Paper: Training Partners Revisited

By Mike StuchinerPublished: September 22, 2013Posted in: Columns, PowerliftingTags: feedback, meet preparation, mike stuchiner, squat depth, training partners
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A while back I wrote an article on what I felt were the characteristics of a great training partner. I’m very happy to say that I’ve had many great training partners in my life. The things they’ve taught me and I’ve taught them can never be read in a book or learned in a classroom. I’ve been part of some great clubs including Louie’s Westside, Bob Youngs’ Southside Barbell, and John Bott’s Eastside Barbell. I suppose I just need to find a club named Northside Barbell and I will have come full circle.

The one thing all these clubs have in common is that all the training partners were honest with each other. No one ever blew smoke up anyone’s ass. If a lifter didn’t do something correctly, he was told about it. In some cases, it was like a school of piranhas attacking. Hey—whatever gets the job done.
Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar to you. You’re taking a squat in full gear in the gym because you have a meet coming up. Your plan is to work up to your opener so you know you’ll need to hit depth on it. The attempt is complete and easy. You look to your training partners for their feedback on depth and form. You hear a lot of “You were right there,” “You were close, but don’t worry—you’ll sink it at the meet,” “It was a little high but no worries as it should pass at the meet,” or my favorite “I’ve seen guys get passed for worse squats than that.”
When you’re in gear, I know all too well that it isn’t easy to feel on your own when you’re at proper depth. That’s why you get feedback or get called into the hole by one of your training partners. The funny thing about this scenario is that most often the lifter will go to the meet and bomb out. In many cases, this can and has happened to the lifter four or five meets in a row.
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Ask yourself this question—are your training partners doing you any favor by not being honest with you? Maybe they’re afraid to tell you the truth or perhaps you just don’t want to hear the truth. Let’s face it—you’re the big dog in that group, so who are those ****ers to tell you how to lift, right? Well, I’ll tell you who those ****ers are. They’re the people you rely on week in and week out to help and support you in achieving your goals just like you do for them. That’s why it’s a partnership.

It seems to me that lifters are making this more complex than it has to be. You’re either below parallel or you aren’t. Marginal isn’t below. Only below is below. Wait—before everyone starts to beat me with a rubber hose, I’m trying to make a valid point here. I’m well aware that there are many factors like gear and stance that can change the game, but the end result is still the same. If you have a problem, you need to fix it.
As a training partner, it is your responsibility to be upfront and honest with anyone in your group who isn’t doing what he needs to do. As the lifter being critiqued, listen to and trust the people you train with. If they’re being honest with you, you have great training partners. If you choose not to listen, your failure is 100 percent your responsibility, so don’t blame it on the spotters, judges, or your training partners. Hey—I’m just being honest.