With the advent of CrossFit, there are now more lifting coaches than ever. Fantastic! More people to discuss mechanics and anatomy with is never a bad thing for me. However, 70’s Big hasn’t spent a lot of time discussing coaching despite my interest in it — this will change. I’ve been helping people lift since I was 14. As a leader on a football team, I took initiative to help improve mechanics. Over the years I was consistently bombarded with questions on nutrition, programming, and then started personal training in 2007. In early 2008 I started doing CF and passed the test for the Level 2 certification later that year. Since then I’ve developed my coaching into what some of you have seen today. I’ve taken 120 pound kids and made them strong 170 pound kids. I’ve taken Chris from a broken shoulder and a mid 400s deadlift to a 400 pound bench and almost a 700 pound deadlift. I’ve taken women and gotten them stronger and decreased their body fat. I’m good at what I do, and I’m sure as hell a better coach than a lifter. There are hundreds of aspects to good coaching, and today we will focus on a simple overall methodology: brevity.

Sarah didn't require much coaching on this high bar squat. Thanks to Jeremy W. for photo

Monday’s are devoted to female related topics to help females begin or continue to train.

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There were several ladies at the workshop this weekend and they had a large range of experience in lifting. This means that they have different needs when it comes to coaching. Coaching is the ability to communicate with a trainee in order to get them to succeed. I purposely leave the definition a bit vague because I don’t think coaching is only limited to merely achieving desired mechanics.



The interpersonal relationship with the trainee is important; how they are treated and how they interact with the coach will have an effect on their success. In my case, I shift roles depending on my audience. I alter my diction, tone, and choice of words based on the synthesis of information I have received from the person. Sometimes this information is a result of them answering my questions, but it’s also dependent how I passively read their body language and personality. I get a feel for their understanding of the material, their education level, and quickly learn how optimally they receive and understand information. All of this, of course, isn’t perfect all of the time, but it’s what is going through my head.
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If nothing else, say 70’s Big is thankful.

I wanted to have a formal thank you to Jeremy, Phuong, and Courtney of CrossFit Anandale for, in no particular order, helping to set up and host the workshop, showing me around D.C., entertaining me with food, drink, and good company, and allowing everyone (including the attendees) to have a great time. They are now some of my favorite people, worthy of drinking with at the mead halls in Tamriel.

Thanks to the attendees for being a good crew and asking great questions. It was a pleasure and I hope you all have fun.



Thanks to Rudy and Laura from Outlaw CrossFit for letting me train at their gym. We also had a compelling interview that can be seen HERE on Rudy’s blog. It also includes me doing a weak-ass clean and jerk, the heaviest since “the Movember incident”. Also, check out Rudy’s programming; he makes some strong mother truckers over there.

Today I’m in the city of D.C. without a computer, so let’s play a game. Send tweets to @70sBig and I’ll answer them as I look at museums and shit.

There will be videos to come from this weekend.

THE HOLY BARBELL

by Australian coach Peter Upham
(The Strength Coach)
“All rise.

Open your hymn books to page 69 and we shall all sing ‘Pump Iron’.

“Please be seated.

“A few announcements before today’s sermon; we’re praying today for a few of the missionaries that we sponsor, you all remember Ross and Nicole Livingston,……. well as some of you know, they’re in Uganda and they’ve started up the Ugandan Powerlifting Federation and that is an AFPF affiliate. They’re doing really well and having their first raw comp this weekend so we pray that that goes well. They’re a Barbell based gym and they’re doing their comps the right way, Raw is belt and knee wraps only; No elbows sleeves! As it is written in the Technical Manual.

“We’re also praying for Daniel Secombe today, as he embarks next week on an outreach program in the local strongman community. Daniel is hoping to talk to different strongman athletes about the Holy Barbell and will be inviting them along to a special service we are having next week where they can come and talk about the Barbell, ask some questions, and just get to know Strength the same way that we all do, so Outreach Week is going to be a great opportunity for this gym to see some new faces come along in the future.

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