19 Feb Things I’ve Learned From Being a Part of TeamPRS: Part 2

By Brian Carroll

Being a part of a team so diverse as PRS, I’ve been lucky enough to get to know quite a few very gifted, talented and cool people. But cool is only breaking the surface and won’t get you far in athletic endeavors without planning, experience, wisdom, adjustability and tenacity.  I really envy and try to emulate the strongpoints of my peers and friends, especially if they are highly successful.

[wa-wps]

What I want to do is explain what these coaches and athletes have taught me, while not even realizing it, in hopes to not only to get you to understand how they could potentially help you but also to thank them and show them how they have impacted me and others all over the world.

Everyone has a talent, in my opinion. Everyone has an ability unique to them but it’s up to them to figure out how to exploit and utilize it. I really believe this as I’ve seen some amazing things over the years. Unfortunately, some choose to succumb and underachieve; these are the ones that some would say do not have much ability due to their fruits. Don’t mistake someone’s laziness, or lack of embracing their special gift for lack of ability or talent. There is a difference.

Tony Cowden’s mental toughness

Tony joined the team about 14 months ago, and we hit it off right away. Tony’s background in SF (Military Special Forces) plus his diverse history of athletic endeavors makes him very unique to the team. He’s a true hybrid athlete in every sense (unlike others who are only marketers).  Tony also has a history of back injury (on a few levels), so his arm doesn’t always work well, which was an issue for the 666 challenge. The 666 challenge is 600lb raw squat, 600lb raw deadlift and a 6 minute-mile, all done in the same day. Keep in mind, this has only been done by a couple of true hybrid athletes – Brandon Crabill – first and since, Tony Cowden. Anyway, Tony worked hard, relentlessly & efficiently, and overcame missing the mark a couple of times. Tony surrounded himself with those who could help elevate him and made the adjustments necessary to accomplish the goal; even with plenty of setbacks along the way. I guess the fact that he also did a triathlon at super high altitude at about 220lb, the same year doesn’t hurt either. He gets it done, period. When I sometimes question what can be done, Tony comes to mind, and has been a great example to me of getting it done no matter what.

Lisa Guggisberg’s work ethic

I met and started coaching Lisa a little less than three years ago. Lisa was a bit stagnant in her training and stuck at 220lb raw squat, 120lb raw bench and a 250lb raw deadlift. There is more to this story, though. She was terrified of failing, but at the same time, expected herself to fail. This was a vicious continuum of self-sabotage. One day this all changed (you can read about how she learned to flip the switch here).  One key reason (besides the aforementioned article changing her mindset) that Lisa is now at or close to a 400lb squat, 200lb bench and 400lb deadlift in the SAME class is due to her ability to stay on a plan and put the work in. She works as hard as I ask her to work and never questions how much or how little I prescribe for programming. She trusts the approach and gets it done even when she doesn’t feel like it. Being a wife and mom of two, she is a great example of “if you want it bad enough, you can make the time to get your goals accomplished.” The improvements Lisa has made in not just her lifting, but in her confidence as a lifter and coach is second to none. Did I mention she’s worked her way to a top spot both raw and equipped in multiple weight classes? In her first equipped meet, she slid into the top 5 all-time at 123 with a 462lb squat, 263lb bench and a 402lb (raw) deadlift! Lisa has been a great influence on me to follow through with a plan, even when I don’t feel like it or start to get lazy. I really have no excuses if Lisa doesn’t.

Jason Pegg’s observation

I’ve known Jason Pegg for the better part of eight years. The first time I had a phone conversation with Jason was at 12:00 a.m. for about three hours. I had already taken my nightly Ambien and got a call from him unexpectedly. We hit it off right away (he tells me) and since, I’ve seen Jason really coach the crap out of lifters, even with the most-subtle cues, time after time. He sees things most do not and has a great instinct and a distinct way of pointing them out to you – by taking a giant dump on your lap…JUST KIDDING. I first noticed this at EliteFTS years ago, but more when we had our first get together in Howell, Michigan, in October 2014. He was coaching his ass off! Enough of this stuff, let’s get to the real stuff – Jason is a war-hero. While serving in the U.S. Army, he was nearly killed in Iraq. While on patrol, an IED blew up his hummer and he lost most of the use of his arm. He spent more time than a human should at Walter Reed recovering and rehabbing. To aid in this recovery, Jason went on to eat dozens of pounds of M&M’s (in his sleep) that we great American’s donate to hero’s, like Jason. After all of this, did I mention he’s pulled over 700lb, and squatted well into the 900’s in multi-ply competition, 770lbs in wraps, as well as a gym squat of over 1000lbs! Pegg, to me, has shown me not only great observation and coaching skills but also to suck it up and deal with what’s going on and find a way to get it done. He and Tony both.

Brandon Crabill is fearless

I’ve known Brandon for about six years. He was initially an online client of mine, who I finally met at the Arnold in 2013. Brandon struck me as a very hungry individual who would do anything, I mean anything to get it done – much like Tony Cowden. Brandon has lead the way for hybrid athletes all over the world by not talking about it but BEING ABOUT IT, WITH PROOF. Brandon is one who sits back quietly and plans your destruction – of course, only in competition. It’s not like he’s crazy or anything. Brandon, time after time, has gotten it done. From working with me for raw meets, to equipped meets, to working with Tony Cowden and I (I did very little) doing the 666 challenge, to ultra marathons (he finished both) and now another completely new venture with Danny Vega (more on this sooner than later). I have learned a great deal from Brandon and his ethic, his tenacity and his willingness to be a sponge and trust the process and his fearlessness. There are times that I’m afraid of venturing out, of failing. Having men like Brandon Crabill on your team, who believe in you, your vision and having your back 100% makes venturing into unfamiliar waters much more painless. Watching someone plunge into unknown waters, with no fucks given helps with this too.

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Brian Carroll

Owner and Founder at PowerRackStrength.com

Brian is a retired world-class powerlifter with over two decades of world-class powerlifting. From 1999 to 2020, Brian Carroll was a competitive powerlifter, one of the most accomplished lifters in the sport's history. Brian started off competing in bench press competitions 'raw,' then, shortly into the journey, he gravitated toward equipped lifting as there were no "raw" categories then. You only had to choose from single-ply (USPF) and Multi-ply (APF/WPC). Brian went on to total 2730 at 275 and 2651 at 242 with more than ten times his body weight in three different classes (220, 242, 275), and both bench pressed and deadlifted over 800 pounds in two other weight classes. He's totaled 2600 over 20 times in 2 different weight classes in his career. With 60 squats of 1000lbs or more officially, this is the most in powerlifting history, regardless of weight class or federation, by anyone not named David Hoff. Brian realized many ups and downs during his 20+ years competing. After ten years of high-level powerlifting competition and an all-time World Record squat at 220 with 1030, in 2009, Brian was competing for a Police academy scholarship. On a hot and humid July morning, Brian, hurdling over a barricade at 275lbs, landed on, fell, and hurt his back. After years of back pain and failed therapy, Brian met with world-renowned back specialist Prof McGill in 2013, which changed his trajectory more than he could have imagined. In 2017, Brian Carroll and Prof McGill authored the best-selling book about Brian's triumphant comeback to powerlifting in Gift of Injury. Most recently (10.3.20) -Brian set the highest squat of all time (regardless of weight class) with 1306 lbs – being the first man to break the 1300lb squat barrier at a bodyweight of 303 lbs.

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