5 Common RPE Roadblocks and how to Overcome Them
Author: RTS Coach Ross Leppala
It’s not uncommon for people to experience roadblocks when using RPEs in their training. In fact, all of us have faced some struggles along the way in applying them effectively.
You’re not alone in that area.
Even us coaches have tripped up along the way from time to time. It’s not about being mistake-free, it’s about learning and adapting along the way to make smart choices and build momentum.
Here are some common RPE roadblocks and some ideas on how you can overcome them!
Read more…Training is Meant to be Hard!
Author: RTS Coach John Garafano
Training is meant to be HARD! But that doesn’t mean it has to crush you either!
This is intuitive, right? I mean, we are here to do something hard. We are here to push our physical bodies to limits that we often don’t think are possible –exploring the uppermost limit of our strength potential, winning championships, podium finishes, breaking records, beating our personal bests, and being the strongest human we can be.
Read more…5 MISTAKES EQUIPPED LIFTERS MAKE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Author: Shane Martin
When you first get into equipped powerlifting it can be daunting and confusing. There are limited resources and lots of misconceptions. Here I want to share 5 mistakes and how to avoid them:
- STARTING IN TIGHT GEAR
Don’t. Please. It will save you hours of frustration. How your gear fits plays a huge role in your enjoyment and success in equipped. You can’t learn something you can’t manipulate. And if you have gear too tight, you are making the learning process cumbersome.
Read more…Weekly Progressions and Training Expectations
Weekly Progressions and Training Expectations – By Hayden Pritchard
I had to train early this morning.
This was not normal, or ideal.
While training is important to me, it is far from the most important thing. Hence, although I prefer to lift in the afternoon, I wanted to go to my son’s vaccinations, which are booked at my usual training time.
So I made the call to get out of bed earlier, so I could still get my training in but prioritize my family.
Mornings
There are people who love to train early, I think those people are crazy.
I am not a fan of lifting in the morning.
Read more…Velocity Based Training Q & A Part 3
Velocity training with Landyn Hickmott
I would like to start off this article by saying that the Velocity-Based Training Courses (both the VBT Theory Course and the VBT Application Course) are incredibly comprehensive to the powerlifting athlete, the powerlifting coach, and the strength enthusiast from an applied perspective. The format of the VBT Courses enables you to easily grasp the content and apply it directly into your training that same day! However, I’ve had numerous people reach out to me with some slightly more nuanced questions in relation to some of the free slides that I have shared; therefore, I thought I’d share some of the nuanced answers to those questions here. This article is long, but please feel welcome to read each individual question/answer in a separate sitting or navigate to the question(s)/answer(s) that are most applicable to you. Please also feel welcome to reach out to me on my website: landynhickmott.com. I hope you enjoy!
Read more…Velocity Based Training Q & A Part 2
Velocity Training with Landyn Hickmott
I would like to start off this article by saying that the Velocity-Based Training Courses (both the VBT Theory Course and the VBT Application Course) are incredibly comprehensive to the powerlifting athlete, the powerlifting coach, and the strength enthusiast from an applied perspective. The format of the VBT Courses enables you to easily grasp the content and apply it directly into your training that same day! However, I’ve had numerous people reach out to me with some slightly more nuanced questions in relation to some of the free slides that I have shared; therefore, I thought I’d share some of the nuanced answers to those questions here. This article is long, but please feel welcome to read each individual question/answer in a separate sitting or navigate to the question(s)/answer(s) that are most applicable to you. Please also feel welcome to reach out to me on my website: landynhickmott.com. I hope you enjoy!
Read more…Velocity Based Training Q&A Part 1
Velocity Training With Landyn Hickmott
I would like to start off this article by saying that the Velocity-Based Training Courses (both the VBT Theory Course and the VBT Application Course) are incredibly comprehensive to the powerlifting athlete, the powerlifting coach, and the strength enthusiast from an applied perspective. The format of the VBT Courses enables you to easily grasp the content and apply it directly into your training that same day! However, I’ve had numerous people reach out to me with some slightly more nuanced questions in relation to some of the free slides that I have shared; therefore, I thought I’d share some of the nuanced answers to those questions here. This article is long, but please feel welcome to read each individual question/answer in a separate sitting or navigate to the question(s)/answer(s) that are most applicable to you. Please also feel welcome to reach out to me on my website: landynhickmott.com. I hope you enjoy!
Read more…How to know if you should pull out of a meet
WHEN NOT TO COMPETE, (OR THOUGHTS ON WHY WE DO) by MARK ROBB
There have been times when I struggled with the choice of whether to withdraw from a meet that I had already registered for or not, and as I have thought about this subject more, the broader the subject became. In interactions with some of my lifters, RTS teammates, USA National Teammates, as well as my own experiences, I have learned several things that I believe are worthy of consideration when you find yourself with that decision to make.
My hope is that this article might help you organize your thoughts, and maybe bring up something that you hadn’t thought about, so that you have more clarity about whatever you decide to do.
Why are you competing?
The answer to this question will help determine your choice as to whether to compete or not. And the answer to this question may actually Read more…
Note to Self: Remember the Long Term
I’m writing this because as an athlete, it’s something I need to keep in mind. And as a coach, I know many of you need to keep it in mind as well. Here’s to getting better.
Today’s Front Squat session was objectively awesome. I managed 565×1 @8.5 RPE. This ties what I did last week — which is one of my best Front Squat reps of all time. Only twice have I gone heavier — and even then only 5lbs and 10lbs respectively. And those lifts ware a LOT slower.
Training: More is not always better
Training isn’t everything…
But…let’s rewind for a moment.
Most of us know we need to train really hard in order to get stronger. That’s not news to anyone. But for some reason, it seems like a constant theme I keep seeing in my coaching practice (and in myself) is this mentality of ‘more is better’.
Let me know if this sounds familiar to you.
You look on social media, you see your competitors posting their lifts and you think…I must do more. You then ignore all other guardrails you’ve set for yourself and train harder. But, then suddenly, you realize that this level of training isn’t sustainable. You might be feeling beat up, washed out, or just thinking of quitting. That only then fuels your frustrations when you see the highlight reel of your competition.
I get it. I can relate.