Passing it on…..

Tonight I was reminded of one of the reasons I love owning a running a barbell club.

Back when I first became interested in lifting weights I was the typical skinny high school kid. I think I weighed around 135 at almost 5’10″.  Just like every other teenage guy I became fascinated with bodybuilding, bought all the mags and watched Tom Terwilliger host Musclesport USA on TV. I stayed up late to watch all the Mr. Olympia contests when they were showen on ESPN and worshipped Lee Labrada and Dorian Yates.  I ordered my first bodybuilding training program from the back of one of my Spiderman comic books and got to work in my house. I didn’t even own a plastic weight set, so I made due. I did tons of push ups, pull ups, bodyweight squats, inverted rows on a broomstick set up between two chairs, dips off chairs, I would go into my woods and pick up logs and place on my back to squat, I curled water jugs and water buckets. I began eating peanut butter sandwiches like they were going out of style and drank a ton of milk. I would often buy 3 or 4 extra pints of milk with my school lunch. All this because my 10th grade girlfriend laughed at me due to the fact that when I stood with my legs together my thighs didn’t touch!

Once I got my license I begged my parents to let me join the nearby YMCA that some of my friends trained at. This YMCA was awesome. There were these big dudes with mullets (hey it WAS the 80′s!) and massive arms. They regularly benched with 315, curled 135 and squatted 405+. At the time I could barely bench 95 for 10 so these guys were like gods to me. However, in between sets they ALWAYS made time to help out the skinny little band geek struggling with tiny weights. I never was a “training partner” of theirs, but they were always there to lend some encouragement, support or a spot when I needed it. 

The weightroom at the Madison, OH YMCA sat above the pool, so it was always warm and humid in there and reeked of chlorine. The moisture in the air caused the bars and plates to rust. It was awesome. I loved that gym. The rusty iron and camraderie of guys seeking to get stronger and bigger was awesome, and truely what bonds those of us who spend our free time in hardcore gyms straining day in and day out for more plates and more reps.

This is how gyms used to be back then, all gyms. This was prior to the commercialization of the fitness industry, back before there were LA Fitness’, Lifetime Fitness’ and all the other McFitness Centers that discourage people from getting stronger on every corner.

After two years of training at the Madison, OH YMCA, drinking tons of milk, and spending my lunch money and odd job money on Cybergenics and Weight Gainer 2000 I was 30lbs heavier and off to the NAVY. While in the NAVY I continued bodybuilding and training but missed the environment of my hometown YMCA. After leaving the NAVY I decided to pursue a careen as a trainer and eventually opened my own training center where I hoped to recreate that atmosphere I grew up in.

In 2003 I began studying powerlifting and was quickly turned onto Louie Simmons’ Westside Barbell Training program www.westside-barbell.com and as a result, Dave Tate’s Elite Fitness Systems www.elitefts.com, the best place to purchase ANYTHING strength training related. After reading all of Dave’s articles I noticed one common theme — and that is to GIVE BACK. When I think back to all those valuable lessons I learned from the big lifters at the Y, they gave freely of their time. They were passing on what they learned to someone who could benefit. Through my training business I have done the same. Yes, I make my paycheck training people, however I have never turned away someone who couldn’t afford to train with me, I have ALWAYS helped those who were willing to learn.

A while back when I was still running the club out of my basement a guy named Derrick contacted me and said he liked lifting and was sick of his Golds, he wanted a place he could get stronger. My training partner Malcom and I brought him in to train with us and showed him the ropes. We cleaned up his squat, bench and deadlift technique and taught him everything we knew. It worked. Derrick is a regular at my gym and is now one of the best lifters. He recently posted personal records at the GA State APF Powerlifting meet of a 523 squat, 385 bench and 650 deadlift for a personal best total of 1559 lbs. These lifts were done raw (without the use of powerlifting support gear).

A while back I had a young kid contact me because he wanted to train at a hardcore gym, but couldn’t afford to train with me one on one. I set him up on a gym membership and basically gave him some pointers and encouraged him to train with Derrick and our crew. He was intimidated at first but I promised him he would get stronger, faster than he could imagine if he’d jump in with the guys. Since then Derrick has taken him under his wing and every week this kid is adding more plates to the bar and hitting personal bests. Sometimes he gets run through the wringer, but he keeps showing up and pushing himself and he’s getting stronger as a result. Derrick coaches every single aspect of the session, and is showing him “the way”-passing on what he’s learned to this kid who will no doubt one day pass it on to a young lifter like himself.

That’s the beauty of the hardcore barbell club. A place where like-minded people congregate to get stronger. On a weekly basis I have a diverse group of people come through my doors-IT people, students, CEOs, attornys, small business owners, athletes, trainers, and many other people all with one common goal – to get better. It’s inspiring to see these people getting together to lift my rusty barbells and kettlebells. Just like the old group at my YMCA back in the 80′s / 90′s — it is my opportunity to pass on my experience to others.

Tonight as I left the gym after my training session Derrick was still there working with his young lifter, showing him the ropes and teaching him how to get strong the right way-passing it on.

What a great reminder of why I do this.