It’s often said that training with stronger people is beneficial. I just had an experience where had a very heavy, overloaded bench with 3 sets of chains (120 lbs) off a two board and was able to handle nearly 70 lbs on top of my max. It was the most I’ve held in my hands in any configuration from bands to chains to reverse bands, and my coach was surprised I got it. Went for a 22 lb increase and failed but I did get it off the boards but just didn’t have the juice.
I happen to be training with my coach (400 lb bench) and his training partner (500 lb bench) and complicating things we were using metric competition plates so it was harder for me to keep up with how much straight weight was on the bar so I just kept lifting w/o getting my head wound up on how much was on the bar.
I’m substantially weaker than my two partners and the intensity and speed at which weight kept getting added was new for me.
Cool stuff. Definitely suggested for anyone. Can’t wait to have a heavy squat day with these guys!
I can’t find any training partners at all, let alone ones that are stronger than me. Anyone I know who gets into lifting ends up going full Crossfit or Oly lifting, neither of which interest me.
I often wonder how big of a difference my training would make if I lifted at an actual powerlifting centric/friendly gym.
Training with stronger guys than you in the beginning can help inspire, but it will wear off because you’ll see it everyday.
Once that wears off, you’ll still need that internal drive to be better. Having training partners who are consistently there when you are makes a big difference. You need spotters, hand-offs, etc. If applicable, give you correction in technique.
Stick with them especially if they are consistent and level headed.
I’ve got the same problem, maybe even worse. I train at a my office gym and there is not a single Plifter there. There is one guy who squats and deadlifts, but with terrible form and mostly ego lifting >> shrugs with straps, which meant to be deadlifts…
I have a dedicated powerlifting coach who is a Westside trained powerlifter (whether that’s good or bad, is up for debate). I worked out a deal with him and get to train 4x week. So I get a lot of instruction and he’s an excellent communicator. I’ve now been on a dedicated program for 4.5 years, have been consistent and am approaching an elite raw total at 50 years old.
But, I think there’s an additional intensity that comes into play when you train with monsters. It’s sorta like a powerlifting meet where the adrenaline can help you get PR’s (or work against you and f you up). But not so much adrenaline, but rather notions of what is heavy go out the door and, as my coach says, ‘just lift the fucking weight’. Hard to 'splain I guess
It’s cool how the Max Effort workout allows you to get into this Fun and Exciting “training zone” often.
When you do an unusual lift that you’ve never done before there is less anxiety, or no pressure to lift “X” amount. Especially if somebody else chooses the lift. You’re not sure how what You can lift. You just get in there and go until you’ve had enough. Instead of being sad about a missed lift, you get hype about the Huge lift you did make. Then you get to be all excited about the gym and have a positive attitude about the work.
Working with super strong dudes must be like the icing on the cake. Like when you first get to the varsity lineup after your JV days.
I get what you are saying, when you see someone warming up with more than your max you start to look at the weights differently. Of course in person it is a different experience vs. watching videos.
When I used to be a trainer at a suburban commercial gym, I thought I was some shit because I could bench 205 and squat/deadlift 275. Then I went to my university gym and saw undergrad kids pulling 4’s and 5’s. The inner hater in me dismissed it as not physically possible without roids.
I literally thought most strength athletes were on roids till I realized powerlifting had a drug tested division, and then saw how strong natural lifters were once I competed and met other strong athletes.
I think training with stronger people is part of the right training environment to get strong.
I would really like to have more heavy lifters in our gym.
I really appreciate it when the pros show up in dance - sure it’s scary and intimidating when someone sticks a leg over her head from behind or smashes out some ridiculous number of turns, but at the same time it can lift and motivate everybody to an amazing degree, and at the very least it’s amazing what you can do when you’re following someone who’s good (even though teachers hate it because you’re faking).
I remember when legend A/ntonia F/ranceschi was a guest teacher for us and the class filled with every pro in town who wasn’t under arrest, plus a half a dozen weirdo amateurs like me who were regulars. She led a simple but technically exact and physically really savage class (two people cracked, pussied out, and bolted halfway through barre) and you couldn’t tell the difference between any of us (except for the two chickenshits obviously).