Tim at Elite Custom Fitness in Wexford PA contacted me a couple months ago. His crew was planning a mock meet and he asked if I would spend the afternoon with them going over cues and helping with technique, assistance work, and any other questions they had.

Unfortunately the timing for the mock meet didn't work out for those guys, but they ended up working to a max deadlift and then we did a quick Q and A afterward.

We showed up about an hour early so Yessie could get started with her training. She ended up hitting a solid 275x3 in sleeves, then 275x3 in wraps and 295x2 in wraps. Her squat is looking good. We need to clean up some of her set up- she is not getting tight enough and the bar is rolling on her during her set.

As the guys warmed up I took some mental notes and stepped in after a few minutes. There were a lot of common mistakes- eyes down, not pulling the slack out, not getting tight, pulling all back in a sumo stance with hips too high, not sitting back, etc...

I gave them a quick demonstration of both and what it meant to get tight/pull the slack out by showing them how just getting set up I'm pulling 135 off the ground while it hovers there.

I don't remember all of their names- there were ten of them- however:

Lee hit an easy 500 and then a fight with 550 for a big PR.

Tony was the quintessential gym bro/push pull/ wear an italian stallion t shirt guy. To his credit he pulled 415 for a nice PR and had a great attitude and was excited to be there and bust balls with everyone.

Dan, the oldest of the group, had some great sumo technique. He warmed up and attempted 375 for a 10# PR. It didn't break the floor. BUT I could see as soon as he started that he got inside his own head and mind F'ed himself. So I gave him a quick cue to set up patiently, sit back, and then blast off. Boom. 375 for an easy single. His goal is to pull 405 and if he listens to some of my advice I think he'll get there sooner rather than later.

Tim, the ring leader, smoked 500 for a sumo PR. He looked at me and asked "525?" To which I replied hell yes. He tried it twice and it just wasn't there today. Again, a mental block. The way 500 moved he had 550 in him, but that's part of the learning experience.

It was fun BS'ing with all of those guys. They have a good group and none of them take themselves too seriously. It was a privilege to pass on some of my knowledge to them and hopefully I can catch up with them again soon.