Fairhaven Fitness-10/20/Life Seminar

09 Jun Fairhaven Fitness-10/20/Life Seminar

Posted at 20:48h in 10/20/Life, Articles, Back Health, Bench, Coaching, Deadlift Powerlifting, Dr. Stuart McGill, Powerlifting, Seminars, Squat, Strength Training, Warm-up by admin 0 Comments

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By: Fairhaven Fitness-Friends of PRS

On May 14^th, 2016, Brian Carroll, Scott Paltos, and Paul Oneid put on an amazing seminar at Fair Haven Fitness, in Fair Haven, Vermont. This was the second 10/20/Life Seminar held at our gym.

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The first point of discussion was life experiences and how we function as humans. Movement was the focus of this discussion, how to bend, how to move, how to pick things up, proper body positioning and how to move like an athlete 24/7. The next portion of the seminar focused on what a proper warm-up looked like. Warm-up is fundamental foundation of the 10/20/Life principle. We focused on breaking a sweat, using exercises such as: Bird Dogs, Rolling Plank, and McGill Crunches to ensure a proper warm-up. We then focused on warm-up exercises that were specific to individual athletes. The last portion of the warm-up discussion focused on multiple reps with an empty bar. People who attended the seminar were listening intently and were eager to be coached through each aspect of the warm-up.

After the warm-up section, the large group was separated into three groups to work on the mechanics and technique of the squat. Paul Oneid worked with new lifters, Brian Carroll worked with the geared lifters, and Scott Paltos worked with raw lifters who had competed in at least two meets. Each group performed multiple repetitions of squats. Attention was given to head position, feet placement, hand and elbow positioning, bar placement, and proper breathing. All lifters made adjustments and were excited to implement the new knowledge to improve their form during training and competitions.

After the warm-up and squat instruction it was time for lunch! Yes, I was hungry!!! This was a great time to talk to the lifters and of course eat. I always enjoy visiting with people from other gyms. It’s nice to meet and talk to other lifters, bounce around ideas, discuss gear, techniques and share stories. After lunch we moved on to the bench press. We focused on some basic principles such as: keeping your eyes under the bar, wedging your

back, pushing the heels out, setting a tripod position with your feet, touching the base of the sternum, and when/how to breathe. We maintained the same working groups and everyone made great progress with the proper bench press set-up.

The final coaching portion of the seminar focused on the deadlift. Lifters were taught to focus on wedging your back, keeping your eyes slightly up, keeping the bar close to the body, and pushing hard, with your feet, through the floor!

The seminar finished with a Question and Answer portion. Each person wrote questions that were specific to them. This was the time to pick the brains of the experienced coaches and walk away with some valuable information.

Personally this Seminar meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to the lifters who took part as well. Every lifter has their own goals and lifts they want to achieve in a lifetime. We aspire to be like the greats, to lift more than the other lifters in our weight class and division, to lift more than our friends, and our enemies. We aspire to break World Records, All Time Records, and Personal Records. This seminar helps emphasize that all things are possible if you don’t rush the game. Put in your time, work smart, take care of your body, listen to the correct people, and good things will happen.

Since our last seminar, in September 2015, my team has been following the 10/20/Life Principles. During that time injuries have been minimal, personal records are happening at every meet, and best yet, our team is growing. Thank you again to Brian, Scott and Paul for their time and willingness to coach and share your philosophies.