Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
Could not sleep so I threw together this article (more like a collection of random thoughts). It has not been editted at all. Straight out of my head onto the screen. So take it for what it's worth. Sorry can't get the paragraph indention to work. Hope you take something positive from it...
**********************************
What do Baseball, Football and Basketball have in common? Well there are many similarities obviously. The most important, in my opinion, being that they are all team sports. These sports, for the most part, require several like-minded people working together to accomplish a goal. A team lives and dies by its ability to work together, rather than being a group of individuals.
So what, if anything, does this have to do with powerlifting? Powerlifting is an individual sport isn't it? In my opinion, it is and it isn't. How's that for an answer? Yes, when you are at a meet and your name is called, you are the only one that can lift the weight. No one can bare any of the strain for you. The work is there for you to do by yourself. However, if meet day is all that you think powerlifting is about then I believe you are missing out on something. I personally consider powerlifting to be just as much a team sport as any of the others I have mentioned.
The majority of the lifting that we do is not on the platform. It is in the gym, where we sweat, bleed and struggle against gravity together. Nine attempts in the course of a day is just a fraction of the sport. What about all the months, weeks, days and hours we spent preparing. The lifters that you train with, your teammates, are the ones that spent those hours with you. They strained with you. They coached you and learned from you. They encouraged you, and when you failed they were there. Of course there are lifters that train alone. There are exceptions to every rule. However, I believe that we all would benefit from considering our sport a team sport.
Having said that, having a training partner that is just there is not what I mean. A person that does not at least share you level of enthusiam is an obstacle. A person is either helping you get stronger, or they are in your way. It would be better to learn to train alone in a power rack until you find someone that can go the distance with you. Once you have found at least one person that will go to battle with you consider yourself lucky, and always try to help them as they help you.
I, myself, trained alone for many years. I knew that anyone that wasn't helping me was in my way. I met many people that said they wanted to get stronger, but few that were actually willing to work for it. Over those first few years I did get stronger, but I also learned a valuable lesson. Whenever I trained with someone that was as competitive as I was I always pushed myself harder. And this lesson holds true today. In those first few years I was missing something. I was missing my teammates. Now that I have found them I would never go back to my previous training. Others, if they are of the right mindset, will always push your harder than you can ever push yourself. I have two regular partners that I would not trade for the world. They push and teach me as I hope I do for them. I have learned so much about my training just tryin to help them. I have drawn from their strength in the gym, and even though it is against the rules they were there with me on the platform.
Since we are in the age of the internet I find myself in the situation of actually having guest partners as well. An extended team, if you will. These are the people that I travel to train with, or who travel to train with me. We constantly push each other to be better, to be smarter, to get stronger. Whether it be in person or over the internet my team makes me a better lifter. I just hope I do the same for them.
So what does it take to be a good teammate? That could make for a very long list of attributes. However, in my opinion, it all boils down to the three C's. Commitment, Communication and of course Competition.
Commitment. Just the basic stuff like never missing a workout. Being on time. Being ready to lift, and giving it your all. You would think that this would be obvious. However, for some reason it is not. People just don't seem to understand how much work actually goes into being an elite athlete. If your goal is the top, you are going to have to make numerous sacrifices. Your partners better be willing to do the same.
Communication. Whether it be how you want your bench handed off to you, to how you want to be spotted, communication is very important. Let's face it, this can be a dangerous sport. When you get under a weight you are putting your life in someone elses hands. You better make sure that you are all on the same page. Much of this comes from training together on a regular basis. That is why these are the people that help you at the meet, because they know you. However, nothing should ever be assumed.
Competition. Again, what should be obvious sometimes is not. If you don't have the drive to be the best you can, then you are probably holding your teammate(s) back. You have to want it. You have to thrive on it. It is the lifeblood of the sport. Without it we are all just moving a bunch of heavy stuff around. Might as well rent a van and get paid.
If you have a weak bodypart, and you make it stronger, you get stronger. If you have a weak teammate, and you help them get stronger, you get stronger. If you have no teammates to help you who will pick you up when you are down? How will you find your way? I think it is time to start realizing that powerlifting is a team sport. We may stand on that platform alone, but we did not get there that way.
