today aren’t powerlifter friendly or equipped for us. The membership money is better spent on your own equipment that will pay you back for years and years ahead. To train alone is what you make of it. Make sure you’re safe, get your head right, and train to win. Only you are the limiting factor in your progress.