**********************************
What do Baseball, Football and Basketball have in common? Well there are many similarities obviously. The most important, in my opinion, being that they are all team sports. These sports, for the most part, require several like-minded people working together to accomplish a goal. A team lives and dies by its ability to work together, rather than being a group of individuals.
So what, if anything, does this have to do with powerlifting? Powerlifting is an individual sport isn't it? In my opinion, it is and it isn't. How's that for an answer? Yes, when you are at a meet and your name is called, you are the only one that can lift the weight. No one can bare any of the strain for you. The work is there for you to do by yourself. However, if meet day is all that you think powerlifting is about then I believe you are missing out on something. I personally consider powerlifting to be just as much a team sport as any of the others I have mentioned.
The majority of the lifting that we do is not on the platform. It is in the gym, where we sweat, bleed and struggle against gravity together. Nine attempts in the course of a day is just a fraction of the sport. What about all the months, weeks, days and hours we spent preparing. The lifters that you train with, your teammates, are the ones that spent those hours with you. They strained with you. They coached you and learned from you. They encouraged you, and when you failed they were there. Of course there are lifters that train alone. There are exceptions to every rule. However, I believe that we all would benefit from considering our sport a team sport.
Having said that, having a training partner that is just there is not what I mean. A person that does not at least share you level of enthusiam is an obstacle. A person is either helping you get stronger, or they are in your way. It would be better to learn to train alone in a power rack until you find someone that can go the distance with you. Once you have found at least one person that will go to battle with you consider yourself lucky, and always try to help them as they help you.
I, myself, trained alone for many years. I knew that anyone that wasn't helping me was in my way. I met many people that said they wanted to get stronger, but few that were actually willing to work for it. Over those first few years I did get stronger, but I also learned a valuable lesson. Whenever I trained with someone that was as competitive as I was I always pushed myself harder. And this lesson holds true today. In those first few years I was missing something. I was missing my teammates. Now that I have found them I would never go back to my previous training. Others, if they are of the right mindset, will always push your harder than you can ever push yourself. I have two regular partners that I would not trade for the world. They push and teach me as I hope I do for them. I have learned so much about my training just tryin to help them. I have drawn from their strength in the gym, and even though it is against the rules they were there with me on the platform.
Since we are in the age of the internet I find myself in the situation of actually having guest partners as well. An extended team, if you will. These are the people that I travel to train with, or who travel to train with me. We constantly push each other to be better, to be smarter, to get stronger. Whether it be in person or over the internet my team makes me a better lifter. I just hope I do the same for them.
So what does it take to be a good teammate? That could make for a very long list of attributes. However, in my opinion, it all boils down to the three C's. Commitment, Communication and of course Competition.
Commitment. Just the basic stuff like never missing a workout. Being on time. Being ready to lift, and giving it your all. You would think that this would be obvious. However, for some reason it is not. People just don't seem to understand how much work actually goes into being an elite athlete. If your goal is the top, you are going to have to make numerous sacrifices. Your partners better be willing to do the same.
Communication. Whether it be how you want your bench handed off to you, to how you want to be spotted, communication is very important. Let's face it, this can be a dangerous sport. When you get under a weight you are putting your life in someone elses hands. You better make sure that you are all on the same page. Much of this comes from training together on a regular basis. That is why these are the people that help you at the meet, because they know you. However, nothing should ever be assumed.
Competition. Again, what should be obvious sometimes is not. If you don't have the drive to be the best you can, then you are probably holding your teammate(s) back. You have to want it. You have to thrive on it. It is the lifeblood of the sport. Without it we are all just moving a bunch of heavy stuff around. Might as well rent a van and get paid.
If you have a weak bodypart, and you make it stronger, you get stronger. If you have a weak teammate, and you help them get stronger, you get stronger. If you have no teammates to help you who will pick you up when you are down? How will you find your way? I think it is time to start realizing that powerlifting is a team sport. We may stand on that platform alone, but we did not get there that way.
Once again, good article !